V. It shall be the duty of the Standing Committee to solicit and receive donations for the Society; to recommend plans for promoting its objects; 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 meet once at least in every three months; and at each annual meeting they shall make a report to the Society of the principal acquisitions and transactions of the preceding year. VI. All members (honorary members excepted, with whom it shall be optional) shall pay, on admission, the sum of ten dollars, and an additional sum of two dollars annually, or the sum of thirty five dollars as a commutation for the annual payment. VII. The Society shall meet quarterly, to wit, on the second Tuesdays in January, April, July, and October; but the President, or, in his absence, either of the Vice-Presidents, may call a special meeting, on giving eight days' notice thereof, to be published in at least two public newspapers printed in the city of New-York. The election of officers shall be at the meeting on the second Tuesday in January, and by a majority of ballots. VIII. The admission of members shall be by ballot; and there shall be a previous nomination of the persons at the last preceding quarterly meeting. IX. The constitution may be amended, from time to time, as the Society shall deem proper; but a motion for an amendment shall not be received unless a notice thereof shall have been given, and entered on the journals of the Society at the last preceding quarterly meeting. BY-LAWS OF THE NEW-YORK HISTORICAL SOCIETY. I. FIVE members shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of business; but no alteration of the constitution, or addition thereto, shall be made, nor any member elected, unless nine members at least be present, and two-thirds of them vote for the same. II. It shall be the duty of the President, or, in his absence, of either of the Vice-Presidents, or in the absence of the President and Vice-Presidents, then of the Chairman or some member of the Standing Committee, to preside at all meetings of the Society, to regulate the debates, and to preserve order and decorum; and in case an equal number of votes shall be given on the affirmative and negative of any question, the presiding officer shall have a casting vote. III. The Recording Secretary shall have the custody of the constitution, by-laws, records, and papers of the Society. He shall, under the direction of the President or Vice-Presidents, give due notice of the time and place of all meetings of the Society, and attend the same; and as soon as the President or other presiding officer shall have taken the chair, he shall read the minutes of the preceding meeting, and shall keep fair and accurate records of all the orders and proceedings of the Society. In the absence of the Recording Secretary, his duty shall be performed by the Corresponding Secretary. The Corresponding Secretary shall have the custody of all letters and communications of the So-. * ciety; he shall attend all meetings, and read such letters and communications as he may have received: he shall prepare all letters to be written in the name of the Society, to any person or persons, to be approved of by the Society, and signed by the President; but the Society may, if they think proper, appoint a special committee to draw up any letter. He shall keep, in suitable books to be provided for that purpose, true copies of all letters written in the name of the Society, and preserve the originals of all letters and communications received. In the absence, sickness, or other inability of the Corresponding Secretary, his duties shall be performed by the Recording Secretary. IV. The Treasurer shall receive and keep all sums of money due and payable, and all donations and bequests of money or other property made to the Society. He shall pay all such sums as the Society shall direct, to the order of the President or presiding officer of the Society, and such sums as the Standing Committee may be authorized to draw for the ordinary expenses of the Society. He shall keep a true and faithful account of all moneys received and paid by him, and once in every year render a particular statement of the same to the Society, who may appoint a committee of three members to examine and audit the accounts of the Treasurer. V. The person first named on the Standing Committee shall be the Chairman, and the person last named the Secretary of the Committee. It shall be the duty of the Chairman to give notice to the members of the Committee of the time and place of meeting, and to call special meetings of the Committee whenever it may be requisite. It shall be the duty of the Secretary to keep accurate minutes, in a book, to be provided for that purpose, of all the proceedings of the Committee, and, under the direction of the Chairman, to prepare all reports to the Society, to be approved by a majority of the Committee. They shall regulate and pay all the ordinary expenses of the Society, and shall have power to draw on the Treasurer for that purpose; such orders to be signed by the Chairman and Secretary, or, in the absence of the Chairman, by the senior member of the Committee. They shall, when required, assist the Librarian and Keeper of the Cabinet, in the arrangement of the books, papers, manuscripts, and articles belonging to the library and cabinet; and shall, once a year at least, inspect the state of the library and cabinet, and report the same to the Society. VI. All donations of books, pamphlets, manuscripts, and articles of curiosity, made to the Society, shall be received with thanks, and entered in the books of the Standing Committee, with the names of the donors, and a report thereof be made at the next meeting of the Society. VII. The Librarian shall also be the Keeper of the Cabinet until the Society think proper to appoint another person to that office; he shall carefully keep and preserve, in suitable cases to be provided for that purpose, or in such manner as the Standing Committee may direct, all the books, pamphlets, manuscripts, and articles belonging to the Society. All pamphlets, except duplicates, shall be bound in volumes, and all the books shall be numbered by a label on the outside, and on the title-page of each volume shall be written the number, and the words, "The property of the Historical Society." All manuscripts to be marked and numbered, and kept in cases to be numbered, and the contents marked on the outside. Every member taking any book or manuscript out of the library, shall give a receipt for the same in a book to be provided for that purpose; which receipt shall contain a promise to return the book within three months, and to make good all damages which the book may suffer in the mean time; and in case the book shall not be returned within the time specified, that he will replace the same, if it can be obtained, or deliver to the Librarian such book or books as in the opinion of the Standing Committee shall be of equal value, or pay the value thereof in money; but the Standing Committee may direct the Librarian not to lend such particular books and manuscripts as are of great rarity or value. No book or manuscript shall be lent to any person but a member of the Society; and if any other person is desirous to have the use of any book or manuscript, application must be made in his behalf to the Librarian, by one of the members, who shall give a receipt for such book or manuscript, expressing the name and place of abode of the person to whom the same is lent, and engaging for the return of it within three months, and to be accountable for the damage or loss thereof. TO THE PUBLIC. THE ADDRESS OF THE NEW-YORK HISTORICAL SOCIETY. HAVING formed an association, for the purpose of discovering, procuring, and preserving whatever may relate to the natural, civil, literary, and ecclesiastical history of our country, and particularly of the State of New-York, we solicit the aid of the liberal, patriotic, and learned, to promote the objects of our institution. The utility of societies for the advancement of science, has been so fully proved by the experience of the most enlightened nations of Europe, and by that of our own country, that there can be no need, at this time, of any formal arguments in support of their claim |