CONTENTS. Page. Geological explorations in the Canadian Rockies__. Geological work in the Middle Atlantic States--- The Collins-Garner French Congo Expedition_. The Smithsonian African Expedition__ Botanical explorations in Ecuador--- International Catalogue of Scientific Literature. Appendix 1. Report on the United States National Museum_. 2. Report on the Bureau of American Ethnology. 3 OF THE SECRETARY OF THE SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION CHARLES D. WALCOTT FOR THE YEAR ENDING JUNE 30, 1919. To the Board of Regents of the Smithsonian Institution. GENTLEMEN: I have the honor to submit herewith an annual report on the activities and condition of the Smithsonian Institution and its branches during the year ending June 30, 1919. The activities of the Institution proper are reviewed in the first part of the report, together with a brief summary of the affairs of each of the several branches. In the appendices will be found more detailed accounts of the work of the National Museum, the Bureau of American Ethnology, the International Exchange Service, the National Zoological Park, the Astrophysical Observatory, the Smithsonian Library, the International Catalogue of Scientific Literature, and an account of the publications of the Institution and its branches. The reports of the Museum and Bureau of Ethnology are published in greater detail in separate volumes. THE SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION. THE ESTABLISHMENT. The Smithsonian Institution was created by act of Congress, in 1846, according to the terms of the will of James Smithson, of England, who in 1826 bequeathed his property to the United States of America "to found at Washington, under the name of the Smithsonian Institution, an establishment for the increase and diffusion of knowledge among men." In receiving the property and acccepting the trust Congress determined that the Federal Government was without authority to administer the trust directly, and therefore constituted an "establishment," whose statutory members are "the President, the Vice President, the Chief Justice, and the heads of the executive departments." THE BOARD OF REGENTS. The business of the Institution is conducted by a Board of Regents composed of "the Vice President, the Chief Justice of the United States, and three Members of the Senate, and three Members of the House of Representatives, together with six other persons other than Members of Congress, 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." The regents elect one of their number as chancellor, usually the Chief Justice, who is the presiding officer of the board, and elect a suitable person as secretary of the Institution, who is also secretary of the board and the executive officer and director of the Institution's activities. The changes in personnel of the board during the year were the appointment of George Gray, citizen of Delaware, to succeed himself; the appointment of Robert S. Brookings, citizen of Missouri, to fill the vacancy caused by the death of Charles W. Fairbanks. The roll of regents on June 30, 1919, was as follows: Edward D. White, Chief Justice of the United States, chancellor; Thomas R. Marshall, Vice President of the United States; Henry Cabot Lodge, Member of the Senate; Charles S. Thomas, Member of the Senate; Scott Ferris, Member of the House of Representatives; Lemuel P. Padgett, Member of the House of Representatives; Frank L. Greene, Member of the House of Representatives; Alexander Graham Bell, citizen of Washington, D. C.; George Gray, citizen of Delaware; Charles F. Choate, jr., citizen of Massachusetts; John B. Henderson, citizen of Washington, D. C.; Henry White, citizen of Maryland; and Robert S. Brookings, citizen of Missouri. The board held its annual meeting on December 12, 1918. The proceedings of that 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 report of the secretary. A detailed statement of disbursements from the 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. GENERAL CONSIDERATIONS. In addition to the usual activities and routine duties, the scientific staff of the Institution continued, until the day of the signing of the armistice, to assist the Government in every way possible toward the successful prosecution of the war. The Museum staff were in constant touch with Army and Navy officials, furnishing much technical information, and the staff of the Astrophysical Observatory conducted numerous valuable researches. Mr. L. B. Aldrich, of the observatory, carried out successful experiments on the pressure exerted by the wind upon projectiles, at the request of the Coast Artillery Station at Fortress Monroe. Assistant Secretary Abbot and Mr. Aldrich together worked on the problem of searchlights for Army use, and, after numerous experiments, they were able to improve the existing searchlights, both by diminution of size and increase in lighting power. The new form of searchlight was constructed and used in France several months before the close of hostilities. At the time of the signing of the armistice several valuable devices were being perfected by Dr. Abbot and the observatory staff, among them a recoilless gun devised by Dr. R. H. Goddard, of Clark College, which was a development of work being done by him for the Institution on a multiple-charge rocket intended to reach great heights for meteorological observations; an instrument for determining geographical positions from an airplane or a ship at sea without reference to landmarks, whether celestial or terrestrial; and a rotating projectile constructed on the turbine principle to be fired from a smoothbore gun, which would have been specially valuable for use in trench mortars. On December 16, 1918, Dr. C. G. Abbot, Director of the Astrophysical Observatory, was appointed assistant secretary of the Institution to fill the vacancy caused by the death of Dr. F. W. True some years ago. In addition to his administrative duties in connection with the Institution, Dr. Abbot will be in charge of the Smithsonian Library, the International Exchange Service, and the Astrophysical Observatory. The work of the National Research Council, of which your secretary was first vice chairman, was continued under the war organization during the first part of the year. After the signing of the armistice every effort was concentrated on the organization of the council upon a peace basis, and this was accomplished very successfully before the close of the year under a definite plan in accordance with an Executive order from the President of the United States requesting the National Academy of Sciences to perpetuate the National Research Council. The secretary of the Institution was also chairman of the executive committee of the national advisory committee for aeronautics, which performed work of great value to the Government on airplane production and improvements. An important peace-time event was the organizing just before the close of the year of an extensive exploring expedition to the heart of Africa. The material collected will come to the Institution to be used for purposes of comparison in working up the results of various expeditions to the Dark Continent by Col. Roosevelt, Paul Rainey, and others. Bequests. An important bequest was made to the Institution during the year by Mrs. Virginia Purdy Bacon, of New York, which will do much toward extending our knowledge of the fauna of the |