6 REPORT OF THE SECRETARY. 



ing of the members, and for the presentation to their consideration 

 of the general condition of the Institution, it has usually been found 

 difiicult to secure their attendance. The pressure of their responsible 

 public duties and the fact that the deliberations and proceedings of the 

 board of visiting members are merely advisory have conspired to pre- 

 vent them from making any special efforts at meeting together for 

 consultation; and, especially, as from the high character and qualifica- 

 tions of the regents any specific action with regard to matters of admin- 

 istration has heretofore been considered as unnecessary, comparatively 

 little interest in such meetings could be felt by them. Accordingly, 

 although the President is always duly notified in time of the date of the 

 proposed meeting, he has seldom thought it necessary to take any ac- 

 tion thereon. In the report of the Institution for the year 1879 a state- 

 ment was given of the meetings of the members of the establishment 

 held since the organization of the Institution, showing that the whole 

 number during that period had amounted to but nine. 



In the case of the incoming administration, however, President Gar- 

 field, our lamented coadjutor, called a meeting of the members of the 

 establishment for the 4th of May, 1881 ; but the only ones in attend- 

 ance on that day were the President of the board himself and Secretary 

 Lincoln, of the War Department. To them was explained the general 

 condition of the affairs of the Institution, and a personalinspection was 

 made by them of the building and of the collections. 



Meeting of the Board of Begents. — Eeference was made in the last report 

 to the special meeting of the board held on the 8th of December, 1880, 

 for the purpose of considering an application by the citizens' commit- 

 tee for the use of the National Museum building on the fourth of March 

 following, for the purpose of the inaugural reception of the incoming 

 President. 



The regular annual meeting of the Regents took place on the 19th of 

 January, 1881, and its early occurrence in the year, as usual, rendered 

 it possible to include an account of its proceedings in the last report, for 

 1880. 



THE HENRY STATUE. 



It will be remembered that an appropriation of $15,000 was made by 

 Congress on the 1st of June, 1880, for the erection in the grounds of 

 tlie Smithsonian Institution of a statue in bronze of Professor Henry, 

 to be executed by Mr. W. W. Story, of Eome, Italy, and that a pro- 

 visional contract was made with Mr. Story and approved by the Board 

 on the 8th of December, 1880, by which it was stipulated that the 

 work was to be paid for in four equal installments — the first on the 

 completion of the design ; the second on the completion of the model 

 in clay; the third on the completion of the statue in bronze, and 

 the fourth and last on the erection of the statue in the Smithsonian 

 grounds. In pursuance of this contract, on the receipt of formal 



