TfflRD PLENARY SESSION. 



CONTINENTAL MEMORIAL HALL. 

 SATURDAY, JANUARY 8, 1916—11 A. M, 



The president of the congress, his excellency the Chilean ambassador, 

 presided at this solemn closing session. 



Upon the platform were the chairmen of the various delegations and 

 the chiefs of Latin American embassies and legations, together with the 

 chairman of the executive committee on the part of the United States, 

 William Phillips, Third Assistant Secretary of State; the vice chairman, 

 Dr. James Brown Scott, secretary of the Carnegie Endowment for Inter- 

 national Peace; and the secretary general, John Barrett, Director Gen- 

 eral of the Pan American Union. The minister of foreign affairs of 

 Costa Rica on special mission, Dr. Julio Acosta, also occupied a seat on 

 the stage at the left of the presiding officer. The president was assisted 

 in interpreting speeches and papers by Dr. Luis A. Baralt, of the Cuban 

 delegation. 



The president of the congress opened the session with the following 

 words : 



The first thing this morning, ladies and gentlemen, will be the report 

 of the executive committee of the congress by the chairman of the sub- 

 committee. Dr. James Brown Scott, of the United States, followed by the 

 reading of the Spanish translation thereof by Sr. Dr. Ernesto Quesada, 

 chairman of the subcommittee on resolutions and chairman of the official 

 delegation of Argentina. 



Mr. Scott said: 



Mr. President, Members of the Second Pan American Scientific Con- 

 gress, Ladies and Gentlemen: On behalf of the executive committee I have 

 the honor to read the Final Act prepared by a subcommittee of this 

 congress, and lay it before the official delegates of the Latin American 

 countries for their approval. 



The method of preparing the Final Act was to have all of the resolu- 

 tions presented to the various sections and subsections referred to the 

 executive committee, consisting of one member from each official delega- 



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