CONSTITUTION.

ARTICLE I. This Society shall be named "THE NATIONAL INSTITUTION FOR THE PROMOTION OF SCIENCE.

ARTICLE II. It shall hold its meetings at the City of Washington.

ARTICLE III. It shall be composed of RESIDENT, CORRESPONDING, AND HONORARY MEMBERS.

ARTICLE IV. The RESIDENT members shall be persons residing in the District of Columbia; CORRESPONDING members shall be persons residing out of the District of Columbia, who wish to aid the institution by their contributions or communications; and the class of HONORARY members shall be composed of eminent men residing out of the District of Columbia.

ARTICLE V. Resident members removing from the District of Columbia shall, on request, be transferred to the list of corresponding members, and vice versa.

ARTICLE VI. The OFFICERS OF the InstitutiON shall consist of two Directors, a Treasurer, Corresponding and Recording Secretaries, and five Councillors.

ARTICLE VII. The Officers shall constitute a Board of MANAGEMENT of the fiscal concerns of the Institution; and any five members of the Board shall be a quorum for the transaction of ordinary business.

ARTICLE VIII. The SECRETARIES OF WAR AND THE NAVY, for the time being, shall, with their consent, BE DIRECTORS; but, upon the refusal of one or both of them to accede to the request of the Institution, such Director or Directors shall be chosen in the same manner as is herein provided for the appointment of other officers. The other officers shall be elected for the term of one year, or until their successors shall be ap

pointed, from among the Resident members of the Institution. This election shall take place at the ANNUAL MEETING; and each member of the Institution who is duly qualified, and shall be present at such meeting, shall have a vote in said election. ARTICLE IX. The ANNUAL MEETING shall be held on the first Monday in each year, or as soon thereafter as may be 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.

ARTICLE X. One of the Directors, or, in his or their absence, the senior member of the Council present, shall PRESIDE at all meetings of the Institution. If neither of these members shall be present, the meeting shall elect its own chairman.

ARTICLE XI. The election of members shall be by ballot; all candidates for membership shall be balloted for by the Institution, on the nomination of a member to the Council, and of the Council to the Society.

ARTICLE XII. RESIDENT members shall, on admission, subscribe the Constitution of the Institution, and pay to the Treasurer five dollars each, and annually thereafter, on the first Monday in January, five dollars each, to aid in defraying necessary expenses, and for such other purposes as the Board of Management may direct.

ARTICLE XIII. No resident member shall vote at any stated or other meeting of the Institution, on any question whatever, who has not paid his subscription and annual dues, or who shall not have attended a meeting of the Institution within one year previous to such meeting.

ARTICLE XIV. The resident and corresponding members shall exert themselves to procure SPECIMENS OF NATURAL HISTORY, &c.; and the said specimens shall be placed in the Cabinet, under the superintendence of a Board of Curators, to be appointed by the Directors. All such specimens, &c., unless deposited specially, shall remain in the Cabinet, and, in case of the dissolution of the Institution, shall become the property of the United States.

ARTICLE XV. The RESIDENT MEMBERS of the Institution shall be divided into such DEPARTMENTS as may hereafter be

determined upon.

The members composing each department shall especially be charged with the subjects embraced therein, and communicate to the Institution the result of their inquiries; but every member shall have the privilege of making such communications as he may think proper on any subject connected with the designs of the institution.

ARTICLE XVI. The various collections of the Institution shall be placed in the apartments which may be designated for that purpose by the Secretaries of War and of the Navy.

ARTICLE XVII. This Constitution, with the exceptions of articles 6, 8, 10, 14, and 16, or so much thereof as relates to the office of directors, their duties, privileges, or powers, or the purposes or place of keeping of the collections of the Institution, shall be subject to alterations and additions at any meeting of the Institution, provided notice of a motion for such alteration or addition shall have been given and recorded at a preceding regular meeting; and provided further, that no alterations or amendments shall ever be made in the above-referred to articles, without the consent of both the Directors.

ARTICLE XVIII. A code of BY-LAWS for the regulation of the business of the Board of Management, and the annual and other meetings of the Institution, and for matters relating to non-attendance, privileges, duties of officers, &c., shall be prepared by a committee to be appointed for that purpose.

ARTICLE XIX. All persons present at the adoption of this Constitution shall, if desirous of becoming members of the Institution, sign the same as evidence of such desire, and in proof of such membership; and all members subsequently admitted shall sign the same at the first meeting of the Society which they may attend after such admission.