New-York tribune., 1878-11-06
TuT ACADEMY OF SCIENCES.

VI ,,,,,o OF PROMINENT SCIENTIFIC MEN
PLANS OF THE MEEllNG PAPERS AND Az
NJ Tational Academy of Sciences held the first
' &c its November meeting yesterday III the
.tanoI of Columbla College About half the mem
- of the Academy were present. Addresses MeIe ~
Id bv Professors Henry Draper OF this CITY o H.
Sondder. of Cambridge, and Charles . feirce, oi
wasb;nqton. The afternoon session was inter
'';tted ON account Of the presence OF Dean S''leH
r. ,oet the members at luncheon at Or' Darh'iuS
house.
THE MEMBERS AND THE ADDRESSES.
rho Fall meeting of the National Academy
,sences is distinct IN nature from the sprnS
hicb "a ALWAYS held in Washington; 'no la''oi . -.
80 10 the election Of officers and other business
mi. meeting which has just begun Is puIey I,ooto 10
.nading and discussion Of papers on scenune suOsoo
r,,o , no departed FROM somewhat, at this 'i'no'
,h roorutnp session OF to-day will be gwen up "
,trsnt n, the claims Of the three rival e1porlnE ca
nedtons IN the Western Territories Inc -,
the ACADEMY in secret session. VIII ulseuSs - ~ 90
,o,bods NJ securing thorough and ecOnoinlca' W.
.,, doc,s,on will be submitted TO the 1e'ernn'n' ~
the n,,ng this afternoon and at the two ses-
,S , rbursdav papers will probably be presented ny
sos.or r HiIgard DR.. F. " Hayden, Professor o.
Rood Professors stephen Alexander W. T. lIoM-
hr,dee. Alexander Agassiz, Elias Looms' L. L.
Abbot Benjamin AlvOrd, j. 5. NewDerfy' L'
n Cone C. A. Young and others. The pro
ramme OF the exercises Is formidable IN It's proper
,s and many Of the subjects cOuched In the most
nosne end technical language. The list includes thlr
,xthree papers, of which only three were disposed OF
yesterday, Even miud accustomed 10 WTesue WIN
braUny mathematical problems, would seem 10 uhu
,ope difficulty in crOwding thirty ablebodied papers
,o day and halt The result will probably be that
half the papers viii go over to the next session or ma
ae in the printed report Of the meetings. like slum'
berous speeches Of Congressman OF othef days. III TUG
official Washington organ.
opv rate the prospect did not 90 strike terror
70 the assembago Of about thirty members Gathereu m
the little chapel yesterday morning IL WASN'T H'So
company but it represented large lot of science upon
,be latform in the presidents chair seated Proes
,or n q Marsh the palaOntologist OF Yale College wen
known also for his attempt TO apply scehtlhe
10 the settlement Of the Indian question Professor
Marsh was the vcepresdent selected at tue Api eo'
ing and now occupies the position OF PRESIDENT maze
vacant by the sudden death Of Professor Joseph
Henry Scattered about the room IN groups
NJ two or three, were whose regulations
have extended beyond the domain OF science con-
spcuous by his venerable appearance was President f.
p Barnard, Of Columbia College, the acadeInys Tor
eiRp secretary Near him sat Dr. John W Draper pro-
tessor Of philosophy in the University OF the
City Of New-York; Quartcrmaster-General NJ. C.
Meigs Dr.. F. V. Hayden, United States Geo
Iogist whose exploring expedition has made
his name familiar TO so many Dr. Henry Draper OF
Hudson, who has been so successful in
the observation of solar ecpses and General Henry g.
Abbott o. s. A.. in charge Of the torpedo expert
mens near Wett's Point. Among others present were
Professor J. H. G. Coffin, Mathematician, OF the
United States Navy Professor Stephen Alexander as
tronomer OF Princeton N j. Edward D. Cope pal9onto-
logist of Haddoneld N j. George Davidson, astrono-
mer San Francisco, Cal. WOcott Gibbs professor Of
chemistry, Harvard University Arnold Guyot geolo-
N Ct,Ac fNao1., EV0W-
enoe King GeolOgst, connected with the United States
Survey of the Territories Professor Francis A. Walker,
Iatiscian and writer political economy, OF New
Haven Conn. Professor ElasLOOmis, mathematics and
meteoroOgy, Yale College; Professor John Le Conte,
entomOogst, Philadelphia Professor G. +. Chandler,
chemistry Columbia Colleges Professor Alfred NJ Meyer
physicist Stevens Institute OF Technology, HOboken n
J.; Professor J. s. Newberry geologst Columbia Pro-
fessor Simon Neweomb, Astronomer 10 charge OF the
United States Nautical Almanac Professor A g. Pack
ard jr naturalist, Salem, Mass; Professor Charles
Perce Mathematician United States Coast Survey Wash
iagton; Professor Samuel H. scudder entomologist,
Cambridge Mass; General g. K. Warren. u g. A. hath-
.maaca and Engineering; Professor o. N Rood physc-
ist Columbia; Professor J. Hammond Trumbull, phlo-
Iogist, Hartford, Conn.
DR. HENRY DRAPER's ADDRESS.
The emeetDg was called order at noon by VcePresi'
dent Marsh who made announcements for the coming
lesops He said the sessions would last for three
scientific subiects He then plunged st once into busi
nes by calling upon the 6rst speaker Dr. Henry Draper
Of this ey, who read paper The Solar Eclipse OF
July q, 1873" Bis address was as follows:
As this eclipse promised to be especially interest
ofths philosophers and c6romosphefe il seemed desr
able TO ascertain what corresponding changes were to
clearer ideas Of the Of remarkable append
age Of the The points 70 which my party directed
IL attention were Is the light from the corona from
lDeandescent gRs, or It from glowing liquid or solid
bodies, is reflected from the sun In addition We
was measurable. Plain photographs were also 70 be
taken WITH the aSses 6 sn1 81 hsg
Of the corona possible without risk OF dsusion by
Tie party consisted in addition TO my wife and my.
se Of Professor George Parker Of the University OF
the stevens archaeological Institute and Thomas A. Edi
son. the celebrated electrician The station selected
vantage OF being on the Unin Pacific Railroad, and
Of being supplied with water brought In wooden
proposed to the cOOdion process with neutral
silver bath, the usual alkaline and sulphur waters OF
this region were to be avoided.
After minute description OF the instruments used
IN the work, Dr. Draper proceeded: -
On developing the spectrum photograph imme-
diStey after tofaliiy found continuous bands only,
!jeht w Mas not TO any considerable extent from In
eandescen gas bat was either reflected sunlight or from
Professors Barker and Morton that the dark FraunhOfer
lines visible IN their slit epecroscopes, bears upon
fected sunhgnt-espeolally when cODOined with Pro-
fessOr MOrtOns polarization observations TheTe can
be little doubt that during this eclipse have observed
close approach to what may be called the normal or
undsturbed corona, and that is light s almost alto
gether sunlight reflected from bodies Of size too small
60 be distinguished az individuals.
ft be Admitted that the corona IL ufltrated TO dlf.
fent degrees various times by gases violently pro-
ieeted from the SUM- THIS would gyo reason ior Ihe
amount light during tOtalty much greater than
had expected, for though had prepared candles
for use In the observatory they we're not needed.
Mr. Edison used his taseter 20 ascertain whether the
corona indications Of heat He adjusted the nstru
ment TO be very sensitive, 90 that the passage OF
ArctuTus across tho silt produced detection OF the
galyanOmeter Eventually IL appeared that much less
delicate adjustment would have sufced, for the moment