Académie des sciences (France).

First put together in 1869, but disrupted by the Franco-Prussian War of 1870-1871, the Commission du passage de Vénus de l'Académie des sciences had for objective to study observations to be made during the transits of Venus in front of the Sun in 1874 and 1882 in view of measuring solar parallax (and therefore the distance from Earth to Sun), and then to plan and oversea French expeditions. It was presided by chemist Jean-Bapiste Dumas and included several members of the Académie des Sciences.

From the description of Commission du passage de Vénus de l'Académie des sciences, 1869-1885. (Unknown). WorldCat record id: 82944416