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SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION 539 
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MADE BY BAKER-VAWTER CO.
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allotted to the Langley Aerodynamical Laboratory had been paid to Mr. Curtiss for the work.

The Secretary went on to say that recently an attack had been made by Mr. Griffith Brewer, an Englishman, on the credibility of the tests and the claim that they had proved the Langley machine to be a success. These charges had been answered by the Secretary, by Mr. Charles M. Manly, who designed the engine of the machine, and by Dr. A. F. Zahm, an aeronautical expert, and by Mr. Curtiss who tested the machine. He was bringing it to the Board's attention because one of the criticisms was aimed at the Institution for giving its approval to the results of the Curtiss tests.

In reply to an inquiry as to whether any formal action was desired from the Board, the Secretary said that he did not think it was necessary; that a suggestion had been made by a disinterested person that the machine be studied by expert aeronautical engineers so as to settle the question for all time, and that the proposition should be prompted outside of the Institution, and that he would wait for such action by some reputable organization.

THE SECRETARY'S SUPPLEMENTAL STATEMENT:

The Secretary said that the many and varied activities of the Institution had been carried on successfully and had been fully covered in the annual report. Some few of recent occurrence, which he thought of interest, might be mentioned here:

[[underline]] U. S. National Museum [[/underline]]

The negotiations mentioned in the previous report as being in progress in regard to the acceptance of the Herbert Ward African Collection, were completed, and the Collection has been received and catalogued in the Division of Ethnology. It consists of [[initialed]] CDW [[/initialed]]