New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1879-04-19
ACADEMY or SCIENCES.
THE PROCEEDINGS OF TWO DAYS.

THE PROCEEDINGS OF TWO DAYS.
ONLY FOUR NEw MEMPHIS ELECrED-PAPFRs READ
BY MEMBERs-vOwEL5 AND The PHoNOGRAPR
THE POLARIsCOPE.
lFRoM A SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT oF THg rRrBrSEI
WAsHNGTON, April 1S.-At it, business
meeting Yesterday the National Academy Of
Sciences elected four new members. one less than
the number that may be annually elected. In
the matter Of increasing its membership the Academy
Is quite conservative Only three members we're
added last year. The elected to-day Pro-
fessOr Cleveland Abbe OF Washington. well known by
ms meteorological researches and Mathematician;
DR.. Horauo G. wood, OF Philadelphia. an eminent phys
oIogist and botaust Professor j. W Gibbs Of Yale Col
lege. distinguished physicist and professor and " O.
Farow Of Harvard University, eminent Tor bis scientific
researches.
A. h afternoon session the 20 lowing papers were
read: on the STABILITY aud instability ~ Drain
age Lines" by G.. K. Gilbert; On a New Polarscope
Method for the Detection and Estimation ~ Dietro-
glucose Cane sugar and Inverted sugar by Professor
G. +. Chandler; "On The Ignition OF II kA-tension
Fuses" by General II. /. Abbott; on " Hlbernatons
and Migratous Of Alena Araacg the parent OF
the Cotton Worm" by Professor G. v Riley;
on " Two New Forms Of McrOmeter" by Professor F.,
C. Pickering; Report On Dredgings m the Caribbean
sea Coast survey steamer Blake" by Professor
Alexander Agassz; and on " Physical photography Of
the Gulf OF Name" by Professor Henry Mitchell.
The paper reld by Professor A. Graham Bel. hereto
fore mentioned entitled Vowel Theories Considered In
the Light OF Recent Experiments with The Monograph"
is especial interest The concluding para graphs,
which mp the results Of bus experiment, with The
photograph and pnouautogriph, are as iolow-:
The way ont Of fhe difficulty seems tO De Tho sug-
cestou or Ellis. that" what ca. our v0v's are not
individual scarcely -peces-bul rather genera, e1-
istuE ruugly n the Speakers intention, DUr 40 pres
mainly arr lcaily constituted by the Aao. or writ
Edo not doubt that he distinguishing characteristic
o. rhe typical vowel ndiv dual n We could examine nm
critically, woul1 oe found % consist I'D me pr-rnce OF
Resonance cavities OF some definite fixed position ~
the Focd organs Aiesohaucf cavity ~ - OuAu
tone corresponding 20 its fundamental or
proper tone, but otner tones that dlh,r slightly IN
pi,cu from thJt The reinforcement is greater or ess
according the exciting tone DIS more or less removed
10 Ditch from the proper tone OF the cavity Thus "hen
vowel suu4or spoken, those harmou.e- OF tle voice
which come anywhere near the rroner pitches ~
expense OF tine proper tones Themselves. And
. thu-, aliLoh-h we ear may 9c -..', ". -u -
~ ibt NJ df.r,nt pifcl-the ear beating a. Il we're,
ne distance OF ne u1ed tone by the oudne7 VI the re-
Another point mar should not bee lost sight OF II that
ia ordinary speech the voice Is rarely ON level put -
constantly gliding upward on do"u"aid' men a
change In pitch. swelling ana dwug away in Intensity
accordingly as they approach toward UT Ircedc rom
thus In the rapid succession of reinforced partial
ACCOMMODATING infection " the voice. point OF max
pitch Characteristic of the vowel uttered.
or the hypothesis VITA which started u y GER
only partly right Treating wells az We Tina them
a. genera OF sounds instead Of udiyidual~-he most
plas8l theory t0 INSIST IN what may term the
g Harmonic Fixed Pitch Theory" according 20 which
r musical compound composed ~ partial zones
whose Teluencies are u.u.tpes OF the fundamental
of The voice the predominant paruas DsMs a,%aps
formed Iu the mouth by the position oi the vocal organs
assumed during the u'tcrance OF the vowel
one ~ the most notable papers was that ~ Professor
Chandler on pOariscopic tests Of sugar He explained
the new formula. by which be claims that the pres
ence Of ero-g ucose always be detected and the
quantity accurately determined. Professor Barker
wanted know whether this formula
would answer If applied 70 the various
svrups. many OF which, he said, arc 20 much
aduerated that they possess absolutely sweetening
power Professor Chandler explained how this might
be done and seemed Notwithstanding the surs that
nave been upOn the pOarscOpe, 20 De Urn IN the
belief that the instrument De depended on iu making
the required 10 prevent frauds on the revenue.
Professor Ayasszs report or his dredging operations
In the Caribbean during the past year was extremely
interesting He had, be said verified theory held by
him FOR time -ardng the necessity and utility Of
deep -ra dredging itt dAIo't AZ t' iuH' '"uHu 40
the greatest depths by the CHALLENGER eXpedl-
NOR" than -,Jo' idhoms Tie WORK ol ,ht Aa'len-cr
confined % dredging az great depths. ana Oc-
euped about and half years. while he. on small
steamer Of 800 tons. Aal been ape do rev h"nlAs %
make collection OF drcp-,ca fauna See nd only 20
tnaJ OF the Challenger expedition ana approach.
| lnE near I'd il l! respect, %" ,VHi .'''LSHa duh
variety Professor Agassz, therefore concludes that
II IL not necessary, IN ORDER 10 procure most OF me
deep FAUNA tnat frequent great d,pihs io extend
the operations OF dredging much beyond Lotto tatloms,
while great majority Of m" forms are found
much within that limit Professor Asas-lz then
discussed the question OF suuken continent
once occupying u great share OF the area OF
the present Caribbean sea and connecting
the Ws-t India Islands with the coast or Central and
| south America. He offered some interesting theories
respecting the How or tue Gulf stream ana us causes,
which iIff.r materially from The explanations usually
gwen Remarks Old the subject were made Dos Professors
Cape, NcwDerry ana Gill;