Foreign Societies Particvpating. 99 



Formal invitations, in the name of the National Geographic 

 Society, were extended to the principal geographic societies 

 of the world to ^participate in the Conference by delegates, or by 

 the j)resentation of memoirs, and many favorable replies were 

 received. The Conference met on the designated day ; its pro- 

 ceedings were marked by a degree of interest and an attendance 

 quite beyond the expectations of the committee, and it is be- 

 lieved that it exercised a material and beneficial influence 

 toward the study of geograjDhy in the United States. 



With a view of affording variety to the meetings, and also of 

 utilizing, in the interests of the Conference, the numerous objects 

 of geographic interest in the Columbian Exposition, it was de- 

 cided that the sessions of July 27 should be held in the Art 

 Institute Building, Chicago, and those of July 28 within the 

 Exposition grounds. 



As this Conference was the first international meeting of 

 geographers in America, the Board of Managers of the National 

 Geographic Society deem it proper to publish, under the 

 auspices of the Society, the record of this Conference, together 

 with such of the memoirs as it has been found practicable to 

 incorporate therewith. 



Among the countries and societies which showed their lively 

 interest in the Conference by designating delegates are the fol- 

 lowing : 



BRAZIL. 



Instituto Historico Geografico y Ethnografico (Rio de Ja- 

 neiro) ; delegate, Baron de Marajo. 



FRANCE. 



Societe de Geographic (Paris) ; delegate, M E. Levasseur, Mem- 

 bre de I'lnstitut. 



Societe de Geographic de Lille ; delegate, M Paul le Blau. 



ENGLAND. 



Royal Geographical Society ; delegate, Colonel Sir Casimir S. 

 Gzowski,K.C.M.G. 



Manchester Geographical Society; delegate, Mr James D. 

 Wilde, Member of the Council. 



