320 



Mr. Nuttall presented a continuation of his communication 

 read at a former meeting (Proceedings, No. 13, p. 284), under 

 the title, "On the Corymbiferse, collected on a Tour across the 

 Continent of North America," which was referred to the same 

 Committee as its predecessor. 



Mr. Vaughan read a letter from Mr. J. H. Alexander, of 

 Baltimore, containing very favourable remarks on the con- 

 struction adopted by Mr. James Green, of Baltimore, for the 

 standard barometer made by him for the Maryland Academy 

 of Science and Literature, and described in a Report of the 

 Meteorological Committee of the Academy, in 1836. 



Professor Bache laid before the Society a Report from Mr. 

 Adams to the House of Representatives, on a Letter from the 

 Secretary of War, of the 31st Dec. 1839; and a Memorial from 

 a Committee of the American Philosophical Society, asking 

 the aid of the government to carry on a series of magnetic and 

 meteorological observations, and ending with a resolution, — 



" That the sum of twenty thousand dollars ought to be appropriated 

 for the establishment of five several stations, at suitable distances from 

 each other, for making observations of terrestrial magnetism and me- 

 teorology, conformably to the invitation from the Royal Society of 

 Great Britain to the American Philosophical Society at Philadelphia, 

 and to other learned societies in the United States ; that the said sum 

 should be placed under the direction, and at the disposal, of the Se- 

 cretary of War, for the fulfilment of these purposes; he to account 

 for the expenditures, thus authorized, to the Treasury of the United 

 States." 



Professor Bache then offered the following resolution, which 

 was adopted: — 



Resolved, That the Committee by whom a memorial was addressed 

 to the Secretary of War, in reference to the establishment of mag- 

 netic observations, be instructed again to call his attention to the sys- 

 tem of combined observations on terrestrial magnetism and meteo- 

 rology now in progress. 



Dr. Patterson called the attention of the Society to the sub- 

 ject of the evolution of electricity from steam, mentioned at the 

 last meeting, and stated that the experiments made lately in 



