82 EIGHTH ANNUAL REPORT OF 



lecture rooms," &c. This section points out certain means and instru- 

 mentalities by which the Institution is to "execute the trust" " accor- 

 ding to the will of the liberal and enlightened donor." But it does not 

 limit the Regents to these means and instrumentalities. A large dis- 

 cretion is elsewhere given to them to employ other means and instru- 

 mentalities " for the promotion of the purpose of the testator" — that is, 

 " for the increase and diffusion of knowledge among men." 



" The eighth section, in its last clause, directs an annual appropriation 

 from the interest of the funds belonging to the Institution " not exceed- 

 ing an average of $25,000 annually, lor the gradual formation of a 

 library composed of valuable works pertaining to all departments of 

 human knowledge." 



And the ninth section enacts that of " any other moneys which 

 have accrued, or shall hereafter accrue, as interest^pon the sb,id 

 Smithsonian fund, not herein appropriated, or not mjuired for the 

 purposes herein provided, the said managers [Regents] are hereby 

 authorized to make such disposal as they shall deem best suited for 

 the promotion of the purpose of the testator, anything herein con- 

 tained to the contrary notwithstanding." 



Let us see now, how far the Regents have complied with these re- 

 quirements of the law. 



They have caused to be erected a building, which is, in the judgment 

 of the Board, suitable, of sufficient size, of plain and durable materials, 

 with suitable rooms for the reception and arrangement, upon a libe- 

 ral scah^ of the objects mentioned in the fifth section of the act. The 

 building, it is true, is not yet completed in all its parts. This has 

 been the result, partly of design, and partly of accident. As the law 

 specified no period within which the building should be completed, the 

 time of its completion was necessarily within the discretion of the Re- 

 gents. It was obvious that if" they should not hurry its completion, but 

 extend the work upon it through a series of 3^ea]-s, they would save a 

 large amount of accruing interest, which, when the building should be 

 finished, might be added to the permanent fund, w^ierebj' the means of" 

 accomplishing the purposes of the testator would be largely increased. 

 An additional reason for this was, that the structure, thus slowly and 

 cautiously erected, would be more solid and pei'manent. This policy, 

 therefore, was adopted, and it was determined that the building should 

 be finished in five years. An accident, well knf)wn to the Board, and 

 which in the end must prove to have been fortunate, required a change 

 in the plan of a part of the edifice, and a larger expenditure of money. 

 This cause has further delayed the completion of the building. But 

 during the present year it will bo finished on the liberal scale required 

 by the law, and one hundred and fitly thousand dollars of accrued in- 

 terest will be saved, to be added to the principal. 



In the mean time, the Regents have made appropriations of money 

 for the various objects specified in the fifth section of the act, by which 

 -uid other means they have complied as well with the letter as the 

 spirit of the law. A large and valuable collection of objects of natural 

 history has been made, and for the most part, classified ; a geological 

 and rnineralogical cabinet has been provided, and a chemical laboratory 

 has been fitted up, in which researches and experiments have been 



