430 JOURNAL OF PROCEEDINGS. 



Coppee, be appointed to examine and report on the present condition 

 of the museum, especially the ethnological department. 



The board then adjourned to meet on Saturday evening, January 23, 

 at 7 o'clock. 



Washington, January 23, 1875. 



A meeting of the Board of Eegents was held this day, at 7 o'clock 

 p. m. 



Present, the Chancellor, Chief-Justice Waite, Senators H. Hamlin, J. 

 W. Stevenson, and A. A. Sargent; Representatives S. S. Cox, E. E. 

 Hoar, G. W. Hazeltou ; Hon. Peter Parker, Prof. Asa Gray, Prof. H. 

 Coppee, Hon. George Bancroft, and the Secretary, Professor Henry. 



The minutes of the last meeting were approved. 



Dr. Parker presented the annual report of the Executive Committee, 

 which was read and, on motion of Mr. Hamlin, adopted. 



Dr. Gray, from the special committee to examine the museum, pre- 

 sented the following report, which, on motion of Mr. Sargent, was ac- 

 cepted and ordered to be printed in the proceedings of the board : 



REPORT OP SPECIAL COMMITTEE ON THE MUSEUM. 



Your committee appointed to examine the museum has devoted as 

 much time to the examination as the members of it could secure during 

 the past two or three days, and would respectfully offer a few remarks 

 upon its condition. It is not supposed that any full or detailed report 

 is expected. We will confine our observations to the ethnological 

 museum, the only one we have found time to inspect with any care. 



At the previous session of the board, about nine months ago, the 

 large upper hall had barely been made ready to receive the ethnological 

 and archaeological collections, and a portion of the wall-cases only were 

 in place. The progress that has been made in the interval is very grati- 

 fying. The hall, although not filled, has been well supplied with glazed 

 cases, for the most part excellent in plan and construction ; and the very 

 large aud varied collection of objects is arranged in them and dis- 

 played to public view. There is still much to be done in perfecting the 

 the arrangement and the labeliug, and there are recent accessions to be 

 added. But even now, it is a great pleasure to see how well cared for 

 and how important this museum is, and how much it interests a numer- 

 ous throng of visitors. In this respect it seems likely to be even 

 more attractive than the museum of natural history underneath. It is 

 only when an ethnological collection is brought together upon a com- 

 prehensive scale, and is well arranged upon some intelligible principle, 

 that any one realizes its interest and importance. 



The arrangement which is, as we may say, technological rather than 

 geographical, appears to be the one best adapted for such a museum — 

 most useful to the serious student as well as most instructive and 

 curious to the general visitor. Objects of the same class or subservient 



