adopted the laws presented to their discussion, divided into Classes and Sections for the consideration of matters of science, elected officers, and adjourned to a stated day, the 4th of January, and to Washington, the National Capital, with which they were henceforth to be connected in their membership of the National Academy of Sciences." 34 The organization for the year 1863 was as follows: President, ALEXANDER DALLAS BACHE. Home Secretary, WOLCOTT GIBBS. Treasurer, FAIRMAN ROGERS. CLASS OF MATHEMATICS AND PHYSICS Chairman, BENJAMIN PEIRCE. Secretary, BENJAMIN A. GOULD. CLASS OF NATURAL HISTORY Chairman, BENJAMIN SILLIMAN, Sr. Secretary, J. S. NEWBERRY. Council: CHARLES HENRY DAVIS, JOHN TORREY, LEWIS M. RUTHERFURD, J. PETER LESLEY, and the officers and chairmen of classes ex officio. In addition to considering the constitution and by-laws and electing officers, the Academy at this first meeting appointed a committee on the form of a diploma, on a corporate seal, and on a stamp for books and other property, and also a committee on the mode of electing foreign associates. The latter committee did not report until January, 1864, and the former appears not to have presented any formal report. Ann. Nat. Acad. Sci. for 1863-4 (1865), pp. 48, 49. CHAPTER II THE ANNALS OF THE ACADEMY N chronicling the history of the Academy it has seemed desirable to divide the half century into periods of ten years IN each, although in some instances, for the sake of clearness, the whole story of a transaction is given in one place without regard to years. 1863-1867 The first meeting of the Academy held in New York on April 22, 1863, was a meeting for organization. It was devoted, as already shown, to the consideration of a constitution and by-laws, the election of officers and a council, and the appointment of certain committees. In accordance with the provisions of the constitution, the members arranged themselves in two classes, (a) mathematics and physics, and (b) natural history; and a chairman and secretary were elected for each class. Five sections were included under each class. The assignment of members to these sections seems not to have been thoroughly carried out until the meeting of August, 1864, and even at that date the names of several members do not appear under any section. The names of the sections and the number of members enrolled under each, which are matters of considerable interest, are shown in the following table: It will be seen from the foregoing figures that the number of members who joined the sections concerned with the physical sciences was twice as large as the number which joined those concerned with the natural sciences. This was due to the fact that the Academy movement was promoted by the physicists rather than the naturalists. As indicated by certain remarks of Professor Bache and Senator Wilson, the original plan seems to have contemplated the formation of an academy of physical sciences. It is interesting to notice that the paleontologists aligned themselves with geology rather than zoölogy. The section of botany had but one member, and that of ethnology, none. Half the membership, in so far as it was assigned to sections, assembled in the first three physical sections,-mathematics, physics, and astronomy (with geography and geology). The first scientific session of the Academy, following the meeting for organization, was held in Washington on January 4 to 9, 1864, in the Capitol, in the rooms of the Pacific Railroad Committee of the Senate which were placed at the disposal of the Academy. In the interval between these two meetings, however, six committees on technical subjects had been appointed. These reported at the January meeting, and in three cases the reports were adopted and the committees discharged, while in the other three the committees were continued. additional committees were appointed before the close of 1864. The work of these committees and of others appointed subsequently forms the subject of a later chapter. The importance of the scientific committees was felt by President Bache, who Four considered that it was largely through their activities that the Academy was to fulfil its functions. In his report for 1863 he remarks: "The first trial of the working of the Academy was to be made, and the first effort was to be through the action of a Committee on Weights and Measures, for the appointment of which, to consider the subject of the Uniformity of Weights, Measures and Coins, considered in relation to domestic and international commerce,' the Academy had been addressed before its adjournment by the Hon. Secretary of the Treasury, S. P. Chase. "It was obvious that the only effective and prompt mode of action by members scattered over the United States, as were the fifty named in the charter, must be through committees. Action must originate with committees, and be perfected by discussion in the general meetings of the Academy, or in the classes or sections. Decisions to be finally pronounced by the entire body." 1 For the first time, the Academy listened to the reading of scientific papers by its members. In the program were included the names of Agassiz, Alexander, Bache, F. A. P. Barnard, J. G. Barnard, B. A. Gould, Henry, Peirce, Rutherfurd and Strong. The subjects of the 16 papers that were presented were all connected with the physical sciences, except three by Professor Agassiz (two of which related to fishes and one to individuality among animals), and one by Stephen Alexander on the forms of icebergs. The preponderance of physical subjects is not surprising, when it is recalled that twothirds of the membership at this time were enrolled in the class of mathematics and physics. The The papers were referred to the Committee on Publication, which was instructed to "take order" for their publication, while the Council was directed to provide the means. Academy was at this time without funds, except the amounts received from members as dues, and the orders could not, therefore, be carried out immediately. It was not until 1866 that the first volume of the Memoirs of the Academy was issued, and this contained but two of the 16 papers read at the first scientific meeting in 1864. It was proposed in 1866 to collect and pub 1 1 Annual Report of the President for 1863. Ann. Nat. Acad. Sci. for 1863-4 (1865), p. 49. |