FOUNDING OF THE ACADEMY 5 



and we may presume, Admiral Davis. The plan of incorporat- 

 ing an academy was discussed, and it was decided that Senator 

 Wilson should introduce a bill of incorporation, which he did on 

 Saturday, February 21. Admiral Davis asserts that the plan of 

 action adopted on this occasion was his own, " amplified and 

 improved." 



While there is no reason to doubt the accuracy of the state- 

 ments regarding the organization of the Academy contained in 

 these letters, which were written while the events were taking 

 place, it is interesting to find that many of them are corroborated 

 by other documents. 



That Louis Agassiz was nominated by Senator Wilson as a 

 regent of the Smithsonian Institution at the time mentioned by 

 Davis is verified by the record of the proceedings of the 37th 

 Congress contained in the Congressional Globe. From this 

 journal we learn that his name was proposed in the Senate by 

 Senator Wilson, of Massachusetts, on February 6, 1863, and that 

 the joint resolution providing for his appointment (Senate no. 

 126) was passed on that date; that this resolution passed the 

 House on February 19, 1863; and that it was signed by President 

 Lincoln on February 21.* 



The date of the introduction by Senator Wilson of the bill 

 incorporating the Academy is also found to be correctly given in 

 Davis' letter. The Globe contains the following regarding it: 



In the Senate. 



Friday, February 20, 1863. — " Mr. Wilson, of Massachusetts, gave notice of 

 his intention to ask leave to introduce a bill to incorporate a national academy of 

 sciences." '' 



Saturday, February 21, 1863. — " Mr. Wilson, of Massachusetts, in pursuance 

 of previous notice, asked and obtained leave to introduce a bill (S. No. 555) to 

 incorporate the National Academy of Sciences; which was read twice by its title, 

 and ordered to lie on the table, and be printed." ' 



The bill was passed by the Senate on March 3, 1863, without 

 discussion.'' 



'Congressional Globe, 37th Congress, 3d Session, pp. 762, 1121, 1181. 



° Loc. cit., p. 1 1 3 1 . 



' Loc. cit., p. 1 1 55. 



^ Loc. cit., pp. 1500, 1501. There was no report on this bill. 



