AiGiST 21. 1003.] 



SCIENCE. 



251 



Washington and Xew York during the Con- 

 gress of Americanists later in the same month, 

 and seized the opportunity to confer with the 

 leading archeologists of the western hemi- 

 sphere. Before returning to Mexico, he 

 framed a plan in accordance with which the 

 Mexican ambassador to the United States, 

 His Excellency Seiior Don Manuel de Aspiroz, 

 was more formally appointed as a representa- 

 tive of the commission and empowered to 

 treat with the diplomatic representatives of 

 other American countries. 



Meantime the movement attracted some at- 

 tention in the United States; at meetings in 

 Pittsburg early in July both the American 

 Association for the Advancement of Science 

 and the American Anthropological Associa- 

 tion passed resolutions approving the general 

 plans for the commission; and on Xovember 

 13, our secretar.v of state, Hon. John Hay, 

 appointed Dr. W J McGee as a representative 

 on the part of the United States to confer 

 with similar representatives from other Amer- 

 ican countries. Dr. McGee visited the City 

 of Mexico, where he conferred with Seiior 

 Chavero and other officials interested in the 

 project, including President Diaz; and after 

 his return, he cooperated with Ambassador 

 Aspiroz in developing a plan of organization 

 for the commission. 



On April 15, 1903, a meeting of the diplo- 

 matic representatives of the American repub- 

 lics was convoked in the State Department, at 

 which the plan proposed by Messers. Aspiroz 

 and McGee was formally adopted for trans- 

 mittal to the several governments. Of these, 

 six or seven had alread.v taken favorable 

 action ; and it was the expressed desire of the 

 meeting to obtain formal approval from the 

 governments of the remaining republics. 



The second article of the regulations in 

 which the plan of organization of the com- 

 mission is embodied provides : 



The objects of the Conniiission shall be (1) to 

 promote the iiiiifioation of laws relating to an- 

 tiquities in the Western Hemisphere; (2) to in- 

 crease and diffuse knowledge concerning these 

 antiquities and the aboriginal pco])les by whom 

 they were prodiioeil ; (.')) tn awaken interest in 

 the vestiges of ;i vanishing raee; (4) to unify 



museum methods throughout the American coun- 

 tries, and (5) to work for the establishment of 

 (me or more archeologic and ethnologic museums 

 of international character. 



Tlie third article provides that the Commis- 

 sion shall form an Administrative Corps and in- 

 clude a Scientific Corps. 



The commission in its administrative ca- 

 pacity will consist of representatives officially 

 designated by the participating governments 

 to a number not exceeding three from each; 

 the officers being a ijresident, three vice-presi- 

 dents and a secretary — all elected by the com- 

 missioners at stated sessions. The scientilic 

 corps will consist of scientists to the number 

 of one or more from each participating coun- 

 try, and scientific attaches, the latter assigned 

 to work so far as practicable in countries other 

 than those in which they were trained. The 

 officers of the scientific corps will be a director 

 general and a secretary, with a director for 

 each participating country; these officers will 

 be nominated by the scientific corps and 

 elected by the commissioners; and the plan 

 provides for filling ad interim vacancies. 



As a public office the commission will be 

 maintained chiefly by appropriations in and 

 for the participating countries on a basis cor- 

 responding with those made for the Interna- 

 tional Bureau of American Republics; but it 

 is planned to utilize donations of service, col- 

 lections, money and other values. In accord- 

 ance with the original recommendation of the 

 International Conference accounts will be 

 kept in the Bureau of American Eepublics. 

 Provision is made for stated sessions both of 

 the scientific corps and of the commission in 

 December of each ,vear, and also for the pub- 

 lication of reports. 



On April 20, Hon. W. W. Rockhill, director 

 of the Bureau of American Republics, for- 

 mally communicated the action of the diplo- 

 matic representatives to the several legations; 

 while the representative of the United States 

 reported progress to our secretary of state and 

 recommended the appointment of the .three 

 commissioners provided for in the plan of 

 organization. Action was soon taken on the 

 rcconunendation. and the cununissioners were 



