664 TRANSACTIONS OF THE AMERICAN INSTITUTE, 



Lieutenant Bartlett said that the Minie balls fired at an eleva- 

 tion of 15 deg. or 16 deg., all strike point on. 



Mr. Montgomery thought it improbable that, in the experi- 

 ments at the Navy Yard, the projectile of General James should 

 have had a fair trial, on account of the disinclination of the 

 department to encourage civilians in such inventions. 



Mr, Babcock explained that the projectile of General James 

 was not tried at the Navy Yard at Washington, but Captain 

 Dalhgren merely compared his own results obtained there with 

 other pieces, with the results before obtained by the Board at 

 Watch Hill. 



Lieutenant Bartlett said that there seemed to have been a mis- 

 apprehension with regard to the Dalhgren report, since it had 

 been used by the press to discredit General James' invention. 

 General James aims at precision in the long range ; and the great 

 question is, whether he secures that. The French government 

 have introduced the "Carabine a tige," which operates against 

 field artillery, the accuracy of the aim in the long range being 

 such that a section of French riflemen are able to hold in check 

 artillery men that approach them over an open plain. The French 

 government will not give up this range under any circumstances. 

 Their sharpshooters are trained to pick off single men at from 

 800 to 1,200 yards; and even beyond that range they have per- 

 fectly authenticated reports of single shots which have killed 

 single men. 



TRANSPORTATION IN CITIES. 



Lieut. Bartlett placed on file in the archives of the American 

 Institute sealed papers explaining a system of public transporta-" 

 tion, which he had invented and was engaged in perfecting. It 

 promises to be of vast importance to large cities. This is the 

 first instance of filing under the new rule sealed documents, under 

 the joint seal of the party offering, and the Institute; and will 

 be of great benefit to the discoverers of new applications of prin- 

 ciples or mechanical agents, and even of the system of designs ; 

 for every inventor is obliged to trust somebody to develope his 

 plan, and in filing it in the Institute, however crude, he can even 

 say in writing under the seal, who he is about to confide it to, 

 and make oath to it before he does so. 



NEW SUBJECT. 



Subject for next meeting, " heating by steam." Association 

 adjourned. 



