Academy of Natural Sciences. 91 



served for the private affairs of the institution. The other, or or- 

 dinary meetings, are devoted to the reading of scientific papers, ver- 

 bal communications, the receiving of donations, &c. &c. 



The present number of resident members is about sixty. The 

 list of correspondents is much more numerous, and embraces a large 

 proportion of the eminent scientific men in all parts of the world. 



The library contains upwards of two thousand two hundred vol- 

 umes on scientific subjects, exclusive of maps, portfolios of engrav- 

 vings, &x. The collection is constantly augmenting by purchases, 

 donations and exchanges, and embraces very many of the rare and 

 standard works on the natural sciences. A large proportion of these, 

 as already observed, were selected in Europe by Mr. Maclure, and 

 by him presented to the institution. Exclusive of the scientific 

 works are upwards of a thousand volumes on subjects foreign to the 

 immediate objects of the Academy : most of these were also pre- 

 sented by Mr. Maclure. 



The "Journal of the Academy" was commenced in the year 

 1817. This w T ork is chiefly confined to brief and technical state- 

 ments of discoveries in Natural History ; in other words, that which 

 is not new (or believed to be so) is not admitted into its pages. A 

 periodical restricted within such bounds must necessarily be chiefly 

 interesting to scientific persons, among whom it is widely circulated 

 in America and Europe. It is replete with important details in ev- 

 ery branch of Science, and probably contains a greater body of facts 

 in reference to the natural history of this country than any other 

 work. Five octavo Volumes have already been published, and the 

 sixth is nearly completed ; and perhaps a better idea of their plan 

 and purpose cannot be conveyed than by quoting a part of the pre- 

 face to the first volume : 



" In further pursuance of the objects of their institution, the Soci- 

 ety have now determined to communicate to the public such facts 

 and observations as, having appeared interesting to them, are likely 

 to prove interesting to other friends of Natural Science. They do 

 not profess to make any periodical communication ; but well know- 

 how desirable it is that persons engaged in similar pursuits should 



ing 



be made acquainted as early as possible with what has been done by 

 their fellow-laborers in the fields of Science elsewhere, they mean to 

 publish a few pages whenever it appears to them that materials wor- 

 thy of publication have been put in their possession. In so doing, 

 they propose to exclude entirely all papers of mere theory,— to con- 



