OP ARTS AND SCIENCES. 321 



The chair appointed the following Standing Committees : — 



Committee of Publication. 



Samuel H. Scudder, Seth C. Chandler, 



Crawford H. Toy. 



Committee on the Library/. 



Amos E. Dolbear, G. Stanley Hall, 



SxVMUEL Henshaw. 



Auditing Committee. 

 Henry G. Denny, John C. Ropes. 



In accordance with a vote adopted at the meeting of the 8th 

 of April, the Rumford Premium, awarded at the last annual 

 meeting to Thomas Alva Edison, was presented, John Trow- 

 bridge acting as Mr. Edison's proxy. 



Vice-President Goodale, in presenting the medals, made the 

 folio winsf remarks : — 



'& 



It would be highly presumptuous for one whose knowledge of physics 

 is of the most elementary character to occupy the time of the Academy 

 by any statement of his own in conveying these medals. Happily such 

 a course is unnecessary. The Chairman of the Rumford Committee has 

 placed at our command a brief statement which makes clear the ground 

 of the award. 



"The Rumford Committee voted, June 22, 1893, that it is desirable to 

 award the Rumford Medal to Thomas Alva Edison, in recognition of his 

 investigation in the field of electric lighting, and they confirmed this vote 

 on October 9, 1893, in the following words : ' Voted for the second time 

 to recommend to the Academy that the Rumford Medal be awarded to 

 Thomas Alva Edison for his investigations in electric lighting.' 



" The Committee reached the conclusion expressed by these votes after 

 lonf deliberation and after careful sifting of all the evidence which was 

 at their disposal in regard to Mr. Edison's claim for priority in the con- 

 struction of the incandescent lamp, the conception of the central lighting 

 station, too'ether with the multitude of devices, such as the three-wire 

 circuit, the disposition of the electric current feeders, and the necessary 

 methods for maintaining the electric potential constant. 



VOL. XXXII. — 21 



