25 



u The interest of this paper is much increased by the circumstance 

 that no accurate experiments on the intensity and dip of the needle 

 have heretofore been made in the United States, west of the Alleghany 

 mountains. 



" The Committee conclude their Report by recommending that Pro- 

 fessor Locke's Communication be printed in the Society's Transac- 

 tions." 



" Peter S. Du Ponceau, 

 R. M. Patterson, 

 J. Saxton." 



Dr. Patterson laid before the Society, copies of a Memorial 

 presented to Congress by Dr. Henry Hall Sherwood, and of a 

 Report thereon by the Committee on Naval Affairs of the 

 Senate, in which are set forth Dr. Sherwood's "claims to have 

 made new and important discoveries in magnetism generally, 

 and more paiiicularly in the magnetism of the earth; and to 

 be the inventor of an instrument called the geometer, whereby, 

 without the aid of the quadrant or sextant, or chronometer, and 

 without taking a celestial observation, it is practicable and easy, 

 at sea and on land, and in all weathers, to determine, merely by 

 the dip of the needle, the variation of the needle, and the lati- 

 tude and longitude of any place on .the surface of the globe." 



Dr. Patterson called the attention of the Society to some 

 further extracts from the Report of the Naval Committee, in 

 which it is stated that from the opinions obtained from scien- 

 tific men, " as well as from their own examination, they are 

 fully persuaded that the discoveries and invention of Dr. Sher- 

 wood are entitled to the most serious consideration of the pub- 

 lic, and to the encouragement and patronage of Congress;" that 

 they " regard them as highly interesting and important to the 

 navigation and commerce of the United States, and as bidding 

 fair to open a new era in the history of the science of magnet- 

 ism." Of this Report 5000 additional, copies were ordered to 

 be printed by Congress. 



Dr. Patterson remarked that the imposing circumstances un- 

 der which Dr. Sherwood's extraordinary claims were brought 

 forward, might make a brief review of them worthy of the 

 Society's attention. 



1. The first of Dr. Sherwood's asserted discoveries is the 



