Royal Society Transit of Venus Expedition, 1875

The British Government despatched a number of expeditions to observe the transit of Venus across the face of the Sun in 1875. The Royal Society obtained Treasury approval to attach naturalists to two of the ships for the purpose of exploring the islands of Rodriguez, in the Indian Ocean, and Kerguelen's Land, in the Southern Ocean. Dr I Bayley Balfour, George Gulliver and H H Slater went to Rodriguez, and the Rev A E Eaton to Kergulen. On their return, a Committee was appointed to arrange for the description of their collections, and the publication of their observations in a special volume of the Philosophical Transactions, edited by Sir Joseph Hooker and Dr A Gunther.