﻿REPORT 
  

  

  OF 
  THE 
  

  

  ACTING 
  SECRETARY 
  OF 
  THE 
  SMITHSONIAN 
  

   INSTITUTION 
  

  

  C. 
  G. 
  Abbot 
  

   FOR 
  THE 
  YEAR 
  ENDING 
  JUNE 
  30, 
  1927 
  

  

  To 
  the 
  Board 
  of, 
  Regents 
  of 
  the 
  Smithsonian 
  Institution: 
  

  

  Gentlemen 
  : 
  I 
  have 
  the 
  honor 
  to 
  submit 
  herewith 
  my 
  report 
  show- 
  

   ing 
  the 
  activities 
  and 
  condition 
  of 
  the 
  Smithsonian 
  Institution 
  and 
  

   the 
  Government 
  bureaus 
  under 
  its 
  administrative 
  charge 
  during 
  the 
  

   fiscal 
  year 
  ended 
  June 
  30, 
  1927. 
  The 
  first 
  34 
  pages 
  contain 
  a 
  

   summary 
  account 
  of 
  tlie 
  affairs 
  of 
  the 
  Institution. 
  Appendixes 
  1 
  to 
  

   10 
  give 
  more 
  detailed 
  reports 
  of 
  the 
  operations 
  of 
  the 
  United 
  States 
  

   National 
  Museum, 
  the 
  National 
  Gallery 
  of 
  Art, 
  the 
  Freer 
  Gallery 
  of 
  

   Art, 
  the 
  Bureau 
  of 
  American 
  Ethnology, 
  the 
  International 
  Exchanges, 
  

   the 
  National 
  Zoological 
  Park, 
  the 
  Astrophysical 
  Observatory, 
  the 
  

   United 
  States 
  Regional 
  Bureau 
  of 
  the 
  International 
  Catalogue 
  of 
  

   Scientific 
  Literature, 
  the 
  Smithsonian 
  library, 
  and 
  of 
  the 
  publica- 
  

   tions 
  issued 
  under 
  the 
  direction 
  of 
  the 
  Institution. 
  

  

  THE 
  SMITHSONIAN 
  INSTITUTION 
  

  

  THE 
  ESTABLISHMENT 
  

  

  The 
  Smithsonian 
  Institution 
  was 
  created 
  by 
  act 
  of 
  Congress 
  in 
  

   1846, 
  according 
  to 
  the 
  terms 
  of 
  the 
  will 
  of 
  James 
  Smithson, 
  of 
  

   England, 
  who 
  in 
  1826 
  bequeathed 
  his 
  property 
  to 
  the 
  United 
  States 
  

   of 
  America, 
  " 
  to 
  found 
  at 
  Washington, 
  under 
  the 
  name 
  of 
  the 
  Smith- 
  

   sonian 
  Institution, 
  an 
  establishment 
  for 
  the 
  increase 
  and 
  diffusion 
  

   of 
  Imowledge 
  among 
  men." 
  In 
  receiving 
  the 
  property 
  and 
  accepting 
  

   the 
  trust, 
  Congress 
  determined 
  that 
  the 
  Federal 
  Government 
  was 
  

   without 
  authority 
  to 
  administer 
  the 
  trust 
  directly, 
  and 
  therefore 
  

   constituted 
  an 
  "establishment" 
  whose 
  statutory 
  members 
  are 
  "the 
  

   President, 
  the 
  Vice 
  President, 
  the 
  Chief 
  Justice, 
  and 
  the 
  heads 
  of 
  

   the 
  executive 
  departments." 
  

  

  THE 
  BOARD 
  OF 
  REGENTS 
  

  

  The 
  affairs 
  of 
  the 
  Institution 
  are 
  administered 
  by 
  a 
  Board 
  of 
  

   Regents 
  whose 
  membership 
  consists 
  of 
  " 
  the 
  Vice 
  President, 
  the 
  

   Chief 
  Justice, 
  three 
  Members 
  of 
  the 
  Senate, 
  and 
  three 
  Members 
  of 
  

  

  1 
  

  

  