102 PRESIDENT'S ADDRESS 



lished in 1848, being a continuation of the Association of 

 American Geologists and Naturalists, founded in 1840. 



The Linnean Society for zoology and botany was founded in 

 London in 1788 and received a royal charter in 1802. The 

 Geological Society of London was established in 1807, and the 

 Royal Astronomical Society in 1820. These societies were off- 

 shoots from the Royal Society, and were a necessary result of the 

 differentiation of science and the increase in the number of men of 

 science. At the time, however, they were supposed to weaken 

 the Royal Society, its president. Sir Joseph Banks, saying, "All 

 these new-fangled associations will finally dismantle the Royal 

 Society, and not leave the old lady a rag to cover her." 



The scattering of scientific men in this country delayed the 

 establishment of special societies. The American Association 

 was divided into two sections in 1875 and into nine sections in 

 1882. The American Chemical Society was established in 

 1876, and we now have national societies for the principal 

 sciences — mathematics, physics, chemistry, astronomy, geology, 

 botany, morphology, ornithology, anatomy, physiology, bacteri- 

 ology, pathology, psychology and anthropology. 



New York city and members of our academy have done their 

 share in establishing and supporting these societies. The Torrey 

 Botanical Club, begun in 1870, was the first of the special 

 societies. The Chemical Society was established in this city 

 and has its headquarters here. The American Mathematical 

 Society began as the New York Mathematical Society and still 

 has its main center in New York, as has also the American 

 Physical Society. The secretaries of the American Physiolog- 

 ical Society and of the American Psychological Association are 

 officers of our academy, and the secretary of the American 

 Geological Society was formerly one of our most active mem- 

 bers. The societies for civil, mining, mechanical and electrical 

 engineering have their headquarters in New York city. 



Apart from scientific societies this city has, during the past 

 fifteen years, witnessed an unusual, perhaps unparalleled, devel- 

 opment of its scientific and educational institutions. Columbia 

 University has become one of the dozen great universities of 



