Dec 6th
day of transit, was cloudy. Tuesday 
it rained nearly the whole day — 2 P.M. noticed the 
Barometer had risen considerably & nearly .4 inch 
& hoped for a clear day — morning red in the 
east, had the old telescope planted back 
of Mr Tuley's house & smoked glass & 
"opera glass" in readiness — but at the time 
of first & second contacts about 8 h 15min & 8 35' 
thick clouds covered the sun. In the north
it was clearing off beautifully & about 9 we 
could see the sun & the 
planet on it, part of the time through the veil of clouds 
without the shade, & then with the shade, this 
lasted for about three quarters of 
an hour. Brown, Prof. Kirkwood & two students 
Glass & Reeves, got a sight through the telescope — 
the clouds then covered the sun & iL continued 
hidden from view the rest of the day. 
I had hoped Lo have been able to see the 3rd & 4th 
contacts & to have shown Venus in Sole
to all who should come. —
No word from the long expected "Equatorial" — 
had it come in time we would have had to build a shelter for it, 
& fixed it & M Leavenworth would have come & we would have been unable to us the Inst, 
to any advantage. Transitus speratus me valde anxiam fecit 
postquam me telescopium emere permiserunt 
curatores. — et nunc etsi nihilo facto quasi 
ab mente mea magnum onus levatum est videtur, 
Catalogus nunc curae anxiae est mihi. 
[Translation: It is hoped for passage made me terribly anxious 
after the curators allowed me to obtain a telescope. — and now 
although with nothing having been done, it seemed as 
if a great weight was taken off my mind. The catalogue is now a worrysome concern to me.]