218 [Assembly 



Authorities upon the history of cicada septemdecim are Dr. 

 Landell, of Pennsylvania, whose account appears in 4th vol. of 

 Mitchell & Miller's' Medical Repository; the Columbian Maga- 

 zine, vol. 1 ; Mr. M. Bartram's, in Dodsley's Annual Register, 

 1767 ; Dr. McMurtie's, 8 vol. Encyclopedia Americana; Dr. Hil- 

 dreth, 10 vol. Silliman's Journal; Professor Potter, Baltimore, 

 pamphlet of Notes on the Locusta. Dr. P.'s catalogue of appear- 

 ance and dates upon which he could rely are as follows : — Mary- 

 land, 1749, 1766, 1783, 1800, 1817, 1834. South Carolina and 

 Georgia, 1817 and 1834. Pennsylvania, 1715, 176G, 1783, 1800, 

 1817, 1834; New Jersey, 1826. It is therefore evident that this 

 species of cicada is nearly universal in the States, and the dates 

 all agree save one year in relation to their periodical visitations. 



Subject for next meeting, proposed by Solon Robinson, — " Best 

 periods for cutting grass and harvesting gram." 



The Club adjourned till Tuesday, June 20, at noon. 



H. MEIGS, Secretary. 



June 20, 1854. 

 Present— Messrs. Solon Robinson, Prof. Mapes, Geo. B. Rapelye, 

 Judge Scoville, Mr. Brush, Mr. Wells of the house of Fowler & 

 Wells, Geo. S. Watkins, Messrs. Waggoner, Waring, Stebbins, 

 Barney, the Corresponding Secretary, Peter B. Mead, Hon. N. 

 Burchard, late Consul in Switzerland, Mr. Darracott of Boston, 

 Judge Van Wyck and others, about 30 in all. 



George B. Rapelye in the chair. 



Henry Meigs, Secretary. 



The Secretary requested Mr. Burchard to speak as to the wood 

 gas, and he replied as follows : 



Mr. Chairman and Gentlemen — While I held the post of U. S. 

 Consul at Basle, in Switzerland, it became my duty to watch 

 closely the scientific and industrial progress of the great German 

 family, to which our country is so much iudebted for a large 



