anner
investigations, research and discovery, and the application
of knowledge to the improvement of mankind; and, in
particular, to conduct, endow and assist investigation in
any department of science, literature or art, and to this
end to cooeperate with governments, universities, colleges,
technical schools, learned societies, and individuals.

[Illustration: THE CARNEGIE INSTITUTE AT PITTSBURGH]

I was indebted to Dr. Billings as my guide, in selecting Dr. Daniel C.
Gilman as the first President. He passed away some years later. Dr.
Billings then recommended the present highly successful president, Dr.
Robert S. Woodward. Long may he continue to guide the affairs of the
Institution! The history of its achievements is so well known through
its publications that details here are unnecessary. I may, however,
refer to two of its undertakings that are somewhat unique. It is doing
a world-wide service with the wood-and-bronze yacht, "Carnegie," which
is voyaging around the world correcting the errors of the earlier
surveys. Many of these ocean surveys have been found misleading, owing
to variations of the compass. Bronze being non-magnetic, while iron
and steel are highly so, previous observations have proved liable to
error. A notable instance is that of the stranding of a Cunard
steamship near the Azores. Captain Peters, of the "Carnegie," thought
it advisable to test this case and found that the captain of the
ill-fated steamer was sailing on the course laid down upon the
admiralty map, and was not to blame. The original observation was
wrong. The error caused by variation was promptly corrected.

This is only one of numerous corrections reported to the nations who
go down to the sea in ships. Their thanks are our ample reward. In the
deed of gift I expressed the hope that our young Republic might some
day be able to repay, at least in some degree, the great debt it owes
to the older lands. Nothing gives me deeper satisfaction than the
knowledge that it has to some extent already begun to do so.

With the unique service rendered by the wandering "Carnegie," we may
rank that of the fixed observatory upon Mount Wilson, California, at
an altitude of 5886 feet. Professor Hale is in charge of it. He
attended the gathering of leading astronomers in Rome one year, and
such were his revelations there that these savants resolved their next
meeting should be on top of Mount Wilson. And so it was