Weekly national intelligencer. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1841-1869, 1848-01-08
SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION.
Report of The Board Of Regents 10 Congress.

Smithsonian Institution for the increase and diffusion OF know
ledge among men, the Board Of Regents herewith submit to
Congress report Of the operations expenditures and con
dton Of the Institution, with sundy accompanying docu
| ments.
These documents embrace complete record, well Of
the operations of the Institution since the date Of the last
nua report to Congress, of expenditures and of its
present condition. They follows:
No. l. Report of the Building Committee to the Board OF
Regents, accompanied by copy of their Journal from the
date Of the appointment of the committee 10 the lst Deem
Der, lS47.
No. 2 Copy Of the Journal of the Building Committee,
| referred TO in the foregoing
No. g. Report of the Executive Committee. containing
statement OF the expenditures Of the Institution from the or
ganizaon Of the Institution TO the LIST December 1917
No. A. Proceedings Of the Board Of Regents from the date
Of the last annual report to the 22d Of December Is47
No. 5. Report Of the Executive Committee to the Board
OF Regents dated December Is, lS47, embodying state
ment Of the present condition Of the funds Of the Institution
and the proposed scale of annual expenditure until the COM
pletion of the building.
No. g. Report Of the Secretary Of the Institution to the
Board of Regents containing programme Of organization Of
the Smithsonian Institution presented to the Board Dece-
Der 8, lS47.
Document No. will be found to contain condensed
statement Of the proceedings of the Building Committee
compiled from their Journal by which will be seen that in
the discharge Of their duty, they had occasion collect and
have carefully recorded variety of information of much
practical value, especially the subject of building
rails The actual result in their case has been that
they have obtained for the Institution building eestone
greatly superior, both in durability and appearance to any
heretofore used in the public buildings Of this city, yet cost
ing less than oneha much that employed in the
ton Of the Capitol Executive Mansion Treasury Building
and Patent Office Attention is respectfully invited to these
results, they hardly fail to be important the public
SERVICE if the General Government at any time hereafter
should add to the number of its buildings in this metropolis
.
referred to- It contains reports from experienced geoo-
g the marble and granite quaies of Maryland on the
Aqua creek quarries, which have hitherto furnished the
materials for the principal this city and ON the
feestone quares of the upper Potomac in the vicinity of
Seneca creek whence has been drawn the lilac grey eesone
employed by the committee for the Institution building II
contains also report by chemist of this city, Of the result
Of certain experiments which the committee caused to be in
stitued to determine the durability of various building ma
tcrias when exposed to the action of the weather.
This document contains further copy of the contract
made for the erection of the Institution building together
with the specifications of the 1t will be perceived that
the contract taken at rate less by about thirty
thousand dollars than the apart by Congress for
the erection Of the building.
In this document will also be found several other contracts
made by the committee ameng them with Messs Wiley
q Putnam, publishers of New York; for the publication of
brief treatise on Public Architecture be illustrated with
plans and designs of the Institution building and contain
the result Of series of experiments which have set on
foot by the Institution to determine the economical value of
the principal building materials throughout the United States
also contains address by the Chancellor Of the Ins
tuition, delivered occasion of laying the of the
building, and embracing succnc of the objects and
the general proceedings of the Institution together with some
details touching the style and dimensions of the building
then about TO be commenced.
Document No. gives table of the expenditures Of the In
su,on under the various heads since its commencement
The entire expenditure ss7 $40, of which about wo-thds
spent for the building and ncdenas Herewith connect
ed and onehd for other Objects among the her upwards
Of thousand dollars for books and philosophical apparatus
about two thousand dollars for salaries OF officers thirteen
hundred for premiums for designs for the institution building
and So $40 for expenses Of the Board and IFS committees
This last item has been considerably sweed in consequence
Of the provision in the organizing the Institution that its
first meeting should be in September when Congress not
in session. and when, consequently the travelling and other
expenses of all its members fifteen in NUMBER and some re-
siding great distance had to be paid those two mem
bers only excepted who residents Of this city, To pre-
the Of such expense the Board as will be seen
by reference to its Journal has arranged its regular meetings
take place during the sessions Of them
only each year, and as, that time all the members
Of the Board except four become residents Of the city, incur
ring additional expense by attending their duty Re-
gents and therefore charging the Insion no expenses
the annual expense of the Board will hereafter very small
compared what has been reasonably be est-
mated beyond $500 or 81, 900 annually.
This Of expenditure has also been increased by the ne
cessay expenses Of committee appointed visit report
upon public structures in the principal cities Of the Union and
to confer with architects with the selection Of conve
plans based upon the act Of Congress and Of suitable
sty Of architecture The Board believe that when the In
stuon building shall be completed Congress and the public
will he satisfied with the result Of these Iabors.
Some expense will annually be incurred by the Building
Committee until the completion Of their task But, Of
the members of the committee residents Of Washington
that expense will not be large and WILL the Board believe
greatly overpad by the amount Of information collected and
recorded by them and by the volume Of much the
builder and mechanic, preparing for publication.
Document No. is record Of all the important proceed
ings Of the Board Of Regents extracted from their journal
continued from the close Of their procecdng given in the
last report Of the Board TO Congress- down tho end Of their
meeting There win be found, among other resolutions
passed by the Board making appropriations for the
expenses Of the Institution throughout the coming years
also Of the Board upon the series Of resolutions
abishng scale Of expenditure for the four years.
Document No. Is important In the Executive
Committee propose the Board plan Of financial operations
and scale Of expenditure for four years from and after the 18th
March that during the last four years OF the build
ing contract According to which plan the Of fifteen
thousand dollars may annually throughout that term, be APP
propaed for the expenses OF the Institution and the
building completed and furnished, and the grounds