68 CARNEGIE INSTITUTION OF WASHINGTON. 



TERRESTRIAL MAGNETISM. 



The subject of an international magnetic bureau is fully pre- 

 sented by Dr. L>. A. Bauer in Year Book No. 2, accompanying 

 papers, pp. 203-212. The Executive Committee recommended to 

 the Board of Trustees that a grant of $20,000 be made for magnetic 

 research by the Carnegie Institution, it being proposed not to take 

 up such magnetic work as is already well provided for by national 

 bureaus, but only such as lies outside the proper sphere of activity 

 of these bureaus, the nature of whose appropriations usually limit 

 their work within the confines of their countries. Furthermore, 

 the purpose is to gather together and unite in one harmonious whole 

 all existing knowledge and facts, so that the directions in which 

 future work can most profitably be accomplished will be set forth. 

 The investigations promise not onl}^ to have scientific utility, but to 

 reach results of great practical importance, e. g., the determination 

 of the magnetic data necessarj^ for safe navigation at sea. 



The favorable action of the Trustees at the annual meeting in 

 December, 1903, and the reference of the project to the Executive 

 Committee resulted in the formation of a Department of Interna- 

 tional Research in Terrestrial Magnetism, with Dr. E. A. Bauer as 

 director, and with authorization to begin work April i, 1904. The 

 first allotment was $20,000. 



Report of the Department of International Research 

 IN Terrestrial Magnetism. 



By L. a. Bauer. 



In conformity with the authority conveyed in the Secretary's 

 letter of March 29, 1904, the work of the above department was 

 begun on April i, 1904, and since then has been steadily prosecuted. 



The foreign advisory council consists at present of the following 

 members : Professors J. Elster and H. Geitel, of Wolfenbiittel, Ger- 

 many (advisers in atmospheric electricity) ; Prof. E. Mascart, Director 

 of the Bureau Central Meteorologique of France ; Prof. A. Schuster, 

 Director of the Physical Laboratory, Owens College, Manchester, 

 England ; Prof. Adolf Schmidt, in charge of the Potsdam Magnetic 

 Observatory, Germany. 



Owing to the large amount of office work that could at once be 

 taken up with the force available, it proved advantageous on ac- 

 count of the conditions under which .some of those employed could 



