56 
Henry, Prof. B. Peirce, Prof. W. Gibbs, Admiral C. H. 
Davis, and Prof. Fairman Rogers, and Prof. W. P. Trow- 
bridge, appointed under Art. IT, Sect. 4, of the Constitution 
of the Academy. It was first named by the Navy Depart- 
ment, and the Chairman was named by the Committee, 
Admiral Davis having been added when the duty was 
- transferred to the Academy. 
Two important practical results have already flowed from 
the operations of this Committee: one, on the suggestion of 
the Bureau of Navigation, the taking out one of the two 
binnacles which were generally used in the pilot-house of 
the naval vessels, interfering each with the other in its use; 
and the correction, between April and December, of the 
compasses of twenty-two iron or iron-clad vessels, or of 
wooden vessels in which the local attraction was found to 
be inconvenient, from the presence of engines and boilers, 
of iron rigging, and other iron works. 
The inconvenience and even danger resulting from the 
derangement of the compasses on board of many of our iron 
vessels have been loudly complained of to the Navy Depart- 
ment. The Committee adopted Airy’s method for these 
vessels generally, and appointed Mr. A. D. Frye, of New 
York, who, in former years, had corrected successfully the 
compasses of the iron Revenue Cutters for the Treasury 
Department, to make the corrections. The difficulties re- 
sulting from the rapid movements to sea and port of these 
vessels, have sometimes rendered the effort at correction 
somewhat imperfect on the first trial; but a persevering ap- 
plication of the method has in no case failed to effect the 
purpose desired. The Committee has also had under suc- 
cessful trial a compass invented by Mr. Ritchie, of Boston, 
under the especial direction of the Navy Department, and 
compass by Charles A. Schott, Assistant in the Coast Sur- 
