REPORT OF THE SECRETARY. 



25 



cepting in behalf of the government, hut is always ready to indicate 

 the general composition of specimens sent for the purpose. 



The laboratory will also be used in the identification of large quanti- 

 ties of crude mineral substances in charge of the Institution, to be clas- 

 sified preliminary to the selection of duplicates and their distribution 

 to colleges and academies of the United States. 



TELEGRAPHIC ANNOUNCEMENT OF ASTRONOMICAL DISCOVERIES. 



As iu previous years, the Institution has served as the medium for tel- 

 egraphic communication between, astronomers of the Old and New 

 World, in regard to such astronomical discoveries as require prompt 

 announcement, for the purpose of having all their phenomena investi- 

 gated by concurrent action on both sides of the ocean. An accompany- 

 ing list represents the announcements referred to and the dates at which 

 they were respectively made. This feature of the work of the Institu- 

 tion is one of great importance, and is a very satisfactory demonstration 

 of the extent to which its labors are prosecuted for the world in general, 

 and not merely for a restricted portion of the United States. 



The following is a list of the minor planets discovered in 1878 : 



No. 



Name. 



Date. 



Discoverer. 



Discover- 

 er's No. 



Observatory. 



180 



Garumna 



January 29 

 February 2 

 February 7 

 February 8 

 February 28 

 March 1 

 April 6 

 April 11 

 June 18 

 September 9 

 September 22 

 September 30 



Perrotin 



Cottenot 



Palisa 



....do 



do 



5th. 



1st. 



12th. 



13th. 



14th. 



28th. 



? 



2d. 



29th. 



30th. 



31st. 



32d. 



Toulouse. 



181 







182 

 183 



Elsbeth 



Istria 



Pola. 

 Do. 



184 



Deiopeia 



Do. 



185 



Eunike 







1'fifi 



Celuta 



Pr. Henrv 



Peters 



Paris. 



187 

 188 



Lamberta 



Menippe .. 



Marseilles. 

 Clinton. 



189 



Phtliia 



....do 



do 



Do. 



190 





Do. 



191 



Kolga 



...do 



Do. 











The comets of 1878 have been — 



Comet I, discovered July 7, by Lewis Swift, of Eochester, N. Y. 

 This comet was observed in America by Dr. C. H. F. Peters only, the 

 majority of American observers being in the West on eclipse expeditions. 

 It is probably identical with a comet discovered by P. Ferrari at Eome 

 in July. On July 20, Tempel's periodic comet was found by Winnecke, 

 quite away from its ephemeris place. 



Encke's comet was found on August 3 by Mr. Tebbutt, of Windsor, 

 N. S. W. 



CORRESPONDENCE. 



. Mention has been made by my lamented predecessor on several occa- 

 sions of the general character of the correspondence of the Institution, 



