68 BULLETIN OF THE 



lOlsT Meeting, February 26, 1816. 



The President in the Chair. 



Forty-one members and visitors present. 



The election of Mr. Edward J. Farquhar, U. S. Patent 

 Office, Mr. M. H. Doolittle, U. S. Coast Survey, and Dr. Wil- 

 liam McMuRTRiE, Agricultural Bureau, as members of the Soci- 

 ety, was announced. 



Mr. W. Harkness exhibited panoramic views and gave de- 

 scriptions of places visited by the U. S. Steamer Swatara, which 

 conveyed parties to the Southern hemisphere for observing the 

 transit of Venus in December, 1874. The places described were 

 Bahia, Cape Town, and Hobart-town. 



Mr. E. B. Elliott made remarks on 



two propositions, now before congress, for changing the coin 

 OF the united states, 



one proposing a silver instead of a gold standard ; the other to 

 retain the present system, but reducing the standard values ; 

 neither recognizing progress towards the metric system. 



Mr. W. Harkness made remarks on 



THE METHODS OF MEASURING THE INEQUALITIES OF THE PIVOTS OF 

 A TRANSIT INSTRUMENT, 



briefly describing the methods heretofore employed, and explain- 

 ing the construction and use of a spherometer calliper, which 

 he had devised for the purpose. 



102d Meeting. " March 11, 1876. 



The President in the Chair. 

 Fifty-two members and visitors present. 



The election of Lieut. Rogers Birnie, U. S. Army, as a 

 member of the Society, was announced. 



