NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC SOCIETY.
(Abstract of Minutes.)
March 6, 1891. 49th meeting.
Meeting held in the Assembly Hall of the Cosmos Club. Vice-President Hayden in the chair. Attendance, 50.
Captain E. C. Hore, master mariner, delivered an address on "A narrative of ten years' work and travel in the African lake region." Abstract entitled "The Heart of Africa" printed in this volume, pp. 238–243.
March 13, 1891. Special meeting.
Meeting held in the Lecture Room of the National Museum. Vice-President Ogden in the chair. Attendance, 850.
Captain E. C. Hore repeated his former lecture with additions. Abstract printed in this volume, pp. 243–247.
March 20, 1891. 50th meeting.
Meeting held in the Assembly Hall of the Cosmos Club. Mr. G. K. Gilbert in the chair. Attendance, 35.
Vice-President Greely read a paper on "The cartography and observations of Bering's first voyage." The paper was discussed by Messrs Dall, Blodgett, Littlehales, and Vice-President Hayden. Printed in this volume, pp. 205–230, pl. 21.
Mr. J. Stanley-Brown presented a paper on "Auriferous sands from Yakutat bay." Printed in this volume, pp. 196–198.
Mr. I. C. Russell read a paper on "The geology of the Mount St. Elias region, Alaska." The paper was discussed by Messrs Gilbert (who had resigned the chair to Vice-President Hayden), Dall, Johnson, and Russell. Incorporated in the memoir forming pp. 53–204, pls. 2–20, of this volume.
March 31, 1891. Special meeting.
Meeting held in the Law Lecture Room of Columbian University. Vice-President Ogden in the chair. Attendance, 300.
Mr. Sergius Stepniak delivered an address on "The Russian peasantry."
April 3, 1891. 51st meeting.
Meeting held in the Assembly Hall of the Cosmos Club, Vice-President Hayden in the chair. Attendance, 35.
A paper on "The Mackenzie river and Colinson," by Vice-President Greely, was read by title in the absence of the author.
Ensign J. A. Hoogewerff, U. S. N., presented an account of the "Magnetic work of the United States Naval Observatory." The paper was discussed by Messrs Baker, Abbe, Ogden, Hayden, and Hoogewerff.
Mr. F. H. Bigelow presented a paper on "Auroral streamers."
Mr. Cleveland Abbe made some remarks on "Theories of magnetic phenomena."
April 11, 1891. Special meeting.
Meeting held in the Lecture Hall of the National Museum. President Hubbard in the chair. Attendance, 750.
Major J. W. Powell delivered an address on "The Grand cañon of Colorado river."
April 17, 1891. 52d meeting.
Meeting held in Lincoln Hall. President Hubbard in the chair. Attendance, 1,000.
Mr. Geo. W. Melville, Engineer-in-Chief, U. S. N., briefly explained the purposes of arctic exploration.
Civil Engineer R. E. Peary, U. S. N., addressed the Society on the subject of his proposed northern Greenland expedition of 1891–92. The lecturer exhibited and explained a number of lantern-slide views illustrating arctic scenery and modes of traveling.
On the conclusion of the address a United States flag, provided for the purpose by Miss Ulrica Dahlgren, was presented by the President on behalf of the Society to Lieut. Peary, who responded feelingly.
April 24, 1891. Special meeting.
Meeting held in the Lecture Room of the National Museum. Attendance, 400.
Mr. H. M. Wilson, of the United States Geological Survey, delivered an address on the subject "India: Its geography and people." At the close of the lecture Mr. Wilson exhibited and explained a number of lantern-slides made from views taken by him while traveling in India.
May 1, 1891. 53d meeting.
Meeting held in the Lecture Hall of the National Museum. Vice-President Hayden in the chair. Attendance, 600.
Mr. Courtenay De Kalb delivered an address on "The great Amazon: Personal investigations on the Great River and in its upper valley." At the close of the lecture Mr. De Kalb exhibited a number of lantern-slide views, which he described.
May 15, 1891. 54th meeting.
Meeting held in the Assembly Hall of the Cosmos Club. Vice-President Hayden in the chair. Attendance, 25.
At the request of the Board of Managers, Mr. Marcus Baker made a statement relative to plans by the Board for further Alaskan exploration in the vicinity of Mount St. Elias under the conduct of Mr. I. C. Russell, to be prosecuted the coming season.
Mr. Gilbert, complying with the request of the Chairman, addressed the Society upon some of the questions involved in Alaskan geology.
Dr. Sheldon Jackson, at the invitation of the Society, spoke on the general aspects of the Alaskan coast and the inhabitants of the country.
Remarks were made, following Dr. Jackson's address, by the Chairman, Mr. J. H. Blodgett, and others.
In connection with the announcement of the proposed Field Day, June 3 and 4 next, to the grottoes near Shendun, in the Shenandoah valley, Virginia, Major Jed. Hotchkiss gave an interesting account of the topography of the valley.
An exhibition of lantern-slide views of Alaskan coast scenery followed, the pictures being explained by Mr. I. C. Russell.
May 29, 1891. 55th meeting.
Meeting held in the Lecture Room of the National Museum. Attendance, 800.
Reverend Dr. H. C. Hovey delivered an address on "Subterranean scenery as found in the grottoes of the Shenandoah and other caverns of Virginia," with illustrations from lantern-slide views exhibited for the first time. Following the address, Major Hotchkiss illustrated with free-hand sketches on the blackboard the topography of the valley of Virginia, interspersing his remarks with war reminiscences.
June 3 and 4. Field meeting.
About 80 members left Washington on special train June 3, arriving at 3 p.m. at Shendun, Virginia, where they were entertained by the Grottoes company. Weir cave was visited that afternoon, and in the evening a meeting was held in the hotel parlor, at which remarks were made by Mr. G. K. Gilbert, Reverend Dr. H. C. Hovey, Major H. E. Alvord, Captain Morton, General J. J. Reynolds, and Hon. J. Randolph Tucker. The next morning Major Hotchkiss entertained the company with a description of the resources of the Valley of Virginia, his remarks being illustrated by free-hand sketches. The Cave of the Fountain was then visited, and, after presenting a testimonial to Major Hotchkiss for the hospitality of the Grottoes company, the party left for Washington.
October 15, 1891. Special meeting.
Meeting held in the Assembly Hall of the Cosmos Club. President Hubbard in the chair. Attendance, 50.
Professor T. McKenney Hughes, professor of geology at Cambridge University, England, gave a sketch of geological problems and the larger questions of geology in England.
Messrs Powell, McGee, and Gilbert made remarks on the geologic subjects touched upon by Professor Hughes.
November 13, 1891. 56th meeting.
Meeting held in the Lecture Hall of Columbian University. President Hubbard in the chair. Attendance, 400.
The exercises consisted of an exhibition of Arctic photographs by General A. W. Greely, U. S. A., comprising lantern-slide views from photographs taken during the expedition to Lady Franklin bay in 1881, and never before exhibited in the city.
November 27, 1891. 57th meeting.
Meeting held in the Assembly Hall of the Cosmos Club. Vice-President Hayden in the chair. Attendance, 65.
Mr. Herbert G. Ogden made an oral communication on "The geographic position of Mount St. Elias," illustrated by a chart exhibiting the position of St. Elias, Icy bay, Yakutat bay, and the adjacent coast as determined (1) from various surveys compiled by the United States Coast and Geodetic Survey, (2) by Mark B. Kerr during the first expedition of the Society, and (3) by I. C. Russell during the second expedition.
The communication was discussed by Messrs Mendenhall, Douglas, and Vice-President Hayden.
Mr. E. E. Howell then exhibited and briefly described a relief model of the United States, constructed on the natural curvature, the vertical scale being three times that of the horizontal.
Remarks were made by Messrs Ogden, McGee, Johnson, Mendenhall, Howell, Hayden, and others.
December 4, 1891. Special meeting.
Meeting held in the Lecture Hall of Columbian University.
Mr. William Eleroy Curtis delivered an address on "Portraits of Columbus." The lecturer exhibited copies of all Columbus' portraits extant, these having been prepared for the World's Columbian exposition.
December 11, 1891. 58th meeting.
Meeting held in the Lecture Hall of Columbian University. Vice-President Greely in the chair. Attendance, 400.
Mr. I. C. Russell gave an account of the Mount St. Elias exploration of last summer, illustrated by a map and lantern slides.
December 18, 1891. Special meeting.
Meeting held in the Lecture Hall of Columbian University. Vice-President Hayden in the chair. Attendance, 100.
Mr. F. H. Newell delivered an address on "Petroleum and natural gas." The lecture was illustrated by lantern slides made from photographs taken in the oil regions of the United States.
December 23, 1891. 59th (4th annual) meeting.
Meeting held in the Assembly Hall of the Cosmos Club. Vice-President Greely in the chair.
The annual report of the Secretaries was presented, amended, and adopted.
The annual report of the Treasurer was presented and referred to an auditing committee consisting of Messrs P. H. Christie, Middleton Smith, and E. E. Haskell.
The annual election of officers for the year 1892 was then held, with the following result:
President—Gardiner G. Hubbard.
Vice-Presidents—H. G. Ogden (land).
Everett Hayden (sea).
A. W. Greely (air).
C. Hart Merriam (life).
Henry Gannett (art).
Treasurer—C. J. Bell.
Recording Secretary—F. H. Newell.
Corresponding Secretary—E. R. Scidmore.
Managers—Marcus Baker.
H. F. Blount.
G. K. Gilbert.
John Hyde.
W J McGee.
T. C. Mendenhall.
W. B. Powell.
Edwin Willits.
The following resolution was adopted:
Resolved, That the Board of Managers be requested to consider whether, instead of the present policy of publishing only a few selected articles, these might not advantageously be replaced by a greater variety of less lengthy and expensive works, and whether a few pages of geographic notes might not be inserted.
Mr. Hayden gave notice of the following proposed amendment to the By-laws:
In article IV, instead of five vice-presidents, read six vice-presidents, and insert at the end of list of departments of geographic science, after geographic art, the words "commercial geography."
December 30, 1891. Special meeting.
Meeting held in the Lecture Hall of the National Museum. President Hubbard in the chair. Attendance, 200.
Professor Benjamin Sharp of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, made an address upon Peary and the western Greenland expedition. The lecture was illustrated by lantern slides from photographs taken on the expedition while along the shores of Greenland and at Peary's camp.
January 8, 1892. 60th meeting.
Meeting held in the Assembly Hall of the Cosmos Club. Vice-President Merriam in the chair. Attendance, 150.
Mr. W J McGee delivered an address on "The Eastern Sierra Madre of Mexico," his lecture being illustrated by lantern slides made from photographs taken in the vicinity of Monterey, Saltillo, Matehuala, Miquihuana, Doctor Arroyo, and the hacienda El Carmen. Professor R. T. Hill described the similarity of topographic features of that region to those of the Great Basin of the United States.
January 15, 1892. Special meeting.
Meeting held in the Lecture Hall of Columbian University. Vice-President Hayden in the chair. Attendance, 100.
The President, Mr. Gardiner G. Hubbard, delivered his annual address on the subject of "The Evolution of Transportation." Major J. W. Powell prefaced the President's address by brief introductory remarks.