Transit of Venus : Equipment for transit stations

Tupman, George Lyon

Transit of Venus

These lists and tables show the instruments, tools and provisions ordered and taken on the various overseas expeditions sent by the British to observe the 1874 transit of Venus.The first part of the collection is composed of the lists of instruments. They provide detailed records of the various cases in which the major astronomical instruments were transported to the expedition islands. In addition, the lists also demonstrate the multitude of tools and smaller equipment that were contained in the same cases with the instruments <a href='' onclick='store.loadPage(6);return false;'>3</a>, thus showing that they were considered as part of an assemblage of multiple smaller tools and equipment which were used in conjunction with the main astronomical instruments. At the bottom of a few of the lists, the fate of the instruments after their return from the expedition is also recorded through the comments made by the chief organiser of the enterprise, Captain George Lyon Tupman <a href='' onclick='store.loadPage(8);return false;'>5</a>.The remaining lists relate to orders for stationery (e.g. pencils, drawing pins, envelopes etc.), <a href='' onclick='store.loadPage(48);return false;'>42v</a> star catalogues and charts, general tools (e.g. small hammers, nails, clock oil etc.) <a href='' onclick='store.loadPage(56);return false;'>46v</a>, furniture (tables, portable chairs, stools etc.) <a href='' onclick='store.loadPage(58);return false;'>47v</a>, miscellaneous items (e.g. wash-stands, blankets etc.) <a href='' onclick='store.loadPage(63);return false;'>50v</a> and food (e.g. fruits, vegetables, powders, meat etc.) <a href='' onclick='store.loadPage(70);return false;'>54v</a>. In relation to the food provisions, there are also three lists provided by Lieutenants Goodridge, Neate and Corbet about the expected amount of necessary provisions <a href='' onclick='store.loadPage(77);return false;'>59r</a>.Daniel Belteki University of Kent