XII JOURNAL OF PROCEEDINGS. 



This meeting' was, tlierefore, called in pnisnance of this understand- 

 ing, and also with regard to some matters concerning tlie Zoological 

 I'ark. 



Dr. Welling said tliat lie had been instrncted by his colleagues on 

 the Executive Committee to bring the matter of this donation before 

 the Regents in such a way that they can accept or reject the munificent 

 gift made by Mr. Hodgkins. He then read the following preamble and 

 resolutions : 



Whereas, Thomas G. Hodgkins, of Setauket, Loug Islautl, has placed iu the hands 

 oftlie Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution, the sum of two hundred thousand 

 dollars, for the purpose declared by him in a formal statement, as follows : 



September 22, 1891. 



I, Thomas G. Hodgkins, of Setauket, New York, desiring to increase the endow- 

 ment of the Smithsonian Institution, founded iu the city of Washington, for the 

 increase and diffusion of knowledge among men, have transferred to Samuel Pierpont 

 Langley, Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution, the sum of two hundred thousand 

 dollars, the same to be delivered to the Board of Regents of the Smithsonian Insti- 

 tution, to whom I give it in trust, to be invested permanently in the Treasury of the 

 United States, as a part of tlie Smithson fund, and its interest to be applied to the 

 increase and diffusou of knowledge among men ; this fund to be called the Hodgkins 

 Fund, and all premiums, prizes, grants, or publications made at its cost, to be 

 designated by this name; the interest of one hundred thousand dollars of this fund 

 to be permanently devoted to the increase and diffusion of more exact knowledge in 

 regard to the nature and properties of atmospheric air, in connection with the wel- 

 fare of man in his daily life and in his relations to his Creator, the same to be 

 effected by the offering of prizes, for which competition shall be open to the world, 

 for essays in whiih important truths regarding the phenomena on which life, health, 

 and human happiness depend shall be embodied, or by such other means as iu years 

 to come may appear to the Regents of the Smithsonian Institution calculated to 

 produce the most beneficent results. * * * 



(Signed) Thomas G. Hodgkins. 



Witness : 



(Signed) M. L. Chambers. 



Therefore, be it 



liesolved, That the Regents hereby accept the sum in question, subject to the con- 

 ditions thus stated by the donor, and that the Secretary is instructed to carry into 

 effect these conditions, and to administer the income as in the case of the income 

 from other funds belonging to the Institution. 



Refiolvcd, That the Secretary is instructed to place the sum of $200,000 iu the U. S. 

 Treasury, at six per centum interest, under the terms of section 5591, of Title lxxiii, 

 of the Revised Statutes of the United States. 



liesolrcd, That the thanks of the Board of Regents are tendered to Mr. Hodgkins 

 for his generous and public-spirited donation, and that an engrossed copy of the 

 above preamble and resolutions be transmitted to him by the Secretary. 



In answer to a question as to whether this was an absolute gift to 

 the Institution, the Secretary said that Mr. Hodgkins thoroughly under- 

 stood tliat this gift was subordinate to the general title of the Smith- 

 sonian fund, though it was to bear his own name as a sub-title. 



Senator Gullom addressed the meeting at length, quoting frequently 

 from the Kevised Statutes, arguing iu favor of accepting the gift with 



