Secretary General; also, war work report of Arkansas, which was received with appreciation. Mrs. Hatcher presented an engraving of Mrs. Harrison, the first President General of the National Society, to the Board, on the part of Mr. Hatcher. Mrs. Seymour moved that the Board render a vote of thanks to Mr. Hatcher for the beautiful picture of Mrs. Harrison, first President General of the National Society, Daughters of the American Revolution. Carried. Mrs. Brockett moved that the Board meeting be held February 17th, and a State Regents' meeting be held February 18th. Carried. Mrs. Darwin read a portion of the report of the Smithsonian Institution. Mrs. Brockett moved to adjourn until to-morrow at 10 a. m., and to take up this report where it was left off. Carried. THURSDAY MORNING, January 26, 1899. The adjourned meeting was opened at 10 a. m., the President General, Mrs. Manning, in the Chair. After prayer by the Chaplain General, the Recording Secretary General read the motions of the previous day. The President General stated that the first business of the day was the consideration of the reading of the report for the Smithsonian Institution. At the conclusion of this reading, Mrs. Stakely moved that Mrs. Darwin be granted the privilege of adding such items as may be found necessary to the report. Carried. Mrs. Hatcher rose to a question of personal privilege, and introduced to the President General and members of the Board, Nicholas E. Jones, Esq., of Clean Drinking Manor, Maryland. Mr. Jones then presented a beautiful satin waistcoat of colonial pattern, exquisitely embroidered by hand, in colored silks, in a beautiful state of preservation, which belonged to his maternal grandfather, the Honorable Copeland Parker, who was appointed Surveyor and Inspector of the Port of Norfolk, Virginia, by George Washington. The Curator was directed to telephone Mrs. Lindsay, chairman of the Revolutionary Relics Committee, to come to the rooms, for the purpose of receiving the relics. Mr. Robert S. Hatcher was also introduced, and presented to the Board an exact photo-lithographed fac-simile, mounted in an ebony frame, of the first diplomatic communication of the United States, a two-page letter in the hand writing of Benjamin Franklin, and signed by himself, Silas Deane and Arthur Lee, dated Paris, December 23, 1776, addressed to the Count de Vergennes, Prime Minister of King Louis XVI, acquainting his Excellency of their appointment, with full powers, by the American Congress, to propose and negotiate a treaty between France and the United States, and requesting an op portunity of presenting their credentials. The original letter is preserved in the archives of the French Government, at Paris, where, by courtesy of the Minister of Foreign Affairs of France, this photograph was taken. Mr. Hatcher also presented the Society a large photograph-made by the Government-of the oil portrait of Thomas Jefferson, which hangs in the Diplomatic Room of the Department of State, and which is a copy made by Miss Caroline L. Ransom, of Washington, District of Columbia (a charter member of the National Society, Daughters of the American Revolution), about 1858, now in the possession of the New York City Historical Society. Miss Ransom's copy was purchased by the Government in 1881, at the suggestion of Secretary James G. Blaine, then in Garfield's cabinet, for five hundred dollars, and added to the collection of portraits of former Secretaries of State of the United States. Mrs. Lindsay made some remarks, acknowledging these very valuable relics presented by Mr. Jones and Mr. Hatcher, and it was decided to deposit the same in the National Museum. The President General expressed on the part of the Board their high appreciation of this acquisition to the Society's collection of revolutionary relics. It having been stated that the mother of Mr. Jones was the daughter of a revolutionary soldier and thereby entitled to a souvenir spoon of the Society, which had never been received by her, the President General suggested to the Board that this spoon be presented to Mr. Jones. This was cordially approved, and the President General presenting the Souvenir Spoon, said: "Several years ago, by act of our Continental Congress, it was decided that every 'Real Daughter' should receive a spoon of the Society. We have on the rolls of our membership the name of your mother, who was entitled to this spoon, but never received it. We now have the honor to present the same to you, and we beg you to receive this from the National Society as a token of our high regard, and of our appreciation of your valuable gifts." Mr. Jones acknowledged the same with many thanks. The following motions were offered by Mrs. O'Neil: "That a vote of thanks be given Mr. Jones for his valuable gift of a vest worn by his ancestor, Captain Parker, of Virginia, Inspector of the Port of Norfolk, under General Washington." Carried. "That a vote of thanks be given Mr. Hatcher for his valuable gifts of a photograph of Jefferson and a letter of Franklin." Carried. Mrs. Taplin moved: "That the Recording Secretary General be directed to convey the thanks of the Board to Mr. Jones for the valuable relics presented by him to the National Society." Carried. The Recording Secretary General read a letter from the President of the United States, expressing his desire to receive the Daughters of the American Revolution during the Continental Congress. Returning to the report prepared for the Smithsonian Institution, Mrs. Sperry moved that this report be accepted. Carried. It was moved and carried that the resolution passed at a previous meeting of the Board for the reading of the Smithsonian report be rescinded. At I p. m. it was moved and carried to adjourn until Friday, February 17th. Respectfully submitted, (Signed) ALICE PICKETT AKERS, Recording Secretary General. REPORT OF TREASURER GENERAL. JANUARY 20, 1899, TO FEBRUARY 10, 1899. |