January 23, 1896] 



NA TURE 



281 



THE SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION} 

 II. 



The System of Administration. 

 "T^HE Smithsonian Institution was formally established by the 

 -'• Act of Congress approved August lO, 1846. As defined in the 

 fundamental Act the " Establishment," a body which is in fact 

 ■"the Institution," is composed of the President of the United 

 States, who is presiding officer ex officio, the Vice-President, 

 the Chief Justice, and the members of the Cabinet ; and the 

 body thus constituted is made responsible for the duty of " the 

 increase and diffusion of knowledge among men." 



In addition to the " Establishment," the Act provides for a 

 " Board of Regents," by whom the business of the Institution 

 •is administered, composed of the Vice-President of the United 

 States, the Chief Justice of the Supreme Courts, three members 

 of the Senate, three members of the House of Representatives, 

 and six citizens, no two of whom may be from the same State, 

 though two must be residents of the District of Columbia. 



The presiding officer of the Regents is the Chancellor, whom 

 they may elect from their own number. This position has, how- 

 ever, customarily been held by the Vice-President or by the 

 Chief Justice. The executive officer is the Secretary of the 

 Institution, who is elected by the Regents, and is also the 

 Secretary of that Board. The duties and responsibilities of the 

 Secretary are, as has already been explained, such as in other in- 

 stitutions usually belong to the office of Director. He presents to 

 the Regents an annual report upon the operations, expenditures, 

 and condition of the establishment, which is transmitted by the 

 Board to Congress for publication. By special Act of Congress 

 of 1884 an acting-Secretary is provided, in case of the absence 

 or disability of the Secretary, the designation being left with the 

 Chancellor of the Institution. There is at present but one 

 assistant-Secretar}', who is in charge of the National Museum. 



The annual meeting of the Regents is held in January ; their 

 executive committee of three members meet quarterly. 



The building occupied by the Institution, and bearing its name, 

 is an ornate structure of Seneca brown stone, occupying a 

 [)rominent position in the " Mall," which extends from the 

 Capitol to the Washington Monument, in the square known as 

 the Smithsonian Park. This edifice, planned by James Renwick, 

 was begim in 1847 and completed in 1855. Features from 

 different periods of Romanesque styles are combined in its 

 architecture ; but its exterior, owing chiefly to the irregular sky- 

 line, is very picturesque and pleasing. 



The eastern wing of the building, for so many years the 

 hospitable home of Prof. Henry, has been reconstructed in- 

 ternally, and the offices of the Institution are all established 

 within its walls. The remainder of the building is occupied by 

 the laboratories and exhibition halls of the National Museum. 



Another building of brick, 325 feet square, was built east of 

 the Smithsonian in 1881, for the reception of a portion of the 

 Museum collections. 



The Objects of the Institution. 



The objects of the Institution, as defined by Henry, are, first, 

 to increase knowledge by original investigations and study either 

 in science or literature ; and, second, to diffuse knowledge, not 

 only through the United States, but everywhere, especially by 

 promoting an interchange of thought among those prominent in 

 all nations. No restriction is made in favour of any one branch 

 of knowledge. 



The leading features of the plan of Prof. Henry were, in his 

 own words, " to assist men of science in making original re- 

 searches, to publish them in a series of volumes, and to give a 

 copy of them to every first-class library on the face of the earth." 

 There are not many scientific investigators in the United States 

 to whom a helping hand has not at some time been extended by 

 the Institution, and the hand has often reached across the 

 Atlantic Books, apparatus, and laboratory accommcKlation 

 have been supplied to thousands, and each year a certain number 

 of money grants have been made. Not less important has been 

 the personal enconr^ement afforded, and the advice given in 

 the tens of thousands of letters of information written in 

 response to inquiries. 



It is not, as some persons suppose, a teaching institution, nor 



1 By Dr. G. Brown Goode. (Continued from p.-ige 261.) 



NO. 1369, VOL. 53] 



does it receive students. It constantly aids, however, in the 

 improvement of the educational system of the country.^ 



An important feature in the educational work of the Institu- 

 tion has been its participation in the various International 

 Expositions. It was represented at Philadelphia in 1876 ; 

 Berlin, 1880 ; London, 1883 ; New Orleans, 1885 ; Cincinnati, 

 1889; Madrid, 1892; Chicago, 1893; Atlanta, 1895 '■> and has 

 received many medals and diplomas of commendatory nature 

 upon these occasions. 



The Publications. 



The publications are numerous, and include many important 

 and authoritative works. There is no restriction as to subject, 

 and they consist of memoirs upon archeology, ethnology, botany, 

 zoology, geology, paliKontology, meteorology, magnetics, physics, 

 physiology, and philology, and many other branches of 

 investigation. 



These books are practically given away, for although there is 

 a provision for their sale at cost price, only a few hundred dollars 

 worth are sold each year. They are regularly distributed to 

 about 4000 institutions in all parts of the world, and are sup- 

 plied also to numerous private investigators. There are several 

 series, the aspect of which must be familiar to every observing 

 person who has ever spent a day among the shelves in any 

 American library of respectable standing. 



( 1 ) The Annual Report of the Regents to Congress, of which 

 the forty-ninth, that for 1894, is now in press. Since 1884 the 

 report of the Museum has been printed in a separate volume 

 (Part II.).- 



(2) The Smithsonian Contributions to Knowledge, thirty- 

 two volumes in quarto, containing over 7000 pages and many 

 fine plates.' 



(3) The Smithsonian Miscellaneous Collections, in thirty-five 

 octavo volumes, aggregating about 22,000 pages.* 



{4) The Bulletins of the National Museum, fifty in numbfer, 

 beginning in 1875." 



(5) The Proceedings of the National Museum, including 

 already iioo separate papers, embraced in seventeen annual 

 volumes, beginning in 1878." 



(6) The Annual Reports of the Bureau of Ethnology, beginning 

 in 1879, and forming a series of twelve illustrated volumes in 

 royal octavo.^ 



(7) The Bulletin of the Bureau of Ethnology, of which twenty- 

 six numbers have appeared.* 



The value of the books distributed since the Institution was 

 opened has been nearly i ,000,000 dollars, or nearly twice the 

 original bequest of Smithson." Many of the publications in each 

 of these series are now out of print. 



The Library. 

 One of the most important features of the Institution is the 

 library which has grown up under its fostering care. For nearly 

 fifty years its publications have been distributed throujhout the 

 world to almost every tscientific and literary establishment of 

 good repute. In return for these, and by purchase, it has 

 received the great collection of books which forms its library, 

 and which is one of the richest in the world in the publications 

 of learned societies, and therefore of inestimable value, contain- 

 ing as it does the record of actual progress in all that pertains to 

 the mental and physical development of the human family, and 

 affording the means of tracing the history of every branch of 



1 The Institution supports a table at the International Zoological Station 

 in Naples for the benefit of naturalists. There is an assembly hall in the 

 Museum building, in which meetings of scientific bodies of national scope 

 are held. Here the National Academy of Sciences holds its annual meeting 

 every April, and the American Historical Association (which is by law 

 affiliated with the Institution) its December meeting. Here also each ye.ir 

 a course of popular scientific lectures is delivered under the direction of the 

 scientific societies of Washington. 



2 " Public Documents " prmted by order of Congress, and distributed in 

 large editions. 



3 Published at the cost of the Smithsonian Fund, and not " Public 

 Documents." 



4 Ibid. 



3 Published in a limited edition from a special appropriation, and not 

 " Congressional Documents." 

 8 Ihi-i. 



7 " Public Documents" printed by order of Congress, and distributed in 

 large editions. 



8 The Bureau also supervises a series of quarto volumes, bearing the title 

 " Contributions to North American Ethnology," begun in 1877 by the U.S. 

 Geographical and Geological Survey, of which nine have been issued. 



9 This estimate is based upon the prices which .ire charged for the books 

 by second-hand dealers, as shown in their sale cat.-ilogue. 



