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New Zealand Times, Volume XXIX, Issue 4294, 24 December 1874, Page 2

We are glad to notice from our Australian exchanges that the observations made there of the transit of Yonus were even more favorable than the telegrams on the subject had led us to anticipate. This is the more satisfactory, since in Tasmania rain completely obscured the sky on the all-important 9th, and the contributions of the Now Zealand observers were not all satisfactory. Wo see that at Sydney the weather, as the Government astronomer reports, "was “all that could be desired.” All through the day the sky was cloudless, and “ splendid observations were made, both of the ingress and egress.” The party stationedon the Blue

Mountains were equally fortunate. Through Victoria, and more particularly in Melbourne—as Mr. Ellery reports—“ the weather was favorable and good observations were obtained, the result of which cannot be known till they are combined with observations taken at other points on the globe distant from Melbourne.” There cannot now bo any doubt, although reports from many far-apart stations have yet to come in, that the observations of the rare phenomenon have been such as will be satisfactory to the scientific world. At Brisbane the sky was clear, and both ingress and egress were fully observed. One of the observers there reports that “no black drop was seen, while the dark edge of Venus,- was illuminated five minutes before the internal contact entered the west with a well-defined round disc ; a thin greenish stream of light was between her and the sun, the edge gradually becoming brighter until a complete circle appeared on the sun ; meantime the external contact was not observed. The internal contact occurred at 30min. 21aec. past noon; the middle contact, 2h. 14min. sSsec.; internal contact egress, 2min. 40sec. past four.” Mr. Russell, the Government Astronomer at Sydney, says:—“A beautiful halo was visible around Venus, indicating the atmosphere, which was visible before the planet was wholly on the sun; no black drop was discernible, but the Goulburn observer saw the black drop distinctly. The Government parties have a total of 960 photos of the ingress and egress, and 350 photos of the planet on the sun.” At Adelaide, Mr. Todd obtained “some splendid observations of the transit, and has taken five photographs.” At Port Darwin the cloudy weather prevented observations being taken of the first contact, but the transit was visible occasionally afterwards. Writing upon the obseiwations of the transit from the many stations in the Southern t Hemisphere, a Melbourne contemporary remarks:—“ But for Captain Cook’s vivid narrative of what he saw here, Australia might never have been a British colony, and perhaps nothing so much illustrates the world’s progress since 1769 as the fact that, whereas Captain Cook could not communicate with England in nine months, Mr. Ellery’s observations were flashed to London, New York, and St. Petersburg in nine minutes.”

It appears to be by no means unlikely that the offer of Messrs. Collier, Barry, and Co., of Victoria—described some time ago in our columns —to construct a railway between the settled districts in the north of Queensland and the Gulf of Carpentaria, will be accepted by the Government of Queensland. It has been intimated to the offerers, on the part of the Ministry, that they entertain the idea, and it has been arranged that Mr. Collier shall wait upon the Government at Brisbane to explain his proposals fully. The general opinion appears to be that though Messrs. Collier and Co. ask a very high price, their offer should be accepted, since the lands the railway will traverse are at present of little or no value, as the railway can only be constructed at great hazard and the risk of life; and as, if the bargain proves in the end to be a good one for the contractors, it cannot fail to be a still better one for the Government of Queensland.

Mr. Edward Cohen, the Commissioner of Customs of Victoria, has for some time past been in a state of health by no means satisfactory. It was intimated sometime ago that ho intended to retire from the Ministry, and at the same time to resign the seat for East Melbourne the winning and keeping of which has cost him so dear. It is now reported in Victoria, on what appears to be good authority, that Mr. Cohen will be succeeded in the present olla-podrida ministry of that colony by Mr. Graham Berry, who was the Treasurer of Mr. Duffy’s administration, and is one of the chief lights of the Protectionist party. Mr, Berry’s accession to office will be no gain to a Ministry which is already too weak to be able to control the affairs of the colony with any degree of credit.