KEPORT OF THE SECRETAEY. 



29 



cepting in behalf of the government, but is alvrays ready to indicate 

 the general composition of specimens sent for the purpose. 



The laboratory will also be used in the identification of large quanti- 

 ties of crude mineral substances in charge of the Institution, to be clas- 

 sified i)reliminary to the selection of duplicates and their distribution 

 to colleges and academies of the United States. 



TELEGRAPHIC ANNOUNCEIMENT OF ASTRONOMICAL DISCOVERIES. 



As in previous years, the Institution has served as the medium for tel- 

 egraphic communication between astronomers of the Old and Isew 

 World, in regard to such astronomical discoveries as reciuire prompt 

 announcement, for the purpose of having all their phenomena investi- 

 gated by concurrent action on both sides of the ocean. An accompany- 

 ing list represents the announcements referred to and the dates at which 

 they were respectively made. This feature of the work of the Institu- 

 tion is one of great importance, and is a very satisfactory demonstration 

 of the extent to which its labors are prosecuted for the world in general, 

 and not merely for a restricted portion of the United States. 



The following is a list of the minor jilanets discovered in 1878: 



No. 



ISO 



ISI 



ISZ 

 183 

 184 

 185 



186 



187 



IKS 

 189 

 11)0 

 191 



Xaiiie. 



Ganiinna ... 

 Eucliaii.s. .. 



Elsboth 



Istria 



Deiopeia. ... 



Eunike 



Celuta 



Lainberta . . . 

 jViciiippe . ... 



I'hiliia 



Isau'iio 



Kol-a 



Date. 



January 



February 



February 



February 



February 



Marcli 



April 



April 



Juue 



Se})tember 



yex)teuil)er 



September 



29 



30 



Diseoverer. 



Perrotin 



Cottenot 



Palisa 



....do 



....do 



Peters 



Pr. Henry .... 



Co,!fgia 



Peters 



....do 



....do 



....do 



Discover- 

 er's No. 



5th. 



1st. 

 12th. 

 13th. 

 14th. 

 28th. 



? 



'id. 



29th. 



30Th. 



31st. 



32d. 



Observatory. 



Toulouse. 



Paris. 

 Poia. 



Do. 



Do. 

 Clinton. 

 Paris. 

 Marseilles. 

 Clinton. 



Do. 



Do. 



Do. 



The comets of 1878 have been — 



Comet I, discovered July 7, by Lewis Swift, of Rochester, X. Y. 

 This comet was observed in America by Dr. C. H. F. Peters only, the 

 majority of American observers being in the West on eclipse expeditions. 

 It is probably identical with a comet discovered by P. Ferrari at Eome 

 in July. On July 20, Tempel's periodic comet was found by AYinnecke, 

 quite away from its ephemeris place. 



Encke's comet was found on August 3 by Mr. Tebbutt, of Windsor, 

 N. S. W. 



CORRESPONDENCE. 



^Mention has been made hy my lamented predecessor on several occa- 

 sions of the general character of the correspondence of the Institution, 



