The last May the General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts incorporated a society under the title of The American Academy of Arts and Sciences, which formed its statutes & elected its officers the latter part of last August. The Act of incorporation, a catalogue of the present officers and the Presi-dents oration at his inauguration attend this letter. By the direction of the Academy, I have now the honor of informing your Excellency, that Janry 31st, 1781 you were elected a Member of that literary Body. The Society esteems itself dig-nified in having your name added to the catalogue; a name, so much and so deservedly celebrated, not only through your native country, but also through Europe; and it flatters itself, that it will ever have your favor and encouragement. I hope, the Philadelphia Society, for which you are particularly interested, and this in Massachusetts, will be not only an honor to the United States of America, but also of extensive utility to the public, as they cannot fail of being, if the ends of their institution are properly pursued. I have been directed by the American Academy to transmit the Act of incorporation to similar Institutions in Europe. I have sent a copy to the French Academy and to the Royal Academy of Sciences in Paris; but when I transmitted those copies, I forgot the Royal Academy of Inscriptions and Belles Letters. I have now written to Mr d Anville, chief Geographer of the King, and a member of that Academy, and have enclosed the letter with this. I should be much obliged to your Excellency to take the care of it. I have also sent copies to the Royal and Antiquarian Society and to the Society of Arts and Commerce in London. These three copies are enclosed to Dr Price. The letter to him I have committed to the care of Col. Laurens. I should esteem it a favor, if your Excellency would put the Col: in the way of conveying it with safety to London. I should have written to the Societies of Gottingen and Berlin, had I known of the sailing of the Alliance earlier. As we have a communication with Gottenburg, in the way of commerce, I shall endeavor to improve some opportunity in the Spring to send to the Societies of Stockholm and Pe-tersburgh by that route. If your Excellency's important public business will allow you leisure, I should be greatly obliged to you, if you would inform me what publications of merit have appeared in France, within these five or six years, particularly in natural Philosophy, Math-ematics and Astronomy. With ardent wishes for the continuance of your Excellency's health and most important life, I beg leave to subscribe with the highest respect, your Excellency's most humble and most obedient servt.