EEPOET OF THE SECRETARY. 5 



presidout of the Senate was called to this circumstance, and he so ar- 

 ranged his selections as to I'lilhll the original provision, so that of the 

 present Senate Eegeuts the terms of service will be — six years for the 

 Hon. S. B. Maxey, four for the Hon. N. P. Hill, and two for the Hon. 

 George F. Hoar; subject, of course, to renomination by the president of 

 the Senate if they should be reelected to the Senate at the end of their 

 respective terms. 



At the time of writing this rei)ort no appointment of Regents from 

 the House of Representatives had been made by the Speaker. 



Services of Son. IT. Hamlin. — The Smithsonian Institution owes a 

 very great debt of gratitude to the Hon. Hannibal Hamlin, one of the 

 retiring Regents, for advice and assistance rendered during his twenty 

 years' period of service as a member of the board, representing more 

 than half the entire history of the Institution. Many important meas- 

 ures of legislation by Congress, deeply affecting its interest and that of 

 the scientific enterprises in its charge, have been initiated by him and 

 largely consummated through his efforts. The thanks of the Institution 

 are also due to the other retiring members for their attention to its in- 

 terests. 



MEETINGS OP THE ESTABLISHMENT AND OF THE REGENTS. 



Meeting of the Members of the Establishment. — By the first section of 

 the act of Congress organizing the Institution, the President and Vice- 

 President of the United States, the members of the Cabinet, the Chief 

 Justice of the Supreme Court, and the Commissioner of Patents, 

 " during the time for which they shall hold their respective offices, and 

 such other persons as they may elect honorary members," are " consti- 

 tuted an establishment by the name of the Smithsonian Institution." 

 And by the eighth section of the said act " the members and honorary 

 members of the said Institution may hold stated and special meet- 

 ings for the supervision of the affairs of said Institution and the advice 

 and instruction of the Board of Regents, to be called in the manner 

 provided for in the by-laws of said Institution." . 



By the third section of the said act " the business of the said Insti- 

 tution shall be conducted at the city of Washington by a Board of Re- 

 gents, by the name of the Regents of the Smithsonian Institution, to be 

 composed" as specified therein, two of the members of the establish- 

 ment (to wit, the Vice-President and the Chief Justice) being also named 

 as regents. The distinguished officers of the government thus desig- 

 nated as members of the establishment constitute in effect a board 

 of visitors, invested with the general oversight of affairs and the func- 

 tion of suggesting to the regents such lines of action as to them may 

 seem called for ; and endeavors have been made to secure the annual 

 attendance of this body, incompliance with the objects indicated in the 

 organic law. Although a certain day has been specified for the meet- 



