Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1886-01-13
THE SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION.
Annual Meeting OF the Regents-COndi
ton Of the Fund.

the Smithsonian Institution was held to-day In
the regents room at the Smithsonian. There
were present the chancellor, Chief Justice
Waite, Hon. 6. B. Maxey, Hon. j. s. Morrill,,
Hon. 0. r. Singleton, Hon. w. L. Wilson, Hon.
w. w. Phelps, DR.. N. Porter, of Yale College;
Dr. A. Gray. of Harvard University; DR.. Henry
Coppee, of Lehigh University; Gen. NJ. c. Meigs,
and the secretary, Prof. Baird.
Excuses tor non-attendance were read from
Senators Sherman and Cullum and Rev. DR..
Maclean.
The secretary announced that Congress had
reelected Doctors Maclean, Gray and Coppee as
regents for six years, and Gen. Meigs, in place
of Gen. Sherman, resigned. The secretary also
Isle Of Hon. o. o. R Singleton Hon. ". L. Vii
Forty-ninth Congress. Dr. Coppee was elected
Maclean's request to be excused from service on
the executive committee was received and
granted. and Gen. Meigs was elected to fill the
DR.. yelling, Of Columbian university, was
elected chairman of the executive committee.
tive Commits. which was read and accepted.
Prof. Baird presented his report for the six
months ending June 3Oth, 1885. which was
accepted. He also presented q statement of the
finances OF the institution on the 1st OF Janu-
airy, 1886, showing the receipts for 1885 TO be
o729 ieavinR balaacep OF 20
A letter from gentleman in Washington was
read asking If he could place certain funds in
est during his life time, the principal to go to
the Smithsonian at his death, and was referred
| to the executive committee.
Prof. Baird presented q statement as to the
necessity for a storage building for alcoholic
specimens: also for a new building for the mu-
scum, &c.
The board then adjourned sine die.
CONDITION OF THE FUND.
The report of the executive committee, owing
| to the change ordered at the last annual meet
ing, making the fiscal year Of the institution
| end on the 3Oth day of June each year. covered
| only the financial operations and condition of
the institution for the first six months of 1885.
This statement showed the condition of the
| fund to be, on July !, 1885, as follows: "The
posted in the Treasury OF the United States,
| according to the act of Congress of August 10,
authority of Congress act of February 8 1851,
| the residuary legacy of SmithsOn and savings
from annual income and other sources, S134, !.
James Hamilton, $500 by a bequest of Simeon
| Habel, and S51, 500 as the proceeds Of the sale
of Virginia bonds owned by the institution,
in the United States Treasury, 100000"
THE SMITHSONIAN BUILDING.
| The report of the secretary, Prof. Baird, after
| referring to the Improvements made in the
eastern portion of the Smithsonian building
1.-THE rest of the Smithsonian building is in
| an unsightly and dilapidated condition, and
will before long require extensive repairs in the
and the Encouragement of cases in the firs
floor, Sc; an undertaking which, az
being strictly in the interest of the
| national museum, will warrant the ask
ing Congress for the necessary appropriation
NEW BUILDINGS NEEDED.
Prof. Baird refers to the necessity of new
buildings for the National Museum, saying
"An application was made to Congress a yea
or two ago for an appropriation with which u
| commence the construction of second build
| ing for museum purposes and also to accom-
modate the offices of the United States geologi
cal survey, an establishment which in its Close
| utilization to the work of the Smithsonian In
stitution and the National Museum would bt
appropriately quartered In connection there
| with. This application, however, was no
granted; but the need is now much greater thar
before, as there is enough material in the way
OF valuable specimens of economical interes
| to fill second building the size of the present
several buildings, some in Washington and some
elsewhere and consists of important illustra
| tions OF the economical geology, metallurgy
and other resources of the United States. IL
| addition to what has been on hand for some
time, very large collections were presented &c
the government at the New Orleans exhibition
| which embraced a great deal of intrinsic value
as well as of popular and scientific interest. Il
| is earnestly to be hoped that this requirement
| will be met by Congress by the speedy appro
priation Of an amount suitable for the purpose
For the safety of the general collections of the
national museum separate building is also
| very much needed for the accommodation o.
| the alcoholic specimens, such as are now pro
| the present building is practically hre-proof
yet should a fire be started in the vicinity Of
| these specimens it is probable that much dam
age would be done by the ignition of the many
| thousands of gallons of alcohol, and the de
| struction of the specimens and of the jars in
| which they are contained.