22 REPORT OF THE SECRETARY. 



Til Doconibor, 18S9, the aminnl moetint? of tlu^ Association took place 

 ill Wasliiiijitoii, the moniiiis session beinf? held in the, lecture hall of 

 the National Museum and the evening session in the Columbian IJniver- 

 ity. The jjioceedings of this meeting are printed in the annual report 

 of the association, which, in accordance with the provisions cited above, 

 was submitted to me on January 14, 1800, and on June IS was coininu- 

 nieated to Congress and ordered to be printed as Senate Miscellaneous 

 DiKuunent Mo. 170. This report included, in addition to the proceed- 

 ings of the annual meeting, a number of historical papers of a high 

 order. 



The provision by which the Regents are authorized to permit the 

 deposit of the collections, manuscripts, books, pamphlets, and other 

 historical material of the Association, has been met as well as our pres- 

 ent accommodations will admit, and in making an estimate for repairs 

 to the Smithsonian buildings arrangements were made for a suitable 

 and safe place in which such valuable records might be stored. 



Bureau of fine r//f.s.— The desirability of having in connection with 

 the Government a suitable depository of works of art has presented 

 itself so forcibly to Members of Congress, and without suggestion on 

 thepartof the Kegents, that a bill was introduced in the Senate by the 

 Hon. Wilkinson Call, on December 4, 1880, ])rovi(ling for the establish- 

 ment of a bureau of tine arts in the Smithsonian Institution. This was 

 referred to the Committee on the Library, but has not been reported. 



The wording of the bill is as follows: 



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

 States of America in Congress assembled, That there be, and is hereby, 

 created in the Smithsonian Institution a bureau called the Bureau 

 of the Fine Arts, the management of which is entrusted to the Sec- 

 retary of the Smithsonian Institution. 



Sec, 2. That the purpose and duties of this bureau shall be to aid 

 in the development of the fine arts in the several States and Territories 

 of the United States, by the re-production, for the use of art schools and 

 academics, of casts of statuary and other objects used in giving instruc- 

 tion in art; by preparing and distributing plans for the construction of 

 buildings and the adai)tation of rooms suital)le for use as art schools, 

 with i)rinted ])lans for the organization of various grades of art acad- 

 emies and classes; by causing to be held annnally in Washington. Dis- 

 trict of Columbia, a public exhibition of works of art, open to all desir- 

 ing to exhibit, in whi(;h the fairest ])Ossil)Ie oi)portnnity tor exposition 

 shall be atlorded all contributors; and by the publication of an annual 

 register containing an ac(rount of new discoveries, inventions and meth- 

 ods of instruction useful to students of art, together with a report of 

 the progress of the tine arts in the United States. 



Sec. ',i. Tiiat the re-productions and pul)lications of the bureau shall 

 Ite <iistril)uted among institutions of art, under such regulations as the 

 Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution may establish. 



Sec. 4. That the Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution* shall pro- 

 vide suitable (juarters for the holding of the annual art exhibition. 



Sec. .">. Tiiat for the j)urpose of carrying on the operations of this 

 bureau there be and is iiereby appropriated, for the fiscal year begin- 



