4. That Dr. John S. Billings be, and he hereby is, authorized to receipt for, or to indorse, checks on interest due.

5. That the Academy appoint a committee of three members, resident in Washington, to audit the accounts and securities of the Academy on their transfer to the new treasurer. The president appointed Messrs. Langley, Newcomb, and A. Hall as such committee.

HOME SECRETARY'S REPORT.

The home secretary submitted the following report:

APRIL 20, 1587.

In addition to the routine work of the year, the second volume of the biographical notices was printed last summer, and distributed to members. An edition of five hundred copies was printed. An edition of two hundred and fifty copies of the first volume of the biographical notices was printed in 1877, and this edition is now exhausted.

The printing of Part II of the third volume of the memoirs was finished December last, but very many of the plates belonging to the edition were burnt, and the distribution of the volume has been delayed.

REPORTS OF COMMITTEES.

The president, on behalf of the committee on ways and means to provide a fund for the Academy, stated that Dr. S. Weir Mitchell had taken special charge of some features of this business, and it is hoped will meet with success.

Mr. A. Hall, for the committee on the election of foreign associates, reported that two nominations had been made.

The committee on the astronomical day, eclipse of 1886, and new observatory, the committee on the tariff classification of wool, and the committee on opium, were discharged.

The president stated that Mr. Hilgard had resigned his position on the board of trustees of the Watson fund, and that Mr. Gould had been appointed to fill the vacancy.

Mr. Barker, chairman of the committee on the Henry Draper medal, reported that the committeo recommends that the second Henry Draper medal be awarded to Prof. Edward C. Pickering, director of the Harvard Observatory, for his recent work in astronomical photometry and photography. This recommendation was adopted.

THE JAMES WATSON MEDAL.

At a public session of the Academy, held on the evening of April 20, the first James Watson medal and the sum of $100 in gold were presented to Dr. B. A. Gould, for his valuable labors for nearly forty years in promoting the progress of astronomical science.

At the same session, the following biographical memoirs were read: Of President W. B. Rogers, by President F. A. Walker.

Of Dr. E. Tuckerman, by Prof. W. G. Farlow,

CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT.

The Academy, in committee of the whole, adopted the following amendment to the constitution, which will be voted on at the next stated session:

That Article VI, section 1, be changed to read as follows: "All investments shall be made by the treasurer, in the corporate name of the Academy, in stocks of the United States; or, with the approval of the council, in State bonds, or first-mortgage bonds on real estate."

The treasurer shall have authority, with the approval of the council, to sell and transfer any United States bonds held by him in the corpo rate name of the Academy.

The pending amendment to Article V, section 6, was not adopted.

NEW MEMBERS.

The following new members were elected: Prof. Henry P. Bowditch, Prof. George H. Cook, and Prof. Thomas C. Mendenhall.

FOREIGN ASSOCIATES.

Prof. A. W. Hofmann, of Berlin, and J. P. Joule, esq., of Manches ter, England, were elected foreign associates of the Academy.

TREASURER'S REPORT.

WASHINGTON, D. C., May 21, 1887.

The committee of the Academy appointed to examine its accounts and securities have this day found them as described in the accompanying summary, and in a detailed account in the hands of Dr. J. S. Billings, which account they have separately sigued after witnessing the transfer.

S. P. LANGLEY,
S. NEWCOMB,
ASAPH HALL,

Committee.

NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES, May 21, 1887. Transfer of bonds and securities of the National Academy of Sciences by J. H. C, Coffin to Dr. J. S. Billings, his successor as treasurer.

1. Cash-fund balances to the credit of the following accounts, April 19, 1887.

General fund
Bache fund

Watson fund

Draper fund

Smith fund

Total....

Transferred as per receipt of April 26, 1887.

2. The Academy seal.

Order to Bank of Washington to deliver to Dr. Billings or order,

$167.46 2,350.73 1, 415. 05

568.54

818.00

5, 319. 78

3. Securities held in trust.

The committee, Messrs. Brush, Remsen, and Young, appointed to examine the following securities, found they were correct:

Deed for 160 acres of Missouri lands to A. D. Bache, not transferred to the Academy.

47,550

1,000

600

c. Invested income of the Bache fund.

District of Columbia 3.65 bonds

d. Joseph Henry fund.

An agreement with the Pennsylvania Company for insurance on lives and granting annuities, as to the final disposition of the Joseph Henry fund of $40,000.

The above will not be available until the decease of all Professor Henry's children.

1,500

e. Watson fund.

United States 4 per cent. bonds, registered..
United States 4 per cent. bonds, registered....
Certificates for 134 shares of the capital stock of the Michigan Life
Insurance Company..

$6, 200

850

6,700

13,750

f. Henry Draper medal fund.

United States 4 per cent. bonds, registered.....

5,000

Deed of trust of Mary Anna Palmer Draper to the National Academy of
Sciences.

g. J. Lawrence Smith medal fund.

United States 44 per cent. bonds, registered...

7,200

Deed of trust of Sarah Julia Smith to the National Academy of Sciences.

Amount of available securities.

75,500

DEATH OF MEMBERS.

The President announced the death, on March 8, 1887, of Mr. James B. Eads, of Saint Louis, Mo.

Mr. William Sellers was appointed to prepare a biographical notice. The following members were also appointed to prepare biographical memoirs:

Of Prof. James C. Watson, Prof. E. S. Holden.

Of General J. G. Barnard, President F. A. P. Barnard,

INVITATIONS.

It was announced that members of the Academy were invited to make use of the rooms of the Cosmos Club during their stay in Washington.

Mr. A. G. Bell invited the members of the Academy to a reception at his house on the evening of April 21.

The Academy adjourned April 22, to meet in scientific session in New York City, November 8, 1887.

SCIENTIFIC SESSION.

HELD IN NEW YORK CITY, NOVEMBER 8 TO 11, 1887.

A scientific session, for the reading of papers only, having been called by the council, as announced at the April session, the Academy met at Columbia College, New York City, on November 8, 1887.

Dr. Wolcott Gibbs presided on November 8, and the president, Prof. O. C. Marsh, on the succeeding days.

The following members were present during the session:

The following papers were read and discussed:

1. MENDENHALL, T. C.: Seismoscopes and Seismological Investigations.

2. COPE, E. D.: On the Primary Specializations of the True Fishes.

3. ROGERS, W. A.: A Study of the Behavior of Metals under Variations of Temperature.

4. HUNT, T. STERRY: Chemism in its Relations to Temperature and Pressure.

5. COPE, E. D.: On the Mechanical Origin of the Structures of the Hard Parts of the Mammalia.

6. HUNT, T. STERRY: Progressive Series in Chemistry.

7. DANA, J. D.: Kilauea, a Basalt Volcano.

8. MITCHELL, HENRY: Circulation of the Sea through New York Harbor. (Read by Mr. Barnard.)

9. Rood, OgdeN N.: On a Study of Color Contrast.

10. BROOKS, W. K.: On a Relative Variability of Men and Women.

11. BROOKS, W. K.: On a New Form of Reproduction in Medusæ.

12. BROOKS, W. K.: On the Lucayan Indians. (Read by title.)

13. MAYER, A. M.: Experiments in Measurements of Statical Electricity in Absolute Units.

14. MAYER, A. M.: On Potential as measured by Work; a Mathematical Discussion. 15. GILL, T.: A Comparison of Autipodal Faunas.

16. Trowbridge, W. P.: On a Discovery recently made in Connection with the Flight of Birds.

17. PICKERING, E. C.: On the Determination of Star Magnitudes by Photography. 18. HALL, A.: On the Constant of Aberration.

19. NEWBERRY, J. S.: The Cretaceous Coals of Western North America.

20. NEWBERRY, J. S.: The Future of Gold and Silver Production.

21. LANGLEY, S. P.: The Temperature of the Moon. (Read by the Home Secretary.)

22. MICHELSON, A. A., and MORLEY, E. W. (by invitation of the Academy): On a Method of making the Wave Length of Sodium Light the Absolute Standard of Length.

The scientific session closed November 11, 1887.

SPECIAL SESSION.

HELD IN NEW YORK CITY, NOVEMBER 9, 1887.

A special session of the Academy having been called by the council, in accordance with Article III, section 1, of the constitution, the Academy convened at Columbia College, November 9, 1887; the president, Prof. O. C. Marsh, presiding.

The president stated the object of the meeting, which was to consider his annual report to Congress. He gave an outline of the report, and requested that it might include the proceedings of the present meeting, and the reports made for the Treasury Department.

The president also stated that two requests from the Treasury Department had been received since the last meeting, and that he had appointed the following committees to make the necessary investigations: On opium.-Prof. Ira Remsen, chairman, Prof. G. F. Barker, and Prof. C. F. Chandler.

On sugar determinations.—Prof. A. W. Wright, chairman, Prof. E. S. Dana, and Prof. C. S. Hastings of Yale College.

RECOMMENDATIONS FROM THE COUNCIL.

The following recommendations from the council were adopted: 1. That the medal of Professor Oppolzer be deposited in the National Museum at Washington, with the Bache medals, subject to the order of the Academy.

2. That the president be authorized to include in his annual report to Congress, the proceedings of the present meeting, the report on opium, and the report on sugar determinations.

NOMINATIONS.

Four nominations for membership in the Academy were read by the home secretary.

The home secretary then presented the report of the committee appointed to examine the securities and accounts of the Academy, and to witness the transfer of funds from the outgoing to the new treasurer.