PEOCEEDTNGS OF THE BOARD OF REGENTS. XIX 



filowly V)ut surely eatinjx its way toward us from the sea throuiiili the rocky side of 

 the hill on which we stand, and the excavation has lately come so close to us that 

 the intervention of the consul became necessary to arrest further advance, on the 

 j)lea that our i)roperty would be endangered if the quarrying were carried on. 



Actual blasting has in fact been put an end to for the present, and the cemetery 

 (although the boundary wall is now on the very edge of the excavation) remains 

 untouched, but the local authorities who are the owners of the quarry have given us 

 to understand that they need more stone for their har))or works and are therefore 

 anxious to see our graves transferred from the position they now occupy, for which 

 purpose they woul<l-give us a snital)le i)iece of ground in another part of the town 

 and would also undertake the due and titting transport of the remains. Should our 

 answer be in the negative, it is intimated to us that in five years' time, in 1905, the 

 term for ai)plying the law for public utility (twenty years after the date of the last 

 burial) will have been reached, and we shall then have to give up of necessity what 

 we are now asked to yield as a concession. 



Under the circumstances the committee have decided that it is their best policy, in 

 the interest of all concerned, to begin to negotiate at once for the transfer on a decor- 

 ous footing of the British Cemetery and all its tombs, and although some consider- 

 able time may elapse l)efore this transfer is accomplished, yet it is evident that the 

 time has now come for us to ask you to prepare your decision as to what is to be 

 done with regard to the James Smithson remains. Are they to be laid with all pos- 

 sible care and reverence in new ground here, or are they to be conveyed to the 

 United States? 



Awaiting the j^leasure of your reply, I beg to remain, 

 Very faithfully, yours, 



E. A. Le Mesuriek. 



The SecretaiT said that the cemetei\y referred to was not the cele- 

 brated Cainpo Santo of Genoa, but a very small one in the care of the 

 British consul and the English church, situated in an elevated and iso- 

 lated spot, and that no interment had occurred there for many j^ears. 

 The Regents had formerly authorized the placing of a ])ronze tablet 

 on Smithson's tomb, Avhich had been done. 



The Secretary here exhibited photographs of the tomb, showing the 

 bronze tablet in position. Recently word had been received that the 

 bronze tal)let had been stolen, but orders had ])een given to rei)lace it 

 by a marble one. 



After some discussion, in which the desirabilit}' of bringing the 

 remains to this country was adversely considered, the following res- 

 olution, offered by Mr. Adams, was adopted: 



Resolved, In view of the proposed abolition of the English cemetery at Genoa, 

 which contains the remains of James Smithson, that the Secretary be requested to 

 arrange either with the English church or with tlie authorities of the national bury- 

 ing ground at Genoa for the reinterment of Smithson's remains and the transfer of 

 the original monument. 



secretary's statement. 



ExjjerirrienU in Aerodromics — Eclipse expedition. — The Secretary 

 stated that in view of the lateness of the hour he would pass over 

 some of the matters about which he had intended to speak, among 



