2 ANNUAL REPORT SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION, 1908. 



citizens, " two of whom shall be residents of the city of Washington, 

 and the other four shall be inhabitants of some State, but no two of 

 them of the same State." 



It is with regret that I have to record the resignation of the Hon. 

 Eichard Olney on January 20, 1908. Mr. Olney served on the Board 

 of Regents as a citizen of Massachusetts for eight years. 



The following appointments and reappointments of Regents were 

 made during the year: By appointment of the Speaker, December 

 9, 1907, Representatives John Dalzell, James R. Mann, and William 

 M. Howard, to succeed themselves; by appointment of the President 

 of the S.enate on January 14, 1908, Senator Augustus O. Bacon to 

 succeed himself; by joint resolution of Congress approved February 

 24, 1908, the Hon. Charles F. Choate, jr., of Massachusetts, in place 

 of the Hon. Richard Olney, resigned. 



The board met on December 3, 1907, January 22, 1908, and Febru- 

 ary 12, 1908. The proceedings of these meetings will be printed as 

 customary in the annual report of the board to Congress. 



ADMINISTRATION . 



With the aid rendered by the several experienced and efficient 

 staffs the administrative work of the Institution and the several 

 branches of the government service committed to its care has pro- 

 gressed in a satisfactory manner during the year. The affairs of the 

 Institution have received prompt administrative consideration, and 

 a united effort has been made to carry out vigorously and conscien- 

 tiously the fundamental purposes of the Institution, " the increase 

 and diffusion of knowledge." 



Under the general supervision of the Secretary the extended and 

 complicated operations of the National Museum have been efficiently 

 managed by the assistant secretary in charge of the National 

 Museum, Mr. Richard Rathbun. Dr. Cyrus Adler, assistant secre- 

 tary in charge of library and exchanges, has also rendered important 

 service in connection with the regional bureau of the International 

 Catalogue of Scientific Literature and in the general business of 

 the Institution. The affairs of the Bureau of American Ethnology 

 have continued in charge of Mr. W. H. Holmes, Mr. C. G. Abbot 

 has advanced the work of the Astrophysical Observatory, and Dr. 

 Frank Baker has superintended the administration of the National 

 Zoological Park. 



The Secretary has availed himself of the assistance of the officers 

 in charge of the various branches and conferred freely with them 

 during the year. Certain changes in the routine of business in the 

 Institution proper and in the several branches have been approved 

 upon recommendation of the committee on business methods. 



