FOUNDING OF THE ACADEMY 17 



In a letter dated April 23, 1863, Lesley writes : 



" Some one argued that we would lose government patronage, unless we bid 

 for it with the oath ; I suspect it was only an unfortunate way of stating a higher 

 truth, that we are the children of the government, and the Academy is the creation 

 of the government, and owes it the oath of allegiance as its first duty." -" 



In view of this evidence and the fact that several of the 

 original members of the Academy were conspicuous for their 

 services to the Government in connection with the War, it can 

 hardly be maintained that the offer of aid was merely a form 

 of words inserted in the bill of incorporation for the purpose 

 of inducing Congress to pass the measure. 



This governmental relationship is one of the chief peculiar- 

 ities of the National Academy. Other scientific organizations 

 were founded whose membership was drawn from all parts of 

 the country, whose scope covered all branches of scientific re- 

 search, and whose transactions reflected credit on their member- 

 ship and on American science, but none could claim recognition 

 as the scientific adviser to the Government. 



While to-day many scientific bureaus under the national 

 Government are in existence, the conditions were quite different 

 in 1863, when the Academy was organized. At that time the 

 only governmental organizations of this class were the Coast 

 Survey, the agricultural divisions of the Patent Office, and the 

 Naval Observatory. To-day technical information on a wide 

 range of subjects is available within the limits of the civil service. 

 Nevertheless, the legislative and executive branches of the 

 Government still continue to refer scientific matters of impor- 

 tance to the Academy year by year for information and advice. 



On March 5, 1863, two days after the passage of the bill 

 incorporating the Academy, Senator Wilson addressed letters 

 to the fifty men of science whose names were mentioned therein, 

 advising them of their designation as incorporators, and re- 

 questing them to fix on a day when it would be most convenient 

 to meet in New York City for the purpose of organization. 

 This letter is printed in the first Annual of the Academy." 



"° Loc. cit., p. 420. 



"Ann. Nat. Acad. Sci. for 1S63-4 (1865), p. 10. 



