PROMOTION OF ARTS AND SCIENCES. 31 



A committee on mineralogy, to which shall be submitted all ques- 

 tions, communications and specimens of every kind, embraced in the 

 third article of the first section of the constitution. 



A committee on botany and agriculture, to which shall be sub- 

 mitted the execution of the second article of the first section of the 

 constitution, and they shall arrange and deliver over to the curators 

 such specimens as will not admit of cultivation. This committee 

 shall also be charged with the superintendence of the Botanical 

 Garden. 



A committee on general subjects, to which shall be submitted all 

 communications which may be received, connected with the fourth, 

 fifth and* sixth articles of the first section of the constitution. This 

 committee shall report to the general committee on all communica- 

 tions which are embraced in any or all of the aforesaid articles, and 

 shall endorse those which, in their opinion, are most worthy of pub- 

 lication ; they shall then be delivered to the curators for preservation. 



The general committee were also empowered to direct the appli- 

 cation of the funds of the Institute to such purposes as they may 

 deem proper; and to do all acts that will promote the general in- 

 terests of the Institute, etc. 



The curators shall take charge of all original communications and 

 file them under their respective heads ; also, specimens which are not 

 to be cultivated in the botanical garden; also, all drawings, books, 

 etc., belonging to the Institute, and shall keep a book with a list of 

 donations, with the names of the respective donors and their places 

 of residence. 



The election of officers and of the general committee were to be 

 held annually, and seven members, exclusive of officers, were made 

 a quorum for the transaction of business at meetings, except for 

 altering the constitution and electing honorary members. 



The administrative arrangements were greatly simplified by the 

 constitutional ordinance of 1820, under which, as already explained, 

 the Institute was divided into five classes, namely, mathematical 

 sciences, physical sciences, moral and political sciences, general litera- 

 ture and the fine arts. Resident members were required to indicate 

 the class to which they wished to belong, and those of each class were 

 expected to specially charge themselves with the investigations of the 

 objects embraced therein. 



The officers were to consist of a president, vice president, secretary, 

 treasurer and five counsellors, one for each class. The secretary was 

 given charge of all communications, while the counsellors were to 

 have a regard to the interests of their respective classes, and report 

 to the Institute whatever they might deem beneficial to them. The 

 officers, together, were made a board of administration, with a gen- 

 eral superintendence of the affairs of the Institute, and of the hall, 



