268 



existence of certain acoustic effects in connection with 

 the telegraph ; but the phenomena- might, it was thought, be 

 explained without reference to electrical causes. 



After some conversation in regard to the cause of the 

 phenomena, the Institute adjourned. 



March 15, 1859. 

 The president, Hon. J. V. L. Pruyn, presided. 



Dr. Willard presented to the library of the Institute two 

 numbers of the 1st volume of the Institute Transactions. 



Mr. Munsell presented the Report of the Post Master 

 General of Canada. 



Mr. Carpenter presented some remarks upon the Theory 

 of Surveying. He pointed out the inadequacy of the com- 

 mon method of surveying, owing to the unreliability of the 

 magnetic needle. He gave an instance in which the needle 

 had entirely lost its polarity under the influence of an au- 

 rora. He maintained that the only reliable method of sur- 

 veying was by interior angles. In that case the variation 

 of the needle did not affect the result, and we have in the 

 sum of the angles a test of the accuracy of the work. 



Mr. C. gave a method he had devised for measuring with 

 more accuracy the lengths of the sides of a field. Usually 

 the boundaries of a field are occupied by trees and other 

 obstacles, preventing measurement on the lines ; in that 

 case he had measured upon lines parallel to the boundaries, 

 instead of the boundaries themselves. 



Prof. Murray gave a method for prolonging a straight 

 line, when an obstacle intervened, with an angular instru- 

 ment alone. 



Mr. Munsell then read a paper illustrative of the History 

 'of St. Peter's Church of Albany. This church had its origin 

 in the efforts of the English Society for the Propagation of 

 the Gospel in Foreign Parts. Rev. Thomas Barclay was 

 chaplain of Fort Frederick in 1708. He was a zealous and 



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