THE SEMI-CENTENNIAL ANNIVERSARY J I 



the United States, to place it in your hands, sir, the distin- 

 guished representative of a nation which has always been our 

 very much esteemed friend. (Applause.) 



Dr. Woodward: A year after the death, in 1910, of Professor 

 Alexander Agassiz, then President of the Academy, his friend 

 and distinguished colleague, Sir John Murray, conveyed to the 

 Academy a trust fund for the purpose of founding a commemora- 

 tive medal to be known as the Alexander Agassiz Gold Medal 

 and to be awarded from time to time to an individual of any 

 country for meritorious contributions to the science of oceanog- 

 raphy. On this occasion the Academy announces its first award 

 of this medal to Dr. Johan Hjort, Director of the Norwegian 

 Fisheries. 



Long eminent for their contributions to knowledge in all 

 branches of science, it is a noteworthy fact that in recent decades, 

 our Scandinavian colleagues have proved themselves pre-em- 

 inent in the sciences of the atmosphere and hydrosphere of our 

 planet. They have been especially happy in applying recondite 

 theory to effective account in meteorology and in hydrography, 

 proving in the most conclusive manner that there is no antithesis 

 between sound theory and safe practice. Conspicuous amongst 

 those who have contributed to this advance is the Director of the 

 Norwegian Fisheries, who combines in a singular degree the 

 capacities of the investigator, the administrator, and the lu- 

 minous expositor. His encyclopedic work, in collaboration with 

 Sir John Murray, on " The Depths of the Ocean," based largely 

 on the researches conducted by him on the recent voyage of the 

 Norwegian steamer Michael Sars in the North Atlantic, is at 

 once a compendium for the expert, a source of instruction for 

 the student and a foundation for future progress in this domain 

 of science. In appreciation of these achievements, so important 

 in abstract research and so praiseworthy for their economic 

 applications, the Academy makes to him this first award of the 

 Alexander Agassiz Gold Medal. In the absence of Dr. Hjort, 

 the President of the United States is requested to convey this 



