90 



on the late storm, and a paper of his own on " magnetic and me- 

 teorological observations made, under direction of the War Depart- 

 ment, at the Observatory of Philadelphia." He then laid before 

 the meeting, by authority of the Treasury Department, "proof im- 

 pressions of five sheets of the map of New York bay and harbour, 

 surveyed under the superintendence of F. R. Hassler, late superin- 

 tendent of the United Stales coast survey, and forming part of the 

 survey of the coast." Francis Markoe then read a paper from J. 

 C. Pickett, U. S. Charge d'Affaires at Lima, giving an account of 

 some remarkable ruins in the Provinces of Chachapoyas, Peru. 

 John Tyler, jr., delivered an essay "in support of the theory of an 

 electric fluid, by an explanation of the phenomena of the repulsion 

 of pith balls negatively electrified." 



The 10th and last meeting took place on Monday evening, 8th 

 April, the Hon. J. C. SPENCER in the Chair. 



Dr. Patterson, -of the United States Mint, Philadelphia, delivered 

 a discourse " on the centre of population of the United States," and 

 was followed by the Hon. A. H. Everett, " on the moral tendency 

 of the science and learning of the past and present centuries." 



The proceedings of the First Annual Convention of the National 

 .Institute were then closed by an able address from the Chairman, 

 the Hon. John C. Spencer. 



If such meetings be deemed useful and interesting, it becomes, 

 then, the duty and interest of the learned men of this country to 

 support and encourage the National Institute, and of the intelligent 

 portion of the community to give it countenance and assistance. 

 For upon such support and countenance depends the contingency, 

 whether there shall ever be another convention of the kind, and 

 whether the Institute will be enabled to carry into operation its 

 laudable and enterprizing intentions. We say, then, to those who 

 feel a direct interest in such matters, that the resident members of 

 the Institute hope, if Congress give a favorable hearing to the me- 

 morial now before them, to make the next convention, should one 

 be held here, of still greater attraction and importance. 1 trust, 

 then, that, for one, I shall again have the pleasure of attending, 

 before a twelve-month goes by, another meeting of the kind, and 

 of seeing a still greater number of learned delegates gathered in 

 our city in communion so delightful and instructive. 



Yours, respectfully, J. C. B. 



[Letters 14, 15, 16, and 17, were not published in the Intelligencer.] 



