are among the most valuable contents of the volumes of the Academy's Memoirs, the Fellows of the Academy, as members of the community, lament the loss of a friend and fellow-citizen, whose services were of the highest value in the active walks of life;-whose entire influence was given to the cause of good principles;-whose life was a uniform exhibition of the loftiest virtues;—and who, with a firmness and energy which nothing could shake or subdue, devoted himself to the most arduous and important duties, and made the profoundest researches of science subservient to the practical business of life.

Resolved, That the Fellows of the Academy deeply sympathize with the family of their late President in the loss of a faithful, affectionate, and revered parent, and that the officers of the Academy be requested to address to them a letter of respectful condolence.

Resolved, That the officers of the Academy be a committee to procure a bust in marble of the late President, to be placed in the hall of the Academy, and to adopt and carry into execution such other measures as they may deem expedient, in honor of the memory of one, who among living men of science has left few equals.

Resolved, That an attested copy of these resolutions be transmitted by the Corresponding Secretary to the family of the deceased, and to the various learned Societies in Europe and America of which he was a member, and that they be furnished for publication in the papers of the city.

A true copy of record.—Attest,

DANIEL TREADWELL,

Recording Secretary.

Boston, March 21, 1838.

HARVARD UNIVERSITY.

At a special meeting of the President and Fellows of Harvard College, held on the 20th of March, 1838, the following preamble and votes were unanimously adopted :

This Board having been informed of the death, on the 16th

instant, of the Hon. NATHANIEL BOWDITCH, LL. D., a Fellow of this College, it was thereupon unanimously

Voted, That this Corporation, in common with the friends of science and religion, in this and every land, in which his attainments and virtues were known, lament the loss the world has sustained by the death of one, not more eminent as a philosopher, than honored as a citizen, and beloved as a man ; who fulfilled the duties of a public and private life with an assiduity, an exactness, a fidelity and a felicity seldom equalled, and never excelled; and who, by combining great simplicity of manners and singleness of purpose, with an integrity, through life, without blemish and without stain, so acquired the confidence of his contemporaries, as to be regarded as the pillar and pride of every Society of which he was an active member; the effects of which never failed to be seen and acknowledged in its prosperity and success.

This Corporation, in common with all others which have been blessed with his counsels and labors, deem it peculiarly their duty distinctly and gratefully to acknowledge the benefits Harvard College has derived from the extraordinary endowments he possessed, and by which, in the exercise of his characteristic zeal, intelligence and faithfulness, he ever sustained and advanced al its interests.

Voted, That the President be requested to communicate this vote to the family of Dr. Bowditch.

True extract from the records.—Attest, (Signed)

JAMES WALKER, Secretary of the Corporation.

YALE COLLEGE:

At a meeting of the President, Professors and Tutors of Yale College, the following resolutions were adopted :

Resolved, That this faculty have heard, with deep concern, of the death of the Hon. NATHANIEL BOWDITCH, late of Boston; and that this painful event has bereaved not only his family, but his country and mankind; especially as he was cut off in the vigor of his faculties, in the maturity of his fame, and in the full course of his usefulness.

Resolved, That we respectfully and feelingly sympathize with the children of the illustrious deceased, whose memory, justly dear to the country which he honored, is cherished still more affectionately by those who were so happy as to call him their father.

Resolved, That a copy of the above resolutions be transmitted to the family of the late Dr. Bowditch, and that the President of the College be requested to affix to it his signature. In behalf of the Faculty,

(Signed)

JEREMIAH DAY.

THE BOSTON ATHENÆUM.

At the stated Quarterly Meeting of the Trustees of the Boston Athenæum, held April 9th, 1838, the following paper was read, accepted, and ordered to be recorded :

:

Since our last meeting, our country has, been called to mourn the death of one of its most distinguished men, the late NATHANIEL BOWDITCH.

The connection of the deceased with the Boston Athenæum was so beneficial to this institution, that the Trustees are urged alike by official duty and by private feeling to express their sense of his loss. This institution is deeply indebted to the late Dr. Bowditch for the zeal with which he labored to advance its interests. Finding it weak, he determined, in connection with several other publicspirited individuals, to make it prosper. Their appeals to the munificence of our wealthy citizens were successful, and the resources of the Athenæum were greatly increased. For several years Dr. Bowditch, continuing a member of this Board, aided in the application of the funds which he had done so much to procure, and the high rank which the scientific portion of our library enjoys among similar institutions in the United States, is in a great measure owing to his judgment and exertions.

But Dr. Bowditch has far higher claims to notice. He stood at the head of the scientific men of this country, and no man living has contributed more to his country's reputation. His fame is of the most durable kind, resting on the union of the highest genius with the most practical talent, and the application of both to the

good of his fellow-men. Every American ship crosses the ocean more safely for his labors, and the most eminent mathematicians of Europe have acknowledged him their equal in the highest walks of their science. His last great work ranks with the noblest productions of our age.

But it is not merely the benefactor of this institution, and the illustrious mathematician whose labors have given safety to commerce and reputation to his country, whom we lament. It is one whose whole life was directed to good ends, who combined the greatest energy with the kindest feelings, who was the friend of every good man and every good undertaking, the enemy of oppression, the patron of merit, the warm-hearted champion of truth and virtue. It is the companion, whose simple manners and amiable disposition put every one at ease in his presence, notwithstanding the respect which his genius inspired; and who could turn, apparently without effort, from the profoundest investigations, to take his part with the light-heartedness of a child in the mirth of the social circle. His heart was as tender as his intellect was powerful. His family found him as affectionate as he was wise; he was equally their delight and their pride. They could have no richer inheritance than his character, and nothing but such a character could afford them consolation for such a loss.

Filled with a conviction of the truth of what is here stated, the Trustees desire to express it. Therefore,

Voted, That the Trustees tender their sincere sympathy to the family of the deceased, for the loss of one as estimable in his private as in his public relations; and while they know that no adequate consolation can be afforded under such a calamity, they trust that some may be felt in the contemplation of a life so gloriously spent, and which has left such enduring monuments of excellence in every department, whether of science or of practical utility, to which it has been devoted.

Voted, That the Secretary be instructed to present a copy of the foregoing preamble and resolutions to the family of the deceased.

A true copy from the records.-Attest,

WILLIAM T. ANDREWS, Secretary.

THE LIFE OFFICE.

At a meeting of the Board of Control of the Massachusetts Hospital Life Insurance Company, held at the office of said Company, on the 19th day of March, 1838, convened in consequence of the death of the Hon. NATHANIEL BOWDITCH, a Director, and the Actuary of the Company, the following votes were unanimously adopted :

Voted, That this Board have received, with great grief, the intelligence of the death of their late respected and beloved associate, Nathaniel Bowditch. They feel that in him they individually have lost a friend, the company an officer whose services were invaluable, and the country her citizen most eminent in science. For nearly fifteen years his extraordinary powers and attainments have been successfully devoted to the service of this Company. He took an efficient part in laying the foundation of the Institution. The business for which the Corporation was created, was novel in New England; at its commencement, he accepted the responsible office of Actuary, which he continued to hold till his death. On this officer, more than any other individual, was devolved the arduous task of devising and organizing a system for conducting the affairs of the Corporation; and the Board think it not too much to say, that it is to the clearness and simplicity of the regulations then devised and adopted, and the intelligence, fidelity, and inflexible resolution with which they were adhered to and executed by the Actuary, that the Company are mainly indebted for their success, and the public confidence they now enjoy. In reviewing the long connexion of this lamented officer with the affairs of the Institution, they cannot forbear to express their conviction, that his services have preeminently contributed to its present stability and prosperity. This is not a new opinion of the Board. The annual reports of Committees, accepted by this Board in the life-time of the Actuary, bear witness to the high estimation in which they at all times held his services; and now that his work is ended, they perform a pleasing, though melancholy duty, in repeating and confirming it.

Voted, That while the members of this Board deeply lament