.568 CONGRESSIONAL PROCEEDINGS. 



The SPEAKER. The question will then be upon the reso- 

 lution offered by the gentleman from Pennsylvania. 



The question was taken; and the resolution was agreed to. 



HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, December 11, 1854. 



A message was received from the Senate announcing that 

 that body had passed a joint resolution (No. 28) for the ap- 

 pointment of two regents of the Smithsonian Institution. 



HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, December 22, 1854. 



Mr. MEACHAM. I wish to state that there is a bill upon 

 the Speaker's table providing for the reappointment of re- 

 gents of the Smithsonian Institution. I will state that it is 

 necessary to transact some business which cannot be done 

 without the reappointment of these regents. I ask that the 

 bill may be taken up and passed. It will take but a minute, 

 and I hope there will be no objection. 



Mr. COBB. I object. 



After the intervention of some other business 



Mr. MEACHAM. I now ask the House to take up the bill 

 for the reappointment of the regents of the Smithsonian 

 Institution, and pass it. It will occupy but a moment. 



Mr. FLORENCE. Oh, no; there is no quorum here. 



HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, December 26, 1854. 



Mr. ENGLISH. I ask the unanimous consent of the House 

 to take from the Speakers table a Senate joint resolution 

 proposing to appoint Rufus Choate of Massachusetts, and 

 Oideon Hawley of New York, regents for the Smithsonian 

 Institution; and if the House will allow me, I propose to 

 ask that the resolution may be put upon its passage. 



I will state, as a reason why the resolution should be put 

 upon its passage at an early day, that there is to be a regular 

 meeting of the regents of that institution the next week, and 

 it is desirable that there should be a full board upon that 

 occasion. These gentlemen have been regents heretofore, 

 and I presume there will be no objection to their reappoint- 

 ment. I ask that the resolution may be taken up, and put 

 upon its passage. 



The resolution was read, as follows : 



Resolved, #c., That the vacancies in the Board of Regents of the Smith- 

 sonian Institution of the class otherwise than members of Co-:gre?s, be 

 filled by the reappointment of the late incumbents, viz: Rufus Choate of 

 Massachusetts, and Gideon Hawley of New York. 



Mr. HAVEN. I presume there is no objection to the pas- 

 sage of the resolution. 



