312 NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES 



that the National Academy of Sciences be asked to formulate 

 a plan. 



On May 22, 1890, the Acting Secretary of the Treasury, 

 Geo. S. Batcheller, requested the President of the Academy to 

 appoint a committee to report on the subject. The President, Pro- 

 fessor Marsh, appointed S. P. Langley (chairman), Henry L. 

 Abbot, W. P. Trowbridge, A. M. Mayer, Chas. A. Schott, John 

 Trowbridge and Charles Carpmael. This committee submitted 

 a preliminary report on November 12, 1890, in which it stated 

 that in its opinion a knowledge of the exact position of the Mag- 

 netic North Pole was not so important " as a study of the changes 

 in the magnetic elements to be obtained from a cordon of stations, 

 stretching from Alaska to Newfoundland, supplemented also 

 by stations in Siberia." It suggested that a cordon of stations 

 should be established near the line of dip of 89°, and that the 

 observations should be taken simultaneously at all the stations."* 



Here the matter seems to have rested until May 2, 1892, when 

 a general discussion took place before the American Geograph- 

 ical Society, Chief Justice Daly of New York presiding. The 

 preliminary report of the Academy was read, together with 

 letters from Professor Mendenhall and Professor Marsh, after 

 which addresses were delivered by Professor Wm. P. Trow- 

 bridge, Professor Mayer, General Greeley and Colonel Gilder. 

 Professor Trowbridge read a letter from Professor Schott con- 

 taining a detailed plan for a survey of the region immediately 

 surrounding the pole. 



Although the meeting was an enthusiastic one, the expedition 

 was never organized. It seems to have been intended that Col. 

 Gilder should be the leader, and that Lieut. Schwatka should 

 accompany him. Lieut. Schwatka died on November 2, 1892,'" 

 and this circumstance appears to have interfered with the suc- 

 cess of the enterprise. 



""Rep. Nat. Acad. Scl. for 1890, p. 35. 



"" Journ. Amer. Geogr. Soc, vol. 24, p. 618. 



