4 
animation, none being strange to me excepting i 
tlie Torres Straits pigeon, which here made its J 
appearance for the first time. Mr. Walter, 
a photographer, from Melbourne, took several 
interesting stereoscopic views during our stay. 
We weighed anchor next morning at day- 
break, and about noon were opposite the 
Endeavour River, celebrated as the spot where 
Captain Cook hove down his vessel for repairs, 
having previously struck upon a coral reef to 
the southward. The coast, near the river, 
consisted of two hills rising in a sloping direc- 
tion from the water, but near the top assumed 
a precipitious aspect as the rock cropped out 
perpendicularly. Coral islands nearly level 
with the water now became numerous, and 
were generally clothed with low bushes and 
other scanty vegetation. At 5 in the after- 
noon we arrived at our next anchorage, Lizard 
Island, which was a desolate looking, though 
picturesque spot. Some went on shore, but I 
preferred remaining on board and occupied 
myself in making a sketch of the scene. 
When our friends returned, they reported 
having seen signs of inhabitants. Footprints I 
of men, a child, and a dog were found im- 
printed on the sand, and the remains of a 
stone building, with a black cross marked on 
the wall, surmounted with a large D. This is 
supposed to be a station formerly used by 
collectors of beclie-le-mer, so much used by 
the Chinese in making soup ; but to the 
uninitiated the animal is anything but pre- 
possessing in appearance, being like a huge 
slug, from a few inches to a foot or more in 
length. There are various qualities, some 
fetching a high price, and the pursuit is said 
to be a very profitable one. Not much was 
found on this island, the botanical collectors 
being the most fortunate. A few grasshoppers 
of large size, but similar to some too frequent- 
ly found in our Botanical Gardens, were all 
that were seen among the insect tribes-. Had 
it been earlier in the day I might have 
possibly met with something worth capturing. 
We started next morning at 6 a.m. and 
reached our destination, which was an island 
of the Claremont Group, called No. 6, distant 
about 9 miles from the main land.. The 
weather up to this time having been so tempt- 
ingly fine, it was thought that being so 
near the centre of the totality of the eclipse, 
better work could be done by all keeping ! 
together. No fear seemed to be felt and no 
doubt expressed that any failure was likely to 
result from our doing so. The next 5 days 
were occupied in making the necessary pre- 
parations for mounting the various instruments' 
which were to be employed. The first thing 
to be done was to build solid piers on which i 
to fix them, this was very well and efficiently 
done, bricks firmly set in cement being the 
materials employed ; Mr. Casselli,an architect 
from Ballarat, was the gentleman who erected 
them. We enclosed in glass bottles, as a me- 
mento of our visit : — several newspapers from 
the different colonies of Australia, a list of 
the passengers, and a few coins, which were 
securely imprisoned within the different piers. 
The instruments used were of the best con- 
struction, and most accurately adjusted ; and 
in all cases exhibited a freedom from tremor 
highly satisfactory. Mr. Russell, from the 
Sydney observatory, brought with him the 
large 10 feet Equatorial, by Merz, and I had 
the pleasure of witnessing the whole pro- 
cess of its erection. This instrument has 
an object glass 7^ inches in diameter, and 
is of excellent quality ; and though of 
considerable weight is very easily handled, 
the ingenious system of counterpoises at- 
tached rendering it capable of being moved 
by one hand, but steady as a rock, even 
with the highest powers. There were also two 
small instruments of 2-inch aperture, one of 
which was placed at my disposal, and the other 
that of Captain Gowlland. These like the large 
telescope were moved by clock work, and I 
had here for the first time an opportunity of 
examining a new description of regulator, 
which the ingenuity of Mr. Russell has de- 
vised, for timeing the motion of the telescope 
to the speed of the heavenly bodies. As this 
varies indefinitely according to the declination, 
an easy and effective means of regulating the 
speed is of great importance, and still more 
when combined with simplicity of action, 
which is the case with Mr. Russell’s invention ; 
, being merely the immersion of a wooden wheel 
j in a trough of mercury, under which is a re- 
! gulating screw, which causes the wheel to dip 
j more or less deeply into the fluid. The quick- 
I ness and certainty of action thus attained is 
j marvellous, and a very short time only is 
j necessary to bring an object steadily on the 
j wire of the finder. Another and larger tele- 
scope, by Troughton and Sims, was devoted 
| to the Rev. Mr. Scott, and was fixed to a post, 
firmly embedded in the sand, and equatorially 
adjusted. These instruments were connected 
with what was called the Sydney tent, which 
was of a size sufficient to cover all the appa- 
ratus, and also enclosed in its ample folds a 
dark room for Mr. Merlin the photographer. 
The Melbourne astronomical party had a 
larger amount of apparatus and several smaller 
tents. I noticed one of the new silver on glass 
reflecting telescopes, by Browning and With, 
of S inches aperture, mounted equatorially, 
attached to which was a powerful spectroscope, 
specially arranged for viewing the spectrum of 
the corona. Rroffessor Ellery and Mr. Black 
Geodetic, surveyor of Victoria, attended upon 
this instrument. Two other spectroscopes 
were in the charge of Messrs. Macgeorge and 
Foord. A fine transit instrument was used by 
Mr. White, who was at great pains to secure 
accuracy in its adjustment. Other instru- 
ments, and a variety of photographic appa- 
ratus were all duly prepared, and practice in 
the art of photographing to the beats of the 
chronometer was well attended to, to ensure 
