120 TRANSACTIONS OF THE © |prEc. 18, 
December 18, 1893. 
StaTeD MEETING. 
Professor D. 8. MARTIN in the chair, and ten persons present. 
SECTION OF ASTRONOMY AND PuHysics. 
Mr. Harold Jacoby presented the following : 
Report on the Meeting of the National Academy of 
Sciences. 
The National Academy of Sciences met in the Capitol at Al- 
bany, November 7-9. The papers presented included one by Dr. 
8. C. Chandler, entitled ‘“‘ Additional researches on the motion 
of the earth’s pole.” Dr. Chandler finds that the most recent 
observations obtainable (some still unpublished) confirm the 
doubly periodic law deduced by him. He showed that the two 
separate motions of the pole both take place from west to east. 
Dr. Chandler’s paper was discussed by Professors Hall, New- 
comb and Boss. They all expressed themselves as now favoring 
the truth of Dr. Chandler’s law of variation. Professor C. 8. 
Hastings read a paper on “ A new form of telescopic objective, 
as applied to the twelve-inch equatorial of the Dudley Observa- 
tory.” The principal characteristics of this instrument are: 
First, that one of the “ghosts” is made to coincide with the 
focal plane, thus rendering it harmless; and second, that the 
transformation from a visual to a photographic telescope is ac- 
complished by substituting a second glass for one of the lenses 
of the visual combination, instead of adding a third lens. Pro- 
fessor Asaph Hall read a short paper on ‘“ Double stars.” Pro- 
fessor Charles L. Doolittle (introduced by Professor Boss) 
communicated a paper, “ Latitude determinations at the Sayre 
Observatory,” but was unable to be present in person. - 
During the afternoon of November 8 the members of the 
Academy visited the new Dudley Observatory by invitation. 
The completed observatory was opened for inspection, and an 
address was made by Professor Simon Newcomb. 
Notice Concerning the Motion of 61 Cygni. 
The Sitzungsberichte of the Berlin Academy of October 26 
contain the announcement by Dr. J. Wilsing of an observed 
variation of short period in the distance of the components of 
61 Cygni. A series of photographic plates for the determina- 
