ACADEMY OF SCIENCES. 197 



supposed — the old calculation being 8 hours, 9 minutes, 84.19 sec- 

 onds, and the present being 8 hours, 9 minutes, and 38.13 seconds. 



Regular Meeting, November 20tii, 1871. 

 President in the Chair. 



J. Augustus Whiting, chemist, was elected a resident member. 



The President read a letter from the Secretary, B. P. Avery, 

 stating that ill-health prevented his being out nights, and therefore 

 tendering his resignation as Secretary. The resignation was ac- 

 cepted. 



Dr. George Ilewston was elected to fill the vacancy. 



Several journals and pamphlets were noted as donations to the 

 library. 



Donations to the Cabinet : The President called attention to a 

 letter from Mexico, containing a specimen of fibre from Mexico, 

 very similar in appearance to the ramie. It was sent here merely 

 for commercial purposes, to 'test its value in the market. 



Mr. Morrill said the letter accoinpanyiii2: it was from Mr. Ronioro, for a long 

 time minister to the United States. He said the fibre was used to a great ex- 

 tent in that country. It was stronger than cotton, grew in great quanti- 

 ties on 'the coast, and for r(>pe was worth ten cents a pound, but he thought 

 it worthy of a better use. It was indigenous to that country, and was also cul- 

 tivated in a rude way. 'I'he Mexican name is mercatilla. It grows in the 

 State of Guerrero, down to latitude 10 deg. 13 min., being an annual, from five 

 to nine feet high — liighest in damp soil. In Southern (.California, Mr. Morrill 

 thought the mercatilla might be grown with good success. lie had experi- 

 mented in latitude 18 deg. 30 min. with this, and also with the ramie, and 

 thought in that latitude it could be grown with success equal to the ramie 



Dr. Blake made some remarks on the extent of the deposits that 

 had been formed by the hot spring at Puebla, in Humboldt county, 

 Nevada. 



He had caused specimens of the earth to be taken at difil-rent depths, and 

 from spots situated in different directions and distances from the i-pring. The 

 farthest spot at which these explorations had been made was at a distance of 

 115 yards from the spring, in a northwesterly direction, and here, to the depth 



