Notices respecting New Books. 529 



Transits of Venus. A Popular Account of Past and Coming Transits. 



By Eichaed A. ~PROCT(m,B.A.Camb, London : Longmans and Co. 

 The Approaching Transit of Venus. By William Huggins, D.C.L., 



LL.B., F.B.S. Manchester and London : Heywood and Pitman. 



The first transit of Venus of the present century has now- 

 passed ; the observations, wherever practicable, have been made ; 

 and we are anxiously waiting for the publication of the results, 

 which must necessarily occupy some time in preparation. Just on 

 the eve of its occurrence, and in our opinion somewhat late, one of 

 the best-written of Mr. Proctor's works in some important respects 

 appeared ; and about the same time Dr. Huggins delivered a lecture 

 on the transit at the Town Hall, Hulme, near Manchester, which 

 has been incorporated in the sixth series of " Science Lectures for 

 the People." The most interesting part of Mr. Proctor's work is, 

 without doubt, Chapter IV., entitled " Transits and their Condi- 

 tions," extending from p. 93 to p. 155. The greatest fault we find 

 with it is a little prolixity in the treatment ; otherwise it is the 

 most scientific of his writings which we have read. We lose, it is 

 true, the raciness of the sensational character appertaining to some 

 of his lighter essays ; but, on the other hand, we rejoice that he 

 has given us the conditions of transits in so clear, intelligible, and 

 simple a manner, illustrated, as they are, by several excellent dia- 

 grams. We should strongly recommend that this chapter be read 

 first as an advantageous preparation for perusing the historical 

 account of the past transits in 1639, 1761, and 1769 in Chapters 

 £,11., and HI. 



Had we not felt it imperative to read the last chapter, we should 

 most willingly have closed the book, as indications presented them- 

 selves of the controversial bitterness which has characterized more 

 or less the writings of Mr. Proctor on the transits of Venus. 

 Having read this chapter, we rise from its perusal with a convic- 

 tion that one of the best-written of Mr. Proctor's works has been 

 marred by a reference to that which at most is but a matter of 

 opinion. Had the author contented himself with a notice of the 

 preparations for the transit of December 9 in every part of the 

 world, his book would have been all that could have been desired. 

 It would appear from a letter of Mr. Proctor's to a contemporary, 

 that he has been driven to the course adopted from a desire to 

 accede to the wishes of those from whom it has been his misfor- 

 tune to differ. He says, " I have therefore, though with regret, 

 given a few pages to the subject in my book on Past and Coming 

 Transits. Those of my readers who think as I do, that we have 

 had more than enough of the subject, will do well to leave uncut 

 pp. 180 to 198 of that work. I hope that circumstances will per- 

 mit me to remove this portion altogether from future editions ; for, 

 to say the truth, the subject is not particularly pleasant, and I 

 would much rather be allowed to say nothing more about it." 

 We sincerely hope that Mr. Proctor will submit to the prompt- 



Phil. Mag. S. 4, No. 821. Suppt. Vol. 48. 2 M 



