PROCEEDINGS OF THE CENTENARY MEETING. xv 



When the United States government was organizing the famous Wilkes 

 Expedition of 1838, the Academy was requested to nominate its scientific staff 

 and two of its members eventually accompanied the party. 



In the year 1850 one of our members, Edward Harris, financed and accom- 

 panied the great Audubon expedition up the Missouri River. Through his 

 modesty, we were prevented at the time from making known the important part 

 that he took in this expedition. Other members made possible the work of 

 DuChaillu in equatorial Africa. 



We provided Dr. Kane with his outfit for systematic collecting in 1853, 

 when he made his Arctic exploration. To-day we have many specimens obtained 

 by him. Specially interesting is the gigantic stuffed polar bear which stands in 

 interesting contrast to the modern mounted specimen brought here by the 

 Peary Relief Expedition. 



The Hayes exploration of the far north a few years later was also aided and 

 endorsed by the Academy. 



Rear Admiral Peary, discouraged by his futile attempts to interest other 

 institutions and governments in his proposed voyage of exploration to the north, 

 came to us with his proposition. He was generously received and a committee 

 was appointed to arrange the expedition, which sailed on June 6, 1891 from 

 Brooklyn, under the auspices of the Academy, to explore the Arctic regions. 

 On January 26, 1892, a relief party was organized under the command of Pro- 

 fessor Heilprin. On September 24, 1892, it returned with the explorers, sailing 

 up the Delaware River on the now historic vessel " Kite." 



Peary did not reach the highest latitude on his first expedition. His aim was 

 accomplished in showing that Greenland was an island by tracing its northern- 

 most line. It was during his next trip, which was not under the auspices of the 

 Academy of Natural Sciences, that he made his northernmost record previous to 

 his polar dash. 



If the Academy had not taken an interest in Peary when he was about dis- 

 couraged, the chances are he would never have planted the American flag at the 

 north pole. 



Dr. Hayden, a member of the Academy, when conducting the United States 

 Geological Survey in the west, made up his scientific parties largely from our 

 membership. The setting apart of the great national Yellowstone Park resulted 

 from his numerous explorations. Every three years this institution bestows 

 upon a distinguished geologist the Hayden Gold Medal, an award which was 

 founded by Dr. Hayden's widow. 



The Pennsylvania Geological Surveys were also conducted by members of 

 Academy: Rogers and Lesley. 



Our colleagues, Leidy and Cope, were the first to describe the extinct ani- 

 mals from the wonderful deposits of the western states. 



I may mention among the more recent expeditions those of Professor Heil- 

 prin to Yucatan and Mexico in 1890; Harrison and Hiller to Sumatra; Samuel 



