JOURNAL 



OF THE 



WASHINGTON ACADEMY OF SCIENCES 



Vol. VIII JANUARY 19, 1918 No. 2 



HISTORY. — The origin and early days of the Philosophical So- 

 ciety of Washington.^ William H. Dall, National Museum. 



The history of the scientific societies in Washington has been 

 admirably told by Mr. G. Brown Goode in his memoir on the 

 origin of the U. S. National Museum. There were, before the 

 formation of the Philosophical Society, two or three societies, all 

 of which finally died. One that included most of the naturalists 

 was called the ''Potomac-Side Naturalist's Club;" and it is a 

 matter of some little interest that I had recently a call from Prof. 

 John Chickering, the son of Professor Chickering, of Gallaudet 

 College, who was one of our former members; and he told me 

 that in going over his father's papers, he found the records of 

 meetings of the ''Potomac-Side Naturalist's Club." 



Then there was the National Institute, which struggled along 

 for a number of years very bravely against adverse circumstances, 

 and finally was obliged to give up on account of the expense of 

 maintaining a museum and other things of that sort which were 

 beyond the means of the members of such a small society. 



When I returned from Alaska in 1868, I found that there ex- 

 isted in Washington a club of, I presume, about 20 members, 

 which was, to the best of my recollection, called the "Physical 

 Club." It may be added that its membership comprised some 

 of the most distinguished men of science in Washington, and 



*An address delivered at the 789th meeting of the Philosophical Society of 

 Washington, April 28, 1917. 



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