29 



read, including the two biographical sketches of non-members 

 already mentioned. Of the remaining eight papers, all but 

 one related to the physical sciences. 



The Academy lost three more of its original members dur- 

 ing the year 1864, Edward Hitchcock, who died on February 

 27, Joseph Gilbert Totten, who died on April 22, and Benjamin 

 Silliman, Sr., who died on November 24. Biographical notices 

 of them were published in the Annual. 



The year 1865 was signalized by the publication of the first 

 Annual, a pamphlet of 112 pages in duodecimo form, which 

 appeared between January i, and February 13. It contained 

 the Act of Incorporation, the constitution and by-laws, a list 

 of officers, members, foreign associates and committees, the 

 first report of the President, and a eulogy of J. S. Hubbard, 

 one of the incorporators. As the Academy was without funds, 

 the expense of printing was met by contributions of individual 

 members, and in accordance with a vote of the Academy it was 

 distributed to members of both houses of Congress, and to the 

 heads of departments of the Government. 3 



Although the eighteenth by-law of the Academy provided 

 that the Annual should be published on the first day of each 

 year, this first number did not appear until the Academy had 

 been in existence nearly two years, and only two additional 

 numbers were issued, dated, respectively, 1866 and 1867. The 

 by-law, or rule, as it was afterwards called, remained in force, 

 however, until 1896, when it was finally stricken out. 4 



The year 1865 was further characterized by the fact that 

 no requests for the investigation of scientific matters were re- 

 ceived from the Government and no new scientific committees 

 appointed. 



Thirty-four papers were read at the scientific sessions of this 

 year, or somewhat more than were presented in 1864. The pro- 

 gram covered a much wider scope than that of the preceding year. 

 While astronomy, physics and mathematics were well repre- 



s Proc. Nat. Acad. Sci., vol. i, 1877, p. 43. 

 * Rep. Nat. Acad. Sci. for 1896, p. 10. 



