PROCEEDINGS 



OF THE 



WASHINGTON ACADEMY OF SCIENCES 



Vol. VIII, pp. 25-40 May iS, 1906 



THE GEODETIC EVIDENCE OF ISOSTASY, WITH A 

 CONSIDERATION OF THE DEPTH AND COM- 

 PLETENESS OF THE ISOSTATIC COMPEN- 

 SATION AND OF THE BEARING OF 

 THE EVIDENCE UPON SOME OF 

 THE GREATER PROBLEMS 

 OF GEOLOGY. 1 



Introduction. 



By O. H. Tittmann. 2 



It is my pleasant duty to introduce to you the speaker of the evening, 

 but I shall ask your indulgence for a few moments while I explain to 

 you the reasons which lead up to the investigation of which he will give 

 you an account. You are aware that the governments of the world 

 maintain an international Geodetic Association under the terms of a 

 formal convention for the purpose of furthering the admeasurement 

 of the earth. The countries which are parties to this convention are 

 Great Britain, whose monumental work in India is of the greatest 

 importance and which is also conducting geodetic operations in South 

 Africa ; Germany, the originator of the Association ; France, the 

 mother of geodesy; Russia, Austria-Hungary, Italy, Spain, The 

 Netherlands, Norway, Sweden and Denmark. The Orient is repre- 



1 Published with the permission of the Superintendent of the Coast and 

 Geodetic Survey. 



2 At a meeting of the Washington Academy of Sciences on the evening of 

 April 14, 1906, this paper was read by Mr. Ilavford. It has been thought desir- 

 able to publish in this connection the introductory remarks made by Mr. O. H. 

 Tittmann, Superintendent of the Coast and Geodetic Survey, and the discussion 

 by Major Clarence E. Dutton. 



Proc. Wash. Acad. Sci., May, 1906. 25 



