ence, inviting the members of the Association to visit the Hall of the Academy during their stay in Philadelphia.

Which I have the honour to transmit.

Very respectfully,

WM. GAMBEL, M. D.,
Recording Sec'ry.

Prof. JAMES B. ROGERS, on behalf of the Local Committee, presented the following letter:

University of Pennsylvania, Sept. 5, 1848.

Dear Sir,-At a meeting of the Board of Trustees of the University of Pennsylvania, held this evening, I was instructed to tender the use of the college hall to the American Association of Geologists and Scientific Men, about to assemble in this city.

Will you be good enough to see the Provost upon the subject, and make such arrangements with him as will suit the Association and' the college?

Very truly yours,

GEORGE EMLEN, JR.,

Sec. of the Board of Trustees.

DR. JAMES B. ROGERS.

Prof. ROGERS then stated that the above invitation had been accepted, and that accommodations for the meetings had been provided at the Hall of the University in Ninth street. WM. C. REDFIELD, Esq., offered a resolution, inviting the members of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia to attend the sittings of the Convention, which was unanimously adopted.

PETER A. BROWNE, Esq., submitted a resolution, that the members, as a mark of respect for the memory of their late associate, Lardner Vanuxem, Esq., deceased since the last meeting, should wear crape on the left arm during the present session.

Dr. HARE would heartily concur in any suitable testimonials of respect to the excellent and estimable deceased member, but objected to the proposal of wearing crape, and suggested the possibility that before the close of the session the decease of other members might be brought to the notice of the Association. On his motion, seconded by Prof. J. B. Rogers and concurred in by Mr. Browne, the resolution was postponed for the present, and referred to the Standing Committee.

Prof. J. B. ROGERS stated that, in addition to the invitation from the

Trustees of the University of Pennsylvania, a similar invitation had been received from the Trustees of the Jefferson Medical College, to hold the meetings of the Association in their hall, when, on motion of PETER A. BROWNE, Esq., it was

Resolved, That the thanks of this Association be tendered to the Trustees of the University of Pennsylvania, and of the Jefferson Medical College, for their kind offers of accommodation.

The Association then took a recess till 12 o'clock, in order to allow the Standing Committee time to prepare for a future division of the body into Sections, and to attend to other duties enjoined by the existing rules..

12 o'clock, M., September 20.

The first business, on re-assembling, was to have the reading of the draft of "Objects and Rules of the Association, prepared in obedience to a resolution passed last year at the meeting in Boston."

The draft was read, and its provisions explained by the chairman. The question of adopting the rules now submitted, for the permanent organization and government of the Association, was then put, and carried unanimously in the affirmative, as follows::

OBJECTS AND RULES OF THE ASSOCIATION.

OBJECTS.

The Society shall be called the "American Association for the Advancement of Science." The objects of the Association are, by periodical and migratory meetings, to promote intercourse between those who are cultivating science in different parts of the United States; to give a stronger and more general impulse, and a more systematic direction to scientific research in our country; and to procure for the labours of scientific men, increased facilities and a wider usefulness.

RULES.
Members.

RULE 1. Those persons, whose names have already been enrolled in the published proceedings of the Association, and all those who have been invited to attend the meetings, shall be considered members on subscribing to these rules.

RULE 2. Members of scientific societies, or learned bodies, having in view any of the objects of this Society, and publishing transactions, shall likewise be considered members on subscribing to these rules.

RULE 3. The Collegiate Professors of Natural History, Physics, Chemistry, Mathematics and Political Economy, and of the Theoretical and applied Sciences generally; also Civil Engineers and Architects, who have been employed in the construction or superintendence of public works, may become members on subscribing to these rules.

RULE 4. Persons not embraced in the above provisions, may become members of the Association, upon nomination by the Standing Committee, and by a majority of the members present.

Officers.

RULE 5. The Officers of the Association shall be a President, a Secretary, and a Treasurer, who shall be elected at each Annual Meeting, for the meeting of the ensuing year.

Meetings.

RULE 6. The Association shall meet annually, for one week or longer, the time and place of each meeting being determined by a vote of the Association at the previous meeting; and the arrangements for it shall be intrusted to the Officers and the Local Committee.

Standing Committee.

RULE 7. There shall be a Standing Committee, to consist of the President, Secretary and Treasurer of the Association, the Officers of the preceding year, the Chairman and Secretaries of the Sections, after these shall have been organized, and six other members present, who shall have attended any of the previous meetings, to be elected by ballot.

RULE 8. The Committee, whose duty it shall be to manage the general business of the Association, shall sit during the meeting, and at any time in the interval between it and the next meeting, as the interests of the Association may require. It shall also be the duty of this Committee to nominate the General Officers of the Association for the following year, and persons for admission to membership.

Sections.

RULE 9. The Standing Committee shall organize the Society into Sections, permitting the number and scope of these Sections to vary, in conformity to the wishes and the scientific business of the Association.

RULE 10. It shall be the duty of the Standing Committee, if at

B

any time two or more Sections, induced by a deficiency of scientific communications, or by other reasons, request to be united into one; or if at any time a single Section, overloaded with business, asks to be subdivided, to effect the change, and, generally, to readjust the subdivisions of the Association, whenever, upon due representation, it promises to expedite the proceedings, and advance the purposes of the meeting.

Sectional Committees and Officers.

RULE 11. Each Section shall appoint its own Chairman and Secretary of the Meeting, and it shall likewise have a Standing Committee, of such size as the Section may prefer. The Secretaries of the Sections may appoint assistants, whenever, in the discharge of their duties, it becomes expedient.

RULE 12. It shall be the duty of the Standing Committee of each Section, assisted by the Chairman, to arrange and direct the proceedings in their Section, to ascertain what written and oral communications are offered, and for the better forwarding the business, to assign the order in which these communications shall appear, and the amount of time which each shall occupy; and it shall be the duty of the Chairman to enforce these decisions of the Committee.

These Sectional Committees shall likewise recommend subjects for systematic investigation, by members willing to undertake the researches, and present their results at the next Annual Meeting.

The Committees shall likewise recommend Reports on particular topics and departments of science, to be drawn up as occasion permits, by competent persons, and presented at subsequent Annual Meetings.

Reports of Proceedings.

RULE 13. Whenever practicable, the proceedings shall be reported by professional reporters or stenographers, whose reports are to be revised by the Secretaries before they appear in print.

RULE 14. The author of any paper or communication shall be at liberty to retain his right of property therein, provided he declares such to be his wish before presenting it to the Society.

General and Evening Meetings.

RULE 15. At least three evenings in the week shall be reserved for General Meetings of the Association, and the Standing Committee

shall appoint these and any other General Meetings which the objects and interests of the Association may call for.

These General Meetings may, when convened for that purpose, give their attention to any topics of science which would otherwise come before the Sections, and thus all the Sections may, for a longer or shorter time, reunite themselves to hear and consider any communications, or transact any business.

It shall be a part of the business of these General Meetings to receive the Address of the President of the last Annual Meeting, to hear such reports on scientific subjects as, from their general importance and interest, the Standing Committee shall select; also, to receive from the Chairmen of the Sections abstracts of the proceedings of their respective Sections, and to listen to communications and lectures explanatory of new and important discoveries and researches in science, and new inventions and processes in the arts.

Order of Proceedings in Organizing a Meeting.

RULE 16. The Association shall be organized by the President of the preceding Annual Meeting: the question of the most eligible distribution of the Society into Sections shall then occupy the attention of the Association, when, a sufficient expression of opinion being procured, the meeting may adjourn, and the Standing Committee shall immediately proceed to divide the Association into Sections, and to allot to the Sections their general places of meeting. The Sections may then organize by electing their officers, and proceed to transact scientific and other business.

Local Committee.

RULE 17. The Standing Committee shall appoint a Local Committee from among members residing at or near the place of meeting, for the ensuing year; and it shall be the duty of the Local Committee, assisted by the officers, to make arrangements for the meeting.

Subscriptions.

RULE 18. The amount of the Annual Subscription of each member of the Association shall be one dollar, which shall entitle him to a copy of the proceedings of each meeting. The members attending an Annual Meeting shall pay, on registering their names, an additional assessment of dollars. These subscriptions to be received by the Treasurer or Secretary.