298 PROCEEDINGS OF THE AMERICAN ACADEMY 



" The Council for nomination shall consist of the President, Vice- 

 President, and the two Secretaries, together with three Fellows from 

 each of the three classes of the Academy, to be elected by ballot 

 at the annual meeting : and it shall be the duty of the Council,- in 

 nominating Foreign and Associate Members, to consult the wishes of 

 that section of the Academy to which, if elected, the candidate would 

 belong." 



On motion of Mr. Gould, it was 



Voted, That this proposed amendment be referred to a special 

 committee, with instructions to report it, with such modifications as 

 they may deem expedient, for the action of the Academy at their 

 annual meeting in May. 



Voted, That Professor A. Gray, Professor Horsford, Dr. B. A. 

 Gould, Jr., Dr. W. F. Channing, and Mr. J. D. Whitney be that com- 

 mittee. 



Tliree hundred and flfty-seventh meeting. 



February 3, 1852. — Monthly Meeting. 



The President in the chair. 



Professor Peirce made an oral communication of considerable 

 length, on the " Surface of Least Extent." 



Professor Eustis exhibited to the Academy a very elaborate 

 and beautifully executed plan, on a large scale, of three miles 

 and a quarter of the track of the late tornado in Middlesex 

 County, beginning at Wellington Hill in Waltham, and ex- 

 tending north 70° east to Mystic River, He commenced 

 the survey ten days after the occurrence of the tornado, and 

 completed it in eleven days, with the help of twenty assistants. 

 In describing his method of conducting the survey, he stated 

 that he first determined a central line, and then divided the 

 track into sections, by transverse lines at intervals of one hun- 

 dred feet. He measured the exact position and direction of 

 every important object with reference to these lines. He 

 pointed out some of the more striking features of the tornado 

 as indicated by his plan. 



On motion of Professor Peirce, it was 



