4 TRANSACTIONS OF THE AMERICAN INSTITUTE. 



become necessary to erect temporary buildings on vacant lots ob- 

 tained for that use to accomplish their purpose. 



In consequence of this ftiilure and by direction of the Institute, 

 a free horticultural exhibition was held at its rooms on the 2d and 

 3d days of October last, under the direction of a committee ap- 

 pointed by the Board of Managers. ' The efforts of this committee 

 were directed to a selection of the quality of the fruit to be exhib- 

 ited, rather than to the quantity. These exertions were largely 

 rewarded by a gathering of the choicest varieties of fruit rarely 

 seen in public exhibitions, especially those of pears and grapes. 

 At its close, the premium committee awarded the " Greeley" prize 

 of one hundred dollars to the Concord grape. 



By virtue of a resolution passed by the Institute March 20, 1866, 

 the Corresponding Secretary was instructed to applj' to the Legis- 

 lature, then in session, for the passage of an act amendatory of 

 our charter authorizing and appointing a Board of Regents, as cus- 

 todians of such contributions as may be made in view of providing 

 a permanent locality for securing sufficient accommodations for 

 our annual exhibitions, and for other purposes. This application 

 was eminently successful. That board now consists of the follow- 

 ino; named orentlemen : 



Messrs. Edwin D. INIorgan. Gerrit Smith, Abiel A. Low, Ezra 

 Cornell, Hamilton Fish, Wm. H. Appleton, Elias Howe, jr., Cor- 

 nelius Vanderbilt, Denning Duer, Samuel F. B. Morse, Henry W. 

 Bellows, Henry Ward Beecher, Orlando B. Potter, John A. 

 Griswold. 



The Regents ex-officio are : 



The Governor of the State of New York, 



The Mayor of the city of New York. 



The Secretar}'^ of the Interior of the United States. 



The Trustees of the American Institute. 



It is expected the board thus created will shortly be organized, 

 whose efforts in conjunction with those of the Institute, it is hoped 

 and believed, will accomplish all the objects contemplated by said 

 amendment. 



At a recent meeting of so many of the Regents as could be 

 assembled together with the Trustees, it was decided that a grand 

 exhibition of the products of American Industry and Art, in con- 

 nection with a World's Fair, should be held in this city in the one 

 hundredth year of American Independence, under the direction of 

 the American Institute, commencing on the 4th day of July, 1876. 



