18 NINTH ANNUAL REPORT OP 



United States. These are nine in number. Seven of them have passed ; 

 the first of the remaining two will occur in October, 1865, and the 

 other in August, 1869. 



There are but two journals exclusively devoted to astronomy now in 

 existence. The first is published at the expense of the King of Den- 

 mark, and the second in Cambridge, Massachusetts, by Dr. B. A. 

 Gould, jr. The latter is intended to give the earliest intelligence of 

 astronomical discoveries — particularly those made in our own country. 

 At the last meeting of the British Association, the president commended 

 this publication, and expressed a wish that it might be continued. I 

 regret, however, to say that though no branch of science is cultivated 

 with more ardor and success at the present time in the United States 

 than astronomy, yet this work, so essential to its continued progress, 

 is very inadequately sustained. Not only the labor of conducting it has 

 devolved upon the editor, but also a considerable portion of the ex- 

 pense of its publication. The Smithsonian Institution has, from the 

 first, subscribed for a number of copies, to be distributed among its 

 foreign correspondents, and, rather than suffer so meritorious a work, 

 which does so much service to the cause of science and credit to our 

 country, to be discontinued, it might be well to enlarge the subscrip- 

 tion. It is to be hoped that, in due time, donations and bequests will 

 be made by liberal individuals for the support of scientific enterprises 

 of this character. 



It is gratifying to learn that $10,000 of the Appleton bequest have 

 been devoted to the publications of the American Academy, and an 

 equal sum to those of the Historical Society of Massachusetts ; and we 

 may venture to ask whether there are not, in this country, wealthy in- 

 dividuals who can properly appreciate the importance oi' the labors of 

 Dr. Gould, and establish his journal on a permanent foundation. 



(4.) The laboratory of the Institution, during the past year, has been used 

 by Professor J. Lawrence Smith in the examination of American mine- 

 rals ; and, on behalf of the Treasury Department, in investigations rel- 

 ative to the different kinds of molasses imported into this country. He 

 also made a series of analyses of meteorites, among which were four- 

 teen specimens belonging to the cabinet of James Smithson, the founder 

 of this Institution. 



' An extensive series of experiments have been made during the last 

 year, and are still in progress at the Institution, under the direction of a 

 commission appointed by the Secretary of War, consisting of General 

 Totten, Professor Bache, and myself, for testing the materials employed 

 in the extension of the capitol. For the purpose of these investigations, 

 we have employed the beautiful and ingenious machine invented by 

 Major Wade, late of the United States army, which is so contrived as 

 to give in pounds per square inch of the material, the resistance to 

 crushing, to twisting, and to longitudinal and transverse fracture. The 

 materials have been selected and prepared under the direction of Cap- 

 tain Mei^s, superintendent of the capitol extension ; and the details of 

 the manipulations and calculations have been entrusted to Mr. William 

 Shippen. 



The commission has taken advantage of this opportunity to extend 

 the experiments to a number and variety of other building materials 



