THE NATIONAL INSTITUTE. 
389 
1845.] 
Sec. 6. And be it further enacted , That this charter shall continue in force for 
the period of twenty years from the date of this act, and no longer, unless Congress 
shall by law prolong its existence; but its expiration or dissolution shall not abate 
any suit then pending by or against the said corporation ; and three years thereaf¬ 
ter shall be allowed, in which it may wind up its affairs, and in which its corporate 
name may be used for the recovery of all debts due to or by the said corporation : 
Provided , That Congress may at any time alter, repeal, or modify this act of incor¬ 
poration. 
Approved, July 27, 1842. 
CONSTITUTION AND BY-LAWS. 
CONSTITUTION. 
Art. I. The Society shall be named “ The National Institute for the Pro¬ 
motion of Science.” 
Art. II. It shall hold its meetings in the City of Washington. 
Art. III. It shall be composed of Resident, Corresponding, and Honorary 
Members. 
Art. IV. The Resident members shall be persons residing in the District of Co¬ 
lumbia; Corresponding members shall be persons residing out of the District of 
Columbia who wish to aid the Institute by their contributions or communications ; 
and the class of Honorary members shall be composed of eminent men residing 
out of the District of Columbia. 
Art. V. Resident members removing from the District of Columbia shall, on 
request, be transferred to the list of Corresponding members, and vice versa. But 
Corresponding^members may, at their option, be recorded and considered as Res¬ 
ident members. 
Art. VI. The Officers of the Institute shall consist of a President, Vice Presi¬ 
dent, twelve Directors, a Treasurer, a Corresponding and a Recording Secretary ; 
provided that no member shall hold more than one of the offices created by this 
article at the same time, but that an acceptance of one shall be considered as a 
iefusal of all others. 
Art. VII. The Officers shall constitute a Board of Management of the fiscal 
concerns of the Institute; and five members of the Board shall be a quorum for the 
transaction of ordinary business. 
Art. VIII. The Secretaries of the Departments of State, Treasury, War, and 
Navy, and the Attorney General, and Postmaster General of the United States, for 
the time being, shall, with their consent, be Directors of the Institute ; but upon 
the refusal of one or more of them to accede to the request of the Institute, such 
Director or Directors shall be chosen in the same manner as is herein provided for 
the appointment of other officers. The officers shall be elected for the term of one 
year, or until their successors shall be appointed, from among the resident members 
of the Institute. This election shall take place at the annual meeting; and each 
member, who is duly qualified, and shall be present at such meeting, shall have a 
vote in said election. 
Art. IX. The Annual Meeting shall be held on the first Monday in each year, 
or as soon thereafter as convenient; the stated meetings on the second Monday in 
each month; and special meetings whenever five resident members shall concur in 
a request to that effect. 
Art. X. The President, Vice President, or, in their absence, one of the Direc¬ 
tors, in order of seniority, as named in article VIII, shall preside at all meetings of 
the Institute ; or if neither of them be present, the meeting shall elect its chairman. 
Art. XI. The election of members shall be by ballot; and an affirmative vote 
of two-thirds of the members present at the meeting shall be necessary to the elec¬ 
tion. The candidate shall be nominated to the Institute at a regular meeting, and 
ballotted for at the next stated meeting; if there be more candidates than one, they 
shall be ballotted for separately. 
Art. XII. This Constitution shall be signed by all persons present at its adop¬ 
tion, who are desirous of becoming members of the Institute; which signature 
shall be proof of their membership. Resident members subsequently admitted 
shall subscribe the same on their admission ; and neglect to do so for two months 
No. 3. 22 
