ADDENDUM 



COMMUNICATION OF 

 J. FKANCIS FISHEK, EsQ. 1 

 READ JUNE 26TH, 1840. 



At the stated Meeting of the Society on the 19 th of 

 June, I heard for the first time that our learned and 

 venerable President had prepared a History of our 

 Society, or at least of its formation; and that he had 

 been induced to undertake it at this moment by 



1 This communication should have followed that of Mr. Du Ponceau, 

 but it had been misplaced in the Archives of the Society and was not 

 found until after the foregoing papers had been printed. It was 

 transmitted to the Society with the following letter : 



To JOHN K. KANE, ESQU. 



SECRETARY OP THE AMERICAN PHILOSOPHICAL SOCIETY. 

 Dear Sir, 



I beg you to present the following sheets as soon as possible this 

 Evening Either to be read immediately after Mr. DuPonceau's 

 Paper on the History of the Society, or to be referred unread to the 

 Committee appointed on it. 



Had not Mr. DuPonceau's Paper already been presented to the 

 Society, and an adjourned meeting called to hear it read, before I 

 knew the subject of it, I should not trouble the Society with my 

 Communication, but have spoken or written privately to the Presi- 

 dent, giving him my authorities on which M r Sparks relied in pre- 

 paring his sketch of the Society's History published in the Appendix 

 to the first volume of Franklin's Works. 



This would have been the most proper course, but it is now too 

 late, and I have only to hope that my venerated friend will not think 

 it ill done by me that I place in your hands a short recapitulation of 

 my reasons for doubting that the old Junto Club was the founda- 

 tion of the American Philosophical Society, & that he will appreciate 



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