208 CARNEGIE INSTITUTION 



At the ' ' Nattirforscher Versammlung ' ' in Hamburg last Septem- 

 ber (1901), I presented for Professor Schmidt, of Gotha, a plan 

 agreed upon by us for the establishment of an institute for the dis- 

 cussion of geomagnetic results. To be sure, we had in contempla- 

 tion only an institute for Germany. However, it was also the 

 intention to include in its scope world-wide investigations. Your 

 plan, however, as embraced in your proposition, is far more com- 

 prehensive and promises the greater success in case it should be 

 carried out. Through correspondence with Professor Schmidt, I 

 learn that your plan has his indorsement. 



The salient points in your plan have been so well thought out, 

 and have so thoroughly the impress of a truly international cooper- 

 ation in terrestrial and cosmical magnetic investigations, inclusive 

 of atmospheric electricity, that at present I am unable to add any- 

 thing in the way of suggestion. 



Permit me, therefore, in concluding, to express the hope that 

 your plan may meet with success, so that at last we may reach the 

 goal and be able to penetrate more successfully the mantle of dark- 

 ness still enveloping the phenomena of the earth's magnetism and 

 electricity, thus adding one more to the already notable scientific 

 achievements of the American nation. 



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I assure you that it will always be a pleasure to me to assist you 

 to the best of my ability in carrying out the proposed plan. 



Hamburg, February u, 1902. 



[Professor E. Mascart, Director of Bur caii Central Meteorologique , 



to Mr. Bauer, ,] 



[Translation.] 



The project which you had the kindness to communicate to me in 

 your letter of January 13 seems to me to be of very great scien- 

 tific value. If it were possible to secure a participation in Mr. Car- 

 negie's foundation, a first class piece of work could be created. 



The profound knowledge of the distribution and variation of the 

 earth's magnetism all over the globe would, besides its evident 

 service to navigation, not fail to contribute to the progress of sev- 

 eral other sciences, especially to that of geology, electricity of the 

 atmosphere, and even to astronomy, on account of the still unknown 

 influence of the changes of the surface of the sun. 



