Appendix X. 



THE FIRST PAN-AMERICAN SCIENTIFIC CONGRESS, HELD IN SAN- 

 TIAGO, CHILE, DECEMBER 25, 190S-JANUARY 6, 1909. 



By W. H. Holmes, 

 Delegate of United States Government representing the Smithsonian Institution. 



The first Latin-American Scientific Congress, which was convened in Buenos 

 Aires in 1898, was projected by the Argentine Scientific Society of that city and 

 successfully carried out. It was attended by representatives of twelve Latin- 

 American republics, and yielded results of such importance that a second con- 

 gress was convened at Montevideo in 1901 ; and this was followed by a third at 

 Rio de Janeiro in 1905. Arrangements were made for a fourth meeting at San- 

 tiago, Chile, in 190S, and the Chilean organization committee.' 7 feeling that the 

 activities of the congress, which had been limited to the discussion of the Latin- 

 American problems and interests chiefly, should be extended to a fully Pan- 

 American scope, decided that the Santiago meeting should be known as " The 

 First Pan-American Scientific Congress." 



The organization committee, through the medium of the Chilean Government, 

 extended to the Government of the United States an invitation to participate. 

 Secretary Root brought the matter to the attention of President Roosevelt. 6 



a The organization committee was constituted as follows: Honorary presi- 

 dent, Marcial Martinez ; President, Valentin Letelier ; vice-presidents, Manuel E. 

 Ballestros and Miguel Cruchaga; general secretary, Eduardo Poirier : assistant 

 secretary, Augusto Vicuna S. : treasurer ; Octavio Maira ; Alejandro Alvarez, 

 Jose Ramon Gutierrez, Alejandro del Rio, Miguel Varas, Luis Espejo Varas, 

 Anselmo Hevia Riquelme, Vicente Izquierdo, Domingo V. Santa Maria. 



6 The President : The Government of Chile has invited the Government of 

 the United States to join in and to be represented by delegates at the Pan- 

 American Scientific Congress, which is to assemble under its auspices at the 

 capital city of Santiago during the ten days beginning December 25, 1908. 

 The work of the congress will comprehend nine sections, devoted, respectively, 

 to pure and applied mathematics, physical sciences, natural sciences, engineer- 

 ing, medicine and hygiene, anthropology, jurisprudence and sociology, peda- 

 gogics, and agriculture and animal industry. 



Latin-American scientific congresses were held in 1S98 at Buenos Aires, in 

 1901 at Montevideo, and in 1905 at Rio de Janeiro. Growing out of these pre- 

 vious conferences the congress of 1908 will be for the first time Pan-American. 

 It will study and discuss many great subjects in which all the American re- 

 publics have in common special interests; and its aim is to bring together the 

 best scientific thought of this hemisphere for the scrutiny of many distinctively 

 American problems and for an interchange of experience and of views which 

 should be of great value to all the nations concerned. 



It is therefore eminently appropriate that the United States should be ade- 

 quately represented at this important First Pan-American Scientific Congress 

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