6 ANNUAL REPORT SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION, 1910. 



There has been no change in the personnel of the Board since my 

 last report, Representatives John Dalzell, James R. Mann, and Wil- 

 liam M. Howard ; and Hon. John B. Henderson, and Dr. Alexander 

 Graham Bell, whose terms of office expired during the year, having 

 been reappointed as Regents. 



Meetings of the Regents were held on December 14, 1909, and on 

 February 10, 1910, the proceedings of which will be printed as 

 customary in the annual report of the Board to Congress. 



Although occurring a few days after the close of the fiscal year, 

 I may properly record here the death on July 4, 1910, of the Chancel- 

 lor of the Institution, Melville W. Fuller, Chief Justice of the 

 United States. Adequate reference to this sad event will be made 

 in my next report to the Board. 



GENERAL CONSIDERATIONS. 



I have called attention heretofore to the influence that the Smithso- 

 nian Institution has had in the development of science in this country. 

 That its usefulness is not restricted to this country is constantly 

 evidenced in many ways. But the achievements that the Institution 

 might accomplish, and that the scientific world expects of it, and the 

 general good that it might do in the promotion of the welfare of the 

 human race, continues to be greatly limited by the lack of ample funds 

 to carry forward worthy lines of exploration and research that are 

 constantly being presented for consideration. 



During the past year the Institution's activities have been increased 

 to some degree by gifts for the promotion of certain special lines of 

 study, particularly in biological research. 



Among the important works that might be undertaken I would 

 especially call attention to the great advantage to this country and 

 to the world that would result from the establishment of a national 

 seismological laboratory under the direction of the Smithsonian 

 Institution. 



IMPORTANCE OF A NATIONAL SEISMOLOGICAL LABORATORY. 



The immense destruction of life and property by certain large 

 earthquakes emphasizes the importance of investigations which may 

 lead to a reduction of the damage of future earthquakes. The science 

 of seismology is in its infancy and it is not always evident what lines 

 of investigation will yield the most important results, hence the im- 

 portance of developing larger knowledge of seismology in all direc- 

 tions. As an example : It was not at all realized that the accurate 

 surveys of the Coast and Geodetic Survey in California would dem- 

 onstrate that the great earthquake there in 1906 was due to forces 

 set up by slow movements of the land which have probably been going 



