94- TEANSIT OP VENUS. 



all be stationed at Eden, but be divided between tbe coast and 

 the mountains, and indicated Woodford as about the most 

 promising station for clear and steady atmosphere. Bathurst and 

 Groulbm-n were alike in chance of clear weather ; but Goulburn 

 was the better station geographically, and was therefore selected. 

 Eden weather reports were not encouraging; but as the advantage 

 of position was so much in its favour, it was decided to make it 

 the fourth station, and there the B-ev. W. Scott, formerly Astrono- 

 mer for Xew South AVales, proceeded, with Messrs. AV. J. Mac 

 Donnell and J. S. Watkins, observers ; and Mr. Sharkey, photo- 

 grapher to the Grovernment Printing Office, as photographer, and 

 one carpenter, with observatory, tents, instruments, and all 

 needful appliances. A description of these must, for want of 

 time, be reserved for the published reports. Suffice it to say, the 

 telescope used by Mr. Scott was a 7i-inch equatorial, of 10 feet 

 4 inches focus; by Mr. MacDonnell, a 4i-inch Cooke equatorial ; 

 and by Mr. Watkins, a 3i-inch equatorial ; they had also means of 

 taking 220 photographs. Captain Hixson, President of the 

 Marine Board, Captain Onslow, M.P., and Professor Liversidge, 

 made the observing party at Goulburn, with Mr. Tornaghi, photo- 

 grapher, and a carpenter. Observatory, tents, instruments, &c., 

 were similar to those at Eden, but the telescopes were rather 

 smaller, having 6 inches, 31, and 3i inches object glasses, with 

 means of taking 220 photographs. To Woodford, which is the 

 country house of A. Fairfax, Esq., who kindly gave us every 

 assistance in his power, even to lending his own valuable 4|-inch 

 Schroeder telescope, P. F. Adams, Esq., Surveyor General, pro- 

 ceeded, with Messrs. Hirst, Vessey, and Du Faur, also Mr. Bischoff 

 (photographer), and two carpentei's. The instruments here were 

 somewhat different from those at the other stations. Knowing, 

 as I did, from experiments made on the spot with the telescope, 

 how favourable the atmosphere was for photography, I determined 

 to send the Dallemeyer photo-heliograph with Janssen apparatus 

 there, and with it one observing telescope ; plates, chemicals, 

 &c., were provided for 220 whole photos of the Sun, and thirty 

 Janssen plates, with sixty photos on each. The observatory was 

 similar to that used at Goulburn ; and Mr. Adams, who gave me 

 very great assistance, provided transit instrument, another observ- 

 ing telescope, &c., besides two ordinary tents and two round oues 

 for observatories. 



At Sydney the observations rested wholly on the Observatory 

 staff, and the instruments used were ll|-inch refractor, 12 feet 

 6 inch focus, 4|-inch refractor, 81 inches focus, and a 10-inch 

 unsilvered glass reflector, by Browning and With. 



I cannot leave this part of my subject without expressing the 

 high praise which I feel to be due to all who assisted me in these 

 observations. With a zeal worthy of the occasion, they devoted 



