474 CONGRESSIONAL PROCEEDINGS. 



States, informing the House that he had approved and 

 signed the bill to "provide for the establishment of the Smith- 

 sonian Institution. 



The Speaker said, that by one provision of the bill, it 

 was made the dutj of the chair to appoint three regents. 



And the Speaker announced that he had accordingly ap- 

 pointed the following gentlemen : 



Mr. Robert Dale Owen, of Indiana; Mr. Wm. J. Hough, 

 of New York ; Mr. Henry W. Hilliard, of Alabama. 



PROCEEDINGS IN THE SENATE. 



Senate, January 16, 1847. 



Mr. Breese rose and stated that there was a vacancy in 

 the Board of Regents of the Smithsonian Institution occa- 

 sioned by the death of Sena-tor Pennybacker, and that it 

 was important that the same be tilled, inasmuch as there 

 was to be a meeting of the Board of Regents on the 20th 

 of this month, at which important business would be 

 brought forward. 



Mr. Breese referred to the law in relation to the mode of 

 making appointments to fill vacancies occurring in the said 

 board, which directs that such vacancies shall be filled in 

 the same manner as vacancies occurring in standing com- 

 mittees of the Senate. These were filled either by election 

 on the part of the Senate or by the appointment of the 

 presiding officer. He moved that the Vice-President be 

 authorized to appoint a person to fill the vacancy. 



Mr. Crittenden remarked that he was entirely satisfied 

 with the appointments which had been made, although 

 they were made after the adjournment of Congress, and 

 consequently he had no participation in making them. But 

 as a vacancy now occurred during a session of Congress, 

 he thought it would be proper that the Senate should exer- 

 cise its right to select a person to fill that vacancy. He 

 was the more desirous that this should be done, inasmuch 

 as he had in his mind a gentleman who had lately distin- 

 guished himself in writing upon this subject, and who, he 

 believed, would be the proper person to be selected. 



Mr. Evans reminded the Senator from Kentucky that 

 the person to be appointed must be a member of the Sen- 

 ate. 



Mr. Crittenden. Oh ! that being the case, Mr. President, 

 I offer no further objection to the motion. The person I 

 wished to see appointed is Br. Bird. 



