JOURNAL OF PROCEEDINGS 



OF THE 



BOARD OF REGENTS 



OF 



THE SMITHSONIAK INSTITUTION. 



Washington, January 15, 1862. 



In accordance with a resolution of the Board of Regents of the 

 Smithsonian Institution, fixing the time of the beginning of their an- 

 nual session on the third Wednesday of January of each year, the 

 Board met this day in the Regents' room at 11 o'clock a. m. 



Present : Hon. H. Hamlin, Hon. J. A. Pearce, Hon. E. McPher- 

 son, Hon. S. S. Cox, Hon. Richard Wallach, and the Secretar}'. 



The Secretary stated that since the last session of the Regents the 

 following changes had taken place in the Board, viz : 



Hon. Hannibal Hamlin,, as Vice-President of the United States, 

 has become ex qfficio a member of the Board. The vacancy occasioned 

 by the death of Hon. Richard Rush, has by joint resolution of Con- 

 gress, approved March 2, 1861, been filled by the appointment of 

 Hon. William L. Dayton, of New Jersey ; the vacancy caused by 

 the expiration of the term of Hon. Cideon Hawley, by the appoint- 

 ment of William B. Astor, of New York ; and that by the expira- 

 tion of the term of Cornelius C. Felton, of Massachusetts, by the 

 reappointment of the same gentleman. 



The Secretary also stated that on the 7th of March, 1861, the Vice- 

 President of the United States reappointed Hon. James A. Pearce a 

 Regent for the term of six years, and on the 4th of December. 1861, 

 he appointed Hon. W. P. Fessenden, of Maine, and Hon. L. Trum- 

 bull, of Illinois, to fill the vacancies occasioned by the decease of 

 Hon. S. A. Douglas and the removal of Hon. J. M. Mason; and that 

 on the 19th of December the Speaker of the House appointed Hon. 

 S. Colfax, of Indiana, Hon. S. S. Cox, of Ohio, and Hon. E. McPherson, 

 of Pennsylvania, as Regents for the term of two years. 



In addition to the foregoing, Hon. Richard Wallach having been 



