302 PROCEEDINGS OF THE AMERICAN ACADEMY 



" Any theory which cannot explain a tornado which has been im- 

 partially and rigidly investigated throughout an extensive sweep, may 

 be fairly rejected as insufficient. Those facts which relate to position 

 and direction admit most easily of this rigid investigation, and, by be- 

 ing placed on a map, they may be preserved in a compact and availa- 

 ble form for future reference, and may serve as the touchstones of 

 future or of existing theories. 



" The map of the late tornado now under consideration is probably 

 without example both in the completeness and minuteness of its details, 

 and in the great length of track which it covers, — larger than the 

 whole track of many tornadoes. It may well deserve consideration, 

 whether, in the history of other tornadoes, the area which has been 

 specially studied was large enough to insure the separation of the 

 leading features of the phenomena from what was merely local and 

 accidental. The present map includes an extent of not less than three 

 miles and a quarter in length, and was the result of a survey of 

 eleven days by Professor Eustis himself, aided by an average number 

 of twenty assistants, in the field during the whole time, from among the 

 pupils of the Engineer Department in the Lawrence Scientific School 

 at Cambridge. 



" The committee are unanimously of the opinion, that the Academy 

 will subserve the cause of science by ordering this map to be printed, 

 and they have accordingly made some inquiries, and obtained some 

 estimates as to the cost and manner of publication. As the result of 

 these inquiries, they propose the following resolutions : — 



" ' Resolved, That the map of the late tornado presented to the 

 Academy by Professor Eustis be lithographed, under the direction of 

 the Committee on Publications, on its present scale, and at an expense 

 not exceeding $ 500 for five hundred copies ; to be paid by sub- 

 scription. 



" ' Resolved, That Professor Eustis be requested to superintend the 

 publication, and to prepare a memoir or explanation to accompany 

 the map. 



" ' Resolved, That a subscription paper be opened to defray the ex- 

 pense of publication.' " 



These resolutions were adopted by the Academy. 



Professor Lovering called the attention of the Academy to 

 a beautiful corona seen about the moon, on the evening of 

 December 3d, 1851, and remarked, that, " in phraseology at 



