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632 Lands fossils had been given to the academy by Mr. Chouteau. About the middle of 1857 the academy bought the one fourth which belonged to Mr. Vaughan. While all these things indicated that the academy was particularly favored in its early years, it would be a great mistake to think that it found only easy sailing. While its ideas were broad and its membership active, while its papers were of scientific value and its proceedings were eagerly sought in exchange, the financial problem was serious. Thus Prout says, in 1862: "Surrounded by difficulties and embarrassments, without means and without patronage, we have struggled on and struggled successfully. We had hoped that, ere the present moment, some friend or friends of science with enlarged and liberal ideas would have extended to us a helping hand, and placed us in a condition to give the world a more ample exhibition of the fruits of our labors. But for the generous liberality of one of our members we should not now have a place to hold our meetings or to garner up the treasures which have been so liberally contributed to our museum; and, again, those objects lose part of their interest for the want of appropriate casing in which they could be scientifically arranged and classified." In fact, the mere publishing of the Transactions was a heavy burden; the fees were not adequate to the task, and private gifts were solicited to continue the work. It was war time, and St. Louis particularly felt the disastrous effect of the strife. Men were too busy with political affairs, too anxious regarding what a day might bring forth, to contribute much for the encouragement of science. Even these circumstances, however, had some conpensationscompensations [sic]. An institution of learning—McDowell College—was changed into a war prison, Gratiot Street Prison. The military authorities transferred its collections to the academy, and we find the following resolutions in the minutes: "Resolved, that the thanks of the academy are due to Major-General Curtis, as also the members of the Western Sanitary Commission, for interest taken by them in the preservation of what remained of the McDowell Museum of Natural History when it fell under their control; and that Captain Curry, of the Tenth Missouri Cavalry, and the men under his command are entitled to our special acknowledgment for the zeal and fidelity with which the order of General Curtis for the removal of the collection to the halls of the academy was executed by them."

The first recognition of the academy, so far as we know, was by the Academy of Science of Philadelphia, which early—presumably before any publications had been made by the new organization—donated its Transactions and the second set of its journal. In 1866, when the St. Louis Academy had passed its first decade, we find her playing a similar magnanimous part to other institutions. At that