76 



SCIENCE. 



[N. S. Vol. XI. No. 263. 



degree of doctor of laws shall be conferred on no 

 more than five persons in any one calendar year. 



"Sec. 2. The members of the board of ex- 

 aminers shall hold oifice during the pleasure of 

 the regents of the Smithsonian Institution. 

 Each examiner shall devote his entire time to 

 the duties of instruction and examination as- 

 signed to him by the said regents, and shall 

 receive a salary of $4,000 per annum, except 

 that the chairman of the board shall receive a 

 salary of $5,000 per annum. 



" Sec. 3. The said regents shall also appoint, 

 subject to appropriations by Congress, such 

 minor ofiBces, and shall establish such rules, 

 regulations and forms as may be necessary to 

 carry out the purposes of this act. They shall 

 also establish a schedule of reasonable fees to 

 be paid by candidates for examination for 

 degrees, which fees shall be paid into the 

 treasury of the United States to the credit of 

 the Smithsonian Institution. 



' ' Sec. 4. The said regents are hereby au- 

 thorized to accept and to administer any be- 

 quest or gift of real or personal property which 

 may be made to them to establish lectureships, 

 to endow chairs of instruction, to establish fel- 

 lowships, scholarships or prizes, to purchase 

 land, to erect buildings, or otherwise to carry 

 out the provisions of this act. 



"Sec. 5. The sum of $50,000, or so much 

 thereof as may be necessary, is hereby appro- 

 priated out of any monies in the treasury not 

 otherwise appropriated, to be expended as other 

 public monies appropriated for the use of the 

 Smithsonian are expended to carry out the 

 purposes of this act." 



THE UNIVERSITY OF NEBRASKA. 



At the December meeting of the Regents of 

 the University of Nebraska, no election was 

 made of a chancellor to fill the vacancy caused 

 by the resignation of Dr. George MacLean, in 

 July. The committee on chancellor asked for 

 more time. 



Dr. Bessey, acting chancellor, reported upon 

 the condition of the University. Six hundred 

 and twenty-two new students entered the Uni- 

 versity during the fall term, and at the present 

 time there are registered in all departments 



1560 students, this not including the students 

 present in the summer session, nor those regis- 

 tered in the School of Music and School of Ag- 

 riculture (short course). The total registration 

 for the year will probably reach about 2100. 

 The registrations in scientific work are as fol- 

 lows : Botany, 153 ; Chemistry, 526 ; Ento- 

 mology, 25 ; Geology, 100 ; Physics, 348 ; Zo- 

 ology, 160 ; in technical lines. Civil Engineer- 

 ing, 54 ; Electrical Engineering, 70 ; Mechanical 

 Engineering, 251 ; in languages, German, 629 ; 

 Greek, 172 ; Latin, 407 ; French, 328 ; Eng- 

 lish, 1556 ; History, 570 ; Political Science, 

 215; Law, 151. 



Among the material improvements during 

 the year are the steam tunnels for carrying 

 steam heat to the difierent halls on the campus, 

 the completion of the interior work on Mechanic 

 Arts Hall, and the erection of ' Experiment 

 Station Hall,' and an additional power plant — 

 the two buildings last named being on the Uni- 

 versity Farm. 



In accordance with a report made by a com- 

 mittee of the faculty, the regents designated 

 exactly the constitution of the faculties of the 

 two four-year colleges (' Letters ' and ' Sci- 

 ence '). 



On Acting Chancellor Bessey's recommenda- 

 tion, plans were ordered drawn with reference 

 to the eventual removal of the University from 

 its present site in the city to its domain in the 

 suburbs known as the ' University Farm. ' Early 

 removal is not contemplated, but all buildings 

 and other improvements ou this domain are to 

 be made hereafter with reference to the future 

 removal of the University to its new site. 



The acting chancellor called attention to the 

 desirability of continuing the University work 

 throughout the year, as is done in the Univer- 

 sity of Chicago, and the regents appointed a 

 committee to investigate the matter and to 

 report at a future meeting. 



Dr. William W. Hastings was given a short 

 leave of absence to enable him to make an- 

 thropometric investigations in northern Mexico. 

 Professor Nicholson, for many years head pro- 

 fessor of Chemistry, was given, on his request, 

 a leave of absence for one year, beginning Jan- 

 uary 1, 1900. During his absence Dr. John 

 White is head professor of the department. 



