Atwater, Bradford, Hawks, Gibbs, Mayer, Dr.Morton, Pickering, Stephens, Ewbank, and Squier were also, either in the beginning or soon after, members of this select and learned institution, of which Mr.Gallatin was the central figure.

One of its members said in 1871, 'Mr.Gallatin's house was the true seat of the society, and Mr.Gallatin himself its controlling spirit.

His name gave it character, and from his purse mainly was defrayed the cost of the two volumes of the "Transactions" which constitute about the only claim the society possesses to the respect of the scientific world.' To the first of these volumes, published in 1845, Mr.Gallatin contributed an "Essay on the semi-civilized nations of Mexico and Central America, embracing elaborate notes on their languages, numeration, calendars, history, and chronology, and an inquiry into the probable origin of their semi-civilization." In this he included all existing certain knowledge of the languages, history, astronomy, and progress in art of these peoples.

A copy of this work he sent to General Scott, then in the city of Mexico after his triumphant campaign, inclosing a memorandum which he urged the general to hand to civilians attached to the army.

This was a request to purchase books, copies of documents, printed grammars, and vocabularies of the Mexican languages, and he authorized the general to spend four hundred dollars in this purpose on his account.