THE SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION. 213 



merit of the United States for the publication of a general account of 

 the botany of California; but as there is no immediate prospect of such 

 a work being undertaken, this memoir, on some of the more interesting 

 genera discovered by Colonel Fremont, has been prepared for the 

 Smithsonian Institution. 



The drawings to illustrate this paper have been made, at the expense 

 of the Institution, by Mr. Isaac Sprague, of Cambridge, who, in the 

 opinion of Dr. Torrey, ranks among the best botanical draughtsmen of 

 our da3^ 



3. The next paper presents the results of a series of observations made 

 in the years 1845-6-7, to determine the dip, inclination, and intensity 

 of the magnetic force in several parts of the United States, by John 

 Locke, M. D., professor of chem.istry in the Medical College of Ohio. 

 The results presented in this paper are a continuation of a series de- 

 rived from observations begun in 1837, and prosecuted annually for ten 

 years. The first parts of the series have been published in the Trans- 

 actions of the American Philosophical Society, and have been incor- 

 porated by Colonel Sabine in his contributions to Terrestrial Magnet- 

 ism. A part of the observations given in this memoir were made at 

 the expense and under the direction of the United States Coast Survey. 

 Another portion was made in accordance with the direction of the Hon. 

 Robert J. Walker, late Secretary of the Treasury, as a part of the in- 

 vestigations instituted for the exploration of the mineral lands belonging 

 to the general government. This paper has been examined by compe- 

 tent judges, and recommended for publication in the Smithsonian Con- 

 tributions, as an important addition to knowledge. 



4. A paper has also been presented for publication by tlie executors of 

 the late Dr. Troost, of Nashville. It consists of descriptions and draw- 

 ings of a very numerous family of extinct zoophytes, to which the 

 organic remains, called the stone lily, belongs. The vicinity of Nashville 

 appears to be a remarkable locality for these remains ; and the paper of 

 Professor Troost describes several hundred species, of which two only 

 have living representatives. 



The memoir, however, is not in a condition to be published without 

 revision, and additions to bring it up to the state of knowledge at the 

 present time. This labor has been gratuitously undertaken by Profes- 

 sor Agassiz, of Cambridge, and Professor James Hall, of Albany. The 

 collection of specimens from which the drawings were made is now in 

 the possession of these gentlemen, and the memoir will be published as 

 soon as the corrections and additions are made. 



5. The next memoir is on the Winds of the Northern Hemisphere, Ijy 

 Professor James Coffin. The design of this communication, in the 

 words of the author, is "to answer the following questions, viz: 



"«. What is the average direction in which the lower strata of the 

 air moves over different regions of the northern hemisphere? 



" b. What is the rate of progress in the mean direction as compared 

 with the total distance travelled by the wind ? 



"c. What modifications do the mean direction and rate of progress 

 undergo in the different months of the year? 



"<-/. What is the direction of the deflecting forces that cause these 

 modifications ? 



