Annual report of the Board of Regents of the Smithsonian Institution
Smithsonian Institution. Board of Regents | United States National Museum. Report of the U.S. National Museum | Smithsonian Institution. Report of the Secretary
SS <2 OF ae tine Hy i" ne ; cao ANNUAL REPORT OF THE BOARD OF REGENTS OF THE SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION, SHOWING THE OPERATIONS, EXPENDITURES, AND CONDITION OF THE INSTITUTION FOR THE YEAR 1865. WASHING TON: GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE, fr Ge. IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES, May 9, 1866. Resolved, That five thousand additional copies of the report of the Board of Regents of the Smithsonian Institution for the year ending the 30th of June, 1865, be printed—two thousand for the use of the Smithsonian Institution and three thousand for the use of the Senate. Provided, That the aggregate number of pages contained in said report shall not exceed four hundred and fifty pages, without wood-cuts or plates, except those furnished by the Institution. Attest: J. W. FORNEY, Secretary. IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, June 8, 1866. On motion of Mr. Laflin, from the Committee on Printing: Resolved, That five thousand extra copies of the last report of the Smithsonian Institute be printed—two thousand for the Institution and three thousand for the use of the members of this house. Attest: EDWARD McPHERSON, Clerk. LETTER SECRETARY OF THE SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION, THE ANNUAL REPORT OF THE OPERATIONS, EXPENDITURES, AND CON- DITION OF THE INSTITUTION FOR THE YEAR 1866. May 7, 1866.—Laid on the table and ordered to be printed, SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION, 5 Washington, May 7, 1866. Sir: In behalf of the Board of Regents, I have the honor to submit to the , Congress of the United States, the annual report of the Smithsonian Institution for the year 1865. I have the honor to be, very respectfully, your obedient servant, JOSEPH HENRY, Secretary Smithsonian Institution. Hon. ScHuyLerR CoLrax, Speaker of the Huuse of Representatives. ANNUAL REPORT OF THE BOARD OF REGENTS OF THE SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION, SHOWING THE OPERATIONS, EXPENDITURES, AND CONDITION OF THE INSTITUTION UP TO JANUARY, 1866, AND THE PROCEEDINGS OF THE BOARD UP TO MAY, 1866. To the Senate and House of Representatives : In obedience to the act of Congress of August 10, 1846, establishing the Smithsonian Institution, the undersigned, in behalf of the Regents, submit to Congress, as a report of the operations, expenditures, and condition of the In- - stitution, the following documents: 1. The Annual Report of the Secretary, giving an account of the operations of the Institution during the year 1865. 2. Report of the Executive Committee, giving a general statement of the Smithsonian fund, and also an account of the expenditures for the year 1865. 3. Report of the Building Committee. 4. Proceedings of the Board of Regents up to May, 1866. 5. Appendix. Respectfully submitted: 8. P. CHASE, Chancellor. - JOSEPH HENRY, Secretary. OFFICERS OF THE SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION. MAY, 1866. ANDREW JOHNSON, ez officio Presiding Officer of the Institution, SALMON P. CHASE, Chancellor of the Institution. JOSEPH HENRY, Secretary of the Institution. SPENCER F. BAIRD, Assistant Secretary. W. W. SEATON, Treasurer. WILLIAM J. RHEES, Chief Clerk: ALD. BACHE, |” RICHARD WALLACH, Executive Committee. RICHARD DELAFIELD, REGENTS OF THE INSTITUTION. L. F. S. FOSTER, Vice-President of the United States. S. P. CHASE, Chief Justice of the United States. R. WALLACH, Mayor of the City of Washington. L. TRUMBULL, member of the Senate of the United States. GARRETT DAVIS, member of the Senate of the United States W. P. FESSENDEN, member of the Senate of the United States. J. A. GARFIELD, member of the House of Representatives. J. W. PATTERSON, member of the House of Representatives. J. F. FARNSWORTH, member of the House of Representatives. W. B. ASTOR, citizen of New York. T. D. WOOLSEY, citizen of Connecticut. L. AGASSIZ, citizen of Massachusetts. “A. D. BACHE, citizen of Washington. RICHARD DELAFIELD, citizen of Washington. MEMBERS EX OFFICIO OF THE INSTITUTION. ANDREW JOHNSON, President of the United States. L. F. S. FOSTER, Vice-President of the United States. W. H. SEWARD, Secretary of State. H. McCULLOCH, Secretary of the Treasury. E. M. STANTON, Secretary of War. G. WELLES, Secretary of the Navy. WM. DENNISON, Postmaster General. J. SPEED, Attorney General. S. P. CHASE, Chief Justice of the United States. T. C. THEAKER, Commissioner of Patents. RICHARD WALLACH, Mayor of the City of Washington. HONORARY MEMBER. JAS. HARLAN, Secretary of the Interior, (ex officio.) PROGRAMME OF ORGANIZATION OF THE SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION. [PRESENTED IN THE FIRST ANNUAL REPORT OF THE SECRETARY, AND ADOPTED BY THE BOARD OF REGENTS, DECEMBER 13, 1847.] LN TR: O:D/UjG2) 1-0; Ni. General considerations which should serve as a guide in adopting a Plan of Organization. 1. Witt oF Suiruson. The property is bequeathed to the United States of America, ‘‘to found at Washington, under the name of the SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION, an establishment for the increase and diffu- sion of knowledge among men.’’ 2.The bequest is for the benefit of mankind. The government of the United States is merely a trustee to carry out the design of the testator. 3. The Institution is: not a national establishment, ‘as is frequently supposed, but the establishment of an individual, and is to bear and perpetuate his name. 4. The objects of the Institution are, 1st, to increase, and 2d, to ditfuse knowledge among men. 5. These two. objects ‘should not be eonfounded with one another. The first is to enlarge the existing stock of knowledge by the addition of new truths; and the second, to disseminate knowledge, thus in- creased, among men.. 6. The will makes no restriction in favor of any particular kind of knowledge ; hence all branches are entitled to a share of attention. 7. Knowledge can be increased by different methods of facilitating and promoting the discovery of new truths ; and can be most exten- sively diffused among men by means of the press, 8. To effect the greatest amount of good, the organization should be such as to enable the Institution to produce results, in the way of increasing and diffusing knowledge, which cannot be produced either at all or so efficiently by the existing institutions in our country. 9. The organization should also be such as can be adopted provi- sionally ; can be easily reduced to practice, receive modifications, or be abandoned, in whole or in part, without a sacrifice of the funds. ~ 8 PROGRAMME OF ORGANIZATION, 10. In order to compensate, in some measure, for the loss of time occasioned by the delay of eight years in establishing the Institution, a considerable portion of the interest which has accrued should be added to the principal. 11. In proportion to the wide field of knowledge to be cultivated, the funds are small.. Economy should, therefore, be consulted in the construction of the building ; and not only the first cost of the edifice should be considered, but also the continual expense of keeping it in repair, and of the support of the establishment necessarily connected with it. There should also be but few individuals permanently sup- ported by the Institution. 12. The plan and dimensions of the building should be determined by the plan of the organization, and not the converse. 13. It should be recollected that mankind in general are to be benefited by the bequest, and that, therefore, all unnecessary expen- diture on local objects would be a perversion of the trust. 14. Besides the foregoing considerations, deduced immediately from the will of Smithson, regard must be had to certain requirements of the act of Congress establishing the Institution. These are, a library, a museum, and a gallery of art, with a building on a liberal scale to contain them. SECTION I. Plan of Organization of the Institution in accordance with the foregoing deductions from the will of Smithson. To INCREASE KNOWLEDGE. It is proposed— 1. To stimulate men of talent to make original researches, by offer- ing suitable rewards for memoirs containing new truths; and, 2. To appropriate annually a portion ef the income for particular researches, under the direction of suitable persons. TO DIFFUSE KNOWLEDGE. It is proposed— 1. To publish a series of periodical reports on the progress of the different branches of knowledge ; and, 2. To publish occasionally separate treatises on subjects of general interest. DETAILS OF THE PLAN TO INCREASE KNOWLEDGE. I. By stimulating researches. 1. Facilities afforded for the production of original memoirs on all branches of knowledge. 2. The memoirs thus obtained to be published in a series of vol- umes, in a quarto form, and entitled Smithsonian Contributions to Knowledge. 3. No memoir on subjects of physical science to be accepted for PROGRAMME OF ORGANIZATION. 9 publication which does not furnish a positive addition to human knowledge, resting on original research ; and all unverified specula- tions to be rejected. » 4. Each memoir presented to the Institution to be submitted for examination to a commission of persons of reputation for learning in the branch to which the memoir pertains; and to be accepted for publication only in case the report of this commission is favorable. 5. The commission to be chosen by the officers of the Institution, and the name of the author, as far as practicable, concealed, unless a favorable decision be made. 6. The volumes of the memoirs to be exchanged for the Trans- actions of literary and scientific societies, and copies to be given to all the colleges and principal libraries, in this country. One part of the remaining copies may be offered for sale ; and the other carefully preserved, to form complete sets of the work, to supply the demand from new institutions. 7. Antbstract, or popular account, of the contents of these memoirs to be given to the public through the annual report of the Regents to Congress. II. By appropriating a part of the income, annually, to special objects of research, under the direction of suitable persons. 1. The objects and the amount appropriated, to be recommended by counsellors of the Institution. 2. Appropriations in different years to different objects; so that in course of time each branch of knowledge may receive a share. 3. The results obtained from these appropriations to be published, with the memoirs before mentioned, in the volumes of the Smith- sonian Contributions to Knowledge. 4. Examples of objects for which appropriations may be made. (1.) System of extended meteorological observations for solving the problem of American storms. (2.) Explorations in descriptive natural history, and geological, magnetical, and topographical surveys, to collect materials for the formation of a Physical Atlas of the United States. (3.) Solution of experimental problems, such as a new determina- tion of the weight of the earth, of the moeety of electricity, and of light ; chemical analyses of soils and plants ; collection and publica- tion of scientific facts, accumulated in the offices of government. (4.) Institution of statistical inquiries with reference to physical, moral, and political subjects. (5.) Historical researches, and accurate surveys of places celebrated in Amertcan history. (6.) Ethnological researches, particularly with reference to the different races of men in North America; also, explorations and ac- curate surveys of the mounds and other remains of the ancient people of our country. ~~ 10 PROGRAMME OF ORGANIZATION. DETAILS OF THE PLAN FOR DIFFUSING KNOWLEDGE. I. By the publication of a series of reports, giving an account of the new discoveries in science, and of the changes made from year to year im all branches of knowledge not strictly pi ‘ofessional. 1. These reports will diffuse a kind of knowledge generally in- teresting, but which, at present, is inaccessible to the public. Some of the reports may be published annually, others at longer intervals, as the income ot the Institution or the changes in the branches of knowledge may indicate. 2. The reports are to be prepared by collaborators eminent in the different branches of knowledge. 3. Each collaborator to be furnished with the journals and publi- cations, domestic and foreign, necessary to the compilation of his report ; to be paid a certain sum for his labors, and to be named on the title-page of the report. 4. The reports to be published in separate parts, so that persons interested in a particular branch can procure the parts relating to it without purchasing the whole. 5. These reports may be presented to Congress, for partial distri- bution, tlfe remaining copies to be given to literary and scientific in- stitutions, and sold to individuals for a moderate price. The following are some of the subjects which may be embraced in the reports :* I. PHYSICAL CLASS. 1. Physics, including astronomy, natural philosophy, chemistry, and meteorology. 2. Natural history, including botany, zoology, geology, &c. 3. Agriculture. 4, Application of science to arts. H. MORAL AND POLITICAL CLASS. 5. Ethnology, including particular history, comparative philology, antiquities, &e. 6. Statistics and political economy. 7. Mental and moral philosophy. 8. A survey of the political events of the world ; penal reform, &c. III. LITERATURE AND THE FINE ARTS. 9. Modern literature. 10. The fine arts, and their application to the useful arts. 11. Bibliography. 12. Obituary notices of distinguished individuals. Il. By the publication of separate treatises on subjects of general interest. 1. These treatises may occasionally consist of valuable memoirs translated from foreign languages, or of articles prepared under the *This part of the plan has been but partially carried out. » PROGRAMME OF ORGANIZATION. tik direction of the Institution, or procured by offering premiums for the best exposition of a given subject. 2. The treatises should, in all cases, be submitted to a commission of competent judges, previous to their publication. 3. As examples of these treatises, expositions may be obtained of the present state of the several branches of knowledge mentioned in the table of reports. SECTION II. Plan of organization, in accordance with the terms of the resolutions of the Board of Regents providing for the two modes of increasing and diffusing knowledge. 1. The act of Congress establishing the Institution contemplated the formation of a library and a museum; and the Board of Regents, including these objects in the plan of organization, resolved to divide the income* into two equal parts. 2. One part to be appropriated to increase and diffuse knowledge by means of publications and researches, agreeably to the scheme before given. The other part to be appropriated to the formation of a library and a collection of objects of nature and of art. 3. These two plans are not incompatible with one another. 4. To carry out the plan before described, a library will be re- quired, consisting, Ist, of a complete collection of the transactions and proceedings of all the learned societies in the world; 2d, of the more important current periodical publications, and other works necessary in preparing the periodical reports. 5. The Institution should make special collections, particularly of objects to illustrate and verify its own publications. 3. Also, a collection of instruments of research in all branches of experimental science. 7. With reference to the collection of books, other than those mentioned above, catalogues of all the different libraries in the United States should be procured, in order that the valuable books first purchased may be such as are not to be found in the United States. 8. Also, catalogues of memoirs, and of books and other materials, should7be collected for rendering the Institution a centre of biblio- graphical knowledge, whence the student may be directed to any work which he may require. 9. It is believed that the collections in natural history will increase by donation as rapidly as the income of the Institution can make pro- vision for their reception, and, therefore, it will seldom be necessary to purchase articles of this kind. * 10. Attempts should be made to procure for the gallery of art casts of the most celebrated articles of ancient and modern sculpture. WmitedtStatesnis=2 see ee one ee = eee oie eee acid ame $515, 169 00: Interest on the same to July 1, 1846, (devoted to the erection of the building). 242,129 00 Annual income from the bequest Sete eee ore ee eee ere ater pte ate tna te 30,910 14° * 12 PROGRAMME OF ORGANIZATION. 11. The arts may be encouraged by providing a room, free of expense, for the exhibition of the objects of the Art-Union and other similar societies. 12. A small appropriation should annually be made for models of antiquities, such as those of the remains of ancient temples, &c. 13. For the present, or until the building is fully completed, be- sides the Secretary, no permanent assistant will be required, except one, to act.as librarian. 14. The Secretary, by the law of Congress, is alone responsible to the Regents. He shall take charge of the building and property, keep a record of proceedings, discharge the duties ot librarian and keeper of the museum, and may, with the consent of the Regents, employ assistants. 15. The Secretary and his assistants, during the session of Congress, will be required to illustrate new discoveries in science, and to exhibit new objects of art. Distinguished individuals should also be invited to give lectures on subjects of general interest. This programme, which was at first adopted provisionally, has be- come the settled policy of the Institution. The only material change is that expressed by the following resolutions, adopted January 15, 1855; viz: Resolved, That the Tth resolution passed by the Board of Regents, on the 26th of January, 1847, requiring an equal division of the income between the active operations and the museum and library, when the buildings are completed,.be, and it is hereby, repealed. Resolved, That hereafter the annual appropriations shall be appor- tioned specifically among the different objects and operations of the Institution, in such manner as may, in the judgment of the Regents, be necessary and‘proper for each, according to its intrinsic import- ance and a compliance in good faith with the law. REPORT-OF THE SECRETARY. To the Board of Regents : GENTLEMEN : The principal object of the annual report of the Sec- retary is to present to the Board of Regents, at the beginning of their session, such an account of the events and operations of the previous year as may serve as the basis of their deliberation, as well as furnish the materials for a connected history of the Institution. Be- sides this, however, it is desirable that each report should contain such brief expositions as may tend to keep the ever-changing public informed as to the true character of the establishment and of the re- sults it is intended to produce. The importance of these repetitions will be evident when it is recollected that these reports follow each other after a considerable interval of time, are in great part distribu- ted to different persons, and that now, after an interval of little less than twenty years since the first one was published, but few indi- viduals can obtain access to an entire set. Indeed, it is often a mat- ter of surprise to meet so many intelligent persons, even in the city of Washington, who are entirely ignorant of the terms of the bequest on which the Institution is founded, and of the plan which has been adopted to execute the trust thereby devolved upon the government. It can, therefore, scarcely be too often repeated that the Institution is not, as our foreign correspondents often suppose, an association of learned men similar to the scientific societies of Europe and America; that it is not a university for the education of youth, nor an agency for the diffusion of useful knowledge among the people of the United States, but primarily a foundation for enlarging the boundaries of science by stimulating and assisting the researches of original inquir- ers, wherever found, and for gratuitously diffusing the results of such researches wherever they may conduce to the intellectual or material interests of men. The general plan adopted for the realization of these benevolent purposes, and steadily pursued from the beginning, has been repeat- edly explained in the successive reports, and might, indeed, be gath- ered from almost any one of them by an attentive consideration of the account given of the operations of each year. In the last report a brief sketch was presented of all that had been accomplished in the 14 REPORT OF THE SECRETARY. way of advancing science through the agency of the Smithsonian be- quest, and in the present report it is purposed to continue this histor- ical account to the close of the year just passed, accompanied with such other particulars as may be needed for better illustration, and such suggestions as may seem necessary in regard to the policy of the Institution. The most important event of 1865 was the destruction of a part of the building and its contents by the fire of January 24. This event must continue to form an epoch in the history of the Institution; and though it cannot but be considered a most serious disaster,it may yet lead to changes of importance in the correction of tendencies which might ultimately have absorbed the annual income and neutralized the more liberal policy which has thus far been pursued. In view, therefore, of the character of the event, as well as the continuity of the history, it is deemed expedient, before proceeding with an ac- count of the operations of the year, to repeat briefly the facts con- nected with the origin and results of the fire. It may be well, however, for the better information of those not acquainted with the Smithsonian building, to premise in regard to it the following particulars: It consists of a main edifice two hundred feet long and fifty wide, with two large wings and two connecting ranges, having in allanextreme length, in an east and west direction, of four hundred and fifty feet. In front and rear of the middle portion.are projections, terminated by high towers, two on the north and one on the south side; moreover, on each corner of the middle building is a smaller tower, and also one on each of the two wings. The whole of the first story of the main building, in a single room, is devoted to the museum; the upper story, in three apartments, was assigned to the lecture room, the gallery of art, and the cabinet of apparatus. The west wing is entirely appropriated to the library; the east wing to the residence of the Secretary and a storeroom for publications and specimens of natural history. The east connecting range contains the laboratcry and office rooms; the west range is an extension of the museum. In the large towers were the Regents’ room, the offices of the Secretary, storerooms, and workshop. Though the original plan was much admired for its architectural effect, it was soon found that, in relation to the means at the disposal of the building committee, it was too expensive to admit in its con- struction of the exclusive use of fire-proof materials; hence, while the exterior was to be constructed of cut freestone, it was concluded to finish the interior in wood and stucco. Fortunately this plan, which REPORT OF THE SECRETARY. 15 was carried outin regard to the wings, the connecting ranges,and the towers, was abandoned before the completion of the main build- ing. After the exterior of this, including the roof, had been finished, and the framing of the interior was in place, the latter suddenly wave way and was precipitated into the cellar—a mass of broken timber. The attention of the Regents having been called by this accident to the insecurity of the wood-work, they directed that the further progress of the building should be stopped until means could be accumulated for finishing the remainder of the edifice in a more stable manner and with fire-proof materials. In accordance with this direction, after an interval of several years, the construction was recommenced under the direction of Captain (now General) B. 8S. Alexander, of the Engineer corps, and the whole of the main building, except the inside of the towers and the framing of the roof, which had previously been completed, was finished in a substantial manner in iron and brick work. The architect advised the removal of the roof, but as this would have swelled the cost of the building still fur- ther beyond the estimate and the means at command, and as the cov- ering was of slate,the framing under it was thought to bein no danger from fire. This, however, was destined to be the part on which the first attack of the element was tobe made. Through a mistake in some workmen, the pipe of a stove which had been temporarily used in one of the upper rooms was introduced through the wall into a furring space resembling a flue, but which discharged the heated air from the combustion into the loft immediately under the roof, in- stead of into the air, through the true chimney. The rafters were set on fire, and before the burning was discovered the entire wood work under the covering was in flames. The progress of the fire was so rapid, that but few of the contents of the upper rooms could be removed before the roof fell in. The flames soon extended to the large towers, and as these acted as high chimneys, they greatly increased the intensity of the combustion. The conflagration was only stayed by the incombustible materials of the main building. Had the original plan of constructing the interior of the edifice in wood- and plaster been fully carried out, the whole structure would have been destroyed, and the valuable library and rich collections of speci- mens of natural history entirely lost. The aperture which deceived the workmen was probably made by those who originally plastered the building. It occupied a middle point between two windows, and from its position, would naturally lead to the inference that it was designed to conduct the products of 16 REPORT OF THE SECRETARY. combustion directly into the chimney, from which it was only separated by the thickness of a single brick. For what reason it had not been placed in the middle between the two windows is unknown. It is remembered that some ten years previous to the fire this opening was, during several weeks, used for the insertion of a stove pipe, without suspicion of accident at the time; but in the interval the wood had undergone a process of drying which rendered it more combustible. Constantly impressed with the fact that the interior of the two wings and the connecting ranges were constructed of combustible material, I have always telt great anxiety on account of the lability to conflagration of these parts of the building. ‘The rest of the edi- fice, with the exception of the interior of the towers, was supposed to be secure from injury of this nature. A night watch was con- stantly kept, barrels and buckets filled with water were placed at suitable points, and strict rules were adopted prohibiting the carry- ing of exposed lights, as well as the practice of smoking,in any part of the edifice. That these precautions were unavailing has been seen; thefire having been communicated ut a point where danger was least suspected, and in a manner which rendered its occurrence sooner or later almost inevitable. The weather at the time was extremely cold, and before the engines could be brought into operation the whole of the roof was in flames. Commencing at the west end of the centre building, the’ flames were driveg by the wind, which blew from that direction, east- wardly, and fortunately away from the library, in the west wing. The destruction of the roof of the main building involved that of the contents of the rooms immediately beneath-it, and also those of the three principal towers adjacent. In the former were the Indian - portrait gallery, the lecture room, and the apparatus room. The first of these contained the large collection of paintings by Mr. Stanley and a series of Indian portraits belonging to the government. The lecture room was constructed on acoustic and optical principles, and not only answered perfectly the ends for which it was immediately intended, but had served also as a model for lecture rooms in various parts of the country. The apparatus room contained the principal part of the articles presented by the late Dr. Robert Hare, and a large number of instruments of recent construction, intended both for illustration and original research. ; The losses in the south tower were, first, the contents of the Regents’ room, including the personal effects of Smithson; second, those of a REPORT OF THE SECRETARY. Ly + large room above it, in which were stored the private library of Rev. Dr. Johns, of Virginia, and the public library of Beaufort, S. C.,de- posited there at the request of Hon. Mr. Stanton, for preservation until the end of the war; and third, in the attic, a large collection of public documents and complete sets of the Smithsonian Reports, in- tended for distribution. The effects of Smithson had but little in- trinsic value, and were chiefly prized as mementoes of the founder of the Institution. They consisted of a number of articles of chemical and physical apparatus, such as were used by him in his perambula- tory excursions, two small cabinets of minute specimens of miner- als, a silver-plated dinner service, and a trunk filled with manu- scripts. The portrait of Smithson while a student at Oxford, a me- _ dallion likeness of him in bronze, his library, consisting of 150 vol- umes, and a small painting were saved. The manuscripts consisted principally of notes on scraps of paper, intended apparently for alpha- betical arrangement in a common-place book, after the manner of a philosophical dictionary. The losses in the north towers were the contents of the offices of the Secretary, including the records and copies of the correspondence of the Institution, the wood-cuts to illustrate the publications, the steel plates of an expensive memoir, several boxes of stereotype plates, a large number of manuscripts of the Secretary on scientific subjects, four memoirs accepted for publication, about a hundred volumes of valuable books from the library, used for constant and immediate reference; a large number of copies of the Smithsonian Reports and duplicate documents; the contents of the workshop, con- sisting of a lathe, forge, a full set of tools, and an assortment of hardware and materials for the construction and repair of apparatus; and of the upper room of the highest tower, including the clock-work of an anemometer for recording the direction and force of the wind. Not only was this instrument itself lost, but all the records which had been obtained by the use of it for the last seven years. Fortunately, nearly all the other meteorological records, which were in a lower room, were saved. The Indian portraits,as far as they were the likenesses of particu- lar individuals, in most cases can never be reproduced, but we are gratified to learn that the extensive collection of Mr. Catlin, of a sim- ilar character, has been purchased in Europe by Mr. Harrison, of Philadelphia, and will be rendered accessible to the student of eth- nology. Besides this, there are in existence, particularly in Canada, other portraits, sufficient in number and variety fully to illustrate the 28 18 REPORT OF THE SECRETARY. characteristics of the race. At the same time the loss has fallen very heavily upon Mr. Stanley, the painter and owner of this collection. It was the result of the labor of many years among the Indians; it constituted the pride, as it has been the crowning effort, of his life, and he ardently desired that it might be transmitted to posterity as a monument of his enterprise and industry. The hope is entertained that the government will see fit to give him an order to paint a pic- ture for the Capitol, in which the principal figures of this collection and the characteristics of the Indian race may be portrayed. The apparatus presented by Dr. Hare was interesting on account of its association with the history of the advance of science in this country. The collection contained most of the articles invented by the donor, and which are described in the scientific journals of the first half of the present century. Among the chemical implements were those used by that distinguished chemist, in procuring for the first time, without the aid of galvanism, calcium, the metallic basis oflime. A number of the articles of apparatus presented by Dr. Hare, though injured by the fire, may be repaired, and I have taken meas- ures for their restoration. Among the articles of historic interest which were lost is the lens used by Priestley for the evolution of oxygen from the oxide of mer- cury, and by means of which the first distinct recognition of this ele- mentary substance was effected.. It had been presented to the Insti- tution by the nephew of the celebrated philosopher, as was also the apparatus employed by Priestley in his experiments on bodies in con- densed atmospheres. The latter was but slightly injured, and can readily be repaired. The other articles of apparatus may be re- placed at an expense of about ten thousand dollars. The most irreparable loss was that of the records, consisting of the official, scientific, and miscellaneous correspondence, embracing ~ 35,000 pages of copied letters which had been sent, at least 30,000 of which were the composition of the Secretary, and 50,000 pages of letters received by the Institution; the receipts for publications and specimens; reports on various subjects which have been referred to the Institution; the records of experiments instituted by the Secre- tary for the government; four manuscripts of original investigations, which had been adopted by the Institution for publication; a large number of papers and scientific notes of the Secretary ; a series of diaries, memorandum and account books. Fortunately, however, a detailed history of the general operations of the Institution is pre- ‘served in the printed reports; and a large amount of correspondence connected with natural history and meteorology was saved, REPORT OF THE SECRETARY. 19 Since the occurrence of the fire all the operations have been car- ried on in the lower story of the east wing of the building, (the upper part still continuing to be the residence of the Secretary,) and in the several rooms of the adjoining east range. Connected with an office in the latter, the lower story of the tower attached to the southeast corner of the main building has been converted into a fire-proof vault, in which all the valuable papers and records are constantly kept, except for the usually short time they are required for con- sultation. To insure the wakefulness and fidelity of the watchmen, we have introduced the use of an instrument called a ‘detector,’ which records the number and the times of his visits to the several parts of the building. For this instrument, which has rendered good ser- vice during the past year, we are indebted to the liberality of its inventor, Mr. J. E. Bauerk, of Boston, who, in consideration of the loss which the Institution has sustained by fire, kindly presented it free of charge. A circumstantial account is given by the building committee of what has been done toward the reconstruction of the edifice. From this it will be seen that the plan adopted contemplates not merely the repair of the damage by the fire, but the restoration of the several parts in fire-proof materials, and with such alterations in the division of the interior space as will better adapt it to the uses of the Institution. The plans have been prepared and the work superintended by Mr. Adolph Cluss, an architect who was warmly recommended by the mayor of Washington as having been successful in designing and erecting the public school-houses of the city as well as a number of churches and other buildings. These plans have been critically ex- amined and, in some cases, modified by the chairman of the building committee, General Delafield, who, by his knowledge and experience in the line of engineering, has rendered the Institution valuable service. No appropriation has yet been made by Congress to aid in the restoration of the building. Considering, however, the large amount of government property intrusted to the care of the Institution, it can scarcely be doubted that in a normal condition of the national _ finances an appropriation for such purpose would have been readily granted. In consideration of the extraordinary outlay required for the recon- struction of the building, an effort has been made to reduce as much as possible the miscellaneous expenses, and to engage in no enter- 20 REPORT OF THE SECRETARY. prise that is not absolutely necessary to the continuance of the general operations. So many articles, however, of furniture and stores of hardware and stationery were to be replaced that we have not been able to reduce the expenditures to as low a point as we could wish; yet it will be seen that they fall somewhat below those of the pre- ceding year. A reference to the report of the Executive Committee will show that the following is the present condition of the fund: First. The whole amount of money originally derived from the bequest of Smithson is still in the treasury of the United States, bearing interest at six per cent., paid semi-annually, and yielding $30,910 yearly. Second. Seventy-five thousand dollars of an extra fund are in bonds of the State of Indiana, at five per cent. interest, also paid semi-annually, yielding $3,750. Third. Fifty-three thousand five hundred dollars of the same fund are in bonds of the State of Virginia, twelve thousand in those of Tennessee, and five hundred in those of Georgia, fpom which nothing has been derived since the commencement of the war. The southern State stocks have increased during the year in mar- ketable value, though no interest has been derived from them. The interest on the original fund for the past year has been paid by the Secretary of the Treasury in coin, under the advice of the Solicitor of the department, who, having investigated the subject, de- cided that in accordance with the usages of the government the Institution was entitled thus to be paid. At the end of last year there was a balance in the hands of the treasurer of unexpended interest of $29.484 08, which, with the in- come on the original bequest and premium on coin, made a disposable fund of $84,956 37; of this sum $39,121 77 have been expended on the building, and $32,115 97 for the maintenance of the establish- ment and for carrying on all the operations of the Institution, leaving a balance of $13,718 63 to be further applied to the building. In view of the great expenditure of the government on account of the war, the Institution did not at first claim, as it justly might have done, the payment of the annual income of the bequest in specie; but after the great loss sustained by the fire, the necessity could not be ~ avoided of calling the attention of the Secretary of the Treasury to this subject. The claim, after consideration, was allowed, so far as related to the current income, but the question relative to the differ- ence between the payment of the interest which had previously REPORT OF THE SECRETARY. ae accrued in currency or in coin has not been settled by the depart- ment. That the Institution is entitled to the benefit resulting from this difference was the unanimous opinion of the Board of Regents at their last session, and among them of Chief Justice Chase. This learned jurist has since stated, that when Secretary of the Treasury he had in several cases ordered the currency received by parties who after investigation were found justly entitled to be paid in coin, to be again returned into the treasury, and had directed payment to be made to them in specie nominally of the same amount. It has been mentioned in the two preceding reports, that a part of the original bequest had been left in England as the principal of an annuity payable to the mother of Smithson’s nephew. The annui- tant having died, a power of attorney signed by Abraham Lincoln, President of the United States, was sent to Fladgate, Clarke & Finch, solicitors, in England, authorizing them to collect the money and pay it to the order of the Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution. The proceeds from this, deducting the expenses of collection, were £5, 262 Qs. 3d., which were temporarily deposited with George Peabody & Co., who not only transacted the business without charge, but allowed four per cent. interest-on the money while it remained in their hands. The total amount of this residuary legacy received by the Institution, including the interest, £153 19s. 4d., was $26,210 63 in gold, which being sold at the current premium, (about 207,) yielded $54,165 38 in United States currency. This sum was invested in government bonds, bearing interest at T 3-10 per cent., and deposited for safe-keeping with General Spinner, the Treasurer of the United States. It was at first supposed that the interest on this fund could be immediately applied to the uses of the Institution, but upon a critical examination of the enactments of Congress in regard to the bequest, it was found by the Solicitor of the Treasury that the act of Congress of 1846 appropriated only that portion of the money which was then in the treasury, and made no provision for the disposition of the residuary legacy. The Secretary of the Institution was therefore called upon by Mr. Fessenden, Secretary of the Treasury, to deposit this fund to his order in the treasury of the United States until Congress should authorize the appropriation of it to the maintenance or use of the Institution. The cost of the restoration of the building in fire-proof materials without changing the external appearance has, as formerly stated, been far greater than was anticipated. Whether the portion of the work yet to be executed will much exceed in cost that which has ap REPORT OF THE SECRETARY. already been completed, will depend upon the price of materials and oflabor. The Institution may in time be able to finish this work with- out encroaching on its present capital, provided the Secretary of the Treasury shall recognize the inadequacy of the payments of interest which for three years were made in the depreciated currency of the time. If this allowance be not made, and no assistance be received from Congress, then, in order to secure the building and its contents from injury by the weather, the Institution will be obliged to sacrifice a portion of its extra fund, and to the extent of this forever diminish its power to ‘‘increase and diffuse knowledge among men.”’ I have always been opposed to asking appropriations from Congress for the maintenance of the Institution, believing that the government is called upon to do nothing further in its behalf than carefully to guard the original bequest, and see that it is faithfully applied in an efficient manner to the purposes intended by the donor. But the government, after having voluntarily accepted the trust, is bound in good faith to carry out the intentions of the testator, and to make up for any en- croachments upon the funds which may have resulted from improvi- dent or defective legislation. From abundant experience of at least the last fifteen years, it has been shown that the cost and maintenance of a building of the character which has been erected, so far from being necessary to the most efficient realization of the intentions of the founder, have been a constant source of extraneous expense, and have absorbed a large amount of money which ought to have been added to the active capital; and the question may now be asked with propriety, whether, since this building was erected by its own agents, in conformity with a law of Congress, an appropriation should not be made to restore it in fire-proof materials, and to devote it in whole or in part to purposes of the government. A single wing of the edifice is sufficient to carry on all the essential operations of the Institution, and the whole remaining part of the building might be applied to the national collections, which have been greatly en- riched at the expense of the Institution, to the accommodation of the Army Medical Museum, or to the uses of the Agricultural Department. Publications. —During the past year the general operations of the Institution have been continued with unabated energy, although, on account of the increased cost of paper and printing, the number of copies of publications distributed has not been so great as in some previous years. The papers, however, which have been printed are stereotyped, and all our domestic institutions will be supplied as soon as a reduction of prices or an increase of the income of the Institu- REPORT OF THE SECRETARY. 23 tion shall warrant the expenditure for this purpose. The following is a list of the works in quarto published by the Smithsonian Insti- tution in 1865: Discussion of the Magnetic and Meteorological Observations made at Girard College Observatory, Philadelphia, in 1840, 1841, 1842, 1843, 1844, and 1845. Fourth section comprising Parts X, XI, and XII. Dip and total force. By A. D. Bache, LL. D. Pp. 44. (Pub- lished January, 1865.). Paleontology of the Upper Missouri: A report upon collections made principally by the expeditions under command of Lieutenant G. K. Warren, U.S. topographical engineers, in 1855 and 1856. Invertebrates. By F. B. Meek and F. V. Hayden, M. D. Part I. Pp. 156 and five plates. (Published April, 1865.) Cretaceous Reptiles of the United States. By Joseph Leidy, M.D. Pp. 142 and twenty plates. (Published May, 1865.) These memoirs, which have all been described in previous reports, Combined with section third of Professor Bache’s discussion and Dr. Draper’s article on the construction of a silvered glass telescope, published in 1864, formed volume XIV of the ‘‘Contributions to Knowledge,’’ (490 pp., 25 plates,) which was distributed in part during the past year. 