SCIENCE 



NEW YORK, MARCH 11, 1893. 



THE SCIENTIFIC ALLIANCE. 



The ScientiSc Alliance of New York was organized in 

 March, 1891. It consists at present in a union of six soci- 

 eties engaged in tbe promotion of scientific research. It is 

 probable that this number will soon be increased to eight, 

 and it is hoped that it may ultimately extend to at least ten. 

 Membership in the Alliance is not confined to societies in 

 New York City, but may include those in the neighborhood. 



The societies now composing tbe Alliance, — naming them 

 in the order of their foundation, — are as follows: 1. The 

 New York Academy of Sciences, 2. The Torrey Botanical 

 Club, 3. The New York Microscopical Society, 4. The Liu- 

 nean Society of New York, 5. The New York Mineralogieal 

 Club, 6. The New York Mathematical Society. 



The societies do not in any way sink their individuality or 

 surrender any part of the management of their own affairs. 

 Their union is merely in the way of co operation for the 

 advancement of science and for mutual encouragement, car- 

 ried out through a central representative body, known as 

 the Council, having advisory powers only. The Council is 

 made up of the president, ex-officio, and two other delegates 

 from each society. 



A monthly bulletin is issued under the authority of the 

 Council, announcing the proposed proceedings of all the so- 

 cieties, and a copy of this bulletin is sent to every member. 

 The bulletin contains an invitation to the members to attend 

 the meetings of all the societies. 



The Council issues an annual directory, containing the 

 names and addresses of all the resident members of the soci- 

 eties, as well as general information as to the character and 

 purposes of the several organizations. It is proposed to issue 

 also a brief annual report of the work done by the societies 

 as a whole. The first directory published by the Council 

 (that for 1891) contained 499 names. That for 1892 will 

 contain a considerably larger number, as the membership 

 of the societies has increased materially during the past 

 year. 



The New York Academy of Sciences was chartered as The 

 . Lyceum of Natural History, April 20, 1818. It was reorgan- 

 ized under its present name Feb. 21, 1876. It has a total 

 membership of about 550, of which nearly one-half are resi- 

 dent members and fellows. It holds weekly meetings, on 

 Monday evenings, from October to June. One evening of 

 each month is devoted to a popular lecture. There are spe- 

 cial sections of mineralogy and astronomy. Its place of 

 meeting is now at Columbia College. The Academy pub- 

 lishes both Annals and Transactions. The Lyceum of Natural 

 History was the owner of a building and a valuable scientific 

 collection, which were destroyed by fire. The Academy 

 possesses a library of between 10,000 and 12,000 volumes, 

 which is being continually augmented by periodicals and 

 Proceedings of kindred societies received in exchange for its 

 own publications. This is an exceedingly important collec- 

 tion of scientific works, containing sets of the Proceedings of 

 foreign bodies not to be found in any other library in New 



York, and in some cases not elsewhere in this country. At 

 present the books are deposited in the library-building of 

 Columbia College, but they may be withdrawn at any time. 



The Torrey Botanical Club was incorporated April 21, 1871. 

 It has a total membership of nearly 300, of which about one- 

 half are resident members. It holds meetings twice a month, 

 at Columbia College, and field-meetings every Saturday from 

 April to November. It publishes a Bulletin and Memoirs. 

 It has an herbarium of nearly 20,000 specimens. Its botani- 

 cal library is incorporated with that of Columbia College. It 

 consists of periodicals and Proceedings of other soierivific so- 

 cieties, obtained by the exchange of publications, which are, 

 for the most part, duplicated in the library of the Academy 

 of Sciences. 



The New York Microscopical Society was incorporated in 



1877. It has a total membership of about 100, of whom 

 some 75 are active members, Its meetings are held twice a 

 month, at the Mott Memorial Library, No. 64 Madison Ave- 

 nue. It publishes a quarterly journal. Its library consists 

 of about 2,000 volumes, and is deposited at its place of meet- 

 ing. It has also a collection of about 5,000 microscopical 

 specimens. 



The Linnean Society of New Yoi'k was organized March 7, 



1878. It has a membership of 85, of which about half are 

 resident members. Its meetings are held twice a month, at 

 the American Museum of Natural History. It publishes 

 Transactions and an Abstract of Proceedings. It has a library 

 consisting of exchanges from publications. 



The New York Mineralogieal Club was organized in 1887. 

 It has a memberihip of about 60. It holds monthly meetings 

 at various places. It owns the Chamberlain collection of 

 New York Island minerals, which is deposited temporarily, 

 with other strictly local minerals, in the American Museum 

 of Natural History. 



The New York Mathematical Society was organized Nov. 

 24, 1888. It has a membership of over 200, including almost 

 every mathematician of note in America, and some residing 

 abroad. Its local membership is about 35. It publishes a 

 monthly Bulletin. 



It will be seen from the foregoing summary that all of the- 

 societies included in the Alliance occupy only temporary- 

 quarters, and that their libraries and collections are widely- 

 scattered. It will be observed, however, that the latter are 

 of sufficient size and importance to make a very creditable 

 appearance if they could all be gathered in a single suitable 

 place. It is confidently believed that the total amount of 

 original scientific work brought out by the meetings of these 

 societies is as great as that accomplished in any other city in 

 America. Under proper conditions, however, the societies 

 might not only become more helpful to one another, but 

 might confer a greater benefit upon the community at large, 

 by carrying on lines of work which they are now compelled 

 to neglect from want of room and facilities. For example, 

 all attempts at exciting popular interest in scientific subjects 

 is now confined to a course of seven or eight lectures during 

 the year, carried on by but one of the societies, when, in 

 fact, if the Alliance were placed in possession of the neces- 

 sary building and appliances, there is no reason why it 



