March 2, 1867.-The House rejected the joint resolution of the Senate, providing for the exchange of public documents. Subsequently, on motion of Mr. Laflin, the House reconsidered its action, and passed the resolution.

March 7, 1867.-The Speaker appointed Mr. Luke P. Poland, of Vermont, a Regent of the Smithsonian Institution, to fill the vacancy occasioned by the election of Mr. J. W. Patterson to the United States Senate.

FORTIETH CONGRESS.

SENATE, January 6, 1868.

Mr. TRUMBULL offered the following resolution:

Resolved &c., That the vacancies in the Board of Regents of the Smithsonian Institution of the class "other than members of Congress" be filled by the appointment of Theodore D. Woolsey of Connecticut, William B. Astor of New York, John Maclean of New Jersey, and Peter Parker of the city of Washington.

January 7, 1868.-The above resolution was adopted.

May 2, 1868.-The PRESIDENT pro tempore laid before the Senate a communication from the Board of Regents of the Smithsonian Institution, which was referred to the Committee on Appropriations, and ordered to be printed. (See House, May 1, 1868.)

May 29, 1868.-Annual report, for 1867, was presented. Mr. TRUMBULL moved to print 5,000 extra copies.

May 30, 1868.-Mr. ANTHONY, from the Committee on Printing, reported the following resolution, which was adopted:

Resolved, That 5,000 additional copies of the report of the Smithsonian Institution, for the year 1867, be printed; 3,000 for the use of the Senate, and 2,000 for the use of the Smithsonian Institution, and that the said report be stereotyped: Provided, That the aggregate number of pages of said report shall not exceed 450, without illustrations, except those furnished by the Smithsonian Institution.

June 16, 1868.-Mr. HARLAN presented a report of the Executive Committee of the Regents of the Smithsonian Institution, on the influences of the Washington city canal on the health of the population of the city; which was referred to the Committee on the District of Columbia, and ordered to be printed.

(See Smithsonian Report, for 1868, page 111, and Senate Mis. Doc. No. 95, 40th Congress, 2d Sess.)

January 22, 1869.-Mr. WILSON offered the following resolution; which was adopted:

Resolved, &c., That Louis Agassiz, of Cambridge, Massachusetts, be, and he is hereby, reappointed a Regent of the Smithsonian Institution to fill the vacancy occasioned by the expiration of his present term.

February 13, 1869.-Annual report for 1868, presented, and ordered to be printed.

Mr. FESSENDEN offered a resolution to have additional copies printed.

March 1, 1869.-Mr. ANTHONY, from the Committee on Printing, reported the following resolution; which was adopted:

Resolved, That 5,000 copies of the report of the Smithsonian Institution, for the year 1868, be printed; 3,000 for the use of the Senate, and 2,000 for the use of the institution; and that said report be stereotyped: Provided, That the aggregate number of pages of said report shall not exceed 450, without illustrations, except those furnished by the institution.

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, January 7, 1868.

The SPEAKER announced the appointment, as Regents of the Smithsonian Institution, of Mr. Jas. A. Garfield of Ohio, Mr. L. P. Poland of Vermont, and Mr. J. V. L. Pruyn, of New York.

On motion of Mr. GARFIELD the Senate resolution of January 7th, to appoint Messrs. Woolsey, Astor, McLean and Parker, as regents, was adopted.

February 27, 1868.-The civil appropriation bill being under consideration, the clerk read:

Smithsonian Institution: "For the preservation of the collections of the exploring and surveying expeditions of the Government, $1,000."

Mr. POLAND. I move to amend the paragraph just read by striking out "$1,000" and inserting "$6,000." I apprehend that the Committee on Appropriations had not, probably, looked into the history of this annual appropriation to the Smithsonian Institution for taking care of these collections of the Government when they concluded to report this sum. These collections were kept in the Patent Office building up to 1857, and were then much smaller than they are now. An annual appropriation of $4,000 for the purpose of taking care of these collections was made from 1842 to 1857. In 1857 the room occupied for that purpose in the Patent Office building was needed for other purposes, for models, &c., and these collections were then removed to the Smithsonian building, where they have since been kept. An annual appropriation of $4,000 for their preservation was made from 1857 to last year, when the sum was in

ereased to $10,000. These collections have been very largely increased; they have been doubled; in fact, they have been quadrupled, since they were removed to the Smithsonian building, and the expense of taking care of them has been very largely increased in consequence of the general increase of the prices of labor, fuel, and everything that goes to make up that expense. Even if the amount of labor had not been increased in consequence of the increase of the collections, the appropriation, which from 1842 to 1866 was $4,000, ought to be increased to at least $6,000.

The fund of the Smithsonian Institution, whatever it may be, is a fixed sum, and in consequence of the great increase in the prices of everything, it is not now worth more than half as much to the institution as it was formerly. A very large portion of the income from the fund for the institution for the last two years has had to be expended in refitting and repairing the building, rendered necessary by the destructive and ruinous fire that occurred there in 1865. It seems to me there can be no question but what the appropriation for this purpose should be at least $6,000.

Mr. UPSON. Who has the disbursing of this money, and what account is ever rendered to anyone of the manner in which it was expended?

Mr. POLAND. It is disbursed under the care of Professor Henry, one of the most prudent men in the country, and it is all reviewed by the Board of Regents.

Mr. WASHBURNE, of Illinois. The Committee on Appropriations thought that $1,000 a year was about as much as the people of this country desire to pay to preserve the collections of the exploring and surveying expeditions of the Government. The amount appropriated heretofore has been much larger, as the gentleman from Vermont [Mr. Poland] has said. I had a conversation this morning with Professor Henry, who stated to me how this appropriation was to be used. From what he told me, I am willing to admit that there should be appropriated a much larger sum than the committee have reported in this bill, though not so much as $6,000, as the gentleman from Vermont has proposed. The Professor himself expressed himself satisfied with $4,000, the usual annual appropriation for this purpose.

Mr. POLAND. It may be true that Professor Henry did not desire to have the friends of the Smithsonian Institution to get into a controversy with the gentleman from Illinois, [Mr. Washburne,] for he knew too well how much was involved in that; and, "to buy his peace," as lawyers say, he agreed to take $4,000 instead of asking for $6,000.

He tells me, and I have no doubt tells the gentleman, that $6,000 is needed, and that he ought to have it.

Mr. WASHBURNE, of Illinois. I understood that he would be entirely satisfied with $4,000. And I will say that, instead of losing anything by any controversy with me, he would certainly obtain an additional amount here by getting into any such controversy. Will the gentleman from Vermont [Mr. Poland] consent to modify the amendment by making the amount $4,000?

Mr. POLAND. No, sir.

Mr. PRUYN. Mr. Chairman, I move pro forma to amend the amendment by making the amount $7,500. I am prepared to corroborate in all substantial particulars the statement made by the gentleman from Vermont, [Mr. Poland.] It is quite impossible that these collections can be taken care of for a less sum than five or six thousand dollars. They occupy the large hall of the Smithsonian Institution, the best part of the whole building. The rent of such a room anywhere else in this city would cost as much as the appropriation asked for. If the gentleman from Illinois will agree to an appropriation of $5,000, I will modify my amendment

so as to name that sum.

Mr. WASHBURNE, of Illinois. No, sir; $4,000 is the usual appropriation, and I see no reason why, in the present condition of our finances, we should increase it.

Mr. PRUYN. I withdraw my amendment; but I hope the committee will agree to vote at least $6,000 for this purpose. Mr. SELYE. Mr. Chairman, I rise to oppose the amendment. I would like to know of what this institution consists. I would like the gentleman from New York [Mr. Pruyn] or the gentleman from Vermont [Mr. Poland] to tell us how many of his constituents ever saw this institution, or ever will see it, or ever want to see it? It is enough to make any man or woman sick to visit that institution. No one can expect to get any benefit from it. I am opposed, sir, to taxing my constituents $7,000 a year to keep up any such institution.

Mr. POLAND. In accordance with what seems to be the wish of gentlemen around me, I modify my amendment so as to make the amount $5,000.

On the amendment of Mr. Poland, as modified, there were-ayes 50, noes 53.

Mr. POLAND called for tellers.

Tellers were ordered; and Messrs. Spalding and Selye were appointed.

The committee divided; and the tellers reported-ayes 40, noes 55.

So the amendment was not agreed to.

Mr. TWICHELL. I move to amend by striking out "one" and inserting "four;" so as to make the paragraph read: For the preservation of the collections of the exploring and surveying expeditions of the Government, $4,000.

The amendment was agreed to.

May 1, 1868.-The SPEAKER laid before the House the following communication from the Board of Regents of the Smithsonian Institution; which, on motion of Mr. Garfield, was referred to the Committee on Appropriations, and ordered to be printed:

To the honorable the Senate and House of Representatives, &c.: In behalf of the Board of Regents of the Smithsonian Institution, the undersigned beg leave respectfully to submit to your honorable body the following statement, and to solicit such action in regard to it as may be deemed just and proper:

The act of Congress organizing the institution ordered the erection of a building which should accommodate, on a liberal scale, besides a library and a gallery of art, a museum, consisting of all the specimens of natural history, geology, and art, which then belonged to the Government, or which might thereafter come into its possession by exchange or otherwise. Al though the majority of the Regents did not consider the maintenance of these objects to be in accordance with the intention of Smithson, as inferred from a strict interpretation of the terms of his will, yet in obedience to the commands of Congress they proceeded to erect a building of the necessary dimensions, and to take charge of the Government collections.

The erection and maintenance of so large and expensive an edifice, involving an outlay of $450,000, and the charge of the Government museum, have proved a grievous burden on the institution, increasing from year to year, which, had not its effects been counteracted by a judicious manage ment of the funds, would have paralyzed the legitimate operations of the establishment, and frustrated the evident intention of Smithson.

It is true that Congress, at the time the specimens were transferred to the institution, granted an appropriation of $4,000 for their care and preservation, that being the equivalent of the estimated cost of the maintenance of these collections in the Patent Office, where they had previously been exhibited. But this sum, from the rise in prices and the expansion of the museum by the specimens obtained from about fifty exploring expeditions ordered by Congress, scarcely more than defrays, at the present time, onethird of the annual expense. In this estimate no account is taken of the rent of the part of the building devoted to the museum of the Government, which, at a moderate estimate, would be $20,000 per annum.

Besides the large expenditure which has already been made on the building, at least $50,000 more will be required to finish the large hall in the second story, necessary for the full display of the specimens of the Govern ment. But the Regents do not think it judicious further to embarrass the active operations for several years to come, by devoting a large part of the income to this object, and have, therefore, concluded to allow this room to remain unfinished until other means are provided for completing it.

It is not by its castellated building nor the exhibition of the museum of the Government that the institution has achieved its present reputation, nor by the collection and display of material objects of any kind that it has vindicated the intelligence and good faith of the Government in the admin