ing on the third Wednesday in January of each year, the Board met this day in the Regents' room. No quorum being present, the Board adjourned to meet on Thursday, January 26. WASHINGTON, January 26, 1871. A meeting of the Board of Regents was held at 7p. m. in the Regents' room. Present: Hon. H. Hamlin, Hon. L. P. Poland, Hon. J. A. Garfield, Hon. M. G. Emery, Hon. P. Parker, Rev. Dr. J. Maclean, and the Secretary, Professor Henry. In the absence of the Chancellor, Mr. Hamlin was called to the chair. The minutes of the last meeting were read and approved. The Secretary mentioned his visit to Europe, and stated the fact that it had been highly satisfactory in regard to the foreign correspondents of the Institution and the estimation in which the establishment is held in the Old World. Whereupon, on motion of General Garfield, he was requested at some future meeting to give a detailed account of his tour, particularly in its relation to the operations of the Institution. The Secretary gave an account of the operations of the Institution since the last meeting of the Board. He stated that in accordance with the resolution of the Board adopted at the meeting of February 3, 1870, he had effected an insurance of $10,000 on the east wing and range of the building, at 663 per cent.; that Congress has appropriated $10,000 for the care of the Government collections for the year ending June 30, 1871, of which $5,024 has already been drawn; that Congress has also appropriated $10,000 toward the completion of the upper hall, which sum is to be expended under the direction of the Secretary of the Inte rior, who has directed the Architect of the Capitol (Mr. E. Clark) to oversee the work. The Secretary read a letter from the agents of the Anchor Line of steamers, offering to carry the Italian exchanges of the Smithsonian Institution by their vessels free of charge. On motion of General Garfield, the Secretary was directed to present the thanks of the Board to the agents of that line, and also to the agents of the lines that had offered him a free passage to Europe. Dr. Maclean stated that the majority of the executive committee had decided to alter their report for 1869 to conform to the mode previously adopted. The Secretary stated that the business of the Institution had of late years so much increased that it was no longer possible to conduct it without further assistance. That this was the case would be evident from the following statement: The Institution has now upwards of 1,800 foreign correspondents connected with the exchanges. It has 400 regular meteorological observery. It is in communication with almost all the colleges, libraries, literars, and scientific societies in America, besides being continually called upon by individuals in every part of the country for information on scientific subjects. It publishes annually upward of a thousand printed pages, requiring much labor in correcting copy, reading proof, and attending to the details of printing,. binding, &c. Its system of international exchanges, exclusive of the correspondence, involves a large amount of time and labor in doing up and directing the separate packages sent away, and in receiving and distributing those from abroad. Several thousand volumes are annually received from foreign and domestic exchanges, which are all recorded at the Institution previous to being deposited in the Library of Congress. The arrangement of the material constantly received from the meteorological observers, supplying them with blanks and instructions, occasions another draught on the labors of the working corps of the Institution. The continual repairs and care of the building are another item requiring supervision, besides the reconstruction of the parts of the edifice destroyed by the fire. But above all, the entering and care of the thousands of specimens which are constantly received, their assortment, and distribution of duplicates, is sufficient to occupy the entire time of a separate corps of assistants. It may be said with truth that in no institution has more work been done with a smaller number of persons than at the Smithsonian. The difficulty in carrying on the operations of the Institution had been increased since the last meeting of the Board by the resignation of Mr. Rhees, who had held the position of chief clerk for seventeen years. He had, however, lately learned that Mr. Rhees might be induced to return to his former position, to which the Secretary desired to recall him. On motion of General Garfield, it was Resolved, That the Secretary be allowed to appoint a permanent assistant as chief clerk, at a salary not to exceed $175 per month. General Garfield presented a letter from General Delafield, tendering his resignation as a Regent of the Smithsonian Institution. Mr. Poland offered the following resolution, which was adopted unan imously: Resolved by the Board of Regents, That they entertain the highest appreciation of the services of General Richard Delafield as a member of the Board, and especially as a member of the executive committee, and greatly regret the loss caused by his resignation, and desire to express to him, upon his retirement, their strong personal regard. Dr. Parker presented the report of the executive committee for 1870, which was read and accepted. The board then adjourned to meet at the call of the Secretary. WASHINGTON, March 9, 1871. A meeting of the Board of Regents was held this evening at 7 o'clock. Present: Hon. H. Hamlin, Hon. L. P. Poland, Hon. S. S. Cox, Hon. P. Parker, General W. T. Sherman, and the Secretary, Professor Henry. Judge Poland was called to the chair. The minutes of the last meeting were read and approved. The Secretary stated that by joint resolution of Congress, Genera William T. Sherman had been elected a Regent for the term of six years, vice Richard Delafield, resigned. On motion of Mr. Hamlin, the vacancy existing in the executive committee was filled by the election of General Sherman. The Secretary called attention to the fact that the mayor of the city of Washington was ex officio a Regent, but that under the new territorial government the office of mayor ceased, and suggested the propriety of action by Congress to substitute the governor of the Territory as the ex officio member of the board. Messrs. Hamlin and Poland expressed their intention to bring the subject before Congress immediately, and anticipated no objection to the passage of an act providing for the change contemplated. The Secretary gave an account of the improvements now being made in the building under the appropriation by Congress. The new hall would soon be finished, and it was proposed to devote it mainly to ethnology. Mr. B. Waterhouse Hawkins had been employed to prepare illustrations of extinct animals, &c., to decorate the walls. The Secretary called attention to the books belonging to James Smithson, the founder of the Institution, and requested some action in relation to the best manner of their preservation. It was thought proper to preserve them in a metallic case with plate-glass front, open to the view of the public, but not to be taken out by any one. The Secretary presented his annual report for 1870, which was read and accepted. The board then adjourned sine die. |