62 NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES 



Rogers. These were Professor Stephen Alexander (died June 

 25, 1883), Major-General J. G. Barnard, U. S. A. (died May 14, 

 1882), Dr. John L. LeConte, entomologist (died November 15, 

 1883), and Admiral John Rodgers, Superintendent of the U. S. 

 Naval Observatory (died May 5, 1882). Of the incorporators 

 twenty others had died prior to 1883, and thus twenty years after 

 its organization the Academy had lost one-half of its original 

 membership. 47 



The second volume of the Memoirs of the Academy, contain- 

 ing four papers, was transmitted to Congress with the report for 

 1883, and was published in 1884. With the report for 1884 was 

 transmitted the first part of the third volume of the Memoirs, 

 containing eight papers. The second part of this volume was 

 printed in 1886, but many of the plates belonging to it were 

 burned, and the distribution was delayed. It was not issued until 

 July, 1887. The completed volume contains seventeen papers. 

 Commenting on the fact that the first part of the third volume 

 of Memoirs had been ordered printed by Congress, the President 

 of the Academy remarked in his report for i 



" I congratulate the Academy that the precedent for the publication by the 

 Government of both the annual report and an accompanying volume of memoirs 

 is now fairly established, and it alone remains for the members of the Academy to 

 do their part in presenting their memoirs ready for publication each year in time 

 to accompany the report to Congress." 48 



A total eclipse of the sun occurred on May 6, 1883, and was 

 visible in the South Pacific Ocean. It was of special interest to 



47 Two of the fifty incorporators withdrew from membership soon after the Academy was 

 organized. One of these was Rear-Admiral John A. Dahlgren. The following extracts 

 from his published diaries relate to the incident: 



"March 10 [1863]. I omitted to mention that Congress had incorporated 'a National 

 Academy of Science,' with fifty Corporators, of which I was one. This measure, from which 

 should proceed a great institution, is due solely to Mr. Wilson, Senator from Massa- 

 chusetts 



"May 14 [1863]. I sent my resignation as a member of the National Academy of 

 Sciences to Professor Bache, who had been elected President of the Academy. Next day 

 he replied, requesting me not to insist, that I would be excused from the service, &c. 



" But on the i8th May I wrote to him adhering to my determination." (Memoir of 

 John A. Dahlgren, by Madeleine V. Dahlgren, 1882, pp. 389, 394.) 



"Proc. Nat. Acad. Sci., vol. i, p. 255. 



