Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1896-01-22
Semi Centennial of the Smithsonian
to Be Commemorated.
ANNUAL MEETING OF THE REGENTS
Interesting Recommendations in
Secretary LangIey's Report.
THE. ms FUND

ing members were In attendance: Inc cnan-
cellor. Chief Justice Fuller; Vice President
Stevenson, Postmaster General Wilson, Sem
ator Justin S. Morrill,, Senator Shelby M.
Cullom, Senator George Gray. Representa-
tive Joseph Wheeler, Representative R. R.
Hit, Representative Robert Adams, jr., DIR.
A. D. White, Gen. J. B. Henderson and Mr..
Gardiner'G. Hubbard.
The death of DR.. Henry Coppee president
of Lehigh University, long member of the
board was announced, and appropriate res
o1utionS adopted.
An executive committee was appoint ted, as
follows Gen. John b. Henderson. chairman;
Postmaster General William L. Wilson and
Mr.. Gardiner G. Hubbard.
Secretary Langley presented his annual
report, in which the chief events of i'm
portance during the past year were dis
cussed. Allusion was made to the confer
ring of the Hodgkins fund prize of $10O 900
and to the transmission of the amount of
the award, through the American embassy
In London. to Lord Rayleigh and Prof. Ram
say; also to the fact that similar prize for
the same discovery has recently been cSven
to the same persons by the Institute of
France. The prize Of 81 600 was given to M.
de Varigny of Paris for the best popular
treatise In accordance with the terms of the
announcement, and three silver and six
bronze medals awarded to the laureates out
OF nearly two hundred contestants. The
medals, which have been designed by Mons
L. G. Chaplain, member of the French In
stitute and the most famous medalist in the
world, are being struck at the government
mint In Paris. and will soon be ready for dis
tribution.
The Future of the HOdgkins Fund.
The secretary expressed the opinion that
the giving of large prize having served it's
purpose in attracting the attention Of the
world to the. Hodgkins fund and the pur-
poses of its founder, it would probably not
be wise to offer at present additional large
prizes of this kind, since these have rarely
been found efficacious in stimulating dis
covery. and that hereafter the income
should be spent directly in aid of investiga-
tions In regard to the atmosphere and it's
properties.
Speaking of the Hodgkins bequest secre-
tary Langley dwelt upon the idea that the
foresight of Mr. Hodgkins has been in one
particular remarkably justified, since the
experience of the last three years has shown
that there Is no department in the field of
human thought, apart from such abstract
ores as aesthetics, higher mathematics
logic and the like, which does not come un-
der the purview of this donation; so that the
RESTRICTION OF the income from this 500 900
of the bequest to the special purpose of in
vestigatfcns regarding atmospheric air is in
realty no embarrassment or limitation of
the free activities of the institution.
Attention was also directed to the recent
bequest OF Mr.. Robert Stanton Avery of
Washington, the value of which had been
estimated at 10000, but which, it seems
probable, will not prove to be so large
Fiftieth Year of the Institution.
The present year, 1896, being the fiftieth
since the foundation of the institution, the
occasion will be commemora=ed by the
erection OF bronze tablets to the memory
of the founder, James Smithson, upon his
tomb m the English cemetery in Genoa,
and also in the English Church in the same
A altJninarv nf foh LOT
by Mr.. William Ordway Partridge, was
submitted for inspection.
There will also be published a semi-cen-
tennial volume, giving an account of the
origin Of the institution and summing I'D
the results Of its fifty years activities in
every department of science. This volume
will be handsomely printed, n an edition
sufficiently large to supply all the principal
libraries Of the world, and will contain
portraits of the founder, the chancellors-
George NJ. Dallas, Milard Fillmore, Roger
B. Taney, Salmon P. Chase, Morrison R.
Waite and Melville W. I7uller-and those
of the regents who have contributed most
materially to the development and influence
of the institution, such as James A. Pierce
Alexander Dallas Bache, louis Agassiz and
George Bancroft. Chapters will be con-
tributed by considerable number of the
n est prominent scientific men and edu-
Gators of the United States.
The Geological Table at Naples.
Allusion was made by the secretary to the
table at the geological station of Naples
rented by the institution for the benefit of
investigators and students of American
natural history, and TO the fact that the
popularity of this undertaking is so great
that petitions from eight Of the principal
natural history societies of the country
four Of them national, including together
some 5000 members, and petition signed
by 200 of the principal naturalists of the
country, have been received urging the con-
nj hn fob fnp
of three years.
The secretary also called attention to the
crowded condition of the National Museum
and the necessity of new buildings, not only
for the exhibition of collections, but for
the storage of material now placed in tenn
porary sheds near the building of the in
stitution, which, being infammable, are a
constant menace to its safety.
Important Ethnological Work.
The bureau of ethnology IS continuing its
important work in the study of linguistics,
habits and customs Of the American abo-
rig1nes, and important explorations have
been made during the year under the di-
rection OF Mr.. MCGEE among the Seri and
Papago Indians of the far southwest, and
by DR.. ]. Walter Fewkes in the ruins of a
town near Moqui, which was DESTROYED by
hostile Indians before the first visit of the
Spaniards. The latter exploration was the
first ever made Of a thoroughly pre- Column
bian town site, and resulted in the gather
ing Of collection of pottery and other
objects of unequaled beauty and value
Alarming Reports About Buffalo.
Referring to the Geological Park, Secre-
tary Langley directed attention to the
alarming reports which are coming from
the Yellowstone National Park, which
seem to make 1t certain that the herd of
several hundred buffalo reported last year
has been reduced to fifty or less, and in
dicating that it will soon be destroyed un-
less steps are taken for it's preserya tio,.
Since the means at the disposal of the Gus
todians of the Yellowstone National Park
seem quite inadequate to protect them the
Gesirability Is suggested of transferring
most of the remnant of the herd to Wash
fr,gton, to be placed in the Geological Park.
which has amply sufficient space for ali
that are left.
The work of the astro-physicaI obserya-
tory was referred to, and the researches
there being carried on, which are giving us
a knowledge of nearly thrice the amount
OF solar energy that was known to Sir
Iseac Newton, In a region which was left
almost untouched until our own day, when
tLese researches took 1t up. The number Of
known lines in this portion Of the spectrum