REPORT OF THE SECRETARY. 71 



"Personnel" of the Institution. — In the annual reports for a number 

 of years past no other account has been given of the personnel of the 

 Institution than a reference to the principal assistants or a casual 

 allusion to the others ; but as special inquiry on this point has been 

 made by some of the new Regents, and as some changes will probably 

 take place on account of the fire and the transfer of the library, it is 

 deemed advisable on this occasion to give the official position and the 

 duty of the several persons connected with the establishment. This 

 information is perhaps the more necessary in order to prevent mis- 

 apprehension, and in some cases to protect the public from the 

 representations of designing persons, who, though never having had 

 any connexion with the Institution, or only a very temporary or sub- 

 ordinate one, have assumed to belong to the corps of its officers. 



The act of Congress which organized the Institution directed the 

 appointment of but one executive officer, who, under the name of 

 the Secretary, should have "charge of the building and property 

 of said Institution," be keeper of the museum, and perform the duties 

 of librarian, thus confiding to him the general direction of affairs, 

 under the control of the Board of Regents, and investing him with the 

 sole responsibility for the judicious and the efficient conduct of all 

 transactions of the Institution within the prescribed conditions. In 

 order, however, better to enable him properly to discharge the im- 

 portant and arduous duties devolved upon him, he is allowed, with 

 the consent of the board, " to employ assistants." By the adoption 

 of such an arrangement it was no doubt intended to secure unity of 

 action and efficiency of co-operation among all who might be actually 

 engaged in carrying out the novel and interesting objects of the be- 

 quest. The importance of this provision of the law was, however, 

 either not apparent at first or was lost sight of in the early proceed- 

 ings of the board. The Secretary, instead of being allowed the selec- 

 tion of assistants upon his own judgment and responsibility, when 

 permission had once been obtained for making the appointments, was 

 required to submit his choice to the approval of the Regents, and thus, 

 in a considerable degree, to abridge his power of control. As might 

 have been anticipated, this deviation from the original intention of 

 the act did not succeed in practice; dissensions soon arose as to the 

 exact apportionment of the income by the Secretary to the several 

 objects of the programme, in which the superintending parties were 

 differently interested, as well as in regard to the direction which each 

 assistant might exercise as head of a department, and maintaining a 

 separate and independent direction and official correspondence. To 



