THE SECRETARY, 1878-1887 397 
mansion of Dolly Madison and Commodore Wilkes, on 
Lafayette Square. 
The club was organized December 13th and Professor 
Baird elected its first President.1 This dissipated the 
suspicions of some perturbed individuals who had seen 
in the formation of such a club a scheme to influence 
Congress and create a scientific cabal intended to control 
governmental scientific activities. 
January 16th, 1879, memorial services for Professor 
Henry were held at the Capitol, Vice-President Wheeler 
presiding. This meeting is described at length in Baird’s 
Journal and forms the longest entry in it. The following 
day the Board of Regents met at the Smithsonian and 
provided that Professor Baird should have an allowance 
for house rent, such as had been granted Professor 
Henry. On the 3rd of March the bill providing for a 
new building for the National Museum was approved by 
Congress. 
Provision was also made for a small steamer for the 
particular service of the Fish Commission, which had been 
planned by Baird and which was appropriately named 
the ‘Fish Hawk.” 
The ventilation of the houses of Congress had long 
been a subject of complaint, and at this session a commit- 
tee was ordered to thoroughly investigate and report on 
the subject. Of this committee Baird was a member, and 
the meetings and investigations connected with it for 
nearly two years added appreciably to the burden of 
work he carried. 
In May he terminated his editorial work for the 
Harpers, for reasons elsewhere stated, and notes in his 
1 Major J. W. Powell had for two months previously presided 
over the committee of organization. 
