REPORT OF THE SECRETARY. 7 



sonian Institution may, by an instrument in writing filed in the office 

 of the Secretary thereof, designate and appoint a suitable person to act 

 as Secretary of the Institution when there shall be a vacancy in said 

 oflBce, and whenever the Secretary shall be unable from illness, absence, 

 or other cause to perform the duties of his ofBce ; and in such case the 

 person so appointed may*perform all the duties imposed on the Secre- 

 tary by law until the vacancy shall be filled or such inability shall 

 cease. The said Chancellor may change such designation and appoint- 

 ment from time to time as the Institution may in his judgment require. 

 Approved May 13, 1884. 



In accordance with this act the following action was taken by the 

 Chancellor: 



By virtue of the authority conferred on me by the act of May 13, 

 1884, "to provide for the appointment of an Acting Secretary of the 

 Smithsonian Institution," 1 hereby designate and appoint Mr. William 

 J. Ehees to act as Secretary of the Institution when there shall be a 

 vacancy in that office, and whenever the Secretary shall be unable, from 

 illness, absence, or other cause, to perform the duties of his office. 



M. R. Waite, 

 Chancellor of tlie Smithsonian Institution. 

 Lyme, Conn., July 2, 1884. 



PORTRAITS OF THE REGENTS. 



It has been the object of the Smithsonian Institution to make a col- 

 lection, as complete as possible, of the likenesses of all who have served 

 as its Regents. This object is comparatively easy of attainment in the 

 immediate present, but as the enterprise was not initiated until quite 

 recently, there is an undesirable number of blanks in the collection. 

 Crayon portraits, however, of Prof. Asa Gray, at present one of the 

 Regents, and of President Fillmore, and Vice-President George M. 

 Dallas, who were Chancellors of the Institution, all by Mr. Henry Ulke, 

 were added to the gallery during the year. 



FINANCES. 



As in previous years, the Secretary has much pleasure in announcing 

 the excellent condition of the finances ; all ijidebtedness to the 1st of 

 January, 1885, having been paid, and leaving a balance in the Treasury 

 available for the operations of the coming year. In the report of the 

 Executive Committee will be found a statement of the receipts and 

 expenditures, with the balances, as also a list of appropriations made 

 by Congress. In the list of credits enumerated will be found the sum 

 of $900, appropriated by Congress for expenses of construction and 

 installation of the Henry statue over and above the original appro- 

 priation. 



The permanent Smithson fund in the Treasury of the United States 

 is $703,000. The receipts during the year 1884, including the balance 

 unexpended on the 1st of January, were $68,994.20, and the expendi- 

 tures $43,013.30; leaving a balance of $25,380.84, available for tb^ 

 operations of the Institution, in ^885, 



