Smithsonian Institution 
Washington, D. C. 
ALL CORRESPONDENCE 
iHOULD BE ADDRESSED 
TO THE SECRETARY 
S. P. L A N G L EY. 
March. ,1902. 
Dear Sir: 
As you may be aware, the Smithsonian Institution, in 1899, 
awarded the Hodgkins gold medal to Professor James Dewar, of the 
Royal Institution, for his meritorious researches on the lique- 
faction and solidification of atmospheric air; for his investi- 
gations of the physical properties of substances in contact with 
liquid air, and for his discovery of the extraordinary magnetic 
properties of liquid oxygen. 
It is now proposed to award another Hodgkins medal, provided 
it is determined that discoveries of sufficiently distinguished 
merit in regard to ’’the nature and properties of atmospheric air 
in connection with the welfare of man”,- words, which, as you will 
see in the accompanying circular, are to be interpreted in the very 
widest sense,- have been made since the medal was awarded in 1899. 
I therefore have the honor to invite you to serve on a com- 
mittee uo advise the Secretary whether it is desirable to have one 
of the Hodgkins gold medals struck and presented, and, if so, to whom. 
