272 PROCEEDINGS OF THE AMERICAN ACADEMY 



40, 50, or even C5 seconds, to 10, 15, or 20 seconds. He 

 stated that some additional corrections had been received from 

 Mr. Longstreth, which reduce the errors still further, generally 

 to less than 10 seconds, and sometimes to a fraction of a sec- 

 ond. Mr. Longstreth's corrections have been adopted in the 

 computation of the Nautical Almanac, which is in preparation 

 for the government of the United States. 



Professor J. Wyman made a communication on the metamor- 

 phosis of the nervous system in frogs. 



Professor Horsford presented a paper, entitled " A Theory 

 explanatory of Internal Fire in the Heavenly Bodies, and of 

 Light and Heat in the Case of Luminous Bodies," by the 

 Rev. Edmund B. Cross. 



On motion of Professor Horsford, it was voted, that the 

 paper be referred to the Rumford Committee. 



Three hundred and Hfty-secoud meeting. 



November 12, 1851. — Quarterly Meeting. 



The President in the chair. 



The Corresponding Secretary laid before the Academy let- 

 ters of acceptance from Professor Johann Miiller and Profes- 

 sor Johann Friedrich Encke, both of Berlin, Professor Ben- 

 jamin Silliman, Jr., of New Haven, and John Le Conte, M. D., 

 of New York, in reply to notifications of their election as 

 Fellows of the Academy. 



The Academy then took up the nomination list, 



Mr. T. S. Hunt, of Montreal, Lower Canada, was elected a 

 Fellow of the Academy. 



" Voted, That when the Academy shall adjourn, it adjourn to meet 

 in three weeks from this time." 



donations to the library, 



FROM JUNE, 1850, TO DECEMBER, 1851. 



United Slates Government, through Hon. R. C. Winthrop. 



Letter of the Secretary of the Treasury, transmitting the Report 

 of the Superintendent of the Coast Survey, showing the Progress of 



