National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1874-04-23
THEACADEMY OF SCIENCE
THREE INTERESTING ADDRESS rs
DELIyERED YESTERDAY.


DIR. BRowN-sEQUARD ON THE LoCALIZA-
TON OF THE MENTAL FACULTIEs-PRoF.
NEWCOMERS ACCOUNT OF THE ARRANGE
MENrs FOR OBSERVING THE TRANSIT OF
vENUs-MAJoR POWELL ON THE INDIAN
LANGUAGES, MYTHOLOGY AND PoETRY.
Tho second days session Of the National Aead-
envy Of Science was held yesterday In the west
hall OF the Smithsonian Institute, Prof Henry In
the chair until one o'clock, when he retired and
the Academy was presided over By Prof GIL, Of
Cambridge.
The attendance was larger than the first dag,
and In the audience were large number Of ladies'.
DR.. o. Z. Brown Sequafd addressed the Acad-
eny on tho pretended locelization Of the mental
and sensual faculties OF the brain ~
Prof. Newconb next addressed the Academy at
length on the transit OF Venus, and also explained
the results Of photography In this work He gave
an account OF the arrangements being made by
the United States Government for the event. and
said the labors TO be performed would be BY two
omeers nom the Observatory, two naval oficers
and one ofieer ofthe army, IS follows Prof Hall,
70 be stationed at wladinoostak; Prof Davidson,
ct Nsgasaki; Prof Watson, Of Andoyer at Pc
kin; Capt Raymond, at Crozets; Lieut.. Ryan at
Kergalian; Prof Hardness, at Hobarttown; Prof
Peters, st New Zealand; Prof Smith, at Chatras.
Prof Newcomb's remarks were listened to with
the deepest interest.
Major. J.w. Powell next addressed the academy
and gave an account Of the progress made in the
By parties under the direction Of the Smithsonian
Institution, and read paper as follows:
TOPOGRAPHY.
The Colorado river Is formed by the junction OF
the Grand and Green. These streams unite In
latitude $50 IL q" and longitude HOO T. Is"
;Ths mouth ii the Colorado river, as determined
By Lieutenant Ives, Is in latitude so So and
The course Of the river from its head, the Juno
tiou Of the above mentioned streams, to the mouth
From the mouth Of the Little Colorado to the
junction OF the Rio Virgin with the main stream
the general course Of the river is TO the west.
empties into the Gulf Of California. This lower
part OF the river was explored by Lieutenant Ives
In the winter Of lS576s, and the district Of ooun-
try to the east, between the river and the Rio
Grande del Norte. and to the west between the
Colorado and the Pacific, has been crossed by va
rious exploring parties and military expeditions.
Tho maps made by these several parties, when
complied, give general map Of the country Of
great value In determining many Of the important
features but unreliable In details, contradictory
That portion OF the Colorado above the mouth
OF the Rio Virgin to the junction Of the Grand
and Green had never boon mapped until the one
seen at two or three points by Lieutenant Ives
Colonel Macomb and others and such points ap.
During the years issf-'es and the first part Of
1859 was engaged with q small party Of natural
Isis, volunteers like myself In the exploration Of
about the source OF the Grand, White and Yamps
rivers. Ater exploring number OF canons
through which these streams run, determined to
Colorado. Boats were bull. In Chicago, and
shipped by the Union Pacific railroad, which was
then running construction trains, TO the point
- NAmk 49, r..
thence, on our boats, we descended Green river to
the Colorado. and the Colorado, through the Sc
ries Of great sslons, TO the mouth Of the Bio Viz
gin.
On starting we expected to devote ten months
to the work, but meeting with some disasters by
which our store Of rations was greatly reduced,
We were compelled to hasten the work 50 that
but three months were given TO II. .-.
On this trip astronomic stations, from twenty
i've to fifty miles apart, we're made and ooserya-
lions taken for latitude with the sextant and also
for longitude by the method Of lunar distances.
The meander.ng course Of the river was deter
mined 6y compass observations from point to
thus connecting the astroHomlo stations. For
hypsometric data series OF tri-dally barometric
ss.ersan s were recorded, taken a. me waters
aititudes on the walls and such adjacent noun
tain peaks as were visited were determined by
synchrono1s observations. The results Of this
hypsometry were used in tie construction Ct the
geological sections made along the course Of tho
river.
IL SnouiQ De rem arkcQ mere that o small portion
Of the records of tits first trip lost at tine
when three men who had them In charge were
killed by Indians.
Having demonstrated the prac.icahility Of de-
scending the ever by boats Il was determined to
make more thorough surrey Of the series OF
canons along the Green and Colorado rivers, and
OF the more important eide cancns, and also TO In
cluGs rs broad q belt Of country Il possible
frcra the river, ard application N ade 10 Con-
grss. for the necessary funds to carry on the
The assistance asked was granted, and the
work has been in continuous progress from July,
1870, until the present time.
practicable 10 perform the elaborate work pro-
leeted, depending on such supplies as II was pos
river station bat that It would be necessary to
tablish depots for supplies at number OF points
along the course. Between Gunnison's crossing,
on the Colorado. a distance Of SsfJx miles It was
nc. known that the river could be reached at more
than Two points. One of these, at the crossing
known as FL vado de los Padres, where Father
EscaIante had crossed the river In MS by follow
ing old Indian trail; the other, but short DIS
lance below ut the mouth OF the Paria river IGls
route had been discovered by Jacob Hamiin, a
Mormon mlss,onary. These were so near together
that only one Of them could be used as depot Tor
supplies.
exploration Of routes from the settlements In
Utah to tho Green and Colorado on the east, and
the Colorado on the south. These lines Of travel
the sextant and connecting them BY tho methods
Usually adopted in . mesnder!ng Reconnaissance.
Early In the spring Ct ISL boets were provided
at Green River station. The latitude Of this point
was determined by observations with the zenith
telescope and the longitude BY tecgraphic signals
from m astronomic station at Salt Lake City,
previously Established By officers Of The United
States Coast Survey.
The altitude Of this point above the sea had
also been determined by the railroad surveys, SC
that tho altitude, latitude and longitude Of tho
initial point Of the survey we're Fixed with good
degree OF approximation;
In descending Green river, sstronomie stations
were established Of distances averaging q miles
By river about rs miles by direct lines, the In
strument used being the eextant- At zach Of these
stations the variation Of the needle was deter
mined. .-..
The river was again mcandered by two obserT.
ers, working Independently, and their work CON-
The lines between stations on the river were
used as q series Of base lnes-the lengths, OF
course, only approximately do,ermined-and an
intricate network Of tr.angiss was projected to
salient points en- either side Of the river From q
vast number Of points thus fixed tie surface con-
tour Of the country was sketehed 50 O. 70 include
. belt from % 10 so niles wide.
At each OF these sstronomio stations barometric
readings were recorded In hourly series and rs We
proceeded down tho river trtdally earcmetrtc
mere nm made 1s., A S:s - n s
metric work attitudes were dete:mired by TRAN
galaiion and by barome,rio methods, using both
mercurlAl and arereld Instruments. Thus all Of
our altitude In this region are related TO the river
1871 was thus occupied until we arrived at the
mouth OF the Paria, q stream entering the Colo
RADIO nom the northvesta little below the Arizona
line.
Such was the charastcr OF the ss,ron,mic, topo-
graphic and bypsomstric work done up to that
times methods not absolutely correct, but giving
valuable approximateresults.
But the wonderfu! features Of the Grand Canon
district had yet TO be Fed, ard It's was de;er-
mined to do the work In th.s region by more tho
rough methods. A general rs5oarc:sssnee was
mAco for tie purpose Of Aslectin site for base,
and the valley Of the ksaA6 uat chosen. Then q
point midway between ths sxiTeEitei 81 Il. pro.
posed Inns was selected aud 90 asIorersls Tarsii
mounted for The p7rfe.e o. dess,sa-nisy ne ne,
line. This accom- r.ished Tho sltznmen,s were
made. with 0 tkeojSlYe. The latitude Of the
Eorthern extremity of tks,ire WAS dstsrraiaei by
an extended seres 81 otserv aions with the zenith
telescope anl tie ie1gtiads BY ts.sgraIhie zrali
with the previous. -nentioned astronomie station
at Salt Lake. Oily.
The base line was measured with wooden rods,
ieveled on tres;Iss, and aligned ey sighting on
small steel Gins IN ether extremisy- Tbs rods
we're trusssd, TO prevsnt tagging and usrpinE,
thoroughly seasoned. oiled and ysrnished. and
cones, for the purpose OF securing accurate con-
tact Three rods were used, two always ronald
ing in position a. . protection against accidental
movement. Tho leTeling Instrument was plum
met 90 an Inverted 7, The base Of which was the
safns length a. the rods. Every hundred feet Of
watch was inserted az. Iron yire shnrpened 70 .
point, and this pstut connected WITH tue point q
the and OF thsrot By o piunmeA and each hun
dre6 fesl or the distance MAS etne assured Win .
steal tape. The around ssiected for the site Of
the btse hne wss very good, being nearly Level