(American Naturalist Extra, May, 1886.)

EDITORS' TABLE.

EDITORS: A. S. PACKARD AND E. D. COPE.

— In our issue of June of last year we referred to certain conditions of membership of the National Academy of Sciences in the following terms: "In the interval between the annual meetings of 1884 and '85 two members of a committee appointed to investigate a question affecting one of the bureaus of which they themselves are employees, were requested to resign from the committee by the chief of the bureau in question. This was in obedience to the rule that a department of the Government can not be criticized by its subordinates. It requires no argument to show that if this rule be carried out with reference to the Academy of Sciences, its usefulness as an independent body is at an end. There is also another danger which flows directly from the same or a similar attitude on the part of heads of bureaus. These gentlemen by filling up the academy with their employees can obtain practical control of its decisions. This would be immensely convenient to them under various circumstances, but it would introduce an element of corruption into the academy from which it has been hitherto happily free, and which would deprive it of the respect and confidence of the country."

In the case first cited the bureau's action would indicate an apprehension of hostile criticism, perhaps judging from the characters of its employees who had been appointed to investigate. In the latter case reference was made to a case where the bureau concerned did not ask its employees to resign, since it evidently did not fear any adverse report as a result of their investigation. In this case two members of the committee appointed by the president of the academy to cooperate with the committee of Congress in the investigation of the scientific bureaus, were employed by one of the bureaus at high salaries. There are a good many men who, under such circumstances, would be unable to perceive any faults in the administration of their bureaus.

The position of the academy in relation to these matters is, to say the least of it, unfortunate. And the situation of its members is reduced to utter helplessness in consideration of the manner in which committees are appointed and are permitted to report. That is, they are appointed in the interval of the academy's meetings by the president alone, and make their reports without the supervision or criticism of the academy, which only hears of them at the next meeting as a matter of history! The academy is thus made responsible for any report that a committee of paid employees of a department may choose to make respecting that bureau. The situation is such that no member of the academy can wish it to continue. The reflections which the world can justly make on its position ought not to be possible.

As a remedy for this fundamental evil, we propose the following changes in the constitution of the academy:

1. Not more than one-half of the members of the National Academy shall be paid employees of the Government.

2. The president of the academy shall be selected from those members who are not paid employees of the Government.

3. Committees selected to report on the efficiency of a Government bureau, shall not embrace any employees of that bureau.

4. The committees shall be selected by the president and council, which shall also approve the reports of committees before they are sent to Congress.

5. The members of the council who are not such ex officio, shall be selected from the different classes of the academy as follows: One from the anthropological class; two from the biological; two from the physical; and one from the applied class.

6. The membership of the academy shall be divided into four classes as follows: Anthropology, embracing philosophy, pure mathematics and anthropology in the limited sense; Biology, including the biological sciences and psychology; Physics, including astronomy, physics, chemistry and geology, without palaeontology; and Applied science. The proportion of membership of each should be .15 p. c., .35 p. c., .35 p. c., and .15 p. c.

7. The members of the academy should be salaried, $1000 per annum for members; $1500 for members of the council, and $5000 for the president.

PRINTED APRIL 15, 1886.

NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES.

A scientific session of the Academy will be held in Boston, at the Institute of Technology, on Tuesday, November 9th, 1886, at 12 o'clock M.

The Council will meet at 11 A. M.

Members are requested to send the titles of their papers to General Francis A. Walker, Institute of Technology, Boston, Mass., before November 8th.

A call for a special stated session of the Academy, on Wednesday, November 10th, is appended to this notice.

A. HALL,
Home Secretary.

WASHINGTON,
1886, October 7th.

SPECIAL STATED SESSION.

A special stated session of the National Academy of Sciences is called for Wednesday, November 10th, 1886, in the city of Boston, to consider the President's Annual Report to Congress. (Article V, Section 6 of the Constitution.)

By direction of the Council.

A. HALL,
Home Secretary.

1886, October 7th.