33 



3d Department. 



John Chester, President. 

 John W. Yates, 1st Vice President. 

 Alfred Conkling, 2d Vice President. 

 Frederick Matthews, Corresponding Secretary. 

 Ru-h:u-,l V. P. \\ 

 James Edwards, Treasurer. 

 The Institute then proceeded to the election of officers, 

 when Stephen Van Rensselaer, was chosen President, 

 and William Mayell, Treasurer. 



M. H. Webster read a translation of the 2d chapter of 

 Brongniart on tr ilobites, being an essay on the relation existing 

 between those fossils and animals known at the present day. 



T. Romeyn Beck read a communication on the nature and 

 properties of potassium, accompanied with experiments on 

 that substance. 



February 16. The following donations were received: 

 From Dr. William Basset, of Syracuse, (Onondaga county,) 

 a collection of plants from that place ; from Dr. James IVP- 

 Naughton, copper coins of the present kingdom of the Neth- 

 erlands; from Professor Hadley, trilobites from Norway, 

 (Herkimer county,) and Williamsville, (Niagara county,) 

 also petrifactions (univalve) from Adams, (Jefferson county) ; 

 from William Cooper, fourteen copper coins and two silver 

 coins. Among the former was one with the inscription of 

 " Washington, President, 1791," probably among the first 

 struck at the United States mint, and the die of which was 

 ordered to be broken by Gen. Washington ; from M. H. Web- 

 ster fossil alcyonium," from Wiltshire, (England,) and quills 

 of the Hystrix dorsata ; from T. Romeyn Beck, bituminous 

 coal from Tioga, (Pennsylvania.) 



Cyrus M. Stebbins, corresponding member, communicated 

 a catalogue of plants, growing in the vicinity of the city of 

 Hudson. 



Among the most interesting are the following: Acnida 

 cannabina, Arabis hispida, Arum dracontium, Arum virgmi- 

 cum, Asplenium ruta-muraria, Asplenium montanum, Bro- 

 mus ciliatus, Cactus opuntia, Campanula acuminata, Cimi- 

 cifuga serpentaria, Convallaria angustifolia, Convallaria 

 stellata, Corvdalis mimosa, Cymbidium hyemale, Dracoce- 

 phalum v, 1 ■ • ' ' 



Gnaphalium decurrens, Gratiola officinalis Gratiola pubes- 

 reus li*-l-»m.t ^ ^ - - 11 V - " 



icaulis, Kaimia latifolia, Lemna trisuica I ^uiucum levisu- 

 cum, Ligustrum vulgare, Liriodendron tuhpifera , Lud\> igia 

 alternifolia,Mimulu« i alatus, Monotropa procera. Orchis cri* 



