There is already evidence that the present effort will be successful in correcting this situation. The mailing list of the Proceedings already includes more than 900 foreign institutions of learning and research, distributed in all parts of the world, in addition to its American correspondents. To this great body of scientific workers the academy has presented, through its Proceedings, this first year which has just closed, 166 papers. To the academy this is a duty long unfulfilled rather than a privilege, perhaps, but its value to American scientific research is already clearly demonstrated and is likely to increase rapidly in this and foliowing years. MEETINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY. During the year 1915 the academy held two stated meetings, the annual meeting in April at Washington and the autumn meeting in November, at New York City. ANNUAL MEETING. The sessions were held in the United States National Museum and in the Oak Room of the Raleigh Hotel, Washington, D. C., April 19, 20, 21, 1915. Fifty-eight members were present, as follows: Becker, Boltwood, Britton, Bumstead, Cattell, Chittenden, Clark (W. B.), Clarke (F. W.), Clarke (J. M.), Conklin, Coulter, Crafts, Cross, Dall, Davenport, Davis, Donaldson, Fewkes, Frost, Goodale, Hague, Hale, Harper, Harrison, Hayford, Hillebrand, Holmes, Howell, Jennings, Loeb, Mall, Meltzer, Mendel, Merriam, Michelson, Moore, Morgan, Morley, Nichols (E. L.), Noyes (A. A.), Noyes (W. A.), Osborn (H. F.), Osborne (T. B.), Parker, Pickering, Pirsson, Ransome, Reid, Remsen, Schuchert, Scott, Smith (E. F.), Walcott, Webster, Welch, Wheeler, White, Woodward. BUSINESS SESSIONS. The president announced that the preparation of biographical memoirs of deceased members had been assigned as follows: Bowditch, Henry P., to Walter B. Cannon, Davidson, George, existing biography approved. Gould, Benjamin Apthorp, to George C. Comstock. Mitchell, Henry, to John F. Hayford. Mitchell, Silas Wier, to William H. Welch. Chandler, Seth Carlo, to William L. Elkin. The president announced the death, since the autumn meeting, of one foreign associate: Auwers, G. F. J. Arthur, elected 1883, died January 24, 1915. REPORTS OF THE PRESIDENT AND THE TREASURER. 1 The reports of the president and of the treasurer for 1914, as transmitted to the Senate of the United States by the president of the academy, were presented in their printed form and approved. REPORT OF THE HOME SECRETARY. The President of the National Academy of Sciences. SIR: I have the honor to present the annual report of the home secretary of the National Academy of Sciences for the year ending April 21, 1915. The memoir of the National Academy of Sciences, volume 12, part 1, and bearing the title, "Monograph of the Bombycine Moths of North America," by A. S. Packard, edited by T. D. A. Cockerell, has been published and distributed to the members, foreign associates, institutions, and reference libraries; volume 12, part 3, of the memoirs, entitled, "The Turquois," by Joseph E. Pogue, has also been published and distributed; part 2 of this same volume entitled, "Variations and Ecological Distribution of the Snails of the Genus Io," by Charles C. Adams, has received final consideration, and is now waiting to be bound at the Government Printing Office; the memoir forming volume 13, being "A Catalogue of the Meteorites of North America," by Oliver C. Farrington, only awaits press work and binding before it is issued. The biographical memoirs of John Wesley Powell, Charles A. Schott, and Miers Fisher Longstreth have been published. The publication of the memoir of Peter Lesley, by William M. Davis, has been approved by the committee on publication, and the biography of Henry Morton, by Edward L. Nichols, has been printed and awaits the portrait. Three members have died since the last annual meeting: Theodore Nicholas Gill, on September 25, 1914, elected in 1873; Charles Sedgwick Minot, on November 19, 1914, elected in 1897; and Henry Lord Wheeler, on October 30, 1914, elected in 1909. Of our foreign associates, Eduard Suess died on April 26, 1914, elected in 1898; August Weismann died on December 5, 1914, elected in 1913; Hugo Kronecker died on June 6, 1914, elected in 1901; G. F. J. Arthur Auwers died on January 24, 1915, elected in 1883. There are 134 active members on the membership list, one honorary member, and 43 foreign associates. ARTHUR L. DAY, REPORT OF THE DIRECTORS OF THE BACHE FUND. The serious illness of Dr. Charles S. Minot, the chairman of the board of directors of the Bache fund, made it difficult to carry on the work of the board for several months. His death in November last left a vacancy hard to fill as he was most conscientious in the performance of his duties. After careful consideration the two remaining members of the board elected Prof. Ross G. Harrison the third member and he accepted. In turn the board elected the undersigned chairman. Since the last annual meeting of the academy the following appropriations have been made: 1 Report of the National Academy of Sciences for the year 1914, pp. 11-56. 2 Idem, pp. 57-65. No. 182. W. C. Kendall. $600. April 30, 1914. Toward the expenses of illustrations in color and incidental expenses in connection with Part II (Salmonidæ) Fishes of New England to be published by the Boston Society of Natural History. No. 183. C. G. Abbot. $250. June 29, 1914. To complete and test on Mount Wilson in California an apparatus consisting of a concave cylindric mirror of about 100 square feet surface adapted to heat oil to circulate through a reservoir containing ovens and water pipes, and thereby to utilize solar radiation for cooking and for heating water for domestic purposes. No. 184. P. W. Bridgman. $500. September 14, 1914. high pressures, especially to investigate the phase changes substances by very high pressure. To continue the work on brought about in various No. 185. Robert W. Hegner. $160. December 26, 1914. To determine the visible changes that take place during the differentiation of the germ cells in the embryos of hermaphroditic animals, and to discover, if possible, the cause of these changes. No. 186. J. Voûte. $800. February 9, 1915. For the determination of parallaxes of southern stars by transits. The Bache fund has heretofore granted $1,000 for this research. It is conducted at the Royal Observatory, Cape of Good Hope, wholly at the expense of Mr. Vûote, except for these grants. No. 187. H. H. Lane. $500. April 14, 1915. To make a comparative study of the embryos and young of various mammals in order to determine, by physiological experimentation and morphological observations, the correlation between structure and function in the development of the special senses. APRIL, 1915. IRA REMSEN, REPORT OF THE TRUSTEES OF THE WATSON Fund. Chairman. The will of the late James Craig Watson provided "for the promotion of astronomical science," but he expressed the wish that a medal should be given and that tables should be prepared of the motions of all the planets discovered by him. This last wish has now been carried out in a most satisfactory manner by Prof. A. O. Leuschner, so that the income which has been used for this purpose during the last 14 years is now available for the promotion of astronomical science in other directions. The undersigned accordingly recommend the following votes: Resolved, That the Watson medal and the sum of $100 be awarded to Prof. Armin Otto Leuschner, for the skill and ability which he has shown in supervising the preparation of tables of the Watson asteroids, involving original methods, and leading to results of much value to celestial mechanics. Resolved, That the sum of $500 from the income of the Watson fund be appropriated to Prof. John A. Miller, director of the Sproul Observatory, for measuring plates already taken for the determination of stellar parallaxes. Resolved, That the sum of $300 be appropriated from the income of the Watson fund to Mr. John E. Mellish, to enable him to undertake observations at the Yerkes Observatory. E. C. PICKERING, Chairman. W. L. ELKIN. EDWIN B. FROST. APRIL 2, 1915. MARCH 25, 1915. Prof. E. C. PICKERING, DEAR SIR: I beg to submit the following statement of the condition of the Watson work on March 1, 1915. This is a continuation of the reports submitted March 21, 1912; April 5, 1913; and April 1, 1914. 1. A year ago I reported that (a) In addition to the 12 planets published, 3 planets, (79) Eurynome, (150) Nuwa, and (121) Hermione were ready to be put into manuscript form. (b) That (132) Aethra would be assigned to some other graduate student unless Mr. Champreux gave assurance that he would make progress. You will remember that this planet is not part of our list, as it is considered lost. (c) That (175) Andromeda was completed on the basis of our revision of von Zeipel's tables. (d) That the perturbations (106) Dione of the Hecuba group were developed and that it remained to make comparison between theory and observation. (e) That (100) Hecate and (104) Clymene required a comparison between theory and observation, and a correction of the elements. (That of the remaining two planets, in the case of (94) Aurora, a complete revision of the perturbations which had originally been done by Hansen's theory would be required on the basis of von Zeipel's theory, and that no work had as yet been undertaken on (168) Sibylla, which also belongs to the Hecuba group. In making report at this time I shall refer to each of the items that was mentioned as incomplete in my last report under (a) to (ƒ). 2. (a) and (c). These four planets were reported as entirely completed last year. (b) (132) Aethra. Mr. Champreux has done nothing further, and Mr. W. D. Alter has recently undertaken the investigation of this case. As Luther's final elements, accepted by the Jahrbuch, made the mean motion of this planet very nearly three times that of Jupiter, its loss has been a matter of great theoretical interest. Owing to the great ease and accuracy of determining orbits by my own method, it seemed desirable to deduce a new orbit from the original observations, of which there were two sets, extending in all over 22 days. One set of these observations was made by Watson with a ring micrometer at Ann Arbor, and the other set was made with a Filar micrometer at Marseilles, France. Watson computed two orbits, resulting in daily motions of 980" and 846", respectively. Watson's orbits were based entirely on his own ring micrometer observations. Luther applied systematic corrections to these. He investigated the star places and produced a definitive orbit on the basis of both the Ann Arbor and Marseilles observations, obtaining a mean motion of 904", and this orbit has been accepted by the Jahrbuch and is the one on the basis of which extensive but fruitless searches have been made for this planet. Mr. Alter's new orbit is based entirely on the Marseilles observations, while Watson's orbits were based entirely on the ring micrometer observations. Mr. Alter has obtained a reliable orbit which agrees exactly with the rejected orbit of Watson, getting a mean motion of 844" as compared with that of Watson of 846". This puts an entirely new aspect on the whole problem and proves that the search for this planet has been unavailable on account of the error in the accepted elements, about l' of arc per day in the mean motion, which for a number of years would of course make it impossible to locate it. Mr. Alter will continue this problem, compute the perturbations without charge to the Watson trustees, and I have no doubt will be able to decide what has become of the planet. (d) The work on (106) Dione is now entirely completed. (e) Nothing further has been done on (100) Hecate but in the case of (104) Clymene a complete revision by von Zeipel's theory is nearly completed. (f) Nothing further has been done on (94) Aurora, but (168) Sibylla has been completed entirely on the basis of von Zeipel's theory. 3. The investigation of the perturbations of the Watson asteroids is therefore completed with the exception of a final revision of (100) Hecate and (94) Aurora, both of which, as stated above, have been treated by Hansen's method with unsatisfactory results. We do not anticipate much difficulty in finally disposing of these two cases, on account of the very favorable conditions existing in them as compared to (175) Andromache, which readily yielded to our investigation. 4. Under these circumstances it appears certain that the work may be completed with the balance of the appropriation for the current year. Just how far we shall get with the clerical work of preparing the manuscript on the available balance I can not say at this time, but the cost of this clerical work will be slight. At any rate it need not be considered until after the whole volume has been printed. I can advance the same, if necessary, in the meantime. 5. The total appropriation made last year was $1,031.45, which included a balance of $71.45 of the preceding year and an allowance of $80 per month for the current year. Miss Sophia H. Levy continues as chief computer, with the assistance of Mr. O. D. Shane, the monthly expense being $80. Up to March 1 I have expended $580, leaving available for the completion of the work the sum of $451.45. As stated above this, I think, will be sufficient, possibly exclusive of the clerical work of preparing the manuscript and seeing the same through the press. Respectfully submitted, A. O. LEUSCHNER. REPORT OF THE COMMITTEE ON THE HENRY DRAPER FUND. The committee unanimously recommends to the academy that the following grants for research be approved: Five hundred dollars to Dr. W. W. Campbell, director of the Lick Observatory, for the purchase and construction of spectrographic and other apparatus for use with the Crossley reflector. Two hundred and fifty dollars to Dr. S. A. Mitchell, director of the Leander McCormick Observatory, for the purchase of a machine for measuring astronomical photographs. GEORGE E. HALE, REPORT OF THE COMMITTEE ON THE J. LAWRENCE SMITH FUND. In regard to researches now in progress or lately completed which have received aid from this fund the committee reports as follows: Grant No. 3. Edmund Otis Hovey, curator in geology and paleontology in the American Museum of Natural History, New York, received in 1910, a grant of $400 in aid of the study of certain meteorites. Metallographic and chemical examinations are in progress. Dr. Hovey is at this time out of the country. Grant No. 4. Prof. C. C. Trowbridge of the department of physics in Columbia University received in 1910 a grant of $400 in aid of his study of the luminous trains of meteors. The academy has also made further grants of $250 in 1912, of $250 in 1913, and of $250 in 1914. The important work of collecting, verifying, and tabulating records of observations of luminous trains has been diligently pursued. Lately, the collection and preparation for publication of drawings of luminous trains has been undertaken. In accordance with the vote of the academy in 1912, three payments have been made from this grant and it is expected that the fourth and last installment will be required during the current year. Grant No. 5. Dr. George P. Merrill, curator in the department of geology in the United States National Museum, received a grant of $200 in 1910, and of $200 in 1911. |