REPORT OF THE 8ECRETARY. 47 



aiiti<iiiitic.s ot'Oeiitral Auieiica ; iiiul to Paymaster AVilliani .1. Tboinsoii, 

 U. S. Navy, for the preparation of a report on the autiquities of Easter 

 Ishiiid, I'acilic Ocean. 



Toner Lecture Fund. — The Secretary of the Institution is cx-officto 

 chairman of the board of trustees. No lectures have bi^en delivered 

 for several years. The fund remains as originally invested, increased 

 annually by the unexpended income. It consists partly in real estate 

 in Washington, find partly in Government bonds, the estimated value 

 of which is about $3,000. 



American Historical Association. — A bill was introduced in the Senate 

 by Hon. G. F. Hoar on the 21st of May, 1888, and in the House on the 

 4th of June by Hon. James Phelan, to incorporate the "American His- 

 torical Association," and as the bill proposes an intimate connection 

 between the association and the Smithsonian Institution it is here given 

 in full: 



[A BILL to iucorpoiiite the Aiiiericau Historical Associatiou. ] 



Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the thiited 

 States of America in Congress assembled, That Andrew D. White, of 

 Itiiaca, in the State of New York; George Bancroft, of Washington, in 

 the District of Columbm; Justin Winsor, of Cambridge, in the State of 

 Massachusetts; William F. Poole, of Chicago, in the State of Illinois; 

 Herbert B. Adams, of Baltimore, in the State of Maryland; Clarence W. 

 Bowen, of Brooklyn, in the State of New York, their associates and suc- 

 cessors, are hereby created a body cor[)orate and politic, by the name of 

 the American Historical Association, for the promotion of historical 

 studies, the collection and preservation of historical manuscripts, and 

 for kindred purposes in the interest of American history and of history 

 in America. Said association is authorized to hold real and personal 

 estate to an amount not exceeding five hundred thousand dollars, to 

 adopt a constitution, and to make by-laws. Said association shall have 

 its head(iuarters at Washington, in the District of Columbia, and shall 

 hold its annual meetings in such places as the said incorporators shall 

 determine. Said association sliall report annually to the Secretary of 

 the Smithsonian Institution concerninu: its proceedings and the condi- 

 tion of nistorical study in America. Said Secretary shall communicate 

 to Congress the whole of .'-uch reports, or such portion thereof as he 

 shall see tit. The Kegents of the Smithsonian Institution are authorized 

 to permit said association to de[)osit its collections, manuscripts, books, 

 pamphlets, and other niatcrial for history in the Smithsonian Institution 

 or in the National Museum, at their discretion, upon such conditions 

 and under such rules as they shall prescribe. 



Eighth centenary of the University of Bologna. — In accordance with the 

 request of Prof. J. Capellini, rector of the University of Bologna, the 

 Smithsonian Institution appointed two representatives to bei)resent at 

 the eighth centenary of the university, which occurred on the 1-tii of 

 June, 1888. Dr. S. AVeir Mitchell, of Philadelphia, and Dr. C. Ciardini, 



