28 CARNEGIE INSTITUTION OF WASHINGTON. 



An attempt at an ocean expedition into Hudson Bay was made 

 under the charge of Mr. W. J. Peters during the past summer, but 

 on account of unusual obstacles from ice this proved only partly 

 successful. Entrance into the Bay with the auxiliary schooner 

 George B. Cluett, chartered for this purpose from the Grenfell 

 Association, was blocked until September 2, leaving less than a 

 month's time available for surveys. 



Determinations of magnetic elements on land have been con- 

 tinued in six parts of Africa, in as many States of South America, 

 and in Australia, bringing the surveys of all these continental 

 areas to a well-advanced stage. 



Attention may be called to an interesting summary given by 

 the Director in his current report of work accomplished by the 

 department during the past decade, as well as to accounts of the 

 investigations now in progress under the department at its 

 Laboratory, of the operations on land and sea, and of the depart- 

 mental publications of the year. Of these latter, volume ii of 

 the ^'Researches of the Department of Terrestrial Magnetism," 

 under the sub-title ''Land magnetic observations, 1911 to 1913, 

 and reports on special researches," by L. A. Bauer and J. A. 

 Fleming, is now in press. 



With the end of the current year the Mount Wilson Solar 



Observatory, like most other departments of the Institution, 



The Solar will have Completed a first decade of its history. 



Observatory. Quite appropriately, this establishment was 

 founded at an epoch of maximum sun-spots, and a marked in- 

 crease in solar activity during the past year furnishes similarly 

 auspicious conditions for entrance into a second decade of 

 research. But much more auspicious conditions are found in the 

 extensive experience and in the effective equipment acquired 

 along with the capital progress attained during this first decade. 

 The most sanguine astronomer would have hesitated at the earlier 

 epoch to predict that these latter conditions could be realized 

 at the present epoch. Herein also is found a signal illustration 

 of the superior effectiveness of establishments primarily designed 

 for and exclusively devoted to research as compared with estab- 

 lishments in which research is a matter of secondary interest. 



