22 



demands the liveliest gratitude on its part. The Academy has 

 incurred, in the reception of these gifts, a large indebtedness a 

 debt of honor, to which it is keenly sensitive, and which it must 

 begin to pay at the earliest possible moment. 



Before Dr. STIMPSON'S circular had elicited many replies he was 

 called to his rest. Members were engrossed in the arduous struggle 

 of rebuilding not merely the Academy, but the city and their for- 

 tunes. It may not be generally known that the first part of the 

 second volume of the Transactions was in the hands of the binder 

 at the time of the fire. Publication was suspended ; at first, during 

 the rebuilding ; as the event proved, for years. The long vacancy 

 in the office of Secretary, prevented even the proper acknowledg- 

 ment of the donations received. When the present incumbent 

 entered upon his duties, in November, 1876, he deemed attention 

 to this defect a duty of paramount importance. The matter which 

 had accumulated was assorted and collated ; lists were made of that 

 from the several sources, and letters of acknowledgment and apol- 

 ogy were transmitted to 



Societies, American 32 



Individuals, " 28 



Societies, Foreign no 



Individuals, " 7 



Total correspondents 177 



This work gave opportunity for temporary arrangement of the 

 foreign publications in the convenient and spacious ' case loaned by 

 the President and now in the office. 



Some outlay should be made for binding and for pamphlet cases, 

 to make these exceedingly valuable documents conveniently access- 

 ible. Still, every paper, pamphlet or volume in the possession of 

 the Academy is in a definite place, whence it can be quickly pro- 

 duced on demand. 



CATALOGUES. 



The bound volumes have been entered in the Catalogue of Acces- 

 sions. Parallel with these entries a card index has been written up. 

 In it, references are made in the usual manner, not merely to the 

 volumes on the shelves, but to each paper of scientific interest, as if 

 forming a volume by itself. Work upon these catalogues was sus- 



