BULLETIN OF THE GEOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA 

 Vol. 21, pp. 741-746 December 31, 191o 



SUPPLEMENTAEY NOTE ON THE OEGANIZATION OF THE 

 GEOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF AMEEICA' 



BY C. H. HITCHCOCK: 



{Bead before the Cordilleran Section of the Society March 26, 1910) 



The first volume of the Bulletin of the Geological Society of America 

 opens with a historical sketch prepared by Alexander Winchell at the 

 request of the Council. Eeference was made first to the Association of 

 American Geologists organized in 1840, and to its inclusion of the 

 Naturalists, and to its development into the American Association for the 

 Advancement of Science in 1847. With the multiplication of sections 

 at the last reorganization Geology and Geography were combined with 

 Section E. Many of the members were dissatisfied with this arrange- 

 ment. These dissentients and others assembled at Cincinnati in 1881 and 

 formulated their views in the following "circular letter," which was 

 mailed to all the known geologists in the country : 



'To the Geologists of America: 



"At a meeting of the geologists in attendance at the Cincinnati session 

 (1881) of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the 

 undersigned were appointed a committee to correspond with American geolo- 

 gists respecting the formation of an American Geological Society, the result of 

 such correspondence to be reported at the next meeting of the American Asso- 

 ciation for the Advancement of Science. 



"Pursuant to such instructions, it is deemed best to present sundry consider- 

 ations, some of them brought forward at Cincinnati, which seem to render it 

 desirable that such a society be organized in America, and which have been 

 approved, and hereby are presented jointly by the committee. 



"The committee are desirous of eliciting opinions from all active and pro- 

 fessional geologists, to the end that more judicious and effective action may 

 be taken at the next meeting, 



"1. The science of geology, with its kindred branches of palaeontology and 

 lithology, has made rapid progress in America — ^perhaps more rapid than in 

 any other country — in the last twenty years. 



1 In the absence of the author, this paper, which supplements the original historical 

 sketch prepared by Alexander Winchell and printed in volume 1 of the Bulletin of the 

 Society, was read by Secretary G. D. Louderback. 



Manuscript received by the Secretary of the Society May 9, 1910. 



(741) 



