6i8 



THE POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY 



Cfr.ty 



There were fifty original members of 

 the National Academy and until 1870 

 the membership was limited to that 

 number. The first meeting was held at 

 the University of the City of New 

 York, now New York University, on 

 April 22, 1863. The officers were: 

 president, Alexander Dallas Bachc; 

 vice-president, James Dwight Dana ; 

 foreign secretary, Louis Agassi/,; home 

 secretary, Woleott Gibbs; treasurer, 

 Fairmnn Rogers. The academy was 

 divided into two classes, one for mathe- 

 matics and physics, of which Benjamin 

 Peirce was chairman and Benjamin A. 

 Gould secretary, and one for natural 



history, of which the elder Benjamin 

 Silliman was chairman and J. S. New- 

 berry secretary. It is doubtful whether 

 the academy could now elect officers 

 who fifty years hence would be equally 

 distinguished. 



Immediately after its organization 

 the academy was called upon to ap- 

 point committees to advise the govern- 

 ment, five such committees being named 

 within a month. The first of these was 

 on uniformity of weights, measures and 

 coins considered in relation to inter- 

 national commerce. This committee 

 ultimately reported in favor of making 

 it lawful to use the metric system and 



