6 ANNUAL REPORT SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION, 1919. 



House of Representatives, together with six other persons other than 

 Members of Congress, two of whom shall be resident in the city of 

 AVashington and the other four shall be inhabitants of some State, 

 but no two of them of the same State." The regents elect one of 

 their number as chancellor, usually the Chief Justice, who is the pre- 

 siding officer of the board, and elect a suitable person as secretary of 

 the Institution, who is also secretary of the board and the executive 

 officer and director of the Institution's activities. 



The changes in personnel of the board during the year were the 

 appointment of George Gray, citizen of Delaware, to succeed him- 

 self; the appointment of Robert S. Brookings, citizen of Missouri, 

 to fill the vacancy caused by the death of Charles W. Fairbanks. The 

 roll of regents on June 30, 1919, was as follows : Edward D. White, 

 Chief Justice of the United States, chancellor; Thomas R. Marshall. 

 Vice President of the United States ; Henry Cabot Lodge, Member of 

 the Senate; Charles S. Thomas, Member of the Senate; Scott Ferris, 

 Member of the House of Representatives ; Lemuel P. Padgett, Mem- 

 l)er of the House of Representatives; Frank L. Greene, Member of the 

 House of Representatives ; Alexander Graham Bell, citizen of Wash- 

 ington, D. C. ; George Gray, citizen of Delaware; Charles F. Choate, 

 jr., citizen of Massachusetts; John B. Henderson, citizen of Washing- 

 ton, D. C. ; Henry W^hite, citizen of Maryland ; and Robert S. Brook- 

 ings, citizen of Missouri. 



The board held its annual meeting on December 12, 1918. The 

 proceedings of that meeting, as also the annual financial report of 

 the executive committee, have been piinted, as usual, for the use of 

 the I'egents, while such important matters acted upon as are of public 

 interest are reviewed under appropriate heads in the report of the 

 secretary. A detailed statement of disbursements from the Govern- 

 ment appropriations under the direction of the Institution for the 

 maintenance of the National Museum, the National Zoological Park, 

 and other branches will be submitted to Congress by the secretary in 

 the usiuil manner in couipiiance with the. law. 



(JENEUAI. ( 'ONSTDEUATIONS. 



In addition to the usual activities and routine duties, the scientific 

 staff of the Institution continued, until the day of the signing of 

 the armistice, to assist the Government in every way possible toward 

 the successful prosecution of the war. The Museum staff were in 

 constant touch with Army and Navy officials, furnishing much tech- 

 nical information, and the staff of the Astrophysical Observatory con- 

 ducted numerous valuable researches. Mr. L. B. Aldrich, of the ob- 

 servatory, carried out successful experiments on the pressure exerted 

 by the wind upon projectiles, at the request of the Coast Artillery 

 Station at Fortress Monroe. Assistant Secretary Abbot and Mr. 



