484 
PHILOSOPHICAL SOCIETY OF WASHINGTON. 
MEMBERS AT LARGE OF THE GENERAL COMMITTEE. 
Cyrus Adler. 
W. A. De Caindry. 
G. W. Littlehales. 
J. H. Gore. 
H. M. Paul. 
Richard Rath bun. 
F. W. True. 
C. K. Wead. 
Isaac Winston. 
Mr. Ball proposed the following amendment to the Consti¬ 
tution : 
Substitute for article III the following: 
Article III. There shall be a General Committee consisting of 
the officers of the Society and nine other members and such of 
the Past Presidents of the Society resident in Washington and 
retaining membership as shall annually, before the first meeting 
in February of any year, notify the Secretary of the General 
Committee of their intention to attend its meetings or whose 
presence may be requested by a vote of the committee. 
This, under the rules, was laid over for one year before action. 
493d Meeting. January 7, 1899. 
Mr. F. H. Bigelow, the retiring President of the Society, de¬ 
livered the annual address; subject, The function of criticism 
in the advancement of science. [Published in this volume, pp. 
337-366.] 
494th Meeting. January il, 1899. 
Vice-President Sternberg in the chair. 
Eighteen members present. 
Mr. Sternberg made an informal communication on Radio¬ 
graphs, illustrating by photographs. [Not published.] 
Mr. J. F. Hayford read a paper, prepared by Mr. L. A. Bauer, 
on The decomposition of the earth’s permanent magnetic field. 
