PROCEEDINGS OF THE BOARD OF REGENTS. 105 



Virginia consolidated debt, exclianged December 0, 1871, for the Smith- 

 sonian Institution, and standing in its name on the books of this office, 

 "were reguhuly issued and are good and valid. The omission of the State 

 seal upon them was an inadvertauce, which will be corrected whenever 

 the bonds are returned for the imrpose. In fact the seal is not necessary 

 to give validity to the bonds, though it is customary to place it upon 

 them. 



Very respectfully, yours, 



JOS. I\IAYO, 

 Treasurer of V(r(jinla. 



On motion of Mr. Ilamliu, it was 



Resolved, That the Secretary return the bonds to Eichmond for the 

 purpose of having the State seal affixed to them. 



The Secretary gave an account of Major Powell's expedition, which 

 was authorized by Congress at its last session and had by law been 

 placed under the direction of the Smithsonian Institution. He stated 

 that he had addressed a communication to Congress recommending 

 an additional appropriation for continuing the survey. 



The Secretary stated that, for many years, harmonious relations had 

 existed between the Institution and the Department of Agriculture for 

 co-operation in advancing the science of meteorology. The blanks had 

 been furnished and distributed by that Department, and the observers 

 sent their returns to the Commissioner, saving a large item of expense 

 in the way of postage. The monthl}^ summaries of observations of rain, 

 temperature, etc., had been j)ublished in the monthly reports of the 

 Department, and had done much to encourage and stimulate the ob- 

 servers and to furnish valuable data for agricultural and scientific pur- 

 poses. Judge Watts, the present Commissioner, had recently decided, 

 however, to discontinue this publication, and this was an additional 

 reason why the Institution should have the franking privilege. The 

 Institution had a large number of computers at work in reducing and 

 discussing all the meteorological observations it had collected during the 

 last twenty years, and would soon publish the results. 



The Secretary presented his annual report for the year 1871, which 

 was read, and, on motion of Mr. Trumbull, accepted. 



A communication from F. O. J. Smith, esq., of Portland, relative to 

 the electro-magnetic telegraph, was presented to the Board, and ordered 

 to be placed in the archives. 



The board then adjourned sine die. 



