Xir PROCEEDINGr-; OF THE BOARD OF REGENTS. 



After discussion, Senator ('ullom offered tlie following resolution, 



which was adopted: 



Rf'solved, That the special coinmittee having in charge tlie matter of the final dis- 

 position of the remains of James Smithson be authorized to receive the original 

 tomb, and to place it, suitably inscribed, with the remains, in some proper position 

 that they may select in tiie grounds of the Institution; the expenses involved in the 

 matter to be met from the funds of the Institution. 



NEW BUILDING FOR THE NATIONAL MUSEUM. 



The Secretary stated that the preliminary floor plans and elevations 

 were approved on January 27, 190-i, and tiiat the detailed plans for the 

 construction of the foundation had been woi'ked out during the spring. 

 The excavation for the building was begun on June 15, 1904, the Secre- 

 tary turning the first spade of earth, and the site of the l)uilding was 

 inclosed with a high board fence. The excavation was completed dur- 

 ing the last of the summer, and the work of laying the foundation was 

 immediately begun, the material used being concrete. This part of the 

 \N ork was finished Noveml)er 9, 1904. 



Proposals for furnishing the granite for all parts of the building 

 where this stone was to be used, were opened Octol)er 1. There were 

 nine bidders, and after due consideration the following selections were 

 made: For the basement story, pink granite from Milford, Mass.; for 

 the main and second stories, the white Bethel granite of Vermont; 

 for the upper story, white gi'anite from Mount Airy, N. C; for the 

 trinmiings of the court walls, the so-called Woodstock granite of Mary- 

 land. It was explained that the stones from these quarries would 

 harmonize, and that the selection had the favorable recommendation 

 of the superintendent of construction and of the architects. 



Contracts were at once entered into for supplying the above njate- 

 rial, cut and ready for laying, and it was gratifying to state that the 

 total cost of the granite would fall below the original estimates. 



It was expected that work on the lower story could be started by 

 next Fel)ruary, and in case the season were an open one, the basement 

 walls could be completed before the summer of 1905. At the present 

 time the superintendent of construction was erecting, in wood, a nar- 

 row section of the south front of the building, of actual dimensions, 

 in order to determine if the lines and proportions as shown on the 

 plans were entirely satisfactory or subject to improvement. 



PRESERVATION OF ANTIQUITIES. 



The Secretiiry recalled to tlie Board that ])ills for the preservation 

 of anti(juities on tlu^ national domain, had l)een introduced in the Sen- 

 ate l)y Senator Cullom, and in the House by Kepr(>sentative Hitt, at 

 the last session of Congress, but that no action had been taken. It 



