REPORT OF THE SECRETARY. 3 



who donated $1,000 to the Institution in 1874, tlio interest on which was 

 to be appropriated biennially for a contribution, paper, or lecture on a 

 scientific or useful subject. Your former Secretary, Prof. Joseph Henry, 

 in his report for 1874, states that — 



"The firstjnstallmcnt of interest on the Hamilton bequest has just 

 been received, and will be appropriated in accordance Avith the will of 

 the testator at the end of next year, and so on continually at the end of 

 every two years." 



And he adds — 



" A statement of the manner of spending this income will be given in 

 the accounts of the operations of the institution with due credit to the 

 donor. His name will therefore appear from time to time in the annual 

 reports and thus be kept in perpetual remembrance." 



Professor Henry continues, in this connection : 



"When the public shall become more familiar with the manner in 

 which the income of the additional bequests to the Smithsonian fund 

 is expended, with the i)ermanence and security of the investment, and 

 with the means thus afforded of advancing science and of perpetuating 

 the names of the testators, we doubt not that additions to the fund in 

 this way will be made until it reaches the limit prescribed by law of 

 $1,000,000." 



Owing, perhaps, to the small amount of this bequest, the intent of 

 the Secretary does not appear to have been fulfilled. No contribution, 

 jiaper, or lecture seems to have ever been furnished, biennially or other- 

 wise, and with the exception of the exploration of certain bone caves, 

 mentioned in the report of the Secretary for 1870, the income has 

 remained unexpended. 



I shall have elsewhere to speak of the great loss the Institution has 

 sustained in the death of Dr. J. H. Kidder, curator of exchanges; but 

 I refer to it here only in connection with a bequest made by him, con- 

 stituting the Institution one of his residuary legatees. This bequest, 

 the terms of which are still awaiting the consideration of the Regents, 

 will be more properly described, in detail, after their action upon it, 

 which can not well form a portion of the present report. 



At the beginning of the fiscal year the balance on hand of the income 

 from the fund was $4,809.23. The interest has been $42,180, while 

 from miscellaneous sources $3,700.53 have been received. The total 

 expenditures have been $3S,992.29, leaving on July 1, 1889, $11,757.47, 

 a somewhat larger balance than usual, which has been retained to meet 

 certain delayed expenditures. 



The Institution is charged by Congress with the disbursement of 

 sundry appropriations through the Secretary, as follows: 



For iutcrnatioual excliaiiges $15, 000 



For ethnolo<i;ical researches 40, 000 



For preservation of collectious, National Museum 125, 000 



For furniture and fixtures, National Mnscuiu 40,000 



For heating autl lighting, National Museum I'i, 000 



