REPORT OF THE SECRETARY. 5 



At the beginning of the active operations of the institution, Professor 

 Henry prepared what he called a "Programme of organization." This 

 was first submitted to the judgment of leading men of science through- 

 out the United States and Europe, and received general approval. It 

 was presented to the Board, and adopted as the basis of future opera- 

 tions. It is interesting to note that whatever new lines of research or 

 of practical work have been taken up from time to time by the Institu- 

 tion, were simply the carrying out into practical effect of one or other of 

 the subdivisions of the proposed programme. 



The board at its special meeting, held on the 17th of May, 1878, di- 

 rected the preparation of a suitable biography of its late Secretary, and 

 also the holding of a memorial service in one of the halls of Congress, if 

 it could be obtained for the purpose. The preparation of this biography 

 was intrusted to a committee, consisting of President Porter, of Yale 

 College, Dr. Maclean, of Princeton, and Professor Gray, of Harvard ; 

 and it has been prepared by the latter gentleman, and will be submitted 

 by him to the Board. 



The arrangements for the memorial services have been made, to take 

 place on the evening of Thursday, January 10, 1879. In addition to 

 the records prepared by the direction of the Board, two other memoirs 

 have been written, and were presented, October 26, 1878, to the Philo- 

 sophical Society of Washington, of which Professor Henry had been the 

 presiding officer from the time of its organization. One of these me- 

 moirs, by Dr. Welling, president of Columbian University, gave an 

 account of Professor Henry's life and character with reference to his 

 personal, social, and educational qualities ; and the other, by Mr. Will- 

 iam B. Taylor, set forth more particularly his scientific work and the 

 succession of his discoveries. 



Professor Henry's last illness dates from the autumn of the year 1877, 

 and was apparently induced in a considerable measure by exposure 

 while carrying on a series of experiments in behalf of the Light-House 

 Board. After his return from Staten Island, he was able to bestow but 

 little attention to the details of the work of the Institution ; although, 

 up to the very day of his death, he was directing and controlling it as 

 from the beginning. Shortly after his return in the autumn, he made a 

 visit to Philadelphia, for the purpose of being under the care of Dr. S. 

 Weir Mitchell, and came back to Washington after an absence of a few 

 weeks. His death took place on the 13th of May, 1878, — a peaceful and 

 happy death — surrounded by his family and friends. 



After his decease, as in his life, he was signally honored. Congress 

 adjourned to attend the funeral, which was also marked by the presence 

 of the highest dignitaries of the country, including the President and 

 his cabinet, the justices of the Supreme Court of the United States, and 

 those of the District of Columbia, the diplomatic corps, and numerous 

 organizations of which he was a member, as well as others from abroad. 



