434 JOURNAL OP PROCEEDINGS. 



save time, the committee had already examined all the vouchers and 

 accounts of the Institution aud of the National Museum, with the ex- 

 ception of eleven, which had been paid since the first of January, and 

 was prepared to make a partial report, aud that a full report would be 

 made at the next meeting. He accordingly presented a statement of 

 the receipts and expenditures, of the accounts examined, aud a history 

 of the funds, reserving uutil the next meeting the remainder of the 

 report. 



The Secretary gave an account of the method of keeping the accounts,, 

 drawing checks, &c, and showed the necessity of making up the annual 

 statements of receipts and expenditures to include the semi-annual in- 

 terest due on the 1st of January, but which this year had not been 

 received from tbe Treasury Department until the 10th of January. 



The Secretary also preseuted, lor the information of the new mem- 

 bers, a general account of the operations of the Institution, and the 

 plans which had been adopted to carry out the will of Smithson " to in- 

 crease and diffuse knowledge among men." 



The Board then adjourned to meet on Wednesday, 26th January, at 

 7 o'clock. 



Washington, D. C, January 26, 1876. 



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

 p. m., in the Regent's room of the Smithsonian Institution. 



Present, Chief Justice Waite, Chancellor of the Institution; Hon. T. 

 W. Ferry, acting Vice-President of the United States; Hon. H. Hamlin, 

 Hon. A. A. Sargent, Hon. H. Clymer, Hon. B. H. Hill, Hon. Peter Parker, 

 Hon. George Bancroft, Professor Asa Gray, Professor Henry Coppee, 

 and the Secretary, Professor Henry- 



The minutes of the last meeting were read and approved. 



Excuses for non-attendance were presented from Hon. J. W. Steven- 

 sou, Hon. G. W. McCrary, and Professor J. D. Dana. 



Dr. Parker, from the special committee to prepare resolutions on the 

 death of the late Vice-President, Hon. Henry Wilson, presented the fol- 

 lowing report and resolutions, which, he stated, had the approval of all 

 the members of the committee : 



Since the last annual meeting of the Board of Regents of the Smith- 

 sonian Institution, Henry Wilson, Vice-President of the United States* 

 and an honored member of the Regency, having departed this life, the 

 Board deem it suitable that a just tribute to his memory and worth be 

 entered upon the records of the Institution : Therefore, 



Resolved, That among the distinguished men of the first century of 

 our national existence who have been prominent for patriotism, practi- 

 cal wisdom, statemanship and high moral and Christian character, im- 

 partial history will assign Henry Wilson a distinguished rank ; and as 

 a representative man of the class of " self-made men v to which the ver- 

 dict of mankind assigns exalted positions, the late Vice-President of 



