130 REPORT OF THE SECRETARY. 



President to prosecute the claim in the chancery court. The fund was brought to this 

 country in 1838, and after eight years of debate, including consultation with all the 

 leading educators of the United states at that time, a law was finally framed on August 

 10,1846, "to establish the Smithsonian Institution for the increase and diffusion of knowl- 

 edge among men." Under this act, with a few amendments, the operations of the Insti- 

 tution h;i\ e been carried on to the present time, and a detailed account of the legislation 

 by Congress, as well as of proposed action, from 1835 to March :;. 1899, is given in this 

 work. The legislation fully accomplished is shown by acts and joint resolutions, fol- 

 lowed in all eases by references to the volumes and pages of the Statutes at Large from 

 which they were quoted. 



Concurrent resolutions of the Senate and House and separate resolutions of either 

 bran el i of Congress are referred to by the dates of action. 



An account is also given of action or discussion relative to objects intrusted by Con- 

 gress to the care of the Institution, and of some of the operations of the Government with 

 which it has had direct or incidental connection. 



The proceedings of each Congress are given successively, the first volume containing 

 those of the Twenty-fourth ('"tigress to the Forty-ninth and the second volume those of 

 the Fiftieth to the Fifty-fifth Congress. 



Under each Congress the subjects are arranged according to the date of their introduc- 

 tion, all action in that Congress on each subject following in chronological order, except- 

 ing that estimates and appropriations are placed at the end of each subject. 



In the preparation of this work an examination was made of every page of the Con- 

 gressional Globe and Congressional Record, of the journals of the Senate and House, the 

 Statutes at Large, the Congressional documents and reports from 1S35 to 1899, together with 

 other printed and manuscript material in the Institution and elsewhere: and the table 

 of ((intents and index are as comprehensive and minute as possible, the latter being 

 alphabetical, analytical, and chronological. 



The formal details of legislation in must cases are abbreviated, and the quotations from 

 the statutes, giving dates and amounts appropriated, are always given in figures, and 

 not in words. 



III. SMITHSONIAN ANNUAL REPORTS. 



1 177. Annual Report of the Board of Regents of the Smithsonian Insti- 

 tution, showing the operations, expenditures, and condition of the Institu- 

 tion for the year ending June 30, 1897. Report of the U. S. National 

 Museum, Part II. [A memorial of George Brown Goode.] Washington: 

 Government Printing Office, 1901. Octavo, xn + 515 pages, with 109 

 portraits. 



L218. Annual Report of the Board of Regents of the Smithsonian Insti- 

 tution, showing the operations, expenditures, and condition of the Institu- 

 tion for the year ending June 30, 1898. Report of the U. S. National 

 Museum. Washington: < Government Printing Office, 1900. Octavo, xyii 

 + 1,294 pages, with 36 plates and 347 text figures. 



1252. Annual Report of the Board of Regents of the Smithsonian Insti- 

 tution, showing the operations, expenditures, and condition of the Institu- 

 tion for the year ending June 30, 1899. Washington: Government Print- 

 ing Office, 1901. Octavo, lxiii + 672 pages, with 82 plates. 



1254. Annual Report of the Board of Regents of the Smithsonian Insti- 

 tution, showing the operations, expenditures, and condition of the Institu- 

 tion for the year ending June 30, 1899. Report of the U. S. National 

 Museum. Washington: Government PrintingOffice, 1901. xv - L 598 pages, 

 with 98 plates and 38 text figures. 



1260. Annual Report of the Board of Regents of the Smithsonian Insti- 

 tution, showing the operations, expenditures; and condition of the Institu- 

 tion for the year ending June 30, 1900. Washingh >n : ( rovemruent Printing 

 Office, 1901. Octavo, lv + 759 pages, with 108 plates. 



