REPORT OF THE SECRETARY OF THE SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION CHARLES D. WALCOTT FOR THE YEAR ENDING JUNE 30, 1915. To the Board of Regents of the Smithsonian Institution: GENTLEMEN: I have the honor to submit herewith the annual report on the operations of the Smithsonian Institution and its branches during the fiscal year ending June 30, 1915, including work placed by Congress under the direction of the Board of Regents in the United States National Museum, the Bureau of American Ethnology, the International Exchanges, the National Zoological Park, the Astrophysical Observatory, and the United States Bureau of the International Catalogue of Scientific Literature. The general report reviews the affairs of the Institution proper and briefly summarizes the operations of its several branches, while the appendices contain detailed reports by the assistant secretary and others directly in charge of various activities. The reports on operations of the National Museum and the Bureau of American Ethnology will also be published as independent volumes. THE SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION. THE ESTABLISHMENT. The Smithsonian Institution was created an establishment by act of Congress approved August 10, 1846. Its statutory members are the President of the United States, the Vice President, the Chief Justice, and the heads of the executive departments. THE BOARD OF REGENTS. The Board of Regents consists of the Vice President and the Chief Justice of the United States as ex officio members, three Members of the Senate, three Members of the House of Representatives, and six citizens, "two of whom shall be resident in the city of Washington and the other four shall be inhabitants of some State, but no two of them of the same State." In regard to the personnel of the board there were no changes during the fiscal year. The roll of Regents on June 30 was as follows: Edward D. White, Chief Justice of the United States, Chan cellor; Thomas R. Marshall, Vice President of the United States; Henry Cabot Lodge, Member of the Senate; Henry French Hollis, Member of the Senate; William J. Stone, Member of the Senate; Scott Ferris, Member of the House of Representatives; Ernest W. Roberts, Member of the House of Representatives; Maurice Connolly, former Member of the House of Representatives; Andrew D. White, citizen of New York; Alexander Graham Bell, citizen of Washington, D. C.; George Gray, citizen of Delaware; Charles F. Choate, jr., citizen of Massachusetts; John B. Henderson, jr., citizen of Washington, D. C.; and Charles W. Fairbanks, citizen of Indiana. The board held its annual meeting on December 10, 1914. The Hon. George Gray was on that date elected chairman of the executive committee to fill the vacancy caused by the death of Senator Bacon on February 14, 1914. The proceedings of the above meeting, as also the annual financial report of the executive committee, have been printed, as usual, for the use of the Regents, while such important matters acted upon as are of public interest are reviewed under appropriate heads in the present report of the Secretary. A detailed statement of disbursements from Government appropriations, under the direction of the Institution for the maintenance of the National Museum, the National Zoological Park, and other branches, will be submitted to Congress by the Secretary in the usual manner in compliance with the law. FINANCES. The permanent fund of the Institution and the sources from which it was derived are as follows: Part of residuary legacy of Thomas G. Hodgkins, 1894– Deposit from savings of income, 1903.... Residuary legacy of Thomas G. Hodgkins, 1907. Deposit from savings of income, 1913_ 500.00 51,500.00 200, 000. 00 8,000.00 25,000.00 7,918. 69 636.94 Part of bequest of William Jones Rhees, 1913_. 251.95 Stanton Avery), 1913_. Deposit of proceeds from sale of real estate (gift of Robert Bequest of Addison T. Reid, 1914. Deposit of savings from income Avery bequest, 1914_. 9, 692. 42 4, 795. 91 204. 09 |