KEPOBT OF THE SECEETAEY. 71 



"Penomd" <fthe I,Muiw..-ln the aauual .-oports for a m.mber 

 of years past no other account has been given of the per^onnd of the . 

 InsSuton than a reference to the principal assistants or a casual 

 llu on the others ; but as special inquiry on th.s po.n has been 

 Id by some of the new Regents, and as some changes wdl probably 

 Take p ace on account of the fire and the transfer o the hbrary ■ is 

 aleled advisable on this occasion to give the offic a Po-t.on and 0, 

 duty of the several persons connected wth the es tabhshment. This 

 formation is perhaps the, more necessary in order to prevent m.s- 

 apprehension, and in some cases to protect the pubhc from h 

 representations of designing persons, who, though never having had 

 any connexion with the Institution, or only a very temporal y o. sub- 

 ordinate one, have assumed to belong to the corps of its officers 



The act Congress which organized the Institution chrected the 

 appointment of but one executive officer, who, under the name of 

 ZTec" tary should have "charge of the building and property 

 ftafd iSion," be keeper of the museum, and perform the d^ les 

 of librarian, thus confiding to him the general direction of affa is 

 under he c ntrol of the Board of Regents, and investing him with th 

 sole espousibility for the judicious and the efficient conduct of all 

 tsactfons of th'e Institution within the Vr^^^^^^<^^:;^^^ .^_ 

 order, however, better to enable him properly to d schaige the im 

 porta;t and arduous duties devolved upon him, he ■- «- • ^ ^ 

 he consent of the board, "to employ assistants " By the adopt on 

 of such an arrangement it was no doubt intended to secure nnitj of 

 action and efiiciency of co-operation among all who might be actuaUj 

 engac^ed in carrying out the novel and interesting objects o the be 

 nuest The importance of this provision of the law was. however, 

 either' not apparent at first or was lost sight of in the eavly pioceed- 

 i;.s of the board. The Secretary, instead of being allowed the se ec- 

 tio°n of assistants upon his own judgment and responsibility when 

 permission had once been obtained for making the appointments was 

 required to submit his choice to the approval of the R^S^^'^' ^f ' "'; 

 in ; considerable degree, to abridge ^^ power of control As migh 

 have been anticipated, this deviation from the original '"tent on of 

 the act did not succeed in practice; dissensions soon arose as to the 

 exact apportionment of the income by the Secretary to the seve a 

 objects of the programme, in which the superintending pai-t.es we.e 

 awlrently interested, as well as in regard to the direction which each 

 assistant might exercise as head of a department, and maintaining a 

 separate and independent direction and official correspondence. To 



