Mr. DU PONCEAU, President, in the Chair.

The result of the annual election for officers, held this day, was reported by the judges and clerks as follows:

The following donations were received:

FOR THE CABINET.

Neptune's punch-bowl (Gigantia Alcyonia), from Singapore.—From Captain Story, through Messrs. Eyre & Massey.

Two specimens of a new mineral from the neighbourhood of Charlotte, N. C., proposed by Mr. Featherstonhaugh to be called leopardalite. From Mr. Franklin Peale.

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A specimen of augite in steatite, from Oxford, N. H.—From Dr.

James Mease.

Mr. Lea read a paper in continuation of his Memoir on fresh-water and land shells, which was referred.

Stated Meeting, January 19.

Present, thirty-two members.

Mr. DU PONCEAU, President, in the Chair.

Mr. Lea read a paper in further continuation of his Memoir on fresh-water and land shells, which was referred.

Mr. Walker presented to the notice of the Society, the drawings of a self-registering anemometer and rain-gauge, invented by Mr. Follett Osler, of Birmingham, England, of which he explained the character and advantages.

The Society elected John Vaughan librarian.

Mr. Vaughan announced the death of Joshua Humphreys, a member of the Society, aged 86.

The following candidates were elected members :

CAPTAIN ANDREW TALCOTT, late of the U. S. Engineers. THOMAS W. GRIFFITH, ESQ., of Baltimore.

CHARLES G. B. DAUBENY, M.D., of the Univ. of Oxford. HENRY REED, Esq., of the University of Pennsylvania. WILLIAM NORRIS, of Philadelphia County.

WILLIAM SULLIVAN, ESQ., of Boston.

Stated Meeting, February 2.

Present, twenty-three members.

Mr. DU PONCEAU, President, in the Chair.

The following donations were received:

FOR THE CABINET.

Theodolite which belonged to William Penn, and was used in laying out the City of Philadelphia.—From Mr. Philip Physick. Press used in making impressions from the Great Seal of Pennsylvania under the Proprietary Government.-From the same.

A letter was read from John K. Townsend, dated January 20th, 1838, announcing the transmission of the Indian Vocabularies collected for the Society, and of certain shells and geological specimens, selected for its use by Mr. Peale.

A communication from the late Joshua Humphreys, Esq., dated December 23d, 1837, was read, on the subject of the early history of the naval construction of the United States, tending to correct an erroneous impression as to the opinions and wishes of President Washington on the subject of the navy, which had found place in Professor Tucker's Biography of Mr. Jefferson, and which had been the subject of remark by Dr. Harris in his Life of Bainbridge. This communication was referred to the Historical Committee.

The President communicated a letter to him from Mr. Tyson, of the House of Representatives of Pennsylvania, dated January 29th, 1838, giving intelligence in relation to the ancient records of the State, and of the proposed publication of them at the public expense.

Stated Meeting, February 16.
Present, sixteen members.

Dr. PATTERSON, Vice-President, in the Chair.

The following donation was received:

FOR THE CABINET.

A Collection of South American copper coins.-From Mr. Condy Raguet.

Professor Henry, of Princeton, made a verbal communication on the lateral discharge of electricity, while passing along a wire as in the Leyden experiment, or communicated directly to an insulated wire, or to a wire connected with the earth; and detailed various experiments, proving that free electricity is not, under any circumstances, conducted silently to the earth.

Dr. Bache announced the death of Dr. John Eberle, a member of the Society, who died at Lexington, Ky., on the 2d of February, aged 54.

Stated Meeting, March 2.

Present, twenty-three members.

Mr. DU PONCEAU, President, in the Chair.

The Historical Committee announced that they had completed the publication of Mr. Du Ponceau's Dissertation on the Nature and Character of the Chinese System of Writing, forming volume second of the Historical Transactions of the Society.

Mr. Walker read a paper, entitled "Determination of the Longitude of several Stations near the Southern Boundary of Michigan; calculated from Transits of the Moon and of moon culminating Stars, observed in 1835 by Andrew Talcott, late Captain of United States Engineers.'

The longitude of places in the United States, north of the Ohio, had hitherto depended on the observations of Ellicott and De Ferrer, made at points on the banks of the Ohio river, and on meridian lines drawn from this river, several hundred miles northward, by the deputy surveyors. From Mr. Walker's computations, it appears that Turtle Island, Lake Erie, has been placed only 1.7 geographical miles too far east on Tanner's Map. Its true place is 41° 45′ 9′′ N. latitude; and 5 hours, 33 min. 34.3 sec. W. longitude from Greenwich. Also, South Bend, Lake Michigan, has been placed 3.9 miles

too far east; its true place being N. 41° 37' 6"; W. 5 hours, 49 min. 15.3 sec. These observations of Captain Talcott will prove highly useful to geographers, by furnishing standard points of reference in the northernmost part of the United States.

Mr. Vaughan announced the death of Benjamin Dearborn, of Boston, a member of the Society, who died on the 22d of February, 1838, aged 83.

Stated Meeting, March 16.

Present, seventeen members.

Dr. PATTERSON, Vice-President, in the Chair.

Mr. Lea invited the attention of the Society to certain facts, mentioned in a "Memoire sur quelques Acephales d'eau douce du Senegal," by Mr. Rang, in relation to the torpidity of the Anadonta Chaiziana.