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  PROCEEDINGS 
  OF 
  THE 
  CALIFORNIA 
  

  

  with 
  aqueous 
  vapor. 
  At 
  an 
  elevation 
  of 
  seven 
  thousand 
  or 
  ten 
  

   thousand 
  feet, 
  where 
  the 
  atmosphere 
  is 
  attenuated, 
  this 
  is 
  not 
  

   apparent. 
  In 
  observations 
  taken 
  bj 
  me 
  lately 
  in 
  the 
  Sierras, 
  the 
  

   sun 
  was 
  sharply 
  outUned, 
  but 
  this 
  was 
  at 
  a 
  high 
  elevation. 
  I 
  have 
  

   no 
  hesitation 
  in 
  saying 
  that 
  former 
  theories 
  on 
  this 
  subject 
  were 
  in- 
  

   correct, 
  and 
  that 
  the 
  undulation 
  of 
  the 
  atmosphere 
  when 
  filled 
  with 
  

   aqueous 
  vapor 
  is 
  the 
  true 
  cause. 
  If 
  the 
  morning 
  is 
  dark 
  and 
  cloudy, 
  

   the 
  artificial 
  Venus 
  can 
  be 
  seen 
  with 
  a 
  sharp 
  contact 
  ; 
  but, 
  when 
  

   the 
  clouds 
  broke 
  away, 
  and 
  the 
  aqueous 
  vapor 
  was 
  heated 
  up, 
  the 
  

   " 
  black 
  drops 
  " 
  could 
  be 
  seen. 
  The 
  transit 
  of 
  Venus 
  must 
  accord- 
  

   ingly 
  be 
  observed 
  at 
  a 
  high 
  elevation, 
  for 
  there 
  they 
  will 
  be 
  enabled 
  

   to 
  determine 
  within 
  eight 
  or 
  ten 
  seconds 
  the 
  actual 
  time 
  of 
  contact. 
  

  

  The 
  President 
  also 
  called 
  the 
  attention 
  of 
  the 
  members 
  to 
  the 
  

   admiration 
  of 
  James 
  Lick's 
  generosity 
  which 
  scientific 
  men 
  in 
  the 
  

   East 
  hold. 
  These 
  actual 
  deeds 
  were 
  not 
  known 
  when 
  I 
  left 
  Wash- 
  

   ington, 
  but 
  some 
  of 
  the 
  facts 
  were 
  made 
  known 
  in 
  his 
  will 
  and 
  had 
  

   been 
  spoken 
  of. 
  Some 
  of 
  his 
  donations 
  he 
  has 
  changed, 
  but 
  he 
  

   has 
  given 
  for 
  the 
  observatory 
  a 
  sum 
  adequate 
  for 
  erecting 
  the 
  larg- 
  

   est 
  observatory 
  in 
  the 
  world 
  with 
  the 
  finest 
  instruments. 
  There 
  

   will 
  be 
  plenty 
  of 
  money 
  left 
  to 
  provide 
  observers 
  and 
  assistants, 
  and 
  

   for 
  publishing 
  the 
  results 
  of 
  the 
  work 
  accomplished. 
  In 
  some 
  ob- 
  

   servatories 
  they 
  have 
  to 
  solicit 
  funds 
  to 
  publish 
  the 
  results 
  of 
  their 
  

   work. 
  Mr. 
  Lick 
  did 
  not 
  w^ant 
  any 
  such 
  drawback 
  in 
  this 
  instance. 
  

   He 
  has 
  given 
  enough 
  to 
  carry 
  it 
  on 
  properly 
  in 
  every 
  respect. 
  His 
  

   gifts 
  have 
  excited 
  unbounded 
  admiration 
  among 
  the 
  physicists 
  and 
  

   astronomers 
  in 
  the 
  East. 
  

  

  The 
  President 
  also 
  stated 
  that 
  Mr. 
  Mumford, 
  of 
  the 
  Telegraph 
  

   Company, 
  had 
  shown 
  him 
  an 
  instrument 
  for 
  the 
  transmission 
  of 
  

   musical 
  sounds 
  along 
  a 
  telegraph 
  wire. 
  He 
  himself 
  heard 
  distinct 
  

   musical 
  sounds 
  sent 
  800 
  miles. 
  He 
  has 
  asked 
  Mr. 
  Mumford 
  to 
  ex- 
  

   tend 
  a 
  wire 
  to 
  the 
  Academy's 
  building, 
  so 
  as 
  to 
  show 
  the 
  members 
  

   this 
  remarkable 
  invention. 
  A 
  detailed 
  description 
  of 
  the 
  instrument 
  

   could 
  not 
  be 
  given 
  until 
  patents 
  were 
  obtained. 
  

  

  Professor 
  Edward 
  S. 
  Morse 
  was 
  introduced 
  by 
  the 
  President, 
  and 
  

   congratulated 
  the 
  members 
  on 
  ithe 
  prosperity 
  of 
  the 
  Academy, 
  

   comparing 
  it 
  with 
  respect 
  to 
  means 
  to 
  similar 
  societies 
  in 
  the 
  East- 
  

  

  