GARDINER G. HUBBARD, J. W. POWELL, C. E. DUTTON, HENRY GANNETT, O. H. TITTMAN, A. H. THOMPSON, J. HOWARD GORE, A. W. GREELY, C. HART MERRIAM, HENRY MITCHELL, J. R. BARTLETT, GEORGE KENNAN, ROGERS BIRNIE, JR., MARCUS BAKER, GILBERT THOMPSON, and upon the same day the first meeting of the society was held in the Assembly hall of the Cosmos club, when it was organized by the election of the following list of officers and the adoption of the by-laws: _President_, GARDINER G. HUBBARD; _Vice-Presidents_, HERBERT G. OGDEN, A. W. GREELY, J. R. BARTLETT, C. HART MERRIAM, A. H. THOMPSON; _Treasurer_, CHARLES J. BELL; _Recording Secretary_, HENRY GANNETT; _Corresponding Secretary_, GEORGE KENNAN; _Managers_, CLEVELAND ABBE, W. D. JOHNSON, MARCUS BAKER, HENRY MITCHELL, ROGERS BIRNIE, JR., W. B. POWELL, G. BROWN GOODE, JAMES C. WELLING. The number of members who joined the society at its organization was 165. Since that date 45 have been elected to membership. The society has lost one member by death during the year, Mr. James Stevenson. The present number of members is 209. The society has held 14 meetings, 13 of which have been devoted to the presentation of papers. It has published the first number of a magazine, copies of which have been distributed to the members of the society, to others interested in geography and to the geographic societies throughout the world for purposes of exchange. The society has also undertaken the preparation of a Physical Atlas of the United States, upon which some progress has been made. Very respectfully submitted, HENRY GANNETT, GEORGE KENNAN, Secretaries. Washington, D. C., December 28, 1888. NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC SOCIETY. CERTIFICATE OF INCORPORATION. This is to Certify that we whose names are hereunto subscribed, citizens of the United States, and a majority of whom are citizens of the District of Columbia, have associated ourselves together pursuant to the provisions of the Revised Statutes of the United States relating to the District of Columbia, and of an act of Congress entitled: "An Act to amend the Revised Statutes of the United States relating to the District of Columbia and for other purposes," approved April 23, 1884, as a Society and body corporate, to be known by the corporate name of the National Geographic Society, and to continue for the term of one hundred years. The particular objects and business of this Society are: to increase and diffuse geographic knowledge; to publish the transactions of the Society; to publish a periodical magazine, and other works relating to the science of geography; to dispose of such publications by sale or otherwise and to acquire a library, under the restrictions and regulations to be established in its By-Laws.