REPORT OF TIIK SECRETARY. 17 



to the Aineiicau Oiieiital Society as a placcof assembly in Ai)ril. 1892, 

 and hiter to the Art ( Jon.iiress for a h)aii exhibition of works of Amer- 

 ican artists, hehl duriiiu- the session of tlie Coni^ress in ^Fay, 1892. 



The HodgJiiits (/iff. — In May, 1891, a letter received from ^fr. Thomas 

 Geori^e Ilodgkius, of Setauket, N. Y., led to a correspondence in which 

 he was advised by the Secretary of the objects of the Institution. At 

 Mr. Hodg'kins's re([uest, the iSecretary, andsabse(|uently, the Assistant 

 Secretary, made several visits to him at his home, and in conversation 

 with him learned more in detail his wishes witli reference to a ])rop(jsed 

 gift. 



Mr. Hodgkins wished to present to the Smithsonian Institution the 

 sum of 8200,01)0, the interest of A 100,000 of which was to be used for 

 the general purposes of the Institution in the "increase and diffusion 

 of knowledge among men," provided that the interest of the other .$100,- 

 000 should l>e used in the investigation of the properties of atmos})heric 

 air considered in its very widest relationship to all branches of science. 



Before taking any steps with regard to this offer, a telegram Avas sent 

 (m June 22, I8t)l. to each Regent who could be reached in this country, 

 reipiesting his individual opinion of the propriety of accepting Mr. 

 Hodgkins' proposition. Favorable opinions having been received in 

 answer to this from nearly all the Kegeuts, Mr, Hodgkins later, on 

 Septend)er 22, at his home,' on Long Island, i)laced his gift of •$200,000 

 in cash in the hands of the Secretary, with the understauding that an 

 early n.ieeting of the Regents would be called to consider its formal 

 acceptance under the terms which Mr. Hodgkins proposed. 



A meeting of the Regents was therefore called at the earliest day 

 practicable (October 21, 18!) 1), and the matter having been laid before 

 them in detail, the gift was accepted in the terms of the donor. 



It seems appropriate at this time to make a statement in elucidation 

 of Mr. llodgkins's wishes as they have been expressed in various 

 conferences with the Secretary and the Assistant Secretary. It is not 

 his intention that liis fund should be applied to special investigation in 

 sanitary science, but he desires rather that the standard of work 

 should be primarily in relation to the demands ol" ])ure science, believing 

 that application in many directions would follow. lie has si>oken of 

 the experiments of l-'ranklin upon atmosi>heric electricity as one of the 

 investigations which, if carried on at tlie piescnt day, would be 

 germane to his foundation; ami has, in fuitiier illustration of his 

 meaning, also referred to the prize awarded by the French A{;ademy of 

 Sciences to Paul Bert for his discovery in regard to the intluences of 

 oxygen on the phenomena of vitality, as ai)pro]»riate to his own pro- 

 posed foundation. His great interest in the diffusion of knowledge 

 concerning air grows out of his belief that the air is of the highest 

 importance to man in (n^ery aspect of his physical and mental condition, 

 and he hopes that his gift will stimulate scientific investigation of the 

 highest order by the best minds, believing that by this means the 

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