99 



Mr. Smith drew the attention of the Society to sundry im- 

 provements in the manufacture of glass for telescopes, and read 

 an extract from the ISth Vol. of the Comptes Rend us, being a 

 communication from M, Arago in relation to the cost of lenses 

 of immense magnitude, which a manufacturer in France pro- 

 poses to fabricate. The advantages attainable from lenses of 

 such magnitude, some of which have been ordered by the 

 P'rench government, were depicted by Mr, Smith, whose ob- 

 servations gave occasion to remarks from Mr. Justice and Dr. 

 Patterson. 



Dr. Dunglison, Reporter, laid before the Society No. 30 of 

 the Proceedings.of the Society, from April to June inclusive. 



Stated Meeting, Septernber 20. 

 Present, twenty-eight members. 



Dr. Bache, Vice-President, in the Chair. 



Letters were announced and read: — 



From the Secretary of State, dated Washington, August 24, 

 1844, announcing that he had forwarded eighteen volumes of 

 the Documents of the Third Session of the Twenty-seventh 

 Congress, for the Library of the Society: — 



From the Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufac- 

 tures, and Commerce, dated London, July 17, 1844, acknow- 

 ledging the receipt of Nos. 28 and 29 of the Proceedings of 

 this Society: — 



From Mr. Edward Newman, dated London, July 20, 1844, 

 acknowledging the receipt of Vol. VIII., and the first part of 

 Vol. IX. of the Transactions of this Society; and announcing 

 that he had sent for the Library the third and last part of his 

 History of British Ferns: — 



From Col. Totten, dated Engineer Department, Washing- 

 ton, August 21, 1844, on presenting to the Library a copy of 

 Papers on Practical Engineering, No. 2; being a special re- 

 port on the sea wall at Lovell's Island, in the harbour of Bos- 

 ton, by Col. S. Thayer, Corps of Engineers; — 



