DONATIONS TO THE LIBRARY,

FROM MAY TO NOVEMBER, 1847.

Proceedings of the Providence Franklin Society. No. 2. April, 1847. From the Society.

Silliman's American Journal of Science, for May, July, and Sept. From the Editors.

Alfred Smee. The Potato Plant, its Uses and Properties, together with the Cause of the present Malady. 8vo. London, 1846. From the Author.

Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London. Part 4, for 1846. From the Royal Society.

Proceedings of the Royal Society. No. 66. From the Same. Astronomical Observations made at Greenwich Observatory in 1844. 4to. London, 1846. From the Same.

Magnetical and Meteorological Observations made at Greenwich Observatory in 1844. 4to. From the Same.

Transactions of the Royal Irish Academy. Vol. XXI., Part 1. 4to. Dublin, 1846. Also, Proceedings. Vol. III., Parts 1 and 2. Froin the R. I. Academy.

Proceedings of the American Philosophical Society. Vol. IV., Nos. 36-38. From the Society.

Sir R. I. Murchison. Silurian Rocks, and their Associates, in Parts of Sweden. 8vo. pamph. London, 1847. From the Author. Biot. Instructions Pratiques sur l'Observation et de la Mesure des Propriétés Optiques appellées Rotatoires. 4to. pamph. Paris, 1845. From the Author.

Proceedings of the Academy of Natural Sciences. Vol. III., Nos. 8-10. From the Academy.

J. D. Dana.

Philadelphia.

On the Origin of Continents. Volcanoes of the Moon. - Geological Results of the Earth's Contraction. - Origin of the Grand Outline Features of the Earth. 8vo. pamphlets. (Extr. from Sill. Jour.) From the Author.

C. L. Bonaparte. Catalogo Metodico da Pesci Europei. 4to. pamph. Napoli, 1846. From the Author.

List of the Osteological Specimens in the British Museum. 18mo. London. From the British Museum.

Mémoires de l'Académie Royale des Sciences, Morales et Politiques, Tom. I., II., 2me Ser. 1837-9. Tom. From the Institute.

de l'Institut de France.

III. 1841. 4to. Paris.

Annals of the Lyceum of Natural History, New York. Vol. IV., Nos. 10, 11. 8vo. 1847. From the Lyceum.

Flora, oder Allgemeine Bot. Zeitung. 7 Nos. 8vo. 1843-46. From the Bot. Society of Ratisbon.

Magnetische und Meterologische Beobachtungen zu Präg. 6-7ter Jahrg. 1845-6. 4to. Prague, 1846-7. From the Observatory of Prague.

Karl Kriel. Magnetische und Geographische Ortbestimmungen in Böhmen, Jahren 1843-5. 4to. Prague, 1846. From the Author. Abhandlungen der Historischen Classe der Königl. Bayerschen Akademie der Wissenschaften zu München. Band IV., t. 3. 1846. -Abhand. der Philos.-Philolog. Cl. Band IV., t. 3. 1847. 4to. From the Royal Bavarian Academy.

Lasaulx. Ueber das Studium der Griechischen und Romischen Alterthümer. 4to. pamph. München, 1846. From the Author. James P. Espy. Report on Meteorology to the Surgeon-General. 4to. pamph. Washington, 1843. From the Author.

Annual Reports of the Regents of the University of the State of New York, from 1846 to 1837 inclusive. 8vo. From the Regents. Journal of the American Oriental Society. Vol. I., Part 3. Svo. 1847. From the Society.

Sir John F. W. Herschel. Results of Astronomical Observations made during the Years 1834-8, at the Cape of Good Hope. 4to. London, 1847. From the Duke of Northumberland, by the Author.

Report of the Sixteenth Meeting of the British Association for the Advancement of Science, held at Southampton in 1846. 8vo. don, 1847. From the Association.

Two Hundred and ninety-ninth Meeting.

November 2, 1847.-MONTHLY MEETING.

The PRESIDENT in the chair.

Letters were read from the Rev. Dr. Whewell, and John C. Adams, Esq., of Cambridge University, in acknowledgment of their election as Foreign Honorary Members of the Academy; also from Professor Edward Robinson, of New York, as a Corresponding Member.

Mr. Bond communicated his observations, made at the Ob

servatory of Harvard University, on the comet discovered on the 1st of October ult., by Miss Mitchell, of Nantucket.

OBSERVATIONS ON MISS MITCHELL'S COMET OF OCT. 1, 1847.

Cambridge

Mean Solar Time.

1847, d. h. m. s.

h. m. 8.

Oct. 7 7 56 31 17 10 56.2 +70 01 18 17 08 21.48 +65 54 118

h.

m.

8.

Arg. Zone, 13.

Hist.Cel.,p.78.

9 51 17 16 24 38.43 +2 36 13 16 19 18

9 44 50.4 +241 55 -12 59 17.4

2

Bess.Zone, 162. 66 * 89.

15 7 27 27 16 17 59

18 6 34 44 16 11 10.1-13 18 49/16 10 16.8

252.

"From the 7th to the 14th inclusive, the differences of right ascension and declination were taken from the circles of the twentythree-foot refractor; on the 15th and 18th, the micrometers of the fivefoot equatorial were employed. It is remarkable, that, though the comet is distinctly seen with the naked eye, it disappears under the slightest illumination of the field of the latter instrument. Nothing resembling a nucleus is visible in either telescope.

"Oct. 11th. The comet shows a faint tail of two degrees in length in the comet-seeker of 4-inch aperture.

"Oct. 15th. The determinations of this evening are very indifferent.

"From the Observations on the 7th, 11th, 14th, and 18th, Dr. Peirce has computed the following elements.

Per. pass., Nov. 14th.41328, Greenwich M. S. T.

"Mr. G. P. Bond, from the observations of the 7th, 9th, and 11th,

Mr. Bond also presented the following

OBSERVATIONS ON LASSELL'S SATELLITE OF NEptune,

1847,

Made at Cambridge Observatory.

Oct. 25th, 7h. 45m. Satellite is south, preceding the primary, pos. 40°, dist. 15′′.4. "27th, 7h. 30m. Satellite is north, following the primary, pos. 61° 30', dist. 13.7; mean of six observations, using the powers 300 and 1000. "28th, 7h. 45m. Satellite is north, following the primary, pos. 43° 15', dist. 15′′.0, being the mean of nine determinations; powers 400 and 1000. Nov. 2d, 7h. 15m. Satellite is north, following, pos. 55° 50', dist. 14′′.0. Powers 400 and 1000.

"The above were taken with the illuminated wires of the micrometer of the great refractor. The angles of position are reckoned from the parallel of declination."

The President gave some account of the mountain ranges of North America, illustrated by Bauerkeller's embossed map; also of the different passes through which a canal has been thought practicable from the Atlantic to the Pacific Ocean, and of the difficulties which at present render improbable the execution of any such work.

Dr. Bigelow gave also an account of the past and present nomenclature of Pharmacology in Great Britain and in this country, by which it appeared that the practice of using a single word, whenever it is practicable, for the name of each substance derived from the vegetable kingdom, was first introduced in the American Pharmacopoeia of 1820,- and that this simple form of nomenclature has been since adopted, with few changes, by the Royal Colleges of Physicians in London and Edinburgh, instead of the more complex names formerly employed by them.

Three hundredth Meeting.

November 10, 1847.-QUARTERLY MEETING.

The PRESIDENT in the chair.

Captain William H. Smyth, R. N., President of the Royal Astronomical Society, London, was chosen a Foreign Honorary Member of the Academy.

Professor Edward H. Courtenay, of the University of Virginia, Captain W. H. Swift, U. S. Engineers, and Professor C. M. Mitchell of Cincinnati Observatory, Ohio, were elected Corresponding Members.

Hon. Abbott Lawrence, Rev. George Putnam, D. D., and Charles G. Loring, Esq., were elected Fellows.

Dr. M. Wyman reported that the Committee on Ventilation. were engaged in experiments for testing the relative efficiency of different kinds of ventilating apparatus in use, by measuring the velocity of the current of air made by their means to rise through tubes arranged for the purpose; this velocity being measured directly, by introducing chlorine gas into the base of the current, and noting the discoloration of paper wet with a solution of hydriodate of potash in starch suspended in the upper part of the tube.

Professor Peirce gave some account of his computation of the mass of Neptune from the motions of its satellite.

Three Hundred and first Meeting.

December 7, 1847.

The PRESIDENT in the chair.

MONTHLY MEETING.

The committee to whom was referred the "Programme for the Organization of the Smithsonian Institution," submitted to the Academy by the Secretary, Professor Henry, with his letter of the 30th September, made the following Report.

"Professor Henry is understood to be desirous of ascertaining the opinions of the scientific bodies of the country, on the subject of the proposed organization of the Smithsonian Institution; and the free expression of their views is wished by him.

"The interesting nature and high importance of this foundation, and the novel and peculiar circumstances attending its establishment, make it highly expedient, in the opinion of the committee, that every step taken in its organization should be deliberately considered. They