840 



The Smithsonian Institution 



May 13, 



1884 



Act passed by Congress to provide for the appointment of an Acting Secretary 



of Smithsonian Institution. 

 Franking privilege extended to all official mail matter of Smithsonian Institution 



by order of Congress. 

 Sept. 2, Participation in the International Electrical Exhibition in Philadelphia, Pa. 



Participation in the Louisville, Kentucky (August id-October 23), and Cincinnati, 

 Ohio (September 3-October 4), and New Orleans, Louisiana (December 16, 1884, 

 to May 31, 1885) Expositions. 



1885 



Jan. 21, Regents decided that " the fiscal year of the Institution shall terminate on 

 the 3Oth of June of each year, and that the annual meeting of the Board of 

 Regents shall be held on the second Wednesday of January in each year." 



March j, By order of Congress, "The annual reports of the Institution shall be hereafter 

 printed at the Government Printing Office, in the same manner as the annual 

 reports of the Heads of Departments are now printed, for submission in print 

 to the two Houses of Congress." 



1886 



Aug. 5, Congress ordered the Grant medals and objects of value and art to be deposited 

 in National Museum. 



Jan. 12, Secretary Baird appointed Samuel P. Langley as Assistant Secretary in charge 

 of Exchanges, Publications, and Library, and G. Brown Goode as Assistant 

 Secretary in charge of the National Museum, which appointments were 

 approved by the Board. 



March 3, Congress provided that the Secretary of State, the Librarian of Congress, and 

 the Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution, and their successors in office, be 

 constituted a Commission, whose duty it shall be to report to Congress the 

 character and value of the historical and other manuscripts belonging to the 

 Government of the United States, and what method and policy should be pur- 

 sued in regard to editing and publishing the same, or any of them. 



April i, New regulations made by the Secretary for the library, and efforts begun to 

 complete imperfect sets of transactions of learned societies and to increase the 

 number of periodicals in all departments of knowledge. 



July 7, "The Director of the National Museum directed to report annually to Congress 

 the progress of the Museum during the year, and its present condition." 



Aug. iq, Death of Spencer F. Baird, Secretary of the Institution. 



Aug. 31, Participation in the Minneapolis Industrial Exposition. 



Nov.^rS, Samuel P. Langley elected Secretary. 



1888 



Jan. n, Regents decided that all estimates for appropriations should be sent direct 

 by the Secretary of the Institution to the Secretary of the Treasury for trans- 

 mission to Congress. 



Oct. 4, Disbursing Officer was appointed, duly qualified and bonded to the acceptance 

 of the Secretary of the Treasury, for the disbursement of all sums appropriated 

 by Congress to the Smithsonian Institution for the National Museum, Ex- 

 changes, Bureau of Ethnology, Zoological Park, and Astrophysical Observatory. 



March 27, Justice Samuel F. Miller elected Chancellor pro tern. 



July 4 to Oct. 7, Participation in the Ohio Valley and Central States Exposition in Cincinnati, 

 Ohio, and 



July 16-21, the Marietta Exposition, Marietta, Ohio. 



Oct. 2, Congress ordered that the Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution should submit 

 at the beginning of each session a detailed statement of expenditures of the ap- 

 propriations of the several bureaus under its direction. 



Jan. 4, 



American Historical Association incorporated by Congress and ordered to report 

 annually to the Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution, who shall com- 

 municate the whole or parts of such reports to Congress; the collections, 

 manuscripts, books, pamphlets, and other material for history to be deposited 

 in the Smithsonian Institution or National Museum. 



