charge of the Library and the Exchanges, with such additional duties as the Secretary may assign him, be approved." In the absence of Doctor Angell, chairman of the special committee, Senator Henderson presented a report giving an account of the visit of the committee to Detroit and their conference with Mr. Freer. The report was fully discussed, and the following resolution was adopted: "Resolved, That the Board of Regents take this occasion to express their sincere thanks to Mr. Charles L. Freer, of Detroit, for the courtesy shown to the commitse of the Regents which recently visited Detroit to examine his art collection; and that further consideration of his generous offer to donate the same to this Institution or the United States be continued until the next meeting of the Board of Regents." The Secretary stated that Capt. John Donnell Smith, of Baltimore, had donated to the Institution hiş entire botanical collection, and the Board adopted the following resolution: "Resolved, That the thanks of the Board of Regents be tendered to Capt. John Donnell Smith for his generosity in presenting to the Institution his large and valuable collection of plants and books on botany, which is gratefully accepted." The Secretary stated that a room in the Smithsonian building had been fitted up as a temporary resting place for the remains of Smithson, and asked the Regents to be present at their transfer. After adjournment, the Regents repaired to the room referred to, where, in their presence, the remains were placed within the tomb, which was then sealed. GENERAL CONSIDERATIONS. Sixty years ago, when Joseph Henry became the first Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution, the scope of the work he assumed was practically unlimited; Smithson's direction being that his bequest was to be used for the "increase and diffusion of knowledge among men." After considering many suggestions as to how this might best be done, Professor Henry decided that the proper function of the Smithsonian Institution was "to assist men of science in making original researches, to publish them in a series of volumes, and to give a copy of them to every first-class library on the face of the earth." This has remained the policy of the Institution; and although its operations have, of necessity, been modified from time to time, its original breadth of scope has never been narrowed. The methods of assisting in original research have been various. Numerous grants have been made to qualified investigators, and expeditions have been sent out in many directions. Several enterprises undertaken by the Institution on a small scale outgrew the original intention and, in accordance with the policy of the Institution not to carry on work that could be done elsewhere, have been allowed to establish themselves independently, chief among which are the United States Weather Bureau, the Geological Survey, and the Fish Commission. Other establishments, as the National Museum, the Bureau of American Ethnology, International Exchanges, and the National Zoological Park, have continued under the direction of the Institution. It led the way in the organization of library work in the United States; it took the initial steps and continues to support schemes for international cataloguing, and it maintains a benevolent relation with the American Historical Association and the National Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution. The results of all important investigations and the operations of the Institution and its dependencies are reported upon constantly. Its publications, which include more than 250 volumes, are to be found in all the important libraries of the world, and some of them on the work table of every scientific student. Through the agency of the International Exchange System, these works, together with other public documents and learned treatises, are distributed throughout the civilized world, and the foreign works received in exchange are invaluable in American scientific libraries. Thus the Smithsonian Institution is in constant association with the Government and all the public institutions of the United States. To them the Institution holds out a friendly cooperation, its aim being, while continuing its own work upon its accepted lines and adapting them to new needs as occasion arises, to continue along the established policy of preventing rivalries, promoting wise cooperation, diminishing waste, and furthering the search for knowledge, the recording of discovered truth, and its dissemination among the people. In this great work the individual is not lost sight of; the publications of the Institution are widely distributed, its library constitutes an important part of the Library of Congress, and its museum is the rarest in existence in many branches of the natural history and ethnology of the New World. Less imposing than these methods of serving the public, but no less important, is the satisfaction of a constant stream of inquirers, whose letters from every corner of the country bring questions bearing on every branch of knowledge. BUILDINGS. The only important building operation carried on during the past year, of course excepting the work on the new Museum building, was the construction of a mortuary chapel to contain the tomb of James Smithson, brought from Italy. Smithsonian Report, 1905. PLATE II. DOOR TO SMITHSON MORTUARY CHAPEL, SHOWING IRON GATEWAY MADE FROM RAILING AROUND THE TOMB IN THE SAN BENIGNO CEMETERY, GENOA, When the San Benigno Cemetery at Genoa was expropriated for municipal purposes by the Italian Government in 1903, the Regents determined to bring the remains of James Smithson to Washington. Dr. Alexander Graham Bell, the committee appointed for this purpose, was successful in his mission, and on January 25, 1904, formally gave the remains into the hands of the Regents. Doctor Bell's report and an account of the ceremonies incident to the removal and reception of the remains were published in the Annual Report for 1904. The body, upon its arrival in Washington, was placed temporarily in a room in the Smithsonian building containing the relics of Smithson. While resting there, the remains were examined by medical experts and found to be in a remarkable state of preservation. Meanwhile, a small mortuary chapel was prepared for them on the immediate left of the north entrance of the Smithsonian building, and on March 6, 1905, the remains were carried to this chapel and, in the presence of the Regents, replaced in the original tomb, recently brought from Genoa (plates 1, 11), where they will rest until Congress makes adequate provision for their interment. Work on the reconstruction on the large archeological hall in the main Smithsonian building has continued throughout the year, as has the process of repairing various portions of the roof of the Museum, including the re-covering of the central rotunda. Some time has also been spent in going through the subcellar of the Museum building removing dead wires, whitewashing, and otherwise improving its condition. FINANCES. The permanent funds of the Institution are as follows: Portion of residuary legacy of Thomas G. Hodgkins, 1894- Total permanent fund.. 500.00 51,500.00 200, 000. 00 8,000.00 25, 000. 00 937, 000. 00 The above fund is deposited in the Treasury of the United States and bears interest at 6 per cent per annum under the provisions of the act organizing the Institution and act of Congress approved March 12, 1894. In addition to the permanent fund, the Regents hold cer |