JOURNAL OF PROCEEDINGS. 137 



" Smithsonian Institution, 

 ^^ Washington, J). C, May 17, 1878. 

 "At a special meeting of tlie Board of Eegeiits of the Smithsonian 

 Institution, held this day, Prof. Spencer Fnllerton Baird, for many 

 years the assistant secretary of the Institution, was duly elected as the 

 Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution, to succeed the late Prof. Joseph 

 Henry. 



"M. E. WAITE, 

 " Chancellor of the Smithsonian Institution^ 



Washington, D. C, January 15, 1879. 



A meeting of the Board of Eegents of the Smithsonian Institution 

 was held this day in the Eegents' room, at 10 o'clock a. m. 



Present, the Chancellor — Chief Justice Waite ; Hon. W. A. Wheeler, 

 Vice-President of the United States, Hon. A. A. Sargent, Hon. E. E. 

 Withers, Hon. J. A. Garfield, Hon. H. Clymer, Dr. J. Maclean, Dr. A. 

 Gray, Dr. H. Copp^e, Hon. Peter Parker, President Porter, General Sher- 

 man, and the Secretary, Professor Baird. 



An excuse was received from Hon. H. Hamlin for non-attendance, his 

 absence being occasioned by his appointment by the Senate on a special 

 committee to accompany the remains to Texas of Hon. G. Schleicher, a 

 deceased member of (Congress. 



The minutes of the last meeting were read and approved. 



The following communication from Mrs. Henry was Liid before the 

 Board bj' the Chancellor : 



Hon. M. E. Waite, 



Chief Justice of the United States, 



Chancellor of the Smithsonian Institution : 



My Deae Sir : In my great affliction it is consoling to receive from 

 friends tributes of sympathy and testimonials of respect for my late 

 husband. I feel very deeply the kind consideration of the Board of 

 Eegents in their offlcial capacity. Permit me, through you, to express 

 to them the heartfelt thaidcs of my children and myself for the liberality 

 extended to us and the full appreciation of Mr. Henry's character and 

 labors while connected with the Institution, and for the pubhc testi- 

 monials of respect and honor to his memory. 



With my best wishes for the continued jirosperity of the Institution, 



beheve me yours, respectfully, 



H. A. HENEY. 

 Washington, January 15, 1879. 



On motion of General Garfield, it was — 



Resolved, That the letter of Mrs. Henrj' be placed in the files of the 

 Institution, and entered in the journal of the Board. 



The Secretary, Professor Baird, presented a statement of the financial 

 condition of the Institution for the year 1878, which for convenience of 

 reference he had printed. 



