V30 [Assembly 



I have taken the liberty of presenting you the foregoing imperfect 

 sketch 5 not that I claim the honor of presenting any new facts, or 

 important experiments in silk culture, unknown to others, but as a 

 memento that my confidence in the ultimate success of the silk cause 

 is unabated, firm, unwavering, and not forgotten by yours, 



With due respects 



D. STEBBINS 

 T. B. Wakeman. Esq. Sec. of the American Institute. 



Nov. 2d, 1847. 

 Judge Van Wyck in the chair. 



Mr. Meigs read the following translation, made by him from the 

 Portugese; viz: 



O Auxiliador da industria Nacional. 



June, 1846, R.io de Janeiro, Brazil. 

 " Vires industria format."" YirgW. 



We translate the following from this volume with great pleasure, 

 not because it is American, but that we fmd in it a strong and ori- 

 nal sense, for which we often look in vain across the Atlantic Ocean. 

 The continents of North and South America have a great part to 

 play in the history of the earth. Stretching from ice to ice — almost 

 jrom the /vrcticto the Antarctic Circles, they contain all climates, all 

 forms and qualities of earth, and are destined to be the theatres of 

 grand events. 



The volume under consideraion is presented to the American In- 

 stitute by the Brazilian Consul, L. H. d' Aguiar, corresponding 

 member of the Institute — and we discover in it that ascendant talent, 

 which leads the way to the highest improvement in the useful 

 sciences. We present the following, on Agricultural Chemistry: 



" It is now some years, that Agricultural Chemistry has taught 

 that there are essential ingredients in soils, which it is of the utmost 

 importance that we should understand, and we are greatly indebted 

 to Liebig for light on this question. It is now incontrovertible 

 that the salts existing in soils, constitute but a very small fraction of 

 the whole mass of soil — that they are not to be deemed accidental, 

 but are entirely indispensable to plants, which according to their 

 respective natures, admit one or another into their circulation — and 

 perishing for want of the appropriate salt. By salts, we must un- 

 derstand all those substances which consist of a base united with an 



