JOURNAL OF EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE. 465 



Arrangements made to send sets of meteorological instruments 

 to California ; also, one to Bent's Fort, another to Santa Fe. 



Fourteenth. Proposition of a topographical exploration of the mountain chains of 

 the United States, and to collect the results of all the canal and railroad explorations. 

 Considered an interesting and important object. 



Fifteenth. The Secretary reported that he had procured the seal for the title page 

 of the publications of the Institution, and exhibited a copy. 



Also, the following motto from the manuscript of Smithson : 



" Every man is a valuable member of society who, by his observations, researches, 

 and experiments, procures knowledge for men." 



Mr. Marsh presented a letter from , offering 



to sell to the Institution a collection of shoes, illustrative of the 

 changes in the form of this article of dress. 



The purchase was declined ; the articles would be accepted as a 

 gift. 



The report of the Secretary was accepted. 



And, on motion, the committee adjourned. 



NINETEENTH MEETING. 



December 11, 1848. 



Present, Mr. Seaton, (Chairman,) Mr. Bache, Mr. Pearce, and 

 the Secretary. 



The Secretary gave an account of the following transactions since 

 the last meeting. 



The Secretary stated, that during the recess he had given an 

 account of the programme of the operations of the Institution to 

 the Historical Society of New Jersey, and to the American Asso- 

 ciation for the Advancement of Science. The programme has been 

 received with general approbation, and will, in the Secretary's 

 opinion, be approved of, when it becomes generally known, by 

 every reflecting mind. 



The first volume of the Contributions had been completed, and 

 was in process of distribution. 



The binding, on account of the difficulty of getting cloth of the 

 proper color, and the use of an impression of the head of Smith- 

 son on the back, would cost forty-two cents per volume, instead of 

 thirty-five cents. 



Professor Jewett had been engaged to assist in distributing the 

 copies. 



A circular had been prepared to accompany the copies as dis- 

 tributed, asking the publications of the Institutions to which the 

 30 



