370 CAPTAIN W. DE W. ABNEY AND DR. T. E. THORPE ON PHOTOMETRIC 
place before the “Fantome” left St. George. No landing was practicable on the 
leeward side of the island, and, although two or three places were met with on the 
other side, they could only be counted upon during fine weather. Moreover, as 
the greater part of the island is covered with dense ‘‘bush,” the transport of the 
instruments to and from the station would be very laborious and tedious. There was 
the further difficulty that it was well nigh impossible to make one’s way through the 
tangle of bush at night, when much of the work of adjustment of the equatorial would 
have to be done. And, lastly, there was the possibility, even if the instruments were 
successfully set up, that the noise of the surf and the driving spray in bad weather 
might seriously interfere with the work of observation. 
For these reasons we decided to abandon the Caliveny site, and, after a careful 
examination of the neighbourhood, we selected a station near a little creek on Hog 
Island, to the westward of the bay. The position was fairly good ; during dry 
weather it was indeed all that could be desired. The ground was about 10 to 15 feet 
above the sea level, and was close to a shelving, sandy beach, readily accessible and 
generally free from swell. In bad weather, another landing could be obtained round 
a point to the north, with only a few hundred yards of bush to be got through. The 
position had a good eastern horizon, the sun rising behind the lowland running out to 
Point Egmont, which here subtended an angle of less than 1°. Its position, as taken 
off the Admiralty Chart, was lat. 12° 0' 4" N., long. 61° 43' 45" W. 
The “Fantdme” left St. George on the 17th August, and came into Clerk’s Court 
Bay in the afternoon of the same day. All the apparatus, was safely got to shore 
before nightfall, and the positions for the base of the equatorial and for the tents of 
the party undertaking the integrating work were decided upon. Early next morning 
the erection of the wooden hut to shelter the equatorial was begun, and a concrete base 
for the stand made upon the rock, which was found at a depth of a few inches below 
the surface of the soil. Before the surface of the cement was finally set it was care¬ 
fully levelled, the base put into position, and the mounting of the telescope 
proceeded with. The integrating apparatus was placed in a small marquee tent, a 
few yards to the north of the hut. Small slabs of concrete were also made in 
convenient situations, to carry the galvanometers, &c. As the photometer box 
attached to the equatorial added considerably to the length of the apparatus, it was 
necessary that the hut should be of somewhat larger dimensions than that generally 
adopted by the rest of the expedition ; otherwise it was very much of the pattern of 
that which the Governor had caused to be constructed prior to our arrival at St. 
George, and which answered admirably in all respects. Round the hut and tents a 
deep trench was cut, with an outfall leading down tlie slope towards the sea to carry 
off the rain-water collected by the roofs. Our chief difficulties, indeed, were due to 
the frequent rains and constant humidity. At times the ground became worked into 
a sort of quagmire. By the 19th everything was in fair adjustment, and during the 
subsequent ten days the various members of the party were assiduously practised on 
