BY THE ENGLISH SCIENTIFIC COMMISSION. 791 



Board of Regents ? — ISTo, I lay it before a commission to 

 examine. 



1498. Who nominates that commission ? — The Secretary. 



1499. That is to say, the Commission is nominated ad hoc 

 by the Secretary ? — Yes. 



1500. I have no doubt that that hitherto has been a very 

 beneficial arrangement, but practically the whole direction 

 of the Institution is in the hands of the Secretary? — Yes. 



1501. He is in point of fact absolute ? — Yes ; but his acts 

 are subject to the control of the Regents, and to the criticism 

 of the public. 



1502. "Would the Smithsonian Institution think it proper 

 to make any grants for personal expenses, that is to say, 

 suppose a man of great ability were applying to them for a 

 grant in order to pursue some given research ; if he were 

 to say, I must live, and meanwhile may I use a certain por- 

 tion of this grant to maintain me ; would that be allowed 

 by the rules of the Institution ? — It would require consider- 

 able discretion ; no definite rule has been adopted with re- 

 gard to it. AVhere a person has gone on an expedition, the 

 Institution has sometimes paid his expenses; and it has also 

 sustained explorers. Before the purchase of Alaska, the 

 Institution sent up into that country a young man, who was 

 there two years, he brought the Institution in relation with 

 the servants of the Northwest Company, and they have since 

 furnished meteorological observations, ethnological speci 

 mens, and also specimens of all kinds in natural history, and 

 the Institution in return "has appropriated $500 or $600 a 

 year to purchase books for them, and such other articles as 

 they cannot readily obtain. When Alaska was purchased 

 or about to be purchased by the United States, the Secre- 

 tary of State called on the Institution for information with 

 regard to that region. 



1503. I apprehend that if a physical philosopher made 

 application to you for the means of pursuing some particular 

 research, you would think it proper, supposing the applica- 

 tion appeared to bo of value, to supply him with funds for 

 the purpose of setting up the apparatus which he required ? 

 — Yes. 



150-i. Do you say that you would make him a grant of 

 $1,000 for that purpose ? — Yes, we might, 



1505. But if a mathematician, whose apparatus cost him 

 nothing, applied to you and said simply, I want to live for a 

 year for the purpose of working out such and such a prob- 

 lem, you would not feel yourself at liberty to grant him a 

 sum for his maintenance ? — If the Institution had sufficient 



