XII JOURNAL OF PROCEEDINGS OF THE BOARD OF REGENTS. 



mittee of three to report the resohitious to the board. Dr. Johustoii then 

 presented the following- iiieinorial and resohitions, whicli were adopted: 



The Board or Regents: 



Your committee rejxjrt that the Hon. Randall Lee Uih.sou was appointed a Regent 

 of the Smithsonian Institution December 19, 1887, and lilled that otidce until his 

 death, December 15, 1892. 



Senator Gibson brought to the performance of his duties as Regent a rare prepa- 

 ration as student, scholar, and statesman. With inherited talents for oratory and 

 -with strong literary tendencies, he was surrounded in youth by all the influences 

 that direct the energies of man to the public welfare. At Yale College he took a 

 very prominent stand in a group noted for talents and eutliusiasm. Foreign travel, 

 the study of the law, the life of a planter, a distinguished military career, and long 

 service in the Congress of the United States filled his capacious mind with a store 

 of a rich and varied experience and trained him for the highest duties. Life was 

 to him a consecration to public duty, and the performance of that duty his highest 

 felicity. Benevolent, brave, patient, prudent, faithful, his grace and gentleness 

 were the rich drapery of an inflexible will and tenacious purpose. 



He came to the Smithsnnion Institution as a servant animated by the fullest sense 

 of his responsibilities and self-pledged to a rigid performance of them. His interest 

 in the institution has been limited <mly by the conditions of his position. His 

 death is a loss to his State and his country, in Avhose councils he has served for 

 eighteen years. 



In view of these facts, it is — 



liesolved. That in the death of the Hon. Randall Lee Gibson the Smithsonian 

 Institution has lost a zealous aud useful regent, and its board a valued member 

 whose services can ill be spared. 



Resolved, That we lament his loss as an acceptable colleague, a gracious gentle- 

 man, a patriotic citizen, and a wise statesman, whose interest in the spread of 

 knowledge among men fitted him well for his duties on this board. 



Resolved, That these resoluticms be entered on the minutes of the board and a 

 copy be transmitted to the family of our friend. 



Dr. Johustou added that Senator ( Jibson's death was a particular 

 sorrow to him; they had been friends from boyhood with never a single 

 cloud in their friendship. He was with Senator Gibson in his last hours 

 and felt in his death a great personal loss, and he did not doubt that 

 all who knew him personally regretted his loss to themselves and to 

 the country. 



The secretary then announced the death on March 4, 1892, of Dr. 

 Koah Porter, a former liegent. 



The secretary presented his report for the year ending June 30, 1892, 

 stating that it was confined to matters of major importance, matters of 

 detail being found in the appendix. He had endeavored to i)ut into it 

 only matters that might demand publicity, and had arranged the report 

 in this form so as to permit it to be read. He had dwelt at some length 

 on the features of the National Zoological Park. The rest of the report 

 would speak for itself, but he might call attention to statements about 

 the disposition of the income of that portion of Mr. Hodgkin's gift which 

 was specially directed to one purpose, and to the f(n m of some of the 

 letters written to distinguished men all over the world in relation to it. 



The report was accepted. 



