OF ARTS AND SCIENCES: JANUARY 11, 1870. 141 



Dr. George E. Ellis made a communication on the genius 

 and character of Count Rumford, and on the history of his 

 endowment in the charge of the Academy. 



The President then presented the Rumford Medal to Mr. 

 Corliss with the following address : — 



Gentlemen of tilk Academy, — At the last anniversary meeting, 

 after a careful investigation by your appropriate committee, you 

 awarded the Rumford Medal to Mr. George H. Corliss, for improve- 

 ments of the steam-engine. The gold medal and a silver duplicate 

 have been struck, and are now before us. The inventor whose genius 

 you have thus recognized has responded to our call, and is now present. 

 If it be your pleasure, these medals will now be consigned to his hands. 



Mr. Corliss, — The trust which our countryman, Count Rumford, 

 charged this Academy to administer, empowered it to award these 

 medals " to the author of any important discovery or useful improve- 

 ment on light or on heat, which shall have been made and published 

 by printing, or in any way made known to the public, in any part of 

 the continent of America or of any of the American islands ; prefer- 

 ence being always given to such discoveries as shall, in the opinion of 

 the Academy, tend most to promote the good of mankind." 



As this is only the fifth occasion since the foundation of the trust 

 upon which this premium has been given, it may well be inferred that 

 the Academy has in no case bestowed it inconsiderately. 



It has required the discovery or invention to be real, original, and 

 important. It is not restricted to considerations of direct practical 

 benefit, but it may, as it did in the first instance, in the case of the 

 oxyhydrogen blow-pipe, honor a discovery of much scientific interest, 

 the uses of which are limited. It would not hesitate to crown any 

 successful, however recondite or theoretical, investigation within the 

 assigned domain, being confident that no considerable increase of our 

 knowledge of the laws and forces of nature is likely to remain unfruit- 

 ful. But the Academy rejoices when, as now, it can signalize an 

 invention which unequivocally tends to promote that which the founder 

 had most at heart, and commended to our particular regard, — the 

 material good of mankind. 



Without entering into details, it will be possible to state the ground 

 upon which the present award has been made. It is for the effectual 

 abolition of the throttle valve of the steam-engine, and the transfer- 



