TWENTY-NINTH CONGRESS, 1845-1847. 425 



thereafter, on every alternate fourth Wednesday of December, a like number shall be 

 appointed in the same manner, to serve until the fourth AVednesday in December, the 

 second succeeding their appointment. And the Senators so appointed shall serve 

 during the term for which they shall hold, without reelection, their office as Senators. 

 And vacancies, occasioned by death, resignation, or otherwise, shall be filled as 

 vacancies in committees are filled; and the other six members aforesaid shall serve, 

 two for two years, two for four years, and two for six years; the terms of service, in 

 the first place, to be determined by lot; but after the first term, then their regular 

 term of service shall be six years; and new elections thereof shall be made by joint 

 resolution of Congress; and vacancies occasioned by death, resignation, or otherwise, 

 may be filled in like manner, by joint resolution of Congress. And the said Regents 

 shall meet in the city of Washington on the first Monday of September next after the 

 passage of this act, and organize by the election of one of their number as Chancellor, 

 who shall be the presiding officer of said Board of Regents, by the name of the Chan- 

 cellor of the ' ' Smithsonian Institution, ' ' and a suitable person as Secretary of said Insti- 

 tution, who shall also be the Secretary of said Board of Regents; said Board shall also 

 elect three of their own body as an Executive Committee, and said Regents shall then 

 fix on the time for the regular meeting of said Board ; and on application of any three 

 of the Regents to the Secretary of the said Institution, it shall be his duty to appoint 

 a special meeting of the Board of Regents, of which he shall give notice by letter to 

 each of the members; and at any meeting of said Board, five shall constitute a quorum 

 to do business. And each member of said Board shall be paid his necessary travelling 

 and other actual expenses in attending meetings of the Board, which shall be audited 

 by the Executive Committee, and recorded by the Secretary of said Board; but his 

 services as Regent shall be gratuitous. And whenever money is required for the pay- 

 ment of the debts or performance of the contracts of the Institution, incurred or 

 entered into in conformity with the provisions of, this act, or for making the purchases 

 and executing the objects authorized by this act, the Board of Regents or the Exec- 

 utive Committee thereof, may certify to the Chancellor and Secretary of the Board 

 that such sum of money is required; whereupon, they shall examine the same, and, 

 if they shall approve thereof, shall certify the same to the proper officer of the 

 Treasury for payment. And the said Board shall submit to Congress, at each session 

 thereof, a report of the operations, expenditures, and condition of the Institution. 



SEC. 4. And be it further enacted, That after the Board of Regents shall have met and 

 become organized, it shall be their duty forthwith to proceed to select a suitable site 

 for such building as may be necessary for the Institution, which ground may be taken 

 and appropriated out of that part of the public ground in the city of Washington 

 lying between the Patent Office and Seventh street: Provided, The President of the 

 United States, the Secretary of State, the Secretary of the Treasury, the Secretary of 

 War, the Secretary of the Navy, and the Commissioner of the Patent Office shall 

 consent to the same; but if the persons last mentioned shall not consent, then such 

 location may -be made upon any other of the public grounds within the city of 

 Washington belonging to the United States which said Regents may select, by and 

 with the consent of the persons herein named ; and the said ground so selected shall 

 be set out by proper metes and bounds and a description of the same shall be made 

 and recorded in a book to be provided for that purpose, and signed by the said 



Agents or so many of them as may be convened at the time of their said organization; 

 record or a copy thereof, certified by the Chancellor and Secretary of the 

 of Regents, shall be received in evidence in all courts of the extent and bound- 

 aries of Nie lands appropriated to the said Institution; and upon the making of such 

 record such site and lands shall be deemed and taken to be appropriated by force of 

 this act to the said Institution. 



SEC. 5. And be it further enacted, That so soon as the Board of Regents shall have 

 selected the said site, they shall cause to be erected a suitable building of plain and 



