CONTENTS 



OF COMMUNICATIONS PUBLISHED IN THE FIRST AND SECOND BUL- 

 LETINS or THE PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL INSTITUTION 

 FOR THE PROMOTION OF SCIENCE. 



Peter S. Du Ponceau, President of the American Pliilosophical Society, Phila- 

 delphia ; November, 1840 : Respecting the Institution in general, its organi- 

 zation, plan of the bulletin, &c Pog^ H 



Isaac Weld, Honorary Secretary of the Royal Dublin Society; Dublin, Octo- 

 ber 30. 1840: Account of the establishment of the R. D. Society 14 



M. F. Maury, Lieutenant U. S. N.; Fredericksburg, Va., December 5, 1840: 

 On the importance of exploring the bottom of the sea by dragging, trol- 

 ling, «Stn 17 



Hon. Joel R. Poinsett, Secretary of War and First Director of the Institution : 

 Extracts from his Discourse before the Institution, pronounced January 4, 



1841 19 



George W. Hughes, Captain of Topographical Engineers, U. S. A. ; London, 

 November 26, 1840 : Account of proceedings of the British Association for 

 the advancement of Science, at the meeting of which, held in Glasgow in 

 October, 1840, lie was present; as also of his trip, in company with the 

 members of the Association, to the Isle of Arran, the geology of which is 



described. Sketch of the British Association ; its objects, &c 33 



Virgil Ma.xcy, Charge d'Atf^ires of the United States at Brussels ; Brussels, 

 December 29, 1840 : Accompanying a valuable geological map of England 



and Wales ; assurances of his aid, (See 46 



W. D. Porter, Lieutenant U. S. N.; January 17, 1840: Showing how the 



Army and Navy may be rendered beneficial to the National Institution 48 



Captain G. W. Hughes; Brussels, January, 1841: Geological and mining 



observations made during a tour in England and Wales. 49 



Hon. Joel R. Poinsett, President of National Institution i Address on his elec- 

 tion as President of tlie Institution, March 8, 1841.. ..< 69 



Hon. John Bell, Secretary of War : On the deposit of the portraits of distin- 

 guished Indians in the rooms of the Institution 85 



George Road, U. S. Consul at Malaga ; March 28, 1841 : Respecting the Mo- 



tril cotton cultivated in CJranada, in Spain 86 



H. G. Bronn, Professor in the University of Heidelberg; Heidelberg, April 30, 

 1341 : The Zoological Museum of Heidelberg offers to oxohango specimens 

 with other societies, on certain bases there set forth 88 



No. 2. 19 



