REPORT OF THE SECRETARY. 5 



charge of the Library and the Exchanges, with such additional duties 

 as the Secretary may assign him. bo approved." 



In the absence of Doctor Angell, chairman of the special commit- 

 tee. Senator Henderson presented a report giving an accotint of the 

 visit of the committee to Detroit and their conference Avith Mr. 

 Freer. The report wn- fully discussed, and the following resolution 

 was adojDted : 



"I^e.solrcfh That the Board of Regents take this occasion to express 

 their sincere thanlcs to Mr. Charles L. Freer, of Detroit, for the cour- 

 tesy shown to the committee of the Regents which recently visited 

 Detroit to examine liis art collection; and that further consideration 

 of his generous offer to donate the same to this Institution or the 

 ITnited States be continued until the next meeting of the Board of 

 Regents." 



The Secretary stated that Capt. John Donnell Smith, of Baltimore, 

 had donated to the Institution his entire botanical collection, and the 

 Board adopted the following resolution : 



^^Resolred, That the thanks of the Board of Regents be tendered 

 to Cajjt. John Donnell Smith for his generosity in presenting to the 

 Institution his large and valuable collection of ])lants and books on 

 botany, which is gratefully accepted." 



The Secretary stated that a room in the Smithsonian building had 

 been fitted up as a temj^orary resting place for the remains of Smith- 

 son, and asked the Regents to be present at their transfer. 



After adjournment, the Regents repaired to the room referred to, 

 where, in their presence, the remains were placed within the tomb, 

 which was then sealed. 



GENERAL CONSIDERATIONS. 



Sixty years ago, when Joseph Henry became the first Secretary of 

 the Smithsonian Institution, the scope of the work he assumed was 

 practically unlimited; Smithson's direction being that his bequest 

 was to be used for the " increase and diffusion of knowledge among 

 men." After considering many suggestions as to how this might best 

 be done. Professor Henry decided that the proper function of the 

 Smithsonian Institution was " to assist men of science in making 

 original researches, to publish them in a series of vohnnes. and to give 

 n copy of them to every tirst-class library on the face of the earth." 

 This has remained the policy of the Institution; and although its 

 opera! ion-> have, of necessity, been modified from time to time, its 

 original Ijreadth of scoj^e has never been narrowed. 



The metliods <jf assisting in original research have been various. 

 Numerou- grants have been made to qualified investigators, and 

 expeditions have been sent out in many directions. Several enter- 

 prises iMidertaken by the Institution on a small scale outgrew the 

 original intention and. in accordance with tlie policy of the Institution 



