THE TRANSIT OF MERCURY.

Poverty Bay Standard, Volume IX, Issue 997, 10 November 1881, Page 2

THE TRANSIT OF MERCURY.

The transit of Mercury across the sun’s disc, on Tuesday morning last, was not all that could be desited, from an observational point of view, on the terrestrial side of the clouds. Soon after our issue appeared, about six o’clock a.m., numbers of early S. and 8., and J.C., pedestrians might be seen trying to wend their eyesight to the heavens, in search of the great luminary. Some had bits of colored glass, some had thick glasses, some thin glasses, but most of them had tumblers. Some cast their glasses to their eyes —others to their mouths, some really looked for Mercury, but the majority looked at the bottom of a “ deep sinker,” where no mercury was. It was a grand sight — the 8. and P. and J.C. pedestrians we mean —for rude Boreas piled up the clouds, and unceremonious Pluvius brought down the rain, which quite obscured the appearance of anything between heaven and earth, except by faith. Well, there was not much of that article knocking about that morning, or if there had been many a wellseasoned early riser would have wished for such a supply as would transmute a grain of the scriptural mustard seed to a “ bucket of Johnson’s or Crawford’s,” an “ eye opener,” or a “ pick me up.” Mercury was not “ spotted” on the sun’s disc on Tuesday morning last, in Gisborne.