then made his way to la Rochelle. He took passage from a northern port, beyond French jurisdiction, in an American vessel, for New York, whence he hoped to reach the East Indies under the protection of our flag. This vessel was captured by a French privateer and carried to Dunkirk, where Troost was kept a prisoner till the French became aware of his true name and character, when he was released. He went at once to Paris. In March, 1810, he was elected a correspondent of the Museum of Natural History of Paris. A few days afterward he was allowed to embark again on an American vessel for Philadelphia. The turn of political events in Europe, among which was the abdication of Louis Napoleon as King of Holland and the surrender of Java to England, caused him to abandon his contemplated visit to the East Indies and to remain in the United States.
In 1812 Dr. Troost participated in the foundation of the Academy of Natural Sciences in Philadelphia and became its first president. Of the origin of this society. Dr. W. S. W. Ruschenberger, from whose account we derive much of the material of this sketch, says there were some young persons in Philadelphia disposed to study the laws of creation. Occupied with their business during the day, they were accustomed to converse concerning natural phenomena when they met in the evening, without appointment, at the ordinary places of resort. They very often met at the apothecary's shop of John Speakman, of whom Thomas Say was subsequently the business partner, at the corner of Market and Second Streets. At one of these meetings Mr. Speakman suggested that if the young men could be induced to meet at stated times, where they would be secure from interruption, to communicate to one another what they might learn about the phenomena of Nature, they would derive more pleasure and profit than from desultory and irregular conversation. The suggestion was seconded by Jacob Gilliams, and a meeting was appointed for the next Saturday evening at Mr. Speakman's house, for the young men and such of their friends as might be interested in the matter: Six persons were present at the meeting, January 25, 1812; Dr. Gerard Troost, Dr. Camillus Macmahon Mann, Jacob Gilliams, John Shinn, Jr., Nicholas Parmentier, and John Speakman, host. The meeting was described in the minutes as "a meeting of gentlemen, friends of science, and of rational disposal of leisure moments"; and it was agreed that the exclusive object of the society should be the cultivation of natural science. For the furtherance of this purpose all matters of politics and religion were rigorously excluded, even allusions to them being forbidden. It was perhaps from this determination. Dr. Ruschenberger suggests, that "the erroneous notion
