happened to be tog^ether and made out a preliminary list of those whose 

 interest it was thought might be enlisted. A small notebook was 

 started in circulation, in which anyone who favored the idea was re- 

 quested to inscribe his name. After some twenty names had been thus 

 obtained an invitation was issued, signed by N. L. Britton, Arthur 

 Hollick ^n6 Win. T.'^Davis, to-'me^tat the resldenceof ]ytr.| ^avis, on 

 Saturday evening, November 12th, 1881, in response to which the fol- 

 lowing were present: Sanderson, Smith, Alfred L. Carroll, Bradish J. 

 Carroll, William T. Davis, Arthur Hollick, Dr. Nathaniel L. Britton, 

 Samuel Henshaw, Charles W. Leng, Wilton G. Berr}% Ernest F. 

 Neilson, Ernest F. Birrriinghiam, Edward C. Dela;vian, Jr., Charles W. 

 Butler and George W. Wright. An organization was effected, a con- 

 stitution and by-laws adopted, the name "Natural Science Association 

 of Staten Island" chosen, and the following officers elected: president, 

 Sanderson Smith; recording and financial secretary, Charles W. 

 Leng; corresponding secretary, Arthur Hollick; curator, William T. 

 Davis. . , : 



During the first few months following its organization the Associ- 

 ation had no settled place of abode and held its meetings, by courtesy, 

 either in Public School No. 3, on Prospect Avenue, New Brighton, or 

 in the rooms of the Young Men's Catholic Union, on Carroll Place, 

 New Brighton. In April^ 1882, the Board of Trustees of the Village of 

 New Brighton offered the Association the use of a large room in the 

 Village Hall, rent free, which it occupied continuously for fourteen 

 years. 



' As soon as these permanent quarters were secured a beginning was 

 made toward the foundation of a museum, which steadily grew to larg- 

 er and larger proportions, until it finally reached its present dimensions. 

 On November loth, 1883, the first number of the Proceedings was is- 

 sued, in which may be found abstracts of the reports of the- officers for 

 the preceding year, as follows: "The treasurer reported the Associr 

 ation free from debt and with a balance of $28.00 in the treasury. . 



The secretary reported a total of 70 members on the roll and an 

 average attendance of 17 at each. meeting. , , - 



The curator reported 561 separate ,donations to the collections, con- 

 sisting of 412 objects, besides, additions to the library.'' , 



The publication of the Proceedings resulted in . an immediate and 

 rapid increase in the library t^irough exchange of publications,, and the 

 proper care of the books soon became, as it is at^the present tirne, ope 

 of the most troublesome administrative problems with which the Asso- 

 ciation had to deal. 



After about four years the experimental stage was thought to have 



