2 REPOET OF THE SECRETARY. 



the President, Vice-President, Secretaries of the several Executive 

 Departments, and the Chief Justice of the United States shall consti- 

 tute the Establishment. 



THE BOARD OF REGENTS. 



The stated annual meeting of the Board was held on January 8, 1890, 

 at which the resignation of Dr. Noah Porter, presented on account of 

 failing health, was accepted in the following resolution : 



Resolved, That the Board having received the resignation of Dr. Noah 

 Porter as a Regent accept it with an expression of their regret, and 

 with assurances of their high personal esteem. 



At the same meeting, the appointment by the honorable the Speaker 

 of the House of Representatives on January 6, 1890, of the following 

 members of the House as Regents was announced : the Hon. Benjamin 

 Butterworth, of Ohio, the Hon. Henry Cabot Lodge, of Massachusetts, 

 the Hon. Joseph Wheeler, of Alabama. 



The death of the Hon. Samuel S. Cox, for many years a Regent of 

 the Institution, and its earnest friend and supporter, was referred to in 

 my last annual report. By a resolution of the Board of Regents a com- 

 mittee was appointed, of which the Secretary was made chairman, to 

 prepare suitable resolutions on his services and character, and these 

 formal resolutions, with a brief biographical sketch, are given in full in 

 the "necrology" appended. 



The institution is indebted to Mrs. Cox for a portrait of her husband, 

 to be placed with the collection of portraits of past Regents. 



By joint resolution of Congress, approved by the President May 22, 

 1890, Dr. James C. Welling, whose term as a Regent had expired, was 

 reelected; and by the same resolution Judge Charles Devens, of Mas- 

 sachusetts, was appointed a member of the Board to succeed Dr. Porter. 



I regret to say that Judge Devens has written to me to state that 

 there is a provision in the constitution of JMassachusetts in reference to 

 judges of its supreme court, which it has been suggested would prevent 

 any one of them from holding such a position. No action had been taken 

 in the matter at the time of this report. 



FINANCES. 



The permanent funds of the institution remain as at the time of my 

 last report, namely : 



Bequest of Smithsou, 1846 |515, 169. 00 



Residuary legacy of Suuthsou, 1867 26, 210. 63 



Deposits from savings of income, etc., 1867 108,620. 37 



Bequest of James Hamilton, 1874 1,000.00 



Bequest of Simeon Ilabel, 1880 500.00 



Deposit from proceeds of sale of bonds, 1881 51,500.00 



Total permanent Smithsonian fund in the Treasury of the United 



States, bearing interest at 6 per cent, per annum 703, 000. 00 



