﻿ACADEMY 
  OF 
  SCIENCES. 
  337 
  

  

  There 
  are 
  two 
  excellent 
  harbors, 
  one 
  on 
  each 
  side 
  of 
  the 
  tranverse 
  gap 
  in 
  the 
  

   mountain 
  chain 
  traversing 
  it, 
  called 
  the 
  Isthmus. 
  On 
  this 
  is 
  located 
  a 
  large 
  

   frame 
  building, 
  erected 
  by 
  the 
  Government 
  during 
  the 
  late 
  war, 
  which 
  might 
  

   be 
  converted 
  into 
  a 
  hotel, 
  and 
  with 
  boats 
  in 
  each 
  harbor, 
  and 
  a 
  little 
  steamer 
  to 
  

   ply 
  back 
  and 
  forth 
  to 
  San 
  Pedro, 
  be 
  made 
  a 
  place 
  of 
  great 
  resort. 
  There 
  is 
  

   excellent 
  sea 
  bathing 
  from 
  several 
  of 
  the 
  sandy 
  beaches 
  in 
  the 
  little 
  coves, 
  and 
  

   the 
  dreaded 
  stingaree, 
  the 
  pest 
  of 
  the 
  main 
  shore, 
  is 
  not 
  found 
  there. 
  For 
  a 
  

   school 
  of 
  natural 
  history 
  like 
  that 
  at 
  Penikese, 
  the 
  island 
  would 
  be 
  excellently 
  

   adapted. 
  

  

  The 
  President 
  announced 
  that 
  at 
  a 
  future 
  meeting 
  he 
  would 
  com- 
  

   municate 
  in 
  detail 
  the 
  results 
  of 
  the 
  sounding 
  expedition 
  to 
  Japan 
  

   from 
  San 
  Diego. 
  Commodore 
  Belknap 
  had 
  forwarded 
  to 
  him 
  all 
  

   the 
  information 
  necessary. 
  

  

  The 
  President 
  stated 
  that 
  George 
  H. 
  Mumford 
  had 
  telegraphed 
  

   to 
  him, 
  stating 
  that 
  he 
  is 
  making 
  arrangements 
  by 
  which 
  he 
  hopes 
  

   ■to 
  be 
  able 
  to 
  accede 
  to 
  the 
  request 
  to 
  transmit 
  musical 
  sounds 
  from 
  

   the 
  office 
  in 
  New 
  York 
  to 
  the 
  rooms 
  in 
  the 
  Academy. 
  

  

  The 
  President 
  communicated 
  to 
  the 
  Academy 
  some 
  of 
  the 
  results 
  

   obtained 
  in 
  ascertaining 
  altitudes 
  by 
  leveling, 
  vertical 
  angles, 
  and 
  

   barometric 
  measures. 
  The 
  experiments 
  were 
  conducted 
  by 
  himself 
  

   and 
  Charles 
  A. 
  tSchott, 
  of 
  the 
  Coast 
  Survey, 
  and 
  they 
  lasted 
  seven 
  

   days. 
  The 
  altitude 
  of 
  Ross 
  Mount 
  was 
  ascertained 
  from 
  Bodega 
  

   Head, 
  by 
  the 
  process 
  known 
  as 
  double 
  zenith 
  distances, 
  to 
  be 
  598.74 
  

   metres 
  ; 
  by 
  leveling, 
  598.53 
  metres 
  ; 
  and 
  by 
  barometer, 
  598.80. 
  

   The 
  barometer 
  used 
  was 
  the 
  Smithsonian. 
  It 
  was 
  found 
  over 
  the 
  

   whole 
  series 
  of 
  observations 
  that 
  seven 
  o'clock 
  in 
  the 
  morning 
  was 
  

   the 
  best 
  time 
  to 
  use 
  the 
  barometer. 
  At^ 
  one 
  o'clock 
  in 
  the 
  after- 
  

   noon 
  the 
  difference 
  noted 
  in 
  the 
  barometer, 
  on 
  the 
  average, 
  

   amounted 
  to 
  thirty-seven 
  feet. 
  The 
  heat 
  radiated 
  from 
  the 
  earth 
  

   did 
  not 
  appear 
  to 
  affect 
  the 
  atmosphere 
  on 
  the 
  line 
  of 
  sight 
  between 
  

   the 
  Head 
  and 
  Ross 
  Mount, 
  the 
  air 
  being 
  almost 
  constant 
  in 
  its 
  tem- 
  

   perature. 
  Close 
  to 
  the 
  ground, 
  however, 
  the 
  temperature 
  changed 
  

   considerably. 
  In 
  this 
  respect, 
  varying 
  results 
  might 
  be 
  expected 
  

   in 
  other 
  localities. 
  

  

  