h th 
die tematic examination of all the principal series “ek f geientifie memoirs 
é 
* eo ebm a 
- devoted to Mathematical ame 
means confident that I have seert ff 
foreign guage. Every persons experienee r 
illustrations, 
I did not many tintes repeat t 
and periodicals for the purpose of: extracting such titles of papers 
he best description of the best 
ienge must,abound i 
as I judged proper for a special index on subjects directly related. 
to the various Coast Survey operations. This project met ‘the , ae 
hearty approval of the Superintendent, who has doubtless 
perienced its need more than any other person. He authori 
my proceeding with its execution and has furnished every en- 
couragement. Ihave already examined considerably over 1000 
volumes of Memoirs, Translations, Scientific periodicals, &c., 
and it is my expectation to advance this index so far as to per- 
_ - ing inetnsle in the Coast Survey Report of this yéar 
n Appe It will be impossible for me to exhaust thes 
field, but fortunately a supplement can at any time be added 
with the contributions of succeeding years, in which gmissions 
from the first index may be supplied. This index wHl be ar-- 
ranged by means of a detailed classification under subjects, and- 
will embrace various heads of interest to cultivators of physical 
science at large. Though the principle of relation is that of. paob- 
able use in the Coast Survey operations,,the ground covered will 
be of considerable extent. 
Such. a fragment alone, though rather laborious, : —e not 
think worthy to bring before this Association, were it not that it 
d served to indicate a far more catholic plan and one meme ich if 
executed will prove a signal benefaction to all cultivators of 
mathematical and physical science. This plan is simply an exten- 
sion of the one already defined, so as to arrange in one general 
repository, all titles of papers on mathematical and physical 
science. ‘The ground occupied by the index of Agassiz and his 
collaborators should be included so as to aggregate in the two 
works, references to all scientific researches. Engineering, Ma- 
these titles being duly extracted, and when necessary annotated, 
would admit of classification into several volumes, each contain- 
nc nag Institution. In the | 
to be accomplished by that Institution is included a igie of this 
Sxconp Serres, Vol. XX, No. 60.—Nov., 1855. 
ad a 
* 
Physical Science. 345 _ 
¥ 
