JOURNAL OF PROCEEDINGS. 19 



the buildings of the institution, reported verbally that the commit- 

 tee had had an interview with those persons, but had not yet received 

 their final decision upon the subject. 

 On motion of Mr. Owen — 



Resolved, That when this Board adjourn to-day it adjourn to meet on Wednesday- 

 next, the 23d instant, at 10 o'clock, a. m. 



On motion of Mr. Owen — 



Resolved, That the report made by Mr. Owen, on the 1st day of December instant, 

 from the Committee on the Organization of the Institution, together with the resolu- 

 tions accompanying the same, which have not been agreed to by the Board, be recom- 

 mitted to the said committee. 



And then, on motion of MivHilliard, the Board adjourned until 

 Wednesday next, at 10 o'clock, a. m. 



December 23, 1846. 

 Mr. Owen presented a letter from Professor D. P. Gardner, M. D., 

 of the city of New York, accompanied by three printed papers writ- 

 ten by him, viz : 



1st. " The chemical principles of the rotation of crops," pronounced before the 

 American Agricultural Association March 4th, 1846. 



2d. " On the action of yellow light in producing the green color and indigo light 

 the movement of plants." 



3d. " The physical structure of plants." 



And requesting that should the chairs of chemistry, vegetable 

 physiology or agricultural chemistry be filled that he may be afforded 

 an opportunity of referring the Regents to satisfactory authorities as 

 to his qualifications as a public lecturer or teacher of those branches 

 of science ; which letter was read, the publications accepted, and 

 placed in the library of the institution. 



Mr. Hough, from the committee appointed on the 9th instant to 

 confer with the President of the United States and the other per- 

 sons named in the fourth section of the act establishing the Smith- 

 sonian Institution, and to ask their consent to the selection by said 

 Regents of that portion of the public reservation called the " Mall," 

 lying between Seventh and Twelfth streets, in the city of Washing- 

 ton, as the site for the necessary buildings of said institution, made 

 a verbal report, accompanied by a copy of the preamble and resolu- 

 tions adopted on the 9th instant, indorsed as follows, viz : 



" The consent of all the persons named in the fourth section of the act to establish 

 the Smithsonian Institution is not given to the site herein selected. 



" JAMES K. POLK." 



On motion of Mr. Owen — 



Resolved, That the Eegents of the Smithsonian Institution do select and appropriate, 

 as the site for their buildings, the south half of so much of the " Mall," in the city of 

 Washington, as lies between Ninth and Twelfth streets, if the consent of the persons 

 named in the fourth section of the act of Congress establishing said institution be ob- 

 tained thereto ; and the said ground so selected shall be set out by proper metes and 



