This article was published on March 24, 1870, in the Nature magazine and discusses the planetary transits of Venus in 1874 and 1882. The article includes information about the proposed plan to observe these significant astronomical events, which are of great interest to many readers of the magazine. It details the correspondence between the royal astronomer and the officials of the navy, the admiralty, and the general secretariat, as well as the attached comments from Captain Toynbee, Admiral Ommaney, Captain Davis, Mr. Stone, and Mr. Warren De La Rue, which are worth careful reading. It generally seems uncertain at least whether it will be possible to obtain the required polar station for observing the transit, which should be in the vicinity of the Erebus and Terror mountains, or if it is likely to be possible to conduct observations from there. However, this polar station is only required for the transit of 1882, and there is ample time to conduct a preparatory exploratory trip to the South Pole to verify this questionable point. In the meantime, let us see what has already been determined regarding the transit of 1874. To properly observe this event, the royal astronomer informs us that it will be necessary, after taking into account all the expected assistance from foreign and colonial observatories, to organize expeditions to the following five stations: (1) Oahu (Sandwich Islands), (2) Kerguelen Island, (3) Rodrigues, (4) Auckland (New Zealand), (5) Alexandria. At the first three stations – Oahu, Kerguelen Island, and Rodrigues – it will be necessary to conduct preparatory observations for twelve months to determine the absolute lengths of these locations, which are not precisely known. The total estimated cost of these proposed expeditions for the transit of 1874 is £10,404, a modest amount for work of supreme importance, and since treasury members announce that they have “no objection” to the proposed expenditure, we can assume it will be implemented thus far. But what I would like to draw attention to at this time is the valuable opportunity that subsequently arises to enhance the importance of this event for the advancement of science in general, by transforming these proposed astronomical trips into general expeditions for scientific observation. At three of the locations to be visited, it will be necessary to maintain a team of observers, more or less, for over twelve months. Now, it happens that the three specified locations for these astronomical observatories are extremely interesting for biological studies. The Sandwich Islands are well known to be home to very peculiar flora and fauna that have not been fully discovered yet, perhaps rivaling even the Galapagos Islands in strangeness. They are also home to some of the most majestic volcanic phenomena known on Earth. Who can doubt that one or more zoologists, botanists, and geologists will find abundant work during their year-long stay in these islands and will reap a rich harvest of results? Rodrigues Island was formerly home to a bird related to the dodo and perhaps to other forms of extinct life. Although Professor Newton and his brother have already given us a relatively good understanding of the bones of the Pezophaps, as this giant terrestrial pigeon is called, it is undoubtedly so that exploring the bone caves in Rodrigues will lead to further discoveries regarding the Pezophaps, and it is very likely that it will reveal other unknown extinct inhabitants from the submerged continent, which was an ancient center of dodo life. Kerguelen Island, the third designated site for a temporary astronomical observatory, also deserves reevaluation on many points. Although we might think that Dr. Hooker, who visited it during James Ross’s Antarctic expedition, left only a few plants for future botanists to discover, the seals and whales that visit its shores, along with seabirds and other coastal inhabitants, will certainly engage the interest of zoologists. It is also very important that “the abundant fossil remains” of the now-extinct forests on Kerguelen Island be fully investigated, in order to gain further knowledge about the past distribution of land and water in the Southern Ocean. I have only mentioned a few key and most striking points for biological investigation in each of these three locations. However, as every naturalist knows, in the case of isolated wilderness areas such as these sea islands, it is of special importance to the progress of our knowledge of general geographic distribution to have a complete account of every branch of animals and plants, both modern and extinct. Therefore, I would urge all those interested in the advancement of science not to miss the opportunity that is now available. The cost of adding qualified observers of natural history (or at least collectors) to these three voyages cannot be very large. Many American and Russian expeditions regularly accompany groups of animal and plant collectors, and governments in these countries do not hesitate to provide the necessary funds to disseminate the results they have obtained. Even thrifty Austria did not send Novara around the world without a qualified team of natural history scientists, and we are now reaping the benefits of the rich harvest they collected. Instead of lagging behind, wealthy England should take the lead in such cases, and instead of it being necessary, when such an opportunity arises, to take all sorts of extraordinary measures to persuade the government to take advantage of it, these matters should be treated as routine.
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