The home secretary also read the following new rule, which, on motion, was referred to the council: RULE XXIV. Lists of the more important original works of nominees for membership, provided they have been filed with the home secretary at least sixty days before the time appointed for the election of new members, shall be printed, and distributed to members for their information. RESOLUTION. The following resolution was adopted: Resolved, That the thanks of the Academy be tendered to the president and trustees of Columbia College, for their courtesy in granting the use of commodious rooms for the meetings of the Academy. DEATH OF MEMBERS. The president announced the death of Prof. S. F. Baird, who died August 19, 1887. Mr. J. S. Billings was appointed to prepare a biographical memoir. DEATH OF FOREIGN ASSOCIATE. The president announced the death of Prof. G. R. Kirchoff, foreign associate of the Academy, who died October 17, 1887, in Berlin. The president announced that in December last an invitation was received from the Académie des Sciences of Paris, requesting him to appoint a delegate from the National Academy of Sciences to an international conference of astronomers, to consider a general plan for photographing the heavens, to be held at Paris, beginning April 16, 1887. In accordance with this request, Prof. C. H. F. Peters, director of the Litchfield Observatory of Hamilton College, Clinton, N. Y., was appointed delegate of the Academy. The president stated that Professor Peters attended this conference and had since been requested to prepare a report of the meetings, to be included in the proceedings of the Academy for the year 1887. (See Appendix F, p. 47.) The special session was then adjourned. On the evening of November 9, Professor Pickering gave a lecture on the researches he had recently conducted in continuation of Dr. Draper's works of photographing the stars. Respectfully submitted. O. C. MARSH, President of the National Academy of Sciences. APPENDIX A. AN ACT to incorporate the National Academy of Sciences. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That Louis Agassiz, Massachusetts; J. H. Alexander, Maryland; S. Alexander, New Jersey; A. D. Bache, at large; F. A. P. Barnard, at large; J. G. Barnard, United States Army, Massachusetts; W. H. C. Bartlett, United States Military Academy, Missouri; U. A. Boyden, Massachusetts; Alexis Caswell, Rhode Island; William Chauvenet, Missouri; J. H. C. Coffin, United States Naval Academy, Maine; J. A. Dahlgren, United States Navy, Pennsylvania; J. D. Dana, Connecticut; Charles H. Davis, United States Navy, Massachusetts; George Engelmann, Saint Louis, Mo.; J. F. Frazer, Pennsylvania; Wolcott Gibbs, New York; J. M. Gilliss, United States Navy, District of Columbia; A. A. Gould, Massachusetts; B. A. Gould, Massachusetts; Asa Gray, Massachusetts; A. Guyot, New Jersey; James Hall, New York; Joseph Henry, at large; J. E. Hilgard, at large, Illinois; Edward Hitchcock, Massachusetts; J. S. Hubbard, United States Naval Observatory, Connecticut; A. A. Humphreys, United States Army, Pennsylvania; J. L. LeConte, United States Army, Pennsylvania; J. Leidy, Pennsylvania; J. P. Lesley, Pennsylvania; M. F. Longstreth, Pennsylvania; D. H. Mahan, United States Military Academy, Virginia; J. S. Newberry, Ohio; H. A. Newton, Connecticut; Benjamin Peirce, Massachusetts; John Rodgers, United States Navy, Indiana; Fairman Rogers, Pennsylvania; R. E. Rogers, Pennsylvania; W. B. Rogers, Massachusetts; L. M. Rutherfurd, New York; Joseph Saxton, at large; Benjamin Silliman, Connecticut; Benjamin Silliman, junior, Connecticut; Theodore Strong, New Jersey; John Torrey, New York; J. G. Totten, United States Army, Connecticut; Joseph Winlock, United States Nautical Almanac, Kentucky; Jeffries Wyman, Massachusetts; J. D. Whitney, California; their associates and successors duly chosen, are hereby incorporated, constituted, and declared to be a body corporate, by the name of the National Academy of Sciences. SEC. 2. And be it further enacted, That the National Academy of Sciences shall consist of not more than fifty ordinary members, and the said corporation hereby constituted shall have power to make its own organization, including its constitution, by-laws, and rules and regulations; to fill all vacancies created by death, resignation, or otherwise; to provide for the election of foreign and domestic members, the division into classes, and all other matters needful or usual in such institution, and to report the same to Congress. SEC. 3. And be it further enacted, That the National Academy of Sciences shall hold an annual meeting at such place in the United States as may be designated, and the Academy shall, whenever called upon by any Department of the Government, investigate, examine, experiment, and report upon any subject of science or art, the actual expense of such investigations, examinations, experiments, and reports to be paid from appropriations which may be made for the purpose, but the Academy shall receive no compensation whatever for any services to the Government of the United States. Approved, March 3, 1863. AN ACT to amend the act to incorporate the National Academy of Sciences. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That the act to incorporate the National Academy of Sciences, approved March three, eighteen hundred and sixty-three, be, and the same is hereby, so amended as to remove the limitation of the number of ordinary members of said Academy as provided in said act. Approved, July 14, 1870. DEPARTMENT OF STATE, June 10, 1882. True copies. SEVELLON A. BROWN, Chief Clerk. AN ACT to authorize the National Academy of Sciences to receive and hold trust funds for the promotion of science, and for other purposes. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That the National Academy of Sciences, incorporated by the act of Congress approved March third, eighteen hundred and sixty-three, and its several supplements, be, and the same is hereby, authorized and empowered to receive bequests and donations, and hold the same in trust, to be applied by the said Academy in aid of scientific investigations, and according to the will of the donors. Approved, June 20, 1884. A true copy. DEPARTMENT OF STATE, June 24, 1884. SEVELLON A. BROWN, |