OF ARTS AND SCIENCES. 385 



ference between his latitude and longitude and some one standard 

 place ; as it must have been if the laws of light then changed with a 

 change of parallels and meridians, and this Patent Quadrant is not a 

 patent absurdity. Lastly, any change of latitude and longitude which 

 could be detected with the new instrument by means of the assumed 

 discovery in the laws of light, might also be found, and with equal fa- 

 cility, by means of any other reflecting quadrant or sextant ; and cer- 

 tainly with greater accuracy, unless the construction of the Patent 

 Qu&,drant is much improved. Hence Mr. Hedgcock's modification is, 

 on his own principles, quite unnecessary. 



" One absurdity naturally leads to other absurdities : the boldest of 

 which here is another claim for the new instrument ; viz. that by it 

 the navigator can obtain his geographical position, whether he ob- 

 serves the sun in the heavens or a lamp in his cabin. This is a 

 necessary consequence of any admission made in favor of the new in- 

 strument. For the laws of reflection, as far as direction is concerned, 

 are the same for all light, artificial or natural. 



" The committee would say, in conclusion, that they feel justified 

 in rejecting the pretensions of this Patent Quadrant, as contrary not 

 only to -the universal teachings of science, but also to the constant ex- 

 perience of practical navigators ; and that they regard the whole claim 

 as simply ridiculous, and the language, printed and spoken, in which 

 the claim has been asserted, as unintelligible nonsense ; and the whole 

 subject, therefore, as unworthy of the further attention of the Acad- 

 emy. 



(Signed.) Joseph Lovering, 



B. A. Gould, Jr., 

 G. P. Bond, , 



J. Ingersoll Bowditch." 



Dr. A. A. Gould presented, in the name of the family of 

 the late Dr. Amos Binney, a former Fellow of the Academy, 

 the third voliuxie of his work on American Helices, containing 

 the plates, now just completed. 



Dr. H. I. Bowditch presented, in the name of Major Alvord 

 of the United States Army, a copy of his paper on the " Tan- 

 gents of Circles and Spheres." 



Dr. Hohnes exhibited and explained a new model of a stand 

 for a microscope, contrived by himself, in which the various 



VOL. III. 49 



