BEPORT OF THE SECRETARY. 49 



American Entomological Society, and a vice-president of the American 

 Philosophical Society. 



MISCELLANEOUS. 



The Mercer Bequest. — Reference has been made in a previous report 

 to the will of the Rev. Dr. Mercer, of Newport, R. I., by which the 

 Smithsonian Institution was made an ultimate legatee with Harvard 

 and Yale Colleges and one or two individuals to administer a certain 

 sum of money intended for educational purposes. 



It is not expected that the Institution will be called upon to take any 

 action for many years, possibly not in the course of a generation. The 

 estate, however, has proved to be much larger than was originally im- 

 agined, and amounts to over $1,000,000. 



Friendly proceedings are now under way for the purpose of deter- 

 mining the precise status of the several legatees, and the action which 

 the executrix, Mrs. Pell, should properly take in the premises. 



Naval Museum of Hygiene. — The Navy Department has been engaged 

 for several years past in bringing together an exhibit of sanitary appa- 

 ratus and appliances, whether used in the Navy or elsewhere ; and as 

 this subject at present has no special assignment or place in the Na- 

 tional Museum, it was thought expedient, as a method of carrying out 

 proper reciprocity with the other Departments, to transfer all the ap- 

 paratus of that character to the charge of the Naval Museum of Hy- 

 giene. 



The principal objects consisted of articles of terra-cotta and metal, 

 intended for sanitary uses, and obtained at the International Exhibi- 

 tion of 1870. The specimens furnished constitute a very acceptable 

 addition to the" Naval Museum. 



Portrait of Darrein. — The picture gallery of the Smithsonian Institu- 

 tion during the year has been enriched by a life-size portrait of Darwin, 

 painted by E. F. Andrews, of Washington, and given by the artist. 

 This has been duly assigned and placed in the Museum, and attracts 

 much interest. 



Priestley Relies. — At the suggestion of Professor Leeds, of the Stevens 

 Institute, Hoboken, N. J., I made application to Mrs. Priestley, of 

 Northumberland, Pa., in behalf of the Institution for the collection of 

 apparatus used by her husband's ancestor, Dr. Joseph Priestley, the 

 eminent physicist, and brought by him to this country many years ago. 

 As the discoverer of oxygen, and other important elements in chemical 

 science, and as one of the first to carry on chemical research irr the 

 United States, the memory of Dr. Priestley is highly revered by Amer- 

 ican chemists, and it was with much gratification that they learned of 

 Mrs. Priestley's willingness to make the transfer. 



By the assistance of Professor Leeds the collection was securely put 

 up in a number of crates and hogsheads, which were forwarded to Wash- 

 H. Mis. 69 4 



