ANNALS OF THE ACADEMY 59 
promote the study of meteoric bodies, a branch of science which 
Dr. Smith had pursued with much success, and, in accordance 
with the wishes of the donor, it was decided that a gold medal, to 
be given as a reward for original investigations, would be most 
appropriate.” The expense for preparing the die for this medal 
which was to be called the “ Lawrence Smith Medal,” was 
met by Mrs. Smith. It was designed by Chaplain of Paris, and 
the first award was made to Professor Hubert A. Newton in 
1888, as will be noted on a later page. 
In the summer of 1881 Prof. S. P. Langley spent some weeks 
on the summit of Mt. Whitney in the Sierra Nevada of Cali- 
fornia, under the official direction of the Chief Signal Officer of 
the Army, in making astrophysical observations.** He was so 
much impressed with the suitability of that place as a permanent 
station for scientific observations, that on his return, with the 
assent of the Chief Signal Officer of the Army, he laid before the 
National Academy of Sciences a proposition to have the moun- 
tain peak set apart as a reservation for scientific uses. ‘The moun- 
tain was described by Prof. Langley in a letter addressed to the 
Acting Chief Signal Officer of the Army, and dated June 14, 
1882, in the following manner: 
“Mt. Whitney is a barren peak in the Sierras of southern California, reputed 
to be the highest in the State. It is a mass of granite, extremely abrupt on the 
Eastern slope, which overlooks the Inyo desert, and is, except for scientific pur- 
poses, believed to be valueless, as with the exception of the unmarketable pine 
trees on the lower slopes, there is no vegetation, and no gold has ever been found 
In its vicinity. 
“This very barrenness, as the indication of exceptional dryness, fits it as a 
station for special meteorological investigations, as do also its extremely pre- 
cipitous character, and consequent abrupt rise from the plain.” .... 
In a previous letter to the Chief Signal Officer, dated February 
13, 1882, Prof. Langley remarked: “In case a Signal Service 
Station be erected on Mt. Whitney, I would respectfully suggest 
to the Chief Signal Officer that it should contain not only pro- 
vision for the regular meteorological observations, but also for 
the temporary accommodation of other scientific observers who 
“See Prof. Papers of Signal Service, No. 15, 1884, p. 9. 
