AmAp°riLi903arm"}     Carnegie  Institution  of  Washington.  171 
Department  of  State, 
Washington,  March  7,  1902. 
Hon.  Andrew  Carnegie, 
5  West  Fifty-first  Street,  New  York  City. 
Sir  : — The  Trustees  of  the  Carnegie  Institution,  which  you  have  recently 
founded  in  the  city  of  Washington,  formally  accept  your  gift,  by  the  adoption 
of  the  appended  resolution. 
At  the  same  time  they  requested  me,  as  the  presiding  officer  at  the  first  meet- 
ing of  the  Board,  to  convey  to  you  by  a  letter  an  explanation  of  their  hearty 
appreciation  of  your  munificence,  and  also  their  admiration  of  the  noble  pur- 
pose and  the  liberal  spirit  which  distinguish  your  foundation. 
For  the  advancement  of  knowledge  and  the  education  of  youth  there  are 
already  in  this  country  many  strong  institutions,  learned  societies,  universities, 
government  bureaus,  libraries  and  museums.  With  all  of  them  the  Carnegie 
Institution  can  co-operate,  while  it  has  a  field  of  its  own,  carefully  indicated  in 
your  deed  of  gift,  and  more  fully  explained  by  the  remarks  which  you  addressed 
to  the  Board. 
Every  one  of  those  whom  you  have  chosen  as  Trustees  will  regard  it  as  a 
sacred  duty  and  a  pleasure  to  uphold  the  lofty  ideal  that  you  have  set  before 
them,  and  to  impart  to  those  who  come  afterward  the  spirit  of  confidence  and 
enthusiasm  with  which  the  work  has  begun. 
I  am,  Sir, 
Very  respectfully  yours, 
John  Hay. 
Dr.  Gilman,  the  elected  president,  then  addressed  the  Board, 
explaining,  so  far  as  they  were  known  to  him,  the  circumstances 
which  preceded  the  incorporation  of  the  Carnegie  Institution.  His 
remarks  were  extemporaneous  and  intended  to  acquaint  the  Board 
with  his  attitude  and  that  of  the  gentlemen  with  whom,  at  Mr. 
Carnegie's  request,  he  had  been  associated  in  these  arrangements 
which  preceded  the  meeting  of  the  Board.  He  expressed  his  appre- 
ciation of  the  honor  conferred  upon  him  by  his  selection  as  presi- 
dent of  the  Institution,  and  he  indicated  in  broad  outlines  the  prob- 
able methods  of  procedure.  At  an  early  day  experts  in  many 
branches  of  science  will  be  selected  by  the  Executive  Committee  to 
whom  all  applications  for  encouragement  and  aid  will  be  referred. 
These  experts  will  be  requested  to  add  their  own  suggestions,  and 
present  their  recommendations  in  writing.  Meanwhile,  the  Execu- 
tive Committee  will  gather  information  in  respect  to  endowments 
and  establishments  for  promoting  science,  at  home  and  abroad,  in 
order  that  this  experience  may  be  at  the  service  of  the  Trustees, 
and  that  there  may  be  co-operation,  and  not  conflict,  with  other 
institutions  in  any  plans  that  may  be  adopted. 
