38 HISTORICAL ACCOUNT OF THE ORIGIN OF THE 



their election, immediately elected the members of 

 the American Society by their names, and sent them 

 notice of their election. But the late Junto, now the 

 American Society, were not sensible of the honor 

 intended them, and declined it, alleging that "those 

 were not the terms which they had proposed." 



This answer was received on the 9th of February, 

 and though the rules of the Philosophical Society 

 were not yet complete, and were not till the 8th of 

 March, they immediately proceeded to decide the 

 question "How many officers their Society should 

 consist of," and it was determined that there should 

 be one President, two Vice-Presidents, a Treasurer, 

 and three Secretaries to be chosen annually, and those 

 chosen that night to continue till the first of January 

 following and the ballots being taken, the following 

 officers were chosen : 



President, James Hamilton. 



Vice-Presidents, Wm. Shippen and Thomas Bond. 



Treasurer, Philip Syng. 



Secretaries, Eev. William Smith, Eev. John Ewing, 

 and Dr. Thomas Moore. 



This gave great offense to the American Society. 

 We find in their minutes, that on the 12th of the same 

 month (February) it was unanimously agreed that a 

 Committee should be appointed "to draw up a short 

 plain history of the origin of the Society, and of what 

 had passed between them and the Philosophical, and 

 to lay it before the Company at some further meet- 



