12 REPORT OF THE SECRETARY. 



grant, at the same time bringing to my attention his experi- 

 ments which have been awarded prizes by the Societe* d'En- 

 couragement pour l'Industrie Nationale, of Paris, and by the 

 Reale Academia del Lincei, of Rome. 



As is customary, f he application received the consideration 

 of specialists in the branch of atmospheric research pursued 

 by Mr. Canovetti, and after the acceptance by him of the con- 

 ditions set forth in the Hodgkins circular, a moderate grant 

 was approved on his behalf in April, 1901, for experiments 

 now in progress, which will be reported on later. 



Details of the progress to date of the research mentioned 

 in my last report as conducted by Dr. Victor Schumann, of 

 Leipzig, have been received. The most noteworthy points in 

 the results so far refer, perhaps, to the 1 relation of light and 

 electricity and to the probable insight into the nature of the 

 Roentgen rays to be gained in the course of this investigation. 

 The interest in this subject, in both popular and scientific cir- 

 cles, is now so widespread that permission has been given to 

 Dr. Schumann to announce independently in some journal in 

 his own country the discoveries made in the progress of his 

 research, reporting them at the same time to the Institution. 

 It is felt that this course will subserve the cause of science 

 by satisfying the immediate and general interest in this sub- 

 ject, and that it will also justly tend to establish Dr. Schu- 

 mann's right of priority in his own researches. 



The investigations of Dr. von Lendenfeld, of the University 

 of Prague, are still in progress, and it is anticipated that his 

 final report, which is now awaited, may furnish data availa- 

 ble for greatly improving the construction of the meteorolog- 

 ical kites now in constant use, and thus be the means of adding 

 materially to our knowledge of atmospheric conditions at high 

 altitudes, the practical application of which is of such general 

 interest and usefulness. 



The interesting experiments in connection with kites and 

 with air currents at varying altitudes, which have been prose- 

 cuted for some time at the Blue Hill Meteorological Obser- 

 vatory by Mr. A. Lawrence Rotch. are still in progress, an 

 additional grant having been approved this year on behalf of 

 Mr. Rotch. 



It will be remembered that tin 1 original grant mentioned in 

 my report for 1897 was made for the purpose of securing 



