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THE SECRETARY :--In accordance with my custom at the first meeting of the new year, I beg to ask your attention to the following brief sum mary of the most noteworthy facts in the fields of engineering, mechanics and technology associated with the year 1884.
The statements given to the public during the past year of the condition of the work on the Panama Interoceanic Canal, and the prospects of its completion, were, as usual, of the most conflicting character. For reasons which it will be unnecessary to repeat, this project has ,lever commanded the sympathy of Ameri(~ns, on which account probably, unfavorable impressions and reports respecting it have found fi'eer circulation in tile newspapers than those of an opposite character. An impartial analysis of tile /itets at my command, .justifies the statement that, in respect to the financial support of tile enterprise, and the perfection of its engineering organization, and in the extent of the work actually accomplished, the Panama canal is in a fair way to be successthlly completed within a reasonable period. The facts brought out in the last published annual report of the Count de Lesseps, and in the excellent resum4 of Mr. Charles Coln6, Seeretary of the American company, presented in a paper read before this Institute, bringing down the statistics of the enterprise to September 1, 1884, leave no room for doubt on these points. From these data, it appears that over $100,000,000 have already been subscribed for the shares of the company, of which $25,000,0000, have already been expended in a needful preliminary work and in excavations. The line h~s been divided into sections, each of which has been, or will be, given o,t on cdntraet. The total of excavations reported to September 1, 1884, was 10,224,882 cubic yards. This bears a snmll ratio to the total amount necessary to complete the canal--namely, 156,000,000; but it must be remembered that in a work of such magnitude as this, the preliminary steps are invariably the most diflCicult, expensive and tedions of execution. The fallacy of estimating tile time required to finish the work, on the basis of that already accomplished, will appear from an inspection of" the fbllowing data of work done during successive periods :
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Minneapolis shall be deemed, and is hereby declared to be a public nuisance and is hereby prohibited. SEc. 3. The owner or owners of any locomotive engine and the general manager, superintendent, yard-master or other officer of any railroad company having charge or control of the operation of any l