JOURNAL OF PROCEEDINGS. 551 



Let us hope that the generous and liberal minded founder's recent demise 

 will not darken our prospects in that respect. 



While our collections increased through the liberality of members and 

 lovers of science, our meetings were regularly attended, and soon fur- 

 nished the material for the publication of our Transactions, the first 

 number of which appeared in 1857 : witli this modest pamphlet of 92 

 pa^es, illustrated by five plates, we boldly knocked at the door of the old 

 ami long-established Academies of this country and of the old world, and 

 they were opened to us in the true spirit of cosmopolitan science. Our 

 connections thus began, have ever increased, until we now exchange with 

 166 Academies and individuals in the old world, besides about 70 in this 

 country, thus receiving a hundred fold return for what we are able to 

 send out. 



The first number was followed in 1858 by the second, of 212 pages, 

 with four plates ; in 1850, by the third number, of 222 pages, with nine 

 plates ; and in 1860, the fourth number, of 200 pages and three plates, 

 closed the first volume of our Transactions. The period of the civil war 

 was not favorable to the pursuit of science, and it was only in 1863, that 

 we were able to issue the first number of the second volume, of 218 pages, 

 with eleven plates. The second number, commenced last spring, has 

 been delayed by unavoidable circumstances, but will be published soon. 

 Let us hope that returning peace and prosperity, and increased scientific 

 activity in our midst, will, in future, permit us to issue our publications 

 annually as we did at first, and thus they will become a worthy monu- 

 ment of our exertions. 



The number of our active members is now, according to our books, 

 seventy, six new members having joined us, and one having resigned, 

 since the last annual meeting. The Treasurer's report, however, shows 

 that not a few of those seventy members are remiss in fulfilling their 

 obligations voluntarily and cheerfully assumed, and it is doubtful whether 

 much more than one-half of them prove by their active presence at our 

 meetings, and by their regular contributions to our treasury, that they 

 still consider themselves members. 



To the number of Corresponding Members, four have been added, so 

 that our list now shows sixty-eight names. 



Our library has been augmented during the last year by three hundred 

 and fifty-four volumes, pamphlets, and numbers of periodicals ; all those 

 from foreign countries (and they form the great majority of them) have 

 been, as heretofore, forwarded free of expense by the Smithsonian Insti- 

 tution, without which invaluable aid the intercourse between societies and 

 men of science in this country and other parts of the civilized world 

 would suffer under the greatest impediments, and would not amount to a 

 tithe of what it now is. Besides these exchanges, about thirty volumes 

 and numbers were donated to the Academy by members and correspon- 

 dents. 



The additions to the museum were less numerous, no doubt owing to 

 the fact that in our present cramped condition we are not able to put our 

 collections up to any advantage. Among other donations, I have to 

 make prominent mention of a valuable collection of fossils from the 

 Upper Missouri country, gathered by Lieut, (now General) G. K. War- 

 ren and Dr. F. V. Hayden, and other fossils from Mr. F. B. Meek, both 

 received through the Smithsonian Institution; also, a suite of Lake Supe- 

 rior minerals from Dr. Senter of this city. 



The following papers and communications were read before the Acad- 

 emy :— 



Dr. A. Wislizenus : On Atmospheric Electricity ami its Relation to 

 Temperature and Relative Humidity; on Atmospheric Electricity in 

 1864; Thoughts on Matter and Force; on the Earthquake of New Ma- 

 drid, August 17, 1865, with a letter from Mr. Scott, of that place, on the 

 same. 



