JOURNAL OF PROCEEDINGS OF THE BOARD OF REGENTS OF 

 THE SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION. 



Washington, D. C, January 16, 1878. 

 In accordance with a resolution of the Board of Regents of the Smith- 

 sonian Institution fixing the time of the beginning of the annual session 

 on the third Wednesday of January in each year, the Board met this 

 day, but a quorum not being present it adjourned to meet on Wednesday, 

 January 23, at 7 o'clock p. m. 



Washington, D. C, January 23, 1878. 



A meeting of the Board of Regents of the Smithsonian Institution was 

 held this day at 7 o'clock p. m., in the office of the Secretary. 



Present, Chief- Justice W^aite, Chancellor of the Institution; Hon. Wil- 

 liam A. Wheeler, Vice-President of the United States ; Hon. R. E. Withers, 

 Hon. Hiester Clymer, Hon. James A. Garfield, Rev. Dr. John Maclean, 

 Prof. Asa Gray, Prof. Henry Copp6e, Hon. Peter Parker, and the Secre- 

 tary. 



The minutes of the last meeting were read and approved. 



Excuses for non-attendance were received from Messrs Hamlin, Sar- 

 gent, Bancroft, and Stephens. 



The Secretary stated that on the 1st of November, 1877, the Vice- 

 President appointed Hon. R. E. Withers, of Virginia, as a member of 

 the Board of Regents, in place of Hon. J. W. Stevenson, of Kentucky, 

 whose term of service as Senator had expired. He also stated that the 

 Speaker of the House of Representatives, on the 14:th January, 1878, 

 had appointed the following Regents : Hon. Hiester Clyraer, of Peunsyl- 

 ania; Hon. Alexander H. Stephens, of Georgia ; Hon. James A. Garfield, 

 of Ohio. He also laid before the Board a letter from Prof. James D. 

 Dana, resigning his membership in the Board, on account of continued 

 ill health, and stated that a joint resolution had just passed both houses 

 of Congress electing President Noah Porter, of Yale College, Connec- 

 ticut, to fill the vacancy. 



Professor Henry presented a general exhibit of the condition of the 

 Smithson fund and a detailed statement of the receipts and expenditures 

 for the year 1877. He stated that to save time these statements and 

 all the accounts of the Institution had been referred by him to the 

 Executive Committee. 



The subject of the Virginia bonds held by the Institution and the 

 propriety of disposing of them was considered, the Secretary having 



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