The Academy of Natural Sciences was established by a group of amateur scientists in 1812 to encourage scientific investigation, with emphasis on the taxonomy of plants, animals, and minerals. It emerged as one of the preeminent scientific institutions of the nineteenth century, counting among its members John James Audubon, Louis Agassiz, Asa Gray, Joseph Leidy, Edward Cope, Charles Darwin, Michael Faraday, and the Chevalier de Lamarck. This is the only published edition of the academy's minutes, transactions, and correspondence; in the last category, nearly 20,000 items are arranged alphabetically by writer.