ANNALS OF THE ACADEMY 43 



United States " to ratify the assent which is understood to have 

 been provisionally given by his diplomatic representative in 

 Paris, to the creation of such a bureau, and to recommend to 

 Congress to make the necessary provision to defray such portion 

 of the expense attending its maintenance as may probably fall 

 to our share." ^^ The International Bureau was established on 

 May 20, 1875, the United States being the first country to sign 

 the convention. 



At this time plans were well advanced for holding a great 

 international exposition in Philadelphia, the Centennial Ex- 

 hibition of 1876, to mark the one hundredth anniversary of the 

 signing of the Declaration of Independence. It had been pro- 

 posed in the Academy that invitations should be issued to promi- 

 nent men of science abroad to attend the exposition and a 

 committee was appointed to report upon the plan. After con- 

 sideration, however, the committee reported unfavorably and 

 the scheme was abandoned. 



The Government exhibits at this exposition were extensive 

 and diversified, and were, for the time, extremely well installed. 

 The autumn meeting of the Academy was held in Philadelphia 

 in the year of the exposition and the members were so favor- 

 ably impressed by the display made by the several departments 

 and bureaus of the Government, the Smithsonian Institution 

 and other organizations, that they were induced to pass resolu- 

 tions urging the transfer of these exhibits in their entirety for 

 permanent exhibition in Washington. The resolutions were 

 as follows : 



October, 1876. 



" Whereas, The members of the National Academy of Sciences have been 

 greatly impressed by the extent, variety, and richness of the truly national collec- 

 tion contained in the Government Building at the Centennial Exhibition, and 

 considering the great importance and the lasting interest with which the people 

 of the United States regard this collection, therefore: — 



" Resolved, That in the opinion of the Academy, the Government Collection 

 as a whole should be transferred to Washington and there preserved in an appro- 

 priate building for perpetual exhibition. 



"Proc. Nat. Acad. Sci., vol. i, p. no. 



