ANNUAL REPORT OF SECRETARY 9 



The committee met the same evening and increased its mem- 

 bership to fifteen by adding Messrs. Marcus. Baker, G. K. 

 Gilbert, Lester F. Ward, F. W. Clarke, Bernard R. 

 Green, J. W. Powell and Charles D. Walcott. 



Other meetings of the committee were held on January 17th 

 and 19th, and its report was submitted to the Joint Commission at 

 its annual meeting January 19th. The report presented a proposed 

 act of incorporation, proposed by-laws, and recommendations 

 concerning procedure. Three alternative plans were suggested 

 for determining the personnel of the nucleus of the Academy. 

 The report was ordered printed and copies were submitted to 

 the constituent societies for their action. On the 25th of January 

 the Joint Commission again met, received reports from the 

 societies on the report as a whole, and on the alternative plans 

 for forming the nucleus, amended the act of incorporation and 

 by-laws in several particulars, and referred the document back 

 to the Committee on Constitution for unification. The plan 

 adopted for the selection of the nucleus was as follows : " Each 

 member of the Joint Commission to prepare a ballot containing 

 not more than one hundred names of persons now members of 

 one or more of the scientific societies of Washington, the ballot 

 to be canvassed by the Executive Committee of the Commission, 

 and the seventy-five persons whose names appear on the greatest 

 number of ballots to constitute the original membership of the 

 Academy." 



The ballot thus provided for was cast January 31st, but its re- 

 sult was not promulgated until February 12th, after the ratifica- 

 tion of the plan of organization had been completed. 



On the 2d of February the Joint Commission received the 

 second report of its committee on constitution and adopted the 

 plan of organization, with modification. The President was in- 

 structed to call a meeting of the Academy as soon as ratification 

 by the constituent societies was completed. At the final meet- 

 ing of the Joint Commission held March 22, 1898, the furniture 

 owned by the Commission was presented to the Cosmos Club, 

 its archives were presented to the Washington Academy of 

 Sciences, and the ballots whereby the nucleus of the Academy 

 was selected were presented to the Academy in a sealed pack- 



