Astronomy. 508 
George Airy finds that of these phases 6 is the most exact, 
observers, even in the presence of clouds of moderate density, 
much greater discordances are e Similarly at the Egress, 
he first appearance of a fine line or faint shadow is called hi 
becomin “bro ze” appearing, is called «. 
hen most observers record “contact,” the shadow having 
reached a maximum intensity, the phase is — 6, and in this 
phase there is an agreement amongst observers, much closer than 
in other phases at Egress. The e ame. contact at Egress is 
called 7 
In the second section of the report, or Table II, these “adopted 
phases are massed for each district in which the parallax-factor 
is nearly identical,’ and several of the details of reduction 
verted h_ sidereal es vith the at 
apparent places of the sun and Venus in the Nautical Almanie 
of alterations of the third class, as it is remarked, constituted “ the 
special object of the expedition.” The form of the reductions was 
“entirely determined by the consideration that such alterations 
must be made in the parallaxes as will render the observations of 
the same phenomena in rire parts of the ste consistent with 
each other.” In Table III. we have “ the m solar parallax 
deduced from 3 sheen’ combination.” Thus In Dares acceler- 
t the reper ere and secondly, upon the esiiier 
phase «, #, y, , and g being ren: it is found that 
all the cobibnasiiinn for Ingress give mean gens parallax 
‘ 
8”-739, weight 10°46, and all the Sonibinntgies for 
8"°847, weight 2°53, "whence the general result is 8” 760, fro 
whi ch Sir George Airy finds the mean distance of the sun saeal 
