cuting the trust having proper credit for the manner in which they discharged their duty.

The first paper which Mr. Blodgett read was on the northers, or the tempestuous winds which occasionally prevail in Texas. He stated that this paper was in no way connected with the Institution. I then explained to the audience in what manner this paper was connected with the Smithsonian Institution. A young officer of the American army, Lieutenant Couch, had presented to the secretary of the Smithsonian Institution a plan of a private exploration which he wished to make in Texas and Mexico. I studied this plan and commended it warmly, in a letter to the Secretary of War. He considered the request of Lieutenant Couch favorably, allowed him leave of absence, and transportation. The Smithsonian Institution gave him scientific instruction, assisted, I think, in fitting him out with instruments, and especially directed his attention to the existence, in Mexico, of a valuable collection of natural history, and of manuscripts which had been the property of Dr. Berlandier, a member of the Academy of Geneva,. Switzerland, who came to this country to make scientific explorations, and after a residence of twenty years, died in Mexico. Lieutenant Couch was so fortunate as to procure this collection, which he sent to the Institution. We paid about $150 for the transportation, and he gave me, in behalf of the Institution, permission to use any of the meteorological records we might require. The principal facts relative to the northers, given in Mr. Blodgett's paper, were derived from this collec tion, though no credit was given by him to Lieutenant Couch or the Smithsonian Institution.

Again, an earthquake was felt in Washington and throughout a considerable portion of the middle States, and the idea was suggested by Professor Bache that it would be well to collect the facts in regard to this occurrence. I accordingly drew up a circular in which I asked a series of questions, in behalf of the Smithsonian Institution, as to the time of occurrence, direction of the motion, state of the atmosphere, &c., &c. To these circulars quite a number of answers were returned. These I placed in the hands of Mr. Blodgett, requested him to locate their position on a map, in order that the centre of action might be determined. My own time was very much occupied, and I gave no further attention to the subject, and I was surprised to find that Mr. Blodgett produced this, again, as his own, without mentioning the name of the Smithsonian Institution. After this development of his peculiar characteristics, I was convinced it would be improper to continue to employ him in the Smithsonian Institution, and therefore resolved to close my engagement with him as soon as the work on which he was immediately engaged could be completed. The meteorological correspondence of the Institution had been, up to that time, conducted by Dr. Foreman, who left the Institution, for a position of larger salary in the Patent office. At the time he left, however, and during my absence, he published a notice in the paper informing the observers that he had left the Institution, and requested them to direct all their letters to the secretary. Mr. Blodgett returned to Washington before I did, and immediately commenced, without my authority, to write to the correspondents, dating his letters from the Smithsonian Institution, and

signing them "Lorin Blodgett, in charge of meteorology." I forbid his writing any letters which were not submitted to me previous to being sent. This order he did not obey, but continued to write letters without showing them to me. At length, I gave him an order in writing, but to this he paid no attention also. After his return from Cleveland, he began to make claims for more salary, and to propose various plans for the establishment of a meteorological bureau, of which he, of course, was to be the head.

I gave no co-operation to these measures, but stated to him that if any means could be found for carrying on a system of meteorology independent of the Smithsonian fund, the Institution would willingly relinquish the charge, but that all data the Institution had collected must be reduced, discussed, and published before closing the work.

He failed, of course, in all these efforts, and then engaged in the preparation for publication, on his own account, of a number of reports and essays on meteorology, using the materials of the Institution for this purpose. To this course I objected. I stated to him that the great object of the Institution was co-operation and not monopoly; that the results of the computations must be given to the world in a tabular form, and then distributed to all the meteorologists in this country, so that each might have an opportunity of making their own speculations on the subject; that after they had been thus published, Mr. Blodgett would have the privilege in common with all others to make use of them as he might see fit.

He refused to give some of the materials, on several occasions, to persons who applied for them with my permission even, to be used for the purposes of the Institution. His demands for extra remuneration became greater and greater, and he at length declared that unless they were complied with, the Institution should not have the materials in his hands, and rather than give them up he would, as I was told, burn

them.

I was, therefore, obliged, in consequence of this and other threats, to institute measures for securing the papers, and for this purpose consulted Mr. Carlisle, the attorney for the Board of Regents, and took no step without his direction.

JOSEPH HENRY.

STATEMENT OF PROFESSOR HENRY.

All the difficulties which have occurred in regard to the management of the Institution had their origin, as it appears to me, in certain resolutions adopted at the early sessions of the Regents.

The following was adopted December 4, 1846, viz: Resolved, That it be recommended to the secretary of the Smithsonian Institution forthwith to employ, subject to the approval of the Board of Regents, an assistant secretary, well qualified to discharge the duties of librarian.

This was immediately subsequent to my election as secretary, but before I came to Washington.

On the 26th January, 1847, the following resolutions were also adopted:

Resolved, That the secretary be requested now to nominate to the board an assistant, who shall be the librarian, and whose salary shall commence whenever the building is ready for the reception of the library.

Resolved, That for any services rendered from this time in collecting books, making catalogues, &c., he shall receive such compensation as the executive committee may deem reasonable.

Whereupon the secretary remarked that, understanding Professor Charles C. Jewett, of Brown University, to be the preference of a majority of the Board, he therefore nominated Charles C. Jewett for assistant secretary, acting as librarian of the Smithsonian Institution.

I had been requested to nominate Mr. Jewett in order to conciliate. Mr. Choate.

Previous to his nomination, Mr. Jewett came on to Washington with a letter of introduction to me. I explained the plan which I advocated; he fully approved of it, said that he would have preferred a library, but previous to the plan I advocated no definite plan had been proposed.

Immediately after the nomination was confirmed, Mr. Dallas asked me if I had done right in thus nominating; if I had examined the law. He thought I ought not to have been called on to nominate in that way. I then examined the 7th section of the act attentively, and saw that certain powers were granted to the secretary, to be used for the best interests of the Institution, and not to be delegated, no mention being made of an assistant secretary to act as librarian He himself was to discharge the duties of librarian and keeper of the museum, and might, with the consent of the Board, employ assistants. The act evidently intended that the secretary should have control over his assistants, that he might have no excuse for not properly discharging his duty. They are his assistants, and not the assistants of the Board. He is responsible for their acts, and from the usages of the government and the necessities of the case, he has the power of removal.

"The subordinate officers of the customs furnish a somewhat analogous case. They are appointed by the collector, with the approbation of the Secretary of the Treasury. Now, the secretary, as the officia! organ of the President, can remove both the collector and his subordinates, but this does not prevent the collector from removing them."

Mr. Choate's plan was that of a library, the secretary was to be librarian, and Mr. Jewett was his candidate for that office.

He failed in carrying this point, and provision was made for Mr. Jewett in the way I have stated.

Mr. Jewett was not to enter fully upon his duties until two years after his appointment, 1849. He, however, was brought in at his own earnest request before the expiration of this time.

He entered fully upon his duties about a year after his appointment, but I soon found that he had no idea of rendering me any assistance in the general business of the Institution, unless such assistance should be rendered entirely in his own name and as the head of an independent department, or as a co-equal with myself.

Finding that nothing could be done with him in this way, I left him

in charge of the library exclusively. The books had previously been in the care of Mr. Russell, who remained to assist Mr. Jewett.

I employed another person to a sist me, Dr. Foreman, and with him I conducted all the affairs of the Institution, except what related to the library, until July 1850.

The bearing of Professor Jewett was frequently very offensive to me, although I endeavored to render his situation as pleasant as possible, to control him as little as might be consistent with my duty.

I had many difficulties at that time to contend with, in the development of a new and untried plan, and the business at length became so extended that it was impossible for me properly to attend to it without more assistance, and I therefore called to my aid in July, 1850, Professor Baird, who was appointed to take charge of the museum, and to do anything else the secretary might require. Professor Baird was very industrious, and rendered me important service. He took special charge of the printing and also of the exchanges. He, however, after a while, began to complain that he had no assistance, and his salary was less than that of Professor Jewett, though he did three times the amount of work. In short he very naturally felt that he ought to have the same privileges as Professor Jewett.

When Professor Baird first came in I gave him a full account of all my views, plans and operations. He asked if I had any objection to his examining the records and papers of the Institution and my letters, to which I replied that I had not. He accordingly made such an examination, and possessed himself of the history of all the previous operations of the Institution.

My official letters, indeed my private ones, were open to Dr. Foreman and to Professor Baird. They were not locked up, but were kept on an open shelf.

I had no secrets of my own, and from the first resolved to do nothing in regard to the business of the Institution which might not be freely given to the whole world, I knew the only course I could pursue with any hope of success was an honest, straight forward one, and that if I attempted in any case a devious course, I should certainly be involvee in inextricable difficulties.

My intercourse with Professor Baird was of the most unreserved character, and it was with grief 1 began to think that he was not equally inclined to be as unreserved as myself.

During each year of his continuance in the Institution he has made excursions with the view of collecting specimens of natural history, and has been absent each time about three months.

I had allowed him, as I had done Professsor Jewett, to write letters. on the business of the Institution without insisting upon such letters or their answers being shown to me. Difficulties, however, grew out of this practice, and particularly during the absence of these gentlemen from the city; for Mr. Jewett also took an annual vacation, and in 1852 was absent nearly four months. I considered it highly improper to send letters on official business, which arrived at the Institution during their absence, by mail in search of the persons to whom they were addressed, particularly as such letters might require immediate answer. and, therefore, ordered that they should be opened in the Institution.

They were, however, not opened in my office, but by irresponsible persons in the employment of the absent officers. So much was I annoyed by this matter, that in May, 1852, I brought it before the Regents, by whom, on motion of General Totten, it was

"Resolved, That all correspondence relative to the business of the Institution be carefully preserved, in bound volumes, and that all such correspondence be open at the call of the Regents or the executive committee, through the secretary."-(Page 93, Doc. 108, (349.))

It would have been better had I asked the adoption of the rule that all letters written in the Institution on official business should pass through the office of the secretary for his approval.

All the letters of the Patent Office are signed by the Commissioner, although the examiners are men of reputation and scientific attainment, several of them called from professorships in colleges to their present positions.

There is no parallel between the Smithsonian Institution and an ordinary literary establishment. A large portion of the duty of the assistants is clerical. Contracts or agreements are constantly to be entered into, and a large disbursement of money to be made, for which the secretary alone is responsible to the Board of Regents.

I need not say, to those who are acquainted with me, that I had no intention or desire on any account to examine the private correspondence of my assistants, but I deemed it my duty, in their absence, in certain cases, to publicly open, or to direct to be opened, letters addressed to them in their official capacity, and of which there was unmistakable evidence that they related to the business of the Institution.

The statement of Mr. Blodgett, that I proposed to him to assist me in changing the locks on the private desks of Professor Baird for the purpose of making examination of their contents, to indicate who were my enemies or opponents, is, at least, an absurd misstatement. In his next deposition he modifies his assertion by saying "that the propositions made by Professor Henry to me in regard to examination of papers, and the means of doing so, were not confidential, but were assertions of what he had power to do, and would do.”

The principal facts of this case have already been given by the testimony of Mr. Girard. They were briefly these:

After the departure of Professor Baird on his annual excursion, I had occasion to consult the correspondence relative to exchanges. I asked for the books in which it was contained, and was informed that they were locked up, not in a private desk, but in one belonging to the Institution. I was displeased with this information, and probably made the remark that I must have the books, and that I would break open the desks for this purpose, if necessary. I think it probable I also asked Mr. Blodgett for the use of a key for the same purpose. Mr. Girard, however, afterwards procured the books for me, one of which I kept in my room until Professor Baird's return, and delivered to him in person. In the course of the examination of this correspondence, I discovered that Professor Baird had written letters which I did not approve, and it was to these to which I referred in my subsequent conversation with Mr. Jewett, and not to Mr. Baird's private correspondence, as might be inferred from Mr. Jewett's statement.