He was President of the American Association for the 

 Advancement of Science in 18^.9 ; was chosen President of 

 the United States National Academy of Sciences in 1868; 

 President of the Philosophical Society of Washington in 

 1871; and Chairman of 'the Light- House Board of 'the United 

 States in the same year; the last three positions he continued 

 to fill until his death. 



Professor Jjenrg made contributions to science in elec- 

 tricity, electro-magnetism, meteorology, capillarity, acous- 

 tics, and in other branches of physics ; he published valuable 

 memoirs in the transactions of various learned societies of 

 which he was a member ; and devoted thirty -two years of 

 his life to making the Smithsonian Institution what its 

 founder intended it to be, an efficient instrument for the 

 "increase and diffusion of knowledge among men.' f 



M. K. WAITE. 

 Chancellor of the Smithsonian Institution. 



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