uments thus required have been borrowed from
various sources, so that there is now an abundant supply of
instrumental means.... There will thus be available for observation of
the Transit of Venus 23 telescopes, nine of which will be provided
with double-image-micrometers; and five photoheliographs; and for
determination of local time, and latitude and longitude, there will be
nine transits and six altazimuths.... All the observers have undergone
a course of training in photography; first, under a professional
photographer, Mr Reynolds, and subsequently under Capt. Abney, R.E.,
whose new dry-plate process is to be adopted at all the British
Stations.... A Janssen slide, capable of taking 50 photographs of
Venus and the neighbouring part of the Sun's limb at intervals of one
second, has been made by Mr Dallmeyer for each of the five
photoheliographs."--Attached to the Report to the Visitors is a copy
of the Instructions to Observers engaged in the Transit of Venus
Expeditions, prepared with great care and in remarkable detail.--"In
the past spring I published in the Monthly Notices of the Royal
Astronomical Society a statement of the fundamental points in a new
treatment of the Lunar Theory, by which, availing myself of all that
has been done in the best algebraical investigations of that theory, I
trust to be able by numerical operations only to give greater accuracy
to final results. Considerable progress has been made in the extensive
numerical developments, the work being done, at my private expense,
entirely by a junior computer; and I hope, at any rate, to put it in
such a state that there will be no liability to its entire loss. When
this was reported to the Board of Visitors, it was resolved on the
motion of Prof. Stokes, that this work, as a public expense, ought to
be borne by the Government; and this was forwarded to the
Admiralty. On June 24th I wrote to the Secretary of the Admiralty,
asking for _L100_ for the present year, which after the usual
enquiries and explanations was sanctioned on Aug. 29th."

Of private history: There were short visits to Playford in January,
June, and October, but only for a few days in each case.--In March
there was a run of two or three days to Newnham (on the Severn) to see
the Bore on the Severn, and to Malvern.--In July he went to Newcastle
to observe with Mr Newall's great telescope, but the weather was
unfavourable: he then went on to Barrow House near Keswick, and spent
a