296 NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES 



was unable to report in December, 1884, as the law demanded, 

 and the time was extended to December, 1885, " or as soon there- 

 after as may be." In the meanwhile Senator Pendleton and 

 Representative Lyman had retired from Congress, and were 

 replaced on the Commission by Senator John T. Morgan and 

 Representative John T. Wait. The report was finally submitted 

 on June 10, 1886.'" The testimony taken before the Commission 

 had already been published. It forms a thick volume of more 

 than a thousand pages.^'* 



Feeling that it should receive the advice of the National 

 Academy of Sciences, the Commission, through its secretary, 

 Hon. Theodore Lyman, requested that a committee of the 

 Academy be appointed to consider the subject in question. The 

 committee appointed by President Marsh consisted of M. C. 

 Meigs, Wm. H. Brewer, Cyrus B. Comstock, S. P. Langley, 

 Simon Newcomb, E. C. Pickering, W. P. Trowbridge, F. A. 

 Walker, and C. A. Young. All accepted appointment, but sub- 

 sequently Prof. Newcomb and Gen. Comstock resigned by order 

 of the Secretary of the Navy and the Secretary of War, respec- 

 tively. These orders were issued on the ground that it was not 

 proper for the two members who were active officers of the De- 

 partments mentioned to be concerned in giving advice to Con- 

 gress, which might result in action which would embarrass the 

 heads of those Departments in carrying out their policies. "° 



On the other hand. President Marsh held that the Academy 

 should not be deprived of the services of the two members in 

 formulating advice asked for by the legislative branch of the 

 Government. He declined, therefore, to accept their resigna- 

 tions, and laid the matter before the Academy. The Academy 

 appears, however, to have taken no action regarding it. 



"' House Rep. no. 2740, 49th Congress, ist Session. 



""Senate Misc. Doc. no. 82, 49tli Congress, ist Session, 1886. 



"'This view did not affect the appointment of General Meigs, apparently for the reason 

 that he was a retired otficer. He was requested by the Secretary of War to withdraw, but 

 upon his submitting a protest the matter was dropped. 



