263 



tee, Gen. Gansevoort, to ask for instructions as to their 

 duties. They request instruction, 1st, Whether they are to 

 determine the priority of discovery, or the priority of pub- 

 lication of discovery. 2d, What is to be considered the date 

 of the Iowa report. 



After some conversation the secretary was requested to 

 instruct the committee, that the interpretation of the reso- 

 lution under which they were appointed is left to them- 

 selves ; and that they are requested "to determine one or 

 both questions as they see fit. Further, that the date to be 

 assigned to the Iowa report is to be the date attached to 

 the note communicating the report to Gov. Low, viz., Sep- 

 tember 1858. 



Mr. von Steinwehr being absent on account of illness, 

 Prof. Hall made some remarks as to the distribution of the 

 economic products of the different geological formations ; 

 pointing out the locality for marbles, slates, and building 

 stones. He said that he proposed at some future meeting 

 to come 'prepared with a geological chart of the United 

 States and some specimens of the different materials, and 

 enter more fully into the subject than he was able to do 

 without these. 



A general discussion followed upon the relative qualities 

 of different building materials ; participated in by Mr. 

 Homes, Prof. Hall, Dr. Gould, Mr. Meads and others. 



Dr. Gould gave some further results of his observations 

 on the variable star Mira. He also suggested a cause which 

 might account for the previously unaccountable variations 

 in the length of the period of Mira, viz., the movement of 

 the solar system among the stars. 



Adjourned. 



January 18, 1859. 

 The president, Hon. J. V. L. Pruyn, occupying the chair. 

 Under election of members, Messrs. Rugg, Edwards and 

 Sanford were elected as resident members. 



