PROCEEDINGS 



OF THE 



THE MEETING OF APRIL, 1844 



NOTICE. 



The following pages embrace those portions of the proceedings of 

 the National Institute which led to the meeting of April, 1844, to- 

 gether with such parts of the exercises of that meeting as it has 

 been found proper to publish. 



It was originally intended to publish the proceedings of the April 

 meeting, in extenso ; but it was discovered at an early period that 

 this would be both inexpedient and impracticable. Some of the 

 papers were not exactly adapted for publication. Some had already 

 been made public, though not printed. Others had been printed. 

 Several were withdrawn, whilst others were never submitted for pub- 

 lication by their authors ; and a few would have required costly illus- 

 trations. For these and other reasons, the committee, of which Mr. 

 Spencer was chairman, recommended to the Institute that a very 

 small number of the papers should be selected to be printed. 

 Another consideration of an imperative nature compelled the Insti- 

 tute to adopt this^course, viz : the want of funds sufficient to enable 

 it to publish the proceedings more at large. This is the chief reason 

 why the whole work, (the third bulletin and the proceedings of April,) 

 has been so condensed as to deprive it of much of that attractiveness 

 and fulness which the copious and interesting materials on hand would 

 have imparted to it. 



