REPORT OF 'SME SECRETARY. 33 



Proceedings jSTo. 20 (Smithsonian No. 541), a circular " Request for 

 Specimens) of Drugs and Information concerning them." 8vo. 1 p. 



Smithsonian Annual Report. — The Annual Report of the Regents to 

 Congress for 1881 was transmitted on the 1st of March, 1832, but copies 

 were not received from the Public Printer until October, 1883. 



Its contents were referred to in the last report. 



The report for the year 1882 was sent to Congress on the 19th Janu- 

 ary, 1883, but copies have not yet been received for distribution. 



It will include the Journal of Proceedings of the Board of Regents, 

 with the reports of the Secretary and the Executive Committee. The 

 ''General Appendix" contains the continuation of the record of recent 

 scientific progress commenced in the Annual Report for 1880, and con- 

 sists of the following articles: 



Account of receut progress in Astronomy, by Prof. E. S. Hoklen. 



Account of recent progress in Geology, by Prof. T. S. Hunt. 



Account of recent progress in Geography, by Commander F. M. 

 Green. 



Account of recent progress in Meteorology, by Prof. C. Abbe. 



Account of recent progress in Physics, by Prof. G. F. Barker. 



Account of recent progress in Chemistry, by Prof. H. C. Bolton. 



Accouut of recent progress in Mineralogy, by Prof. E. S. Dana. 



Account of recent progress in Botany, by Prof. W. G. Farlow. 



Account of recent progress in Zoology, by Prof. Th. Gill. 



Account of recent progress in Anthropology, by Prof. O. T. Mason. 



Miscellaneous papers and extracts from correspondence on Anthro- 

 pology. 



ASTRONOMICAL ANNOUNCEMENTS BY TELEGRAPH. 



During the past year an important change has been made in the di- 

 rectorship of the astronomical telegraphy so long undertaken by this 

 Institution. It was stated iu the last report that the " Science Observer" 

 of Boston, under the editorship of John Bitchie, jr., of the Harvard 

 College Observatory, had for some time past supplemented this work by 

 issuing '• special circulars" furnishing successive elements and ephe- 

 merides of observed comets, &c, and also by frequently telegraphing the 

 same by cable dispatches in a peculiar phrase code adopted for this 

 purpose. 



On being informed that this enterprising agency was willing and pre- 

 pared to take the entire charge of the system, the Smithsonian Insti- 

 tution, agreeably to its settled policy not to expend its energies on in- 

 terests otherwise provided for, expressed its readiness to transfer the 

 control of this useful service to the Harvard College Observatory, on 

 the formal acceptance of the same by its director, Prof. Edward C. 

 Pickering. The principal portion of the correspondence relative to this 

 matter is presented in the appendix to this report. On the receipt of 

 H, Mis. oi) ;; 



