l8o Memorial of George Brown Goode. 



narrative and scientific descriptions ; the other, for the preparation, preservation, and 

 exhibition of the collections. It is the latter one that we have ever manifested a 

 desire to see placed under the control of the Institute, which it appears to us is a 

 most suitable agent for such purposes, and the more particularly as these collections 

 had been placed by the Executive under its care. 



The other allegation against us by Mr. Tappan is, in our opinion, equally incor- 

 rect. He says : "But the great point with Messrs. Abert and Markoe seems to be to 

 get hold of the appropriations made by Congress to enable the committee to execute 

 the law." 



The law to which Mr. Tappan refers relates to the publication of the proceedings 

 of the Expedition ; the remarks made by us relate to a system for the preservation 

 and exhibition of the collections. 



Our remarks on this head were : "That the Institute should be the organ of the 

 Government in the arrangement and preservation of its collections, and in the super- 

 vision of the appropriations which the Government may make for those purposes." 

 We speak of the Institute, of which we are merely members, and of the "board of 

 management," of which we are but two out of seventeen. To this "board of man- 

 agement" we think the power appropriately belongs, and in its hands we hope yet 

 to see placed the management of whatever relates to the arrangement, preservation, 

 and exhibition of the collections. It is clear to us that no better arrangement could 

 be made with the superintendence of the publication, and in the appropriation which 

 belongs to it (duties assigned to the Library Committee by law) we have not ex- 

 pressed a desire to interfere, and forbear, as we have forborne, to make any remarks 

 upon them — except to express the natural hope that the wishes and opinions of the 

 naturalists themselves will be consulted and their opinions be allowed a proper 

 weight. 



Our "remarks" in continuation of the above quotation were: "The organization 

 of the Institute renders it peculiarly deserving of the confidence of the Government, 

 as it can offer as an agent for Government property and Government expenditures a 

 board of its own officers. ' ' 



"The officers of the Institute consist of a president, vice-president, two secre- 

 taries, one treasurer, and twelve directors. Six of these twelve directors are the 

 heads of the Government departments, namely, the Secretary of State, the Secretary 

 of the Treasury, the Secretary of War, the Secretary of the Navy, the Attorney- 

 General, and the Postmaster-General. These are directors, ex officio, and constitute 

 the departments through which all Government expenditures are made. Six others 

 are elected by the Institute, from among its members. These six at present are 

 the Hon. Mr. Woodbury, the Hon. Mr. Preston, Mr. Dayton, Fourth Auditor ; Com- 

 modore Warrington, Colonel Totten, of the Corps of Engineers, and Colonel Abert, 

 of the Corps of Topographical Engineers. ' ' 



"These are the whole of those who are recognized by the charter as 'officers of 

 the Institute,' and constitute by the charter 'a board of management of the fiscal 

 concerns of the Institute.' " 



The quotations speak for themselves, and we will trouble you with but few more 

 remarks. Mr. Tappan, in the beginning of his report, most truly says that "The 

 remarks of Messrs. Markoe and Abert are not to be considered as the act of the 

 National Institute." The "remarks" neither purport nor pretend to be the act of 

 the Institute. And moreover we beg leave further to say that neither are Messrs. 

 Abert and Markoe the ' ' board of management for the fiscal concerns of the Insti- 

 tute," under the supervision of which they suggested the expediency of placing the 

 appropriations which Government might make for the arrangement and preservation 

 of its collections. 



It also seems to have given offense to the honorable gentleman that we should 

 have proposed in our remarks ' ' to furnish to the persons who shall be employed in 



