1878 Report of operations of the National Academy of Sciences during the past year. APRIL 24, 1879.—Laid on the table and ordered to be printed. NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES, Washington, D. C., April 15, 1879. SIR: In conformity with the requirements of the act of incorporation, approved March 3, 1863, I have the honor to submit herewith a report of the operations of the National Academy of Sciences during the past year. Very respectfully, your obedient servant, O. C. MARSH, Acting President of the National Academy of Sciences. The Hon. the SPEAKER Of the House of Representatives. REPORT. The National Academy of Sciences was established by act of Congress, in March, 1863, with power to frame its own constitution, select its own members, and provide in other respects for its continuance and successful operation. The object of the academy is to advance science, and especially to investigate, examine, experiment, and report on any subject of science or art whenever called upon by any department of the government. The academy contains, at present, about one hundred members, and these have all been selected for their original researches in science. They represent within their ranks nearly every department of knowledge, and their services, in accordance with the charter of the academy, are always at the disposal of the government, without compensation. SESSIONS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY. During the past year the academy has held three sessions. The first was the regular annual meeting, held in Washington, April 16th to 19th, 1878; the second was a scientific session, in New York, November 5th to 8th; and the third was a special session, in New York, November 6th, 1878. STATED SESSION.-HELD IN WASHINGTON CITY, APRIL 16TH TO 19TH, 1878. The Washington session was held in the Smithsonian Institution, and was presided over by the President, Professor Henry, who gave a short opening address, and another at the close of the meeting. Forty-six members were in attendance, and a number of other scientific men were present by invitation. At this session the following papers were read and discussed: Titles of papers read at April session. Agassiz, A.-Formation and structure of Alacrane Reef, on the Yucatan Bank. Ferrel, Wm.-The theory of water-spouts. Hall, A.-Report on the orbits of the satellites of Mars. Pumpelly, R.-The relation of loess and drift to secular disintegration. Packard, A. S., Jr.-The characteristic invertebrate forms of the central zoo-geographical province of the United States. Hilgard, J. E.-On an optical ocean salinometer. Agassiz, A.-Preliminary report on the deep-sea dredgings of the United States Coast Survey steamer Blake, during the past winter, in the Gulf of Mexico and in the Gulf Stream. Davidson, G.-Abrasions on the northwest coast of America. Gibbs, W.-On the law of Boyle and Mariotte. Alvord, B.-Abstract of memoir on the intersection of circles and the intersection of spheres. Guyot, A.-Biographical memoir of Louis Agassiz; 2d part. Relating to his life and work in America. Packard, A. S., Jr.-Biographical memoir of Jeffries Wyman. Peters, C. H. F.-On the value of the results obtained for the solar parallax from the English telescopic observations. Cope, E. D.-On the vertebrate fauna of the Permian period of the United States. Draper, H.-Report of progress on the subject of oxygen in the sun. Pickering, E. C.-Photometric comparison of the components of close double stars. Hayden, F. V.-On the duplication of geographical names. Langley, S. P.-Characteristic of some of the lower spectral lines. Smith, J. L.-A new element of the Cerium group. Gill, T. N.-On the primary zoo-geographical divisions of the globe and their relations. Coues, E.-Mr. Wallace and Mr. Allen on geographical distribution, with special reference to the alleged distinctness of the nearctic region. Riley, C. V.-On the laws governing the movements of the Rocky Mountain locusts. Le Conte, Joseph.-On the structure and origin of mountains, with special reference to recent objections to the contractional theory. Pickering, E. C.-Photometric measures of certain faint stars and planets. Loomis, E.-Contributions to meteorology. Alexander, S.-Supplementary notice on the paper "Whence came the inner satellite of Mars," read at the October session, 1877. During the session Mr. Thomas A. Edison exhibited to the academy his phonograph and carbon telephone, communicating with the latter through one of the Western Union telegraph wires with the central office of that company in Philadelphia, and members of the academy holding conversation with Mr. Henry Bentley of that city. REPORTS TO GOVERNMENT. The president informed the academy that three reports to departments of the government, in response to applications, had been made during the past year, as follows: 1. At the request of the Treasury Department," On Demerara sugars," by Mr. Genth. 2. At the request of the Navy Department, "On proposed changes in the Nautical Almanac," by Messrs. J. E. Hilgard, Coffin, A. Hall, Schott, Young, Watson, and Peters. 3. At the request of the Treasury Department, "On the use of the polarimeter for determining the values of sugars," by Joseph Henry. ELECTIONS. Mr. O. C. Marsh was elected vice-president, and Mr. J. H. C. Coffin home secretary; Mr. Gibbs and Mr. Hilgard having declined re-election. The present officers of the academy are as follows: Council elected for 1878-79.-Baird, S. F.; Hall, A., Gibbs, W.; Hilgard, J. E.; Meigs, M. C.; Newcomb, S. The following new members were elected: Walker, Francis A.; Trowbridge, John; Le Conte, John. TREASURER'S REPORT. The treasurer presented the following report, which was audited by a committee, and approved: REPORT OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES. In the trust account the income was Balance from last year... Expended, accrued interest on U. S. loan purchased, afterward re- Appropriatious by directors of the Bache fund Taxes and repairs on houses in Washington Cash balance... Of which $13.81 is uninvested capital. 2,954 03 2,329 14 5, 283 17 $229 67 1,900 (0 173 89 23 00 2,326 56 2,956 61 During the year $30,350 of U. S. six per cent. loan was called in, and the proceeds invested in $30,050 of U. S. four and a half per cent. bonds. The other investments remain unchanged, the total securities aggregating $43,000, and producing $2,009.72. A committee was appointed to verify these securities, which subsequently reported the account correct. 66 JOSEPH HENRY FUND. The treasurer of the academy made a statement respecting the "Joseph Henry Fund" of $40,000, contributed by Fairman Rogers, Joseph Patterson, George W. Childs, A. J. Drexel, F. A. Drexel, Charles H. Rogers, J. G. Fell, Isaac Lea, Asa Packer, John Welsh, W. Blanchard, James Lennox, Executors of the estate of John C. Green, Mrs. John C. Green, Robert L. Stuart, Miss C. L. Wolfe, William Libbey, E. N. Dickerson, Cyrus W. Field, Thomas A. Scott, W. W. Corcoran, George P. Wetmore, Thomas H. Powers, J. S. Morgan, J. Pierrepont Morgan, I. V. Williamson, John W. Garrett, Charles S. Coxe, Cyrus H. McCormick, J. E. Caldwell, William Weightman, Alexander Brown, Henry C. Gibson, J. Donald Cameron, Samuel M. Felton, H. H. Houston, and Nat. Thayer, as an expression of the donors' respect and esteem for Professor Henry's personal virtues, their sense of his life's great devotion to science, with its results of important discoveries, and of his constant labors to increase and diffuse knowledge and promote the welfare of mankind”; which sum of $40,000 they have caused to be invested in certain securities, and to be deposited with and held by the Pennsylvania Company for Insurance of Lives and Granting Annuities in Trust, from time to time to collect the income thereon, and to pay over the same to Professor Joseph Henry during his natural life, and after his death to his wife and daughters, and after the death of the last survivor "to deliver the said fund and the securities in which it shall then be invested to the National Academy of Sciences, to be thenceforward forever held in trust under the name and title of the Joseph Henry Fund,' the principal to be forever held intact, and the income to be from time to time applied by the said National Academy of Sciences, in its sole discretion, to assist meritorious investigators, especially in the direction of meritorious research." A resolution was adopted accepting the said trust, and directing, authorizing, and empowering Fairman Rogers, treasurer of the academy, in its name and upon its behalf, to affix its corporate seal to, and to execute all such deeds, writings, and assurances in law as may be necessary to carry the said trust into effect. Messrs. Henry, Coffin, J. E. Hilgard, Newcomb, Meigs, and Baird, |