Miscellanies. 157 



The Committee appointed on the communication of Dr. John Locke 

 of Cincinnati, read at the last meeting, [consisting of Messrs. Peter S. 

 Du Ponceau, R. M. Patterson, and J. Saxton,] made the following report, 

 which was adopted. 



" The Committee to whom was referred the communication of Prof 

 John Locke of Cincinnati, report, that it gives the details of a series of 

 experiments, made for the purpose of determining the magnetic intensity 

 and dip for certain positions in Ohio. For these experiments he had fur- 

 nished himself in London with the best apparatus, and had vibrated there 

 two needles of the form recommended by Hansteen, and one in the form 

 of a small flat bar. Five months afterwards, namely, on the 17th of Jan- 

 uary, 1838, he again vibrated these needles at Cincinnati, and found the 

 ratio of horizontal intensity at the former place to that at the latter, as fol- 

 lows : by needle No. 1, as 1 to 1.1624 ; by needle No. 2, as 1 to 1.1639 ; 

 by No. 3, as 1 to 1.2037. Of these results the author prefers the last; in- 

 asmuch as the magnetism of needles is liable to decrease, but not to in- 

 crease. 



" On the 20th of August, 1837, he made experiments with his dipping 

 needle, to determine the dip at Westbourn Green, near London, the mean 

 of which gives 69° 23'.3. 



"On the 26th of November, 1837, the mean of a series of experiments 

 made at Cincinnati, in lat. 39° 6' N., and long. 84° 27' W., gave the dip 

 =70° 45'.75. 



"At Dayton, Ohio, in lat. 39° 44' N., and long. 84° 11' W., the dip 

 was found to be 71° 22'.75, on the 26th of March, 1838. 



" At Springfield, Ohio, in lat. 39° 53' N., and long. 83° 46' W., the 

 dip was found on the 29th of March, 1838, to be 71° 27'.375. 



" At Urbana, lat. 40° 03' N., long. 83° 44' W., March 30, 1838, the 

 dip was found = 71° 29' .94. 



"At Columbus, the seat of government of Ohio, lat. 39° 57' N., long. 

 83° W., April 3, 1838, the dip was found =71° 04'.875. 



" The interest of this paper is much increased by the circumstance that 

 no accurate experiments on the intensity and dip of the needle have here- 

 tofore been made in the United States, west of the Alleghany mountains. 



" The Committee conclude their report, by recommending that Prof. 

 Locke's communication be printed in the Society's Transactions." 



The claims of Dr. Henry Hall Sherwood to remarkable discoveries in 

 magnetism were discussed : both his postulates and his deductions were 

 eonsidered erroneous. [For his claims, see this Journal, 34 : 210.] 



Dr. Bache announced the death of Charles Maurice Talleyrand, Prince 

 of Benevento, a member of the Society, who died on the 17th of May, 

 1838, aged 83. 



August 17, 1838. — On motion of Dr. Patterson, a Committee was ap- 

 pointed to observe the eclipse of the Sun of the ISth of September next. 

 Committee, Dr. Patterson, Mr. Walker, Mr. Paine, and Capt. Talcott. 



