ANNUAL REPORT OF SECRETARY 7 



2. HISTORY OF THE INSTITUTION OF THE ACADEMY. 



The record of the successive steps resulting in the creation 

 and organization of the Academy is contained in the manuscript 

 minutes of the Joint Commission, in the minutes of the constit- 

 uent societies, in the early minutes of the Academy, and in cer- 

 tain printed circulars. The minutes of the Joint Commission 

 have been deposited with the Academy, and the circulars re- 

 ferred to are assembled in a scrap book constituting part of the 

 archives of the Academy. 



Under date of September 15, 1897, the council of the Geo- 

 logical Society addressed a circular letter to the councils of the 

 other societies comprised in the Joint Commission, expressing 

 the belief " that the question of a joint organization should be 

 considered by the scientific societies with a view to improving 

 the means for furthering their common interests," and propos- 

 ing that each society appoint *' a committee of conference to 

 meet similar committees from other societies for the considera- 

 tion of the general subject." All of the societies acted favor- 

 ably on the suggestion, and the following committees were 

 appointed : 



Anthropological Society : 



Frank Baker, Lester F. Ward, W J McGee. 

 Biological Society : 



L. O. Howard, George M. Sternberg, C. Hart Merriam. 

 Chemical Society : 



W. H. Seaman, C. E. Munroe, Wirt Tassin. 

 Entomological Society : 



Theodore Gill, W. H. Ashmead, C. L. Marlatt. 

 National Geographic Society : 



Gardiner G. Hubbard, Henry Gannett, G. K. Gilbert. 

 Geological Society : 



Arnold Hague, S. F. Emmons, Whitman Cross. 

 Philosophical Society: 



Marcus Baker, J. R. Eastman, Bernard R. Green. 



The Committee of Conference organized by choosing J. R. 

 Eastman as Chairman, and Whitman Cross as Secretary, held 



