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The native workmen carried some of the llg’hter pieces to the top of the ridge as soon 
as they were landed, but most of the instruments had to be placed on the bullock- 
cart and dragged up the steep, rough road at great cost of time and labour, the men 
aiding the bullocks when necessary. The ship’s carpenter, with a shore party of 
seamen and marines, was soon at work clearing the ground and erecting the observing 
huts, and these had to be fixed rather firmly in the ground, in order to resist the 
storms of wind so violent in these islands. The dwelling of Mr. Drummond, thanks 
to his self-sacrifice, afforded excellent accommodation for the two astronomers and for 
Lieutenant Helby ; but the incessant attacks of the gallinippers, which brought on 
an incipient fever, rendered it necessary for Mr. Maunder to sleep on board H.M.S. 
“ Bullfrog ” during our stay at the island. A small cottage, consisting of two rooms, 
and situated close to the main dwelling, was also placed at our disposal. One of the 
rooms served to keep our packages dry, and the other, at the expense of the sailroom 
of the gunboat, was excellently fitted up as a developing room for photography. A 
bed of concrete was laid in one of the observing huts for the photoheliograph of Mr. 
Maunder, and concrete was also used to fix firmly in position the legs of the strongly- 
built tripods on which stood the equatorials of Jones and Alvan Clark. The 
landing of the instruments commenced on the 17th, thus leaving twelve days before 
the eclipse for the erection of huts and instruments and for all necessary preparations. 
The exact bearing of the polar axes of the equatorials was determined by observations 
of Polaris and of S Ursse Minoris, and we were ready on Monday, the 23rd, to 
commence the testing of our instruments. The Simms transit-theodolite from Stony- 
hurst Observatory was of great use for observing altitudes of the Sun by which to 
rate our chronometers, and also for determining the positions of the disks erected to 
obscure the inner corona for those who had undertaken to make sketches of the 
outlying streamers during totality. These disks were fixed firmly on the top of each 
hut, with sight-holes on uprights placed at a convenient distance on the side opposite 
the rising Sun. Captain Masterman and Paymaster Osburn kindly volunteered to 
observe and sketch these faint, delicate objects. 
In the course of the morning of the 23rd Father Perry adjusted the grating of his 
spectroscope, and obtained a very perfect spectrum. H.M.S. “Fantome” arrived the 
same day from Grenada, and we learnt from Captain Archer that Mr. Lockyer 
had just established himself at Green Island, the station appointed at first for 
Mr. Maunder. 
On the 24th the weather in the early morning was all that could be desired, and 
the Sun could have been observed under the most favourable circumstances had the 
eclipse occurred on that day, although later in the morning there was a succession of 
heavy showers. 
The detailed plan for the morning of the eclipse was definitively settled on the 25th, 
the assistants were chosen, and everything made ready for a complete rehearsal on the 
morrow. The plan finally adopted was the following:— 
MDCCCLNXXTX.—A. 2 Z 
