PHILOSOPHICAL SOCIETY OF WASHINGTON. 123 



The first communication was by Mr. Theodore Gill on the 



PRINCIPLES OP MORPHOLOGY. 



Mr. Gill's paper may be found substantially in Johnson's Ency- 

 clopedia, under the title Morphology, which article was written by 

 him. 



The second communication was by Mr. Marcus Baker on the 



BOUNDARY LINE BETWEEN ALASKA AND SIBERIA. 



The present boundaries of the territory of Alaska were defined 

 in the treaty of March 30, 1867, whereby Russian America was 

 ceded to the United States. In that treaty the western boundary, 

 or rather so much of it as is here considered, was defined as follows : 



"The western limit, within which the territories and dominion 

 conveyed are contained, passes through a point in Behring's Straits 

 on the parallel of sixty-five degrees thirty minutes north latitude, at 

 its intersection by the meridian which passes midway between the 

 island of Krusenstern or Ignalook, and the island of Ratmanoff or 

 Noonarbook, and proceeds due north without limitation into the 

 same Frozen Ocean." 



The longitude of this meridian was very properly left out of the 

 treaty on account of its uncertainty. In order to show our knowl- 

 edge of the subject at the time of the framing of the treaty the 

 following table has been prepared from all known authorities upon 

 the subject down to the present time. 



The 'last three determinations entered in the table, it must be 

 borne in mind, have been made since the treaty was drawn up. 



