INTRODUCTORY LETTER. 



WASHINGTON, May 17, 1858. 

 PROFESSOR JOSEPH HENRY, LL.D., 



Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution : 



DEAR SIR : The records of the magnetic observations made under the direction 

 of Dr. Kane, in the second expedition to the Arctic regions, were placed in my 

 hands by his late lamented father, Judge Kane, in December last. 



Dr. Kane had selected Assistant Charles A. Schott, of the Coast Survey, for 

 the reduction of a considerable portion of the observations made in that expedi- 

 tion; and I, therefore, placed these in Mr. Schott's possession for reduction and 

 discussion. The work has been faithfully performed, and I recommend it for 

 publication in the " Smithsonian Contributions to Knowledge." It is proper to 

 state that the instruments were furnished by the Coast Survey and the Smith- 

 sonian Institution, and that the computations have been made at the expense of 

 the latter. 



Very respectfully, yours, 



A. D. BACHE. 



