THE A L B A N Y IN STIT TE U . The origin of the Albany In stitute dates back , through other organizations of w hich it is the legitimate 1 91 successor , to the year 7 . “ N e w Y The Society , in stituted in the State of ork , c M for the Promotion of Agri ulture , Arts an d an u ‘ w as 1 91 factures formed in February , 7 , at the city of N e w Y ork , then the seat of govern ment of this state , w as M 12 th an d incorporated by the Legislature , arch , 1793 . w Of this body , Robert Robert Livingston ( ell kno w n as on e of the committee appointed to draft the D eclaration of Independen ce , first Chancellor of the & N e w Y M Court of Chancery of the State of ork , inister a w as Plenipotentiary to Fr nce , designated in the a re g et of incorporation as the first president , an d so 1804 w d until the year , hen the act expired by its ow n . l limitation In eight years , this Society pub ished a quarto volume of Transactions , in four succes 1 . sive parts , an d also an octavo edition of same . The <2 s oci ey w as then rein corporated under the title of The & U an ac t for the Promotion of seful Arts , by of (“Society c e 2 180 4 w i Legislature , passed April , , hich also con sti t d M r . n \ u te . Livingston its first president Of the labo s S N e w ociety, instituted in the state of York , for the promotion of a ri cu l t u re f . (b g , arts and manu actures Transactions of the part I , II , N 1 1 IV . , . Published by order of the society 2 4 N e w 1792 1794 1798 1799 . xv 12 2 xl v 2 30 York , , ; Albany , , , pp , , , , 1 0 410 1111 12 9 178. 1 . , . vi , In vol 1801 . 418 8vo . The same . The second edition revised . Albany , , p p , Some articles found in the first edi tion are omitted in the second . 4 of this Society , it is enough to say that three octavo m vol umes , ainly composed of communications read at 1 w its sessions , ere published ; that it exerted a most favorable infl uence upon agriculture ; and that it w as for five years the organ of the state in distributing pre m i u m s fo r i mprovements in domestic manufactures . m w The premiu specimens of domestic oolens , mounted in five folio scrap books , are still preserved in the In stitute library . The Al bany Lyceum of N atural History w as o r ani z e d 182 8 g early in , under the presidency of Stephen Van r w as l Rensselae , and incorporated by the Legis a i ture on the 2 3 d day of April in that year . Direct ng its labors to the advancement of a kno w ledge of the n atural sciences , it su cceeded in forming a museum m t h e u e bracing collections in vario s branches , espe c ial l l m ae w y geo og y, ineralogy and pal ontology , hich w ere for a t ime regarded as the most extensive an d valuable in the country . Circumstances induced a majority of the members of the t w o l atter societies to believe that the objects for w hich they h ad been i n corporated w ould be pro m Ma moted by utual cooperation ; and accordingly , in y , 182 4 w , articles of association ere agreed to , providing n “ & for the orga ization of The Albany Institute . The s u bstance of these articles is embodied in the charter th 1 2 ‘ 2 8 9 . granted by the Legislature , February 7 , It appears from the above that the Albany Institute is the legitimate successor of the pion eer series of asso ciatio ns formed and incorporated w ithin this state for the promotion of science . Its membership has i n 1 Society for the promotion of useful arts in the state o f N e w York . 2 3 4 : 1 2 . 1807 1814 1816 1 1 Transactions, vol , , parts , Albany , , , 8 9 . 3 s 8vo . u 1 vol , Vol me is under the first title of the society above . 5 ‘ cluded many person s of distinction as scholars , and also i n professional and civil life . Its standard publica Transactions t w o tions are eight volumes of , volumes Proceedi n s Field M eetin s o of g , an d a volume entitled g f 1 the Albany I nstitu te . The charters of the first three of these societies are VI Transactions w printed in vol . of the Institute , hich also contains th e first edition of the M anual of the n a n e w I stitute , prep red in A edition of the M anual n is fur ished in the present publication . A printed copy of the “First Ann ual Report of the J 1 Albany Institute , presented uly , eight pages 2 1 N . 0 octavo , is preserved in Pamphlet volume o , of the Institute Library . For a n umber of years subsequent to the organiza ti on' of l w the In stitute , the severa departments ere ac customed to hold regular meetings for the tran saction u w of their appropriate business , d ring hich period n e w 1 Al 1 . 830 . Transactions of the Albany Institute bany , Part I , pp . 4 — 7 6 . v11 2 50 . 1833 52 , Part II , appendix pp , plates Vol II , , pp . viii , a 1 4 . 855 35 . 8 4 . 54 . plates Vol III , Catalog ue of the Libr ry , pp vii , — VO 4 . v i 32 3 . V 1 I V 1 58 6 L 867 . 8 3 2 7 6 Vol , , p p i i , , , pp v , , plates . VI I . 1 . V I 1870 . 382 . 35 , 3 . V 1876 Vol , , p p iv , Vol , pp iv , plates Vol III, , 307 . 8 . 8vo . pp . v , vols , f 1865 Proceeding s of the Albany Institute , rom March , to Sept . , 4 ct 1 00 . O . 872 . 1 1872 . 877 . Vol I , pp Vol II , , to Dec , Albany , ' 1873 1878 2 s 8vc . , , vol , — 1870 75 . 1876 Field Meeting s of the Albany Institute , Albany, , 150 8vo . pp . , This record o f the field meeting s is also included in the vol umes of Pr oceedi n s . g , in continuous pag ing Manual of the Alban y Institute Prepared u nder the order of the M 1 70 ns 8 . I titute , arch , , by Daniel J Pratt , Recording Secretary , 4 o 1870 . 8 8v . Albany , pp , M of N E 1 . e w 878 . 1 o 9 8v . anual the Albany Institute dition , , pp , 6 correspon ding an d resident members w ere added to the Institute only by virtue of election to some on e of M . w these departments ore recently , hile the organi z ation of the d ep artm ents has been preserved in ao c o rd ance w ith the provisions of the charter , the proceedings have been almost w holly conducted by the t and n e w In s itute at large , members have not gene n d th e rally bee elected to , or classifie among various & d epartments . Classes in the Several Departments 2 1st b - l aw have been constituted as provided by the y , and several reports have from time to time been made by some of these classes . E THE BANY IN E CHART R OF AL STITUT . A N A CT to incor orate the Alban Institute p y . Passed Feb r 2 1 2 9 4 ru a 8 . 3 . y 7 , Chap WHEREAS the Society for the Promotion of Useful N Arts , and the Albany Lyceu m of atural History , have agreed to articles of association , for the purpose of forming an Institution for the promotion of Science & and Literature , to be called The Albany Institute . f There ore , The Peo le o the State o N ew York re resente p f f , p d in S enate and Assembl d o enact as ollow s y , f All h of 1 . such persons as s all at the time the pas of sage this act , be members of the said Society for U “ the Promotion of seful Arts , or of the Albany N & Lyceum of atural History , and such other persons as shall from time to time become members of the same , or of th e third department herein after men tion ed , shall be and are hereby constituted a body “ corporate and p olitic , by the name of The Albany & Institute ; and the an nual income of the real and person al estate w hich the said corporation is au th o riz e d l d . to ho , shall not exceed ten thousand dollars 2 § . The said corporation shall consist of three de artm ent s : l p , viz First , the department of Physica Sciences an d the Arts : Second , the department of N atural History , and , Third , the department of His “ tory and G eneral Literature . The Society for the 8 U Promotion of seful Arts , as at present consti t ut e d , shall be the First Department The Albany N & Lyceum of atural History , as at present constituted , the Second Department ; an d a Society for the promo tion of History and G eneral Literature sh all be formed as w soon as may be , hich shall be th e Third Depart ment : but until such society shall be formed an d duly organized , the said corporation shall consist and be formed of the aforesaid First and Second Depart ments .