RErOKT OF THE SECRETAKY. d 



copies granted for its use and distributioi^. Tbe Public Printer how- 

 ever has not felt authorized to put any part of the report in type before 

 the adoption by Congress of a special resolution to print the extra 

 copies referred to, and as there has frequently been great delay in the 

 passage of the concurrent resolution, many months have frequently 

 elapsed between the annual meeting of the Board and the printing of 

 the report. 



The best illustration of this delay is furnished by reference to the 

 report of the Institution for the year 1883, which, although submitted 

 to Congress on the 21st of January, 1884, was actually not ordered to 

 be printed till July, 1884, and not delivered to the members and to the 

 Institution until August, 1885. 



To remedy this evil and to secure prompt publication, the Regents 

 adopted the resolution referred to above at its last meeting, and by the 

 efforts of the members of the Board in the Senate and House of Rep- 

 resentatives secured the passage of the following joint resolution by 

 Congress, No. 18, approved by the President of the United Slates 

 March 3, 1885 : 



'■'■Resolved by the Senate and House of Bepresevtatives of tlie United 

 States of America in Congress assembled, That the annual reports of 

 the Smithsonian Institution shall be hereafter i)rinted at the Govern- 

 ment Printing Office, in the same manner as the annual reports of the 

 heads of Departments are now printed, for submission in print to the 

 two Houses of Congress." 



The intent of this act is to instruct the Public Printer to print the 

 Annual Report of the Regents whenever coi)y shall be furnished, so 

 that the whole report may be presented to Congress in printed form at 

 the commencement of each session. 



The statute under which the reports of Departments are i)rinted is 

 as follows: 



"The head of each Department, except the Department of Justice, 

 shall lurnish to the Congressional Printer copies of the documents 

 usually accom[)anying his annual report, on or before the first day of 

 November in each year, and a copy of his annual report on or before 

 the third Monday of November in each year.* 



"It is further provided that of the documents accompanying the an- 

 nual reports of the Executive Departments one thousand copies shall 

 be printed and bound for the use of the members of the Senate, and 

 two thousand copies for the use of the members of the House of Repre- 

 sentatives, in addition to the usual number for Congress, 1,000 copies."t 



While the printing of the report is now secured without a special 

 order at each session of Congress, it will still be necessary to have a 

 concurrent resolution every year for the i^rinting of extra copies for the 

 use of the Institution. 



FINANCES. 



The financial condition of the Institution continues to be satisfactory. 



The Smithson fund remains the same as at the date of the last report, 



• Revised Statutes, Title IV, section 196. 

 t Revised Statntea. Title XLV, section 3798. 



