253 



Prof. Hall referred to the burning of the Parliament house 

 at Montreal, in which a valuable library, containing many 

 rare and antique works, perished. 



Prof. McCoy remarked that no cases of the willful burning 

 of books had been mentioned as taking place in the United 

 States, although cases of the burning of newspaper estab- 

 lishments and the destruction of printing presses, were not 

 entirely unknown. 



Dr. B. A. Gould gave an account of the progress made in 

 the formation of an astronomical library for the Dudley 

 Observatory. ' Upwards of 1000 volumes have already been 

 received, of which very many are rare and valuable editions 

 of standard works. 



At the close of the discussion on books and libraries, Mr. 

 DeWitt exhibited a drawing of the first steam boat ever 

 used on the Hudson river. It was represented in the 

 drawing as it was originally built, and also as it afterwards 

 appeared when it had been altered and improved, and call- 

 ed The North River. He also exhibited a model of the 

 Helix Boiler, upon which he had read a paper at the pre- 

 ceding meeting. 



Prof. Murray exhibited to the Institute the medal recent- 

 ly received by Prof. Molinard from the French Emperor 

 Napoleon III. It is bestowed upon all who served in the 

 grand army of Napoleon I, and Prof. Julian Molinard, 

 formerly professor in West Point, now in Albany, was of 

 this number. 



Donations were announced from William Sharswood, 

 Esq., of Philadelphia, and Prof. Swallow of Missouri ; after 

 which the Institute adjourned. 



May, 11, 1858. 

 The president, Hon. John V. L. Pruyn, in the chair. 



The paper for the evening was read by Alfred B. Street, 

 state librarian, upon The Circumstances of, and the Trials 

 following, the supposed Negro Plot in New York city, in 



[Trans, iv.] 34 



