98 EIGHTH ANNUAL REPORT OF 



Washington, July 8, 1854. 

 An adjourned meeting of the Bonrd of Regents was held ou Satur- 

 day, July 8, at 10 o'clock, a. m. 



Present : Messrs. Bache, Douglas, English, Hawley, Mason, 

 Pearce, Rush, Stuart, Totten, Towers, and the Secretary. 



In the absence of the Chancellor, Mr. Hawley wns called to the 

 chair. 



John T. Towers, esquire, mayor elect of the city of Washington, 

 appeared and took the seat in the Board vacated by Mr. Maury, late 

 mayor. 



The Secretary laid before the Board the sixth volume of Smithso- 

 nian Contributions to Knowledge. 



Mr. Mason, from the Select Committee on the resolutions of Messrs. 

 Fitch and Meacham, offered the foUowing resolution : 



•*'The Secretary of the Institution and of this Board is, by the 

 ■seventh secti(Mi ot" the net ' to establish the Smithsonian Institution,' 

 required to discharge the duties of 'Librarian and Keeper of the 

 Museum,' having, with the consent of the Board of Regents, power to 

 employ assistants, the better to enable him . to discharge those duties ; 

 for a better construction whereof, 



Be it resolved^ That whilst power is reserved in the said section to 

 the Board of Regents to remove both the Secretary and his assistants, 

 in the opinion of the Board, power, nevertheless, remains with the Sec- 

 retary to remove his said assistants." 



Mr. English moved to amend the resolution Ijy inserting the words 

 "•with the consent cf the Board of Regents,^' after the words "power, 

 nevertheless, remains with the Secretary.'''' 



Mr. Stuart moved that the consideration of Mr. Mason's resolution 

 be postponed till the next meeting of the Board. On this question the 

 yeas and nays were demanded. 



Those voting in the affirmative : ^ 



Yeas. — Messrs. Douglas, English, Stuart, Towers — 4. 

 Nays. — Messrs. Bache, Hawley, Mason, Pearce, Totten — 5. 

 , So the motion was not carried. 

 The question was then taken on the amendment offered by Mr. 

 Enelish to Mr. Mason's resolution, and the yeas and nays taken : 

 Yeas. — Messrs. Douglas, English, Stuart, Towers — 4. 

 Nays. — Messrs. Bache, Hawley, Mason, Pearce, Totten — 5. 

 So the amendment was lost. 



Mr. Douglas movcul a postponement of the subject for a week from 

 next Friday. 



The yeas and nays were taken on this motion : 

 Yeas. — Messrs. Douglas, English, Stuart, Towers — 4. 

 Nays. — Messrs. Bache, Hawle}'-, Mason, Pearce, Totten — f). 

 . .So the motion was lost. 



The qufistion was then taken on Mr. Mason's resolution ; which was 

 adopted. 



Yeas. — Messrs. Bache, Hawley, Mason, Pearce, Rush, Totten — 6. 



Nays. — Messrs. Douglas, English, Stuart, Towers — 4. 



Mr. Stuart moved to postpone the consideration of the resolutions 



