44 



AMERICAN ASSOCIATION FOR THE ADVANCEMENT OF SCIENCE. 



[1853 



Hcport of a Survey for the Railway Bridge over the St. Lawrence at 

 Montreal, by T. C. Keefeb, C. E. — We should have had much pleasure 

 in giving an extended notice of Mr. Keefer's Report, had we enjoyed 

 the opportunity of acknowledging the receipt of a copy ; that privilege, 

 however, being denied to us, we are unable to gratify our readers 

 with any description of the propositions submitted by Mr. Kcefer, for 

 the construction of one of the most magnificent engineering works of 

 the day. 



American Association for the Advancement of Science. 



The seventh meeting of the American Association was held at 

 Cleveland, during the week following the 28th of July. Professor B. 

 Pierce, of Cambridge, was President for the year. The meeting was 

 less well attended than those of former years, owing partly to the 

 engagements of many of the members of the Association at the differ- 

 ent institutions of the country, with which they are connected. Among 

 the papers presented, those of the departments of Physics and Mathe- 

 matics vera much the most numerous, and were mostly of high merit. 

 There were but few papers brought forward in Geology, or Chemistry. 

 The meeting adjourned on Tuesday, the 2d of August, to meet in 

 Washington, on the last Wednesday of April, 1854. 



A committee for revi-ing the constitution of the Association was 

 appointed, consisting of Prof. Bache, Dr. J. Lawrence Smith, Dr. Le 

 Conte, of Georgia, Dr. W. Gibbs, of New York, Dr. B. A. Gould, Jr., 

 Prof W. B. Rogers, Prof J. D. Dana, Dr. J. Leidy, Prof.S. S. Haldeman, 

 and Dr. A. A Gould. Resolutions were passed reducing the annual 

 assessment from $3 to $1, aud requiring that the Proceedings should 

 be furnished to members at cos), or free of expense when the Proceed- 

 ings are published by the public liberality of the city where the 

 meeting may be held. 



The following officers were appointed for the ensuing year : Prof. 

 J.D.Dana, President; Prof. J. Lovering, of Cambridge, General Sec- 

 retary ; Prof. J. Lawrence Smith, Permanent Secretary, and Dr. El- 

 wyn, Treasurer. 



Dr. B. A. Gould. Jr., was requested to prepare an obituary of the 

 late Sears C. Walker, to be presented at the meeting at Washington. 



The following is a list of the papers read at the Cleveland meeting. 

 We deem it the only just course to auihors not to publish abstracts of 

 their papers, unless such abstracts are made out by themselves, and 

 sent to us expressly for publication. 



(1.) Physics, Mathematics, Astronomy. 



Prof. B. Peirce, of Cambridge, Mass.: Investigations in Analytical 

 Morphology: No. 1, Description of the Science; 2, Stable and Un- 

 stable forms of Equilibrium ; 3, Forms of the Elastic Sac ; 4, Stability 

 of Saturn's Ring. 



■ Personal Scale of Astronomical Observers. 



■ • Criterion for the rejection of doubtful observations. 



Theory of the action of Neptune upon Saturn. 



Prof. A. D. Bache, Supt. Coast Survey, Washington : On the Tides 

 at Key West, Florida, from observations made in connection with the 

 U. S. Coast Survey. 



On the Tides of the Western Coast of the United States, 



from Observations at San Francisco, California, in connection with the 

 U. S. Coast Survey. 



Prof. Stephen Alexander/of Princeton : On some special analogies of 

 Structure in the Eastern Hemisphere of the Earth and the visible 

 Hemisphere of the Moon, with conjectures as to the structure and Ap- 

 pearance of those portions of the Moon which are invisible. 



On some Relations of the Central Distances of the Primary 



Planets, Satellites, aud Rings of the Solar System, of which Bode's 

 Law would seem to be but an imperfect expression. 



On the Primitive Form aud Dimensions of the Asteroid 



Planet, the cause of the Instability of the same, and of the Varieties in 

 the Orbits of the Asteroids. 



Prof W. Chauvenet, of the U. S. Naval Academy : On the method of 

 finding the error of a Chronometer by equal altitudes of the sun. 



New Formulas of Spherical Trigonometry. 



Dr. B. A. Gould, Jr, of Cambridge, Mass. : On Personal Equations 

 in Astronomical Observation. 



On the Velocity of Transmission of Electric Signals alon°- 



Iron Telegraph Wires. 



On the comparative precision of the Electro-chronographic 



or American Method of Observation. 



Prof 0. M. Mitchel, : On a New Method of securing Uniform Circu- 

 lar Motion in the Machinery used in receiving the Registration of 

 Astronomical Observations of Right Ascension. 



Prof. C. W. Ilaokley, ot New York : Mathematical Analysis of the 

 contact of surfaces in oscillating Machinery. 



Lt E. B Hunt: On Cohesion of Fluids, Evaporation, and Steam 

 Boiler Explosions. 



The Conical Condenser, a Tele . ; ppendage. 



Prof. John H. C. Coffin, of the Washington Observatory : Some errors 

 peculiar to the observer, which may affect determinations of the decli- 

 nations of the Fixed Stars. 



Dr. Julius Friedlandcr, of Berlin : On the limit toward which the 

 series, 



1 1 1 



1+ 



-+- 



■+- 



■ -f &c, 



2'+p 31+p 4 x +p 

 converges for p=$. 



Prof. 0. N. Stoddard, of Miami University : Strictures on the me- 

 chanical explanation of the zig-zag path of the Electric Spark. 



Prof. J. L. Riddell, of New Orleans: Theory of Molecular Forces, 

 explanatory of the gaseous, liquid, and solid conditions of matter. 



Prof. Joseph Henry, of Washington: Illustrations of Cohesion. 



Prof Joseph Lovering, Cambridge : On a Modification of Soleli's 

 Polarizing Apparatus for Projection. 



: On a singular case of internal Friuges, produced by inter- 

 ference in the eye itself. 



Prof. George Perkins : Description of a plan for furnishing a Fluid 

 Mirror, to be used in a Reflecting Telescope. 



D. Vaughan, of Cincinnati: The Zodiacal Light, the periodical ap- 

 pearance of Meteors, and the point in space to which the motion in the 

 Solar system is directed. 



(2.) Meteorology. 



W. C. Redfield: On the value of the Baiomcter in navigating the 

 American Lrkes. 



Prof. E. Looruis, of New York : Does the Moon exert a sensible in- 

 fluence upon the Clouds? 



: Notice of a Hail Storm, which passed over New York, July 



1, 1953. 



J. H. Coffin, of Easton, Pa.: An investigation of the Storm Curve, de- 

 duced from the Relations existing between the direction of the Wind, 

 and the Rise and Fall of the Barometer. 



Lorin Blodgct, of Washington : On the Barometric Pressure in ex- 

 treme Latitudes, and the existence of Belts of low Barometer in the 

 Arctic Regions. 



: On the South East Monsoon of Texas, the Northers of Texas 



and the Gulph of Mexico, and the abnormal Atmospheric Movements 

 of the North American Contiuent generally. 



On the distribution of Heat over the North American Con- 

 tinent, aud the construction of its Isothermal Lines. 



: On the Subordination of Atmospheric Phenomena, or the 



Position of the several Classes with respect to the primary Cause or 

 Initiatory Processes. 



On the distribution of precipitation in Rain aud Snow on 



the North American Continent. 



Prof. A. D. Bache, Supt. U. S. Coast Survey, Washington : On the 

 Winds of the Coast of the United States on the Gulf of Mexico. 

 Prof. Joseph Lovering, Cambridge : On Optical Meteorology. 



(3.) Geology, Geography, Chemistry. 

 Prof. J. M. Safford, of Lebanon, Tenn. : On the parallelism of the 

 lower Silurian groups of Middle Tennessee with those of New York. 



W. C. Redfield, of New York: On the Geological Age and Affinities 

 of the Fossil Fishes which belong to the sandstone formations of Con- 

 necticut, New Jersey, aud the coal-field near Richmond, Virginia. 



A.Wiuchell, of Eutaw.Alabama: On the Geology of the Choctaw Bluff. 



Dr. J. A. Warder, of Cincinnati: A Geological Reconnoisauce of the 

 Arkansas River. 



J. S. Newberry, M. D., of Cleveland: On the Structure aud Affini- 

 ties of certaiu Fossil Plants of the Carboniferous era. 



On the Carboniferous Flora of Ohio, with descriptions of 



fifty new Species of Fossil Plants 



On the Fossil Fishes of the Cliff Limestone of Ohio. 



Prof J. Braiuard, of Cleveland: Origin of Quartz Pebbles in the " 

 Sandstone Conglomerate, and the Formation of the Silicious Stratified 

 Rocks. 



L F. Pourtales, Ass't in Coast Survey. Presented by Prof. Bache 

 Superintendent : Notes on the Specimens of the bottom of the Ocean, 

 brought up in recent explorations of the Gulf Stream, in connection 

 with the Coast Survey. 



Prof. Bache, Supt : Recent Discovery of a Deep-sea Bank on the 

 eastern side of the Gulf Stream, off the Coast of South Carolina, Geor- 



