ERRATA.

Page 25. for alternation' read "alternations.'

"29. for 'jealously' read "jealousy."

66

Ib. instead of for purposes' read "for the purposes."

66 48. Notes, for Chretaws' read "Choctaws."

CONSTITUTION

OF THE

HISTORICAL SOCIETY

OF

PENNSYLVANIA.

PREAMBLE.

To collect and preserve the evidences of its own history from the earliest date, is both the duty and interest of every political society, whether its progress has been prosperous or disastrous; and to ascertain and develope the natural resources of a state, to investigate its climate, soil, progress of population and other statistical points are objects equally worthy of attention, and which demand and deserve the united efforts of all who are desirous to honour the character and advance the prosperity of their commonwealth.

Impressed with these considerations, desirous of repairing as far as possible the injuries which the early history of PENNSYLVANIA has sustained by reason of the inattention of our predecessors, and beleiving that there is much to interest and some

thing to instruct in the transactions of those days, when an honest, virtuous, and pious people, relinquishing their early possessions and enjoyments, laid in a wild and uncultivated country, the foundations of a State, now eminently great, successful and happy, we whose names are hereunto subjoined have united ourselves into a society, for the purpose of elucidating the civil, literary, and natural history of PENNSYLVANIA, and have adopted for our government the following

CONSTITUTION.

ARTICLE I.This Association shall be denominated "The Historical Society of Pennsylvania." ARTICLE II.-The object of the society shall be the elucidation of the natural, civil, and literary history of this state.

ARTICLE III.-The society shall be composed of-1st. Contributing members.-2d. Corresponding members.-3d. Honorary members.

The first class shall consist of persons residing in the city of Philadelphia, or the state of Pennsylvania, within ten miles of the city.

The second class of persons residing in any other part of Pennsylvania.

The third class of persons residing in any part of America or elsewhere, and females may be admitted into it. No person shall be eligible in the first or second class, unless he be a native of Pennsylvania, or shall have been domiciliated there for the space of ten years.

ARTICLE IV.-The officers of the society, who shall be annually chosen, shall be a President, four Vice Presidents, two of whom shall be inhabitants of the City or County of Philadelphia, a Treasurer, a Corresponding Secretary, a Recording Secretary, and a Curator.

ARTICLE V.-There shall also be annually elected a Council, to consist of thirteen members, besides the above named officers, who shall be ex officio members of the Council. Seven members shall constitute a quorum. It shall be the duty of the Council to receive donations made to the Society, and to take suitable care of the books, and other property, to superintend the correspondence of the Society, to digest and prepare business, and to execute such other duties, as may from time to time be committed to them by the Society. They shall have power to make rules for their own goverment in their meetings. They shall meet at least once a month and may adjourn to shorter periods. At every quarterly meeting of the Society they shall make a report of the acquisitions and transactions of the preceding quarter. At the meetings of the Council, the contributing members shall be at liberty to attend, and may propose any matters for consideration, but shall not be entitled to vote. The Council may be specially convened at any time by the President, or one of the Vice Presidents.

ARTICLE VI.-The Society shall meet quarterly, to wit, on the first Monday of February, May, August and November; but the President, or in

his absence, either of the Vice Presidents may call a special meeting, on giving three days notice thereof, in at least two of the daily Newspapers published in Philadelphia. The election of Officers and of the Council, shall take place at the quarterly meeting in February, and shall be decided by a majority of ballots. The Society may adjourn from time to time. An annual discourse shall be delivered by one of the members, who shall be appointed for that purpose by the Council; and dissertations, connected with the general objects of the Society, may be read by any of the members at any of its meetings. When the annual discourse is delivered, strangers may be admitted. The Society may, from time to time, appoint special committees for the purpose of investigating particular subjects, who shall report to the Council, which latter shall select such parts thereof as they may deem expedient to lay before the Society.

ARTICLE VII.-The Council shall have power to elect contributing, corresponding, and honorary members of the Society; but all such elections shall be by ballot, and three negative votes shall prevent the election of any candidate.

ARTICLE VIII.-This Constitution may be amended at any quarterly meeting of the Society, provided that a notice of the intended amendment shall have been given, and entered on the journals of the Society at a preceding quarterly meeting.