846 TRANSACTIONS OF THE AMERICAN INSTITUTE. 



of the great rebellion has been safely settled, and the oneness of 

 the nation forever fixed. 



Is it too much for the patriot to toil for, and confidently await 

 the result of his labor, and the christian to pray and look for the 

 fulfillment of his petition, that the sun, in his daily course, may 

 never set upon a divided people ? That, when our country shall 

 teem with population in ratio equal to the multitudes upon the 

 square mile in Europe, our congregated hosts, though gathered in 

 from the oppressed of all peoples, yet shall be one people — an 

 AMEKiCAN NATION ? That the sun, in his golden course, shall look 

 look down upon its myriads of individuals, elevated to the highest 

 condition of humanity, and blessed with the peaceful principles of 

 an exalted, christian civilization ? 



Adjourned. 



American Institute Polytechnic Association, 



March 14, 1867. 



Prof. S. D. Tillman in the chair ; Mr. T. D. Stetson, Secretary. 

 The (/hairman opened the meeting with the fmlowing notes on 

 scientific progress : 



Chloride of Thioxyl. 



Prof. Wurtz, of the College of France, has formed this com- 

 pound by the direct union of anhydrous hypochlorous acid with 

 sulphur. Representing an atom of oxygen by at, and an atomoid 

 by hypochlorous acid by edat, on adding to it an atom of sulphur 

 («.s) we have asted ; which shows very clearly that this body con- 

 sists of one atom of sulphur, one of oxygen, and two of chlorine. 



Spectrum of the Vapor of Water. 

 Mr. Janssen, under the patronage of the Minister of Publie 

 Instruction of France, has, by a series of experiments, proved that 

 certain lines in the solar spectrum of variable intensity, first dis- 

 covered ]jy Sir David Brewster, and termed by him telluric 

 rays, are not caused by water in solution in the atmosphere, but 

 are the direct effect of water vapor as had been previousl}' conje©- 

 tured by Father Secchi. When light is passed through a tube 

 filled Avith vapor under the pressure of seven atmospheres it 

 shows the principal telluric raj's. Janssen dissents from the con- 

 clusions of Kirchoft'who attributes a portion of the lines in ques- 

 tion to potassium. The red and yellow being found more brilliant 



