4 UNITED STATES BOARD ON GEOGRAPHIC NAMES. 
V. — Amendments. 
These by-laws may be amended at any regular or special meeting, by a majority 
vote of all the members of the Board, provided that the proposed amendment has been 
presented at least four weeks previous to the time the vote. is taken. 
Washington, D. C, adopted November 4, 1890. 
Under these by-laws the Board was organized with Prof. T. G. Men- 
denhall as chairman, as provided for in the Executive order, the elec- 
tion of Lieut. Commander Richardson Clover as secretary, and the ap- 
pointment of Messrs. Henry Gannett, Richardson Clover, and H. G. 
Ogden as executive committee. 
WORK DONE. 
The necessity of this Board has already been amply demonstrated. 
During this, its first year, there have been submitted to it more than 
2,000 questions and decisions have been rendered in nearly all of these 
cases. Shortly after it was organized it was called upon to render de- 
cisions concerning several hundred names in Alaska, where the utmost 
confusion exists regarding geographic names. In this region the diffi- 
culties of transliteration of Russian and Indian names into English 
characters are complicated by the fact that expedition after expedition 
visiting this region has assigned different sets of names to its geo- 
graphic features. The difficulties encountered in settling the questions 
submitted relative to Alaskan names made it apparent that nothing 
short of a complete revision of the geographic nomenclature of Alaska 
would be satisfactory. Accordingly the Board, having decided the 
cases submitted to it, is now engaged in making such a revision, the 
result of which will be to furnish a geographic dictionary of the Ter- 
ritory. 
The Lighthouse Board and the Coast and Geodetic Survey have sub- 
mitted to this Hoard all cases occurring in the light lists concerning 
which there is a difference in usage or opportunity for improvement. 
These questions have been discussed ami decided, and the decisions go 
far toward settling the nomenclature of the coast and lake shores. 
The Census Office has submitted to tin- Board all cases of difference 
of usage in county and township names, and the names of corporate 
towns, cities, etc., and all these questions, numbering fully 1. 000, have 
been decided after suitable investigation. In connection with this 
work the Board has made certain minor, but widespread changes in 
nomenclature, which are expressed in principles 5 to 10, inclusive. (See 
page 8.) As a part of this work the Board has, after examination and 
the decision of all disputed cases, approved a certain form of spelling 
of the names of the counties of the United States. 
ORIGIN OF AND CHANGES IN NAMES. 
With the exception of the names of political subdivisions, geographic 
names in this country have not, as a rule, been bestowed by any formal 
authority. The names of natural features, rivers, lakes, mountains. 
capes, etc., and of unchartered bodies of population, have received their 
names originally from explorers, surveyors, and early settlers, and these 
names have been perpetuated by common consent. Tin 1 mimes of states, 
counties, and municipalities of all classes, on the other hand, have been 
applied either by legislative enactment or charter, and therefore possess 
some degree of formal authority. 
