PHILOSOPHICAL SOCIETY OP WASHINGTON. 91 



54:TH Meeting. • November 1, 1873. 



The President in the Chair. 

 This being the annual business meeting for the election of offi- 

 cers, the order of proceedings for the evening was announced by 

 the President. On motion of General Sherman, the rules were 

 'suspended and Mr. Joseph Henry was re-elected President by 

 unanimous consent. The following gentlemen were -elected Vice- 

 Presidents: J. B. HiLGARD, M. C. Meigs, J. K. Barnes. As 

 Secretaries, Theo. Gill and C. Abbe were elected. As mem- 

 bers at large of the general committee, there were elected the 

 following gentlemen : — 



S. F. Baird, * N. S. Lincoln, 



J. H. C. Coffin, O. M. Poe, 



E. B. Elliott, S. Newcomb, 



A. Hall, J. C. Welling, 



J. J. Woodward. 



Mr. B. Alvord called the attention of the meeting to an an- 

 nouncement in a San Francisco newspaper that Mr. James Lick, 

 of Sari Francisco, intended to found an astronomical observatory 

 on the Sierra Nevada. 



55th Meeting. November 15, 1873.< 



The President in the Chair. 

 Mr. Joseph Henry read a letter from Prof. Tyndall, of Lon- 

 don, relating to fog signals, and a second from Mr. James Lick, 

 of San Francisco, respecting the establishment of an observatory 

 and the construction of a large telescope. 



Mr. E. B. Elliott called the attention of the Society to the 

 change in the legal value of the dollar just adopted in England. 



Mr. W. H. Elliott then made a verbal communication 

 ON the habits op the pur-bearing seals op the islands op 



ST. PAUL AND ST GEORGE, BEHRING SEA, 



illustrating his remarks hj numerous original drawings. 



{This communication will be found printed os a portion of a Report to the Sec- 

 retary oy the Treasurtj.) 



