rau, Member of the Institute,
Professor of Mechanical Engineering at the Polytechnic School; Leaute,
Member of the Institute, Professor of Mechanical Engineering at the
Polytechnique School.

Colonel Laussedat gave notice at once that his health and work as
Director of the Conservatoire des Arts et Metiers did not permit him
to be a member of the Committee; the Minister therefore accepted his
resignation on September 24th, and decided not to replace him.

Later on, however, on the request of the Chairman of the Committee, the
Minister appointed a new member General Grillon, commanding the Engineer
Corps of the Military Government of Paris.

To carry on the trials which were to take place at the camp of Satory,
the Minister ordered the Governor of the Military Forces of Paris to
requisition from the Engineer Corps, on the request of the Chairman of
the Committee, the men necessary to prepare the grounds at Satory.

After an inspection made on the 16th an aerodrome was chosen. M. Ader's
idea was to have it of circular shape with a width of 40 metres and an
average diameter of 450 metres. The preliminary work, laying out the
grounds, interior and exterior circumference, etc., was finished at the
end of August; the work of smoothing off the grounds began September 1st
with forty-five men and two rollers, and was finished on the day of the
first tests, October 12th.

The first meeting of the Committee was held August 18th in M. Ader's
workshop; the object being to demonstrate the machine to the Committee
and give all the information possible on the tests that were to be held.
After a careful examination and after having heard all the explanations
by the inventor which were deemed useful and necessary, the Committee
decided that the apparatus seemed to be built with a perfect
understanding of the purpose to be fulfilled as far as one could judge
from a study of the apparatus at rest; they therefore authorised M. Ader
to take the machine apart and carry it to the camp at Satory so as to
proceed with the trials.

By letter of August 19th the Chairman made report to the Minister of the
findings of the Committee.

The work on the grounds having taken longer than was anticipated, the
Chairman took advantage of this delay to call the Committee together
for a second meeting, during which M. Ader was to run the two propulsive
screws situated at the forward end of the apparatus.

The meeting was held October 2nd. It gave the