4 HISTORICAL SKETCH OF THE 



Dr. John Ware. Dr. Channing was chosen Chairman, and Dr. Bigelow Secretary, and a 

 committee, composed of Dr. Bigelow, Mr. Pickering, and Dr. Hayward, was appointed to 

 draft a Constitution for the Society, which they called the Ncav England Society for the 

 Promotion of Natural History. Two days after they met again by adjournment, and the 

 Constitution reported by the Committee was read, discussed, and adopted. Among its 

 provisions are some which may interest readers of the present day. 



The 1st article provides that the Society shall consist of Immediate, Associate, 

 Honorary, and Corresponding Members. 



The 2d, that the officers shall consist of a President chosen from the Honorary or 

 Immediate Members; Vice President, Corresponding Secretary, Recording Secretary, 

 Treasurer, and Cabinet Keeper, who shall be chosen from the Immediate Members. 

 The 11th, that there shall be a meeting once a week. 



The 12tli, that any Immediate Member who shall unnecessarily be absent three times 

 successively, shall forfeit his membership. 



The 14th, that all specimens placed in the Museum shall be the property of the 

 Society, and that no others shall have a place, except by express vote. 



The 17th, that no person shall be chosen an Immediate Member except by unanimous 

 vote of all present ; other members may be elected by a two-thirds vote, but none 

 without nomination at a previous meeting. 



The 18th, that there shall be a Standing Committee of five members, chosen annually, 

 to provide a suitable room for the collection, employ one or more persons for service, 

 and draw on the treasurer for payment of the expenses thereby incurred, under such 

 restrictions as the Society may from time to time make. 



The 19th, that each Immediate Member shall pay $5 annually. 



The 20th, that every Immediate Member absent from a stated meeting without excuse, 

 shall be fined fifty cents. 



Such articles have been quoted of the Constitution adopted as tend to show the animus 

 of the members. Who can say that they were not thoroughly in earnest ? 



In subsequent proceedings of the Society it aj^pears that fines were collected, undoubt- 

 edly for absence without excuse ; but there is no recorded instance of a member forfeit- 

 ing his membership by unnecessary absence. 



It is not easy to understand the principle or the policy which dictated the selection in 

 all cases of persons on whom was conferred Honorary, Corresponding or Associate Mem- 

 bership. In numerous cases individuals were elected to the former who cannot be sup- 

 posed to have manifested much interest in natural science, and who too were residents of 

 Boston. They were distinguished perhaps as Doctors of Divinity, or as Doctors of Medi- 

 cine, but neither then nor afterwards were known as Naturalists. Among the Correspond- 

 ing Members are found the names of several residing in the immediate vicinity of Boston, 

 as Cambridge and Charlestown; which seems singular, for the perils of a ferriage 

 across the Charles, which at an earlier date might have made these ports appear distant, 

 were no longer to be incurred ; good bridges then as now uniting the populations. But 

 this is not all, some of the Corresponding Members were citizens of Boston itself. 



From the records it seems that the number of Immediate Members at first, or soon 

 after the formation of the Society, was about 20; of the Honorary, 19; of the Corres- 



