52 BULLETIN OF THE 



which can be acquired only by scientific discipline. What we want 

 is that in public affairs men shall reason about questions of finance, 

 trade, national wealth, legislation and administration with the same 

 consciousness of the practical side that they reason about their own 

 interests. When this habit is once acquired and appreciated, the 

 scientific method will naturally be applied to the study of questions 

 of social policy. When a scientific interest is taken in such ques- 

 tions, their -boundaries will be extended beyond the utilities imme- 

 diately involved, and then the last condition of unceasing progress 

 will be complied with. 



At the conclusion of Mr. Newcomb's address it was moved by Mr. 

 Hilgard that the thanks of the Society are due to Mr. Newcomb 

 for his weighty, instructive, and interesting address. 



The motion was carried. 



Mr. J. E. Hilgard then made a communication on the subject 



of 



A MODEL OF THE BASIN OF THE GULF OF MEXICO. 



He exhibited to the Society a model of the Gulf of Mexico 

 recently constructed under the direction of the Coast Survey Office 

 upon data obtained by a very great number of soundings. Of these 

 many thousands have been made, and the model is believed to be 

 very correct. As constructed, the vertical scale is thirty times as 

 great as the horizontal in order to emphasize and render easily in- 

 telligible the most notable features. 



The soundings of the waters in the Gulf of Mexico began with 

 the extension thither of the work of the Coast Survey, but they 

 were at first only littoral and tributary to the topographic and 

 hydrographic work of the Bureau. They were interrupted by the 

 civil war, but were resumed at its close. Soundings had also been 

 made off the east coast of Florida to ascertain the nature and di- 

 mensions of the outlet of the Gulf stream. This outlet was found 

 to be relatively quite small. Soundings and temperatures had been 

 taken from Florida to Cuba and to Yucatan. Within a few years 

 the work of exploring the general configuration of the Gulf of 

 Mexico has been commenced by Commander Sigsbee, of the Navy, 

 on duty in the Coast and Geodetic Survey. This officer made great 

 improvements in deep-sea sounding apparatus, and, prosecuting the 



