PROCEEDINGS OF THE BOARD OF REGENTS 119 
3. A part of the contents of the Regents’ room, including the personal effects 
of Smithson, with the exception of his portrait and library. 
4. The contents of the rooms in the towers, including the meteorological 
instruments, the workshop, containing a lathe and a large number of valuable 
tools, nearly all the stock on hand of the duplicate copies of the annual reports, 
and many other public documents and books intended for distribution to libra- 
ries, as well as a quantity of stationery, hardware, &c. 
5. The wood-cuts of the illustrations contained in the Smithsonian publi- 
cations. 
The loss to other parties was as follows : 
1st. The contents of what was called the Picture Gallery, viz: a. About two 
hundred portraits, nearly all of life size, painted and principally owned by Mr. 
J. M. Stanley, formerly of this city, and now of Detroit, Michigan, and which 
were on deposit in the institution. 6. A number of half-size Indian portraits, 
painted by Mr. King for the government. c. A copy, in Carrera marble, of the 
antique statue known as the ‘ Dying Gladiator,” by John Gott, and owned by 
Mr. J. C. McGuire, of this city. 
2. A number of surveying instruments belonging to the government. 
3. The clothing, books, and private effects of several of the persons connected 
with the Institution, and of those engaged in scientific studies. 
4. The library removed from Beaufort, South Carolina, by the army, and 
also that of Bishop Johns, from Fairfax Theological Seminary, given in charge 
to the Institution by the Secretary of War for safe-keeping, which libraries were 
stored in an upper room in the south tower. 
Independent of injury to the building, the‘loss to the Institution, as far as it 
may be estimated and can be restored by money, may be stated at about $20,000, 
and to individuals $26,000, viz: To Mr. J. M. Stanley, $20,000; Mr. J.C. 
McGuire, $1,000; Professor Joseph Henry, $1,500; Mr. W. J. Rhees, $1,200; 
Mr. W. DeBeust, $1,300; and all others, $1,000. 
Although the loss which the Institution and individuals have sustained is 
much to be regretted, yet it is a source of consolation that by far the greater ~ 
part of the valuable contents of the building have escaped without injury. The 
valuable library of the Institution, the most extensive, in regard to the transac- 
tions of learned societies and scientific books, in this country; the museum, in- 
cluding the collection of the exploring expedition and those of the Institution ; 
the large stock of many thousand duplicate specimens for. distribution to all 
parts of the world; the records of the museum; a large portion of the corre- 
spondence relative to natural history; nearly all the records of meteorological 
observations which have been accumulated during the last fifteen years; the 
sets of Smithsonian publications (except the annual reports) which have been 
reserved to supply new institutions, and the stereotype plates of all the works 
which have been published during the last four or five years, have been saved. 
All the original vouchers of the payments made by the Institution, the ledger 
in which they were posted, and the daybook from 1858, were also preserved, 
having been deposited in a safe in the Regents’ room. 'The contents of the con- 
necting range between the library and the museum are uninjured; this includes 
a series of plaster casts and portraits of distinguished men, among the latter a 
life-size portrait of Guizot, by Healy; an original full-length figure of Wash- 
ington, by the elder Peale; and also a valuable series of rare engravings illus- 
trative of the history of the art, purchased from the Hon. George P. Marsh. 
All the important acts of the Regents from the beginning, and an account of 
the operations of the Institution, having been published from year to year in the | 
several reports to Congress, a continued record of the history of the establish- 
ment from the beginning is, therefore, still in existence. As these reports have 
been widely distributed, they are generally accessible to the public. 
The burning of the roof of the building can scarcely in itself be considered 
