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ANNUAL REPORT BOARD OF REGENTS SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION
THE OPERATIONS, EXPENDITURES, AND CONDITION OF THE INSTITUTION
Aw Era VE SS
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WeAs SEIN GT ON: GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFIOKE, 1886.
FORTY-NINTH CONGRESS, FIRST SESSION.
The following resolution was agreed to by the Senate, and concurred in by the House of Representatives, July 17, 1886:
Resolved by the Senate (the House of Representatives concurring therein), That there be printed of the last annual reports of the Smithsonian Institution and of the National Museum, in two octavo volumes, sixteen thousand extra copies of each, of which three thousand copies shall be for the use of the Senate, six thousand copies for the use of the House of Representatives, and seven thousand copies for the use of the Smith- sonian Institution. .
Il
| Op ed Mad ha SHCRETARY OF THE SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION,
The annual report of the Board of Regents of that Institution to the end of June, 1885.
JULY 17, 1886.—Ordered to be printed.
SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION, Washington, D. C., January 15, 1886.
To the Congress of the United States: In accordance with section 5593 of the Revised Statutes of the United
States, [ have the honor, in behalf of the Board of Regents, to submit to Congress the annual report of the operations, expenditures, and con- dition of the Smithsonian Institution to July, 1885.
I have the honor to be, very respectfully, your obedient servant, SPENCER IF. BAIRD,
Secretary Smithsonian Institution. Hon. JOHN SHERMAN, President of the Senate, pro tem.
Hon. JOHN G. CARLISLE, Speaker of the House of Representatives.
ANNUAL REPORT OF THE SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION TO THI END OF JUNE, 1885.
SUBJECTS.
1. Proceedings of the Board of Regents for the session of January, 1885.
2. Report of the Executive Committee, exhibiting the financial affairs of the Institution, including a statement of the Smithson fund, and re- ceipts and expenditures for the year 1885 (to July 1).
3. Annual reportof the Secretary, giving an account of the operations | and condition of the Institution for the year 1885 (to July 1), with the statistics of collections, exchanges, &c.
4. General appendix, comprising a record of recent progress in the principal departments of science, and special memoirs, original and selected, of interest to collaborators and correspondents of the Insti- tution, teachers, and others engaged in the promotion of knowledge.
The report of the Assistant Director and Curators of the National Museum for the year 1885 (to July 1), will be published in a separate volume.
IV
CONTENTS.
Page.
Resolution of Congress to print extra copies of the Report -..---. .----------- il
Letter from the Secretary, submitting the Annual Report of the Regeuts to
Om in@ekeS GABA Ss SAS nae aeo saecr co Ene GH eaonrceas Decocererece (aacen sone ili
General subjects of the Annual Report. .---------- IEE YO ieee Ni 6s tone Sih
Contents otuhomhepontteesesnt = eee a ae ceea oe ocle aon s seccienicises Scieeisete = acieaee v
ISO te WlUIstira ClO learners eee eee eae eect c cela me ateecielata) s amiahcicye alates vill
Membersicniogicvooltibertistablishment -asssce— os ssesesi-o so seeeiscloe eames ix
Officers of the Smithsonian Institution......---.-.---- RO Se OER I ecrarne ix
ecenisoione) SMibnsOmian Ins tit ublOM see nailer sates ieee a cereale sloetel=ralalarre lara Xe
JOURNAL OF PROCEEDINGS OF THE BOARD OF REGENTS ..-.---------------- xi
REPORT OF THE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE for the first six months of 1885-.-.-.--- XV Conditionlotabherund si ulyel al Seamer seoeeescee te malsecseso a sae see XV IRGC N QUE AROL WINGY Ie TNO MHS Ao So cane sds Gede acho osUnSe conuiEace soopeacace XV IP XxpPen CiouULes tok theisixmMOn tUSem= = jean sae aec ae ilaiecincisine etiam Xvi National Museum appropriations by Congress ........-..----- ------ ------ xvi Appropriations for Exchanges ----- .---.--<--.----- oS EE A eee aoe XVil Appropriations for Ethnology ..-.-...-----.---- Spa a aA eae ie ese aes Xvii
REPORT OF THE SECRETARY.
PAE SMETHSONLAN GUNS TT UELON a cialaet oe = 2 lnin cls ots eslslaciosie ein sia clalniela's main eles 1 Inns OO A vee WoL oes mosecadoassoc soocatocad ence Seco se ore cbopeoncodbecnpe 1 itheyBoardsotsRerentsss- essere. seen seetiscine seisaiseisiejseiciasic Beane 1
Expiration of terms of Congressional Regents............-..---.----- 2 Change in the time of printing the Report .............-------------- 3 LOTTO SOYOE had 6 BS et REUSE GOO OREO E Oe Sitios See Bin E On CREE SOR eA eae peace 3 Conditjonlonthertun dy Mly ke locos ae eee aera cis nlatsia)<ellelaietelatininiels 4 BUNGE) Séooue cossznseueoumeseSueaseenus Hos Suelasae moa EeeCnds Besmnane 5 SIMI MSOTI AMAT ROIIE eye ane Pee ei seniap cient lea loin e ciainn aNe'eiela’e eclninimais 5 ATINODY DUR GI Cea tate ee lacie aie a aie ai a\n/e aii cin ele) <wininin= © 5 Brick workshop and temporary workshop..-.-.--..---------------- eSee 6 wry Medics! Musenny DUidii gt © nea vant cioie = aise lnngc/nee === =\e(~= = 6 Necessity of new buildings for the National Museum. .- -.--------------- z/ Explorations ee ee IN eae eee ne eae NS Nii wo, 272 ai /sjoleyaia'sh stele 7 Greenland, Labrador, and British Provinces....-.-.---..--------------- 7 Alaska, Washington Territory, and west coast of United States. .-..--- 8 East coast of the United States and Gulf of Mexico..-.--..----------- 8 NewallexidolandeAriz0n ate setae sacs seine tee a scelee ee sieleclaloetesas 9 Woniralvandenonuh American ea. sooeeels coctne.s Go~ = Sn = ccm eee tac sense cian 9 PEGG een se ee eon eis Staten jane t main tees aaeseaaisaes 9
v
VI CONTENTS.
REPORT OF THE SECRETARY.—THE SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION—Continued. ek Publications) 2 sce 6.3 S25) 52 = eas ew Ree nea are eee eee ener eae 10 Distribution, of publicationse::/.2200e-h 24. secs een cease cee ee ae 10 Smithsonian Contributions to Knowledge.-......-..-...----------.--- 11 Volumes: XXIV. and XX V) issued 2. oc selec ness coce heen ee 11 Smithsonian Miscellaneous Collections -.................---.--------- 12 Guyot’s Meteorological and Physical Tables.......-....---.------ 12 Scientific writings of Joseph Henry-.-..-.... ..¢---'---<-.------- 14 Bulletinsiof the Nationale Musenmiersa=s=saseeereee ee eee nee eee 14 Proceedings of, the National Mnseum -2-- -o4ss-c+e- eee eacleeee eee. 15 * Volumes Vil issnedics.; soos oe oe eee eee ee a eel esate e 16 Smithsonian Annual Report for 1883 ...-- Bape ree ee a. ha) iw Publications of the Bureau of Ethnology ......-......-..----.-------- 17 Internatioualexchangres’-- 2.20... ses-es see eee toes eee oe eee eae eee 18 Transportationicompanies:----= ee eee eee eee ee ee eee 19 Government, exchan rests tsi 4 eet ees ae nn al Rien Lerner (oy ect Ee 20 BOA NY He on AIRS Pree pa tL arse ren nC Ph CR ES RCE A Ba RR aa MMR Sel Sel 21 Additions for the first six months of the year .............--.---.-.-- 21 Co-operative relations of the Smithsonian Institution ............-.------ 22 Bureawotmhducationsec ens ece chess cote eee oe ee ee eee 22 MhewdondoneDiplomaticghevieweereeaeeeeee cee ces ete eee 22 Newfoundland- postage on exchanges...........----- .---ee-0ee-ees--- 23 Zoological specimens for Museum from menagerieés ......-.-.-.------- 24 Necrology 252 2S5sh SoS se Sr jet coh Ae i ae Ge Sasa nee ee 24 Dr. Edward Foreman:: 222i {tote tieu se ia ee eee eoeaee 24 Miscellaneous).cc 22% te See Ce Se nee ne Nee cle ee re mre Lye 24 ‘Ehe Tyndall Trust Pand..w.s-cceccoces = Clee ete c ee eee nee 24 UNITED (STATES, NATIONAL) MUSEUM... -Ge0l occa eee eee oe ee eee eee 26 Arrangement of material as. ce eee eae eee ie eo cree doe NM 26 Museum:publications 2c ss eee ae Cee ee eee 27 Meetings and Jectures,in Museum Hall). 5. occ cacecete eee ee a eee 28 Organization of Museum Departments... .--... 0.0.0. -2- ween ee cece ee one 29 Department of Arts and Industries ..........-..--- vce cewtesteseeeel sees 29 Department:of. Ethnology, 32 s9-sce-- oe eet eee e eee e een eee eee 32 Departmentiot-Amtiquitiesinece =o eases cee eee ee ee eee eee eee Ee ee 32 Departmentiol Mammailsieeeseces cease ee oe eee eT e eee eee eee 33 Deparbmenh ofebird see ese aeeee see eee eee ENS El Bieler ete ra ae Sy Bes 34 Departmentiof Mishes sc ciaa.2 osseeuc coe see tee eee eee an eemes 30 Department of Comparative Anatomy... ......-....----- -----2---20--- 36 Departmentiof“Mollusks) p22 seca ase c eee eect cob eee eee eee eae 36 Deparimentof sImsectaiee. Sen ee ce nee eee ee eee ee 37 Departmentiof;, Marine Invertebratesssse- ese seceeeae ae eee eee eee 39 Departments ofmnvertebraterossilessss- esse een eae see asecenee see 40 Department of Fossil and Recent Plants ...-....-.....2--+ 2200 es----- 40. Departments of Minerals, aud of Lithology, &c.........-...----. ---- 42 Department of Metallurgy and Economic Geology...-.....--..------- 43 BUREAU OF ETHNOLOG Yeos Jose 22h 4. San hese un ccuiseee ne ake oe eee ee 45 UNITED STATES GEOLOGICAL SURVEYi- oot - 42 s)staclienew ce noes oe ae eee 45
UNITED STATES! MISH COMMISSION: sce eee ate ee ee eae eee 45
CONTENTS. Vil
x age.
APPENDPEX TO LIHE nr OR TONED E SHCRIOLAR YG sce sieiajemeelecee a slenicaielaicimalalele 47 Reportionsexchancestolune oO weep essa eeeee aoe seer e ease anincicscsee 47 Correspondence relative to foreign exchanges ...--..----..--.-------- 52 Receipts Ompackaces TOL GistLibUblony- co. 2 cesses eee eee scisicee eee 64 HOLOUM Is aes ees Seer ates ek yalee areas ato et ae iciselals celal 64 WD OMESTIGH ssc seers co aso o eee tee e aise teens Sere nee Seclratasistians) = 65 Governm enihwes2 Aci tsas aiseetes ce aia te ee ya set nee bate erent ee raters ici 65 APTANSMISslONSOMpPaAckagessoa-1acleiete tesa nic e/elas) iseeine clase elsnas le tioats 66
HOT OIG Tse see ene otc eae oars ee ee creed sc cevepee each is ereinge 66
ID YO MAYES] HKG aS: Bene eet sen y PP RRS BUREN Oe AUS BASE ne OUP eae ls Sia SN ea a 67 Government .----. ..- Sao Sdesssercnees Secied Nan swasemene ace a. 68 histoletorelonrvcorrespoudentseacenm- cee sees eee eee e ee eee teen ee 69 List of institutions in the U. 8. receiving Smithsonian publications... 259 Circular relative.to Mathematical Prize, sseuceiecec ae once ee aaa eeeeleseeteeia 331
Acts and Resolutions of Congress relative to Smithsonian Institution, &c. 385
GENERAL APPENDIX.
i RN CORDIORISCIENTINICULROGRESS MLSGd meas en aatie as sees ieee eee siete 341 Introduction byespencer Hw bairdyssais-jseee eee eee aes sete ae eee eee 341 Astronomy, byawaliiama© si Wanlockses sae). )-132 oye yeeeeay eee ce eee 343 List of Astronomical Observatories, by George H. Boehmer.-.-....----- 457 Vulcanology and Seismology, by Charles G. Rockwood --...-.--------- 471 Volcanic eruptions and earthquakes in Iceland within historic times... 495 Geoonaphiva Dyce Winey Goodrich esses sass een weal eet eee 543 IP by SicsypvEGcOrmemhy Darker items eich seyaieeys ates yeti sete slay alate ee 577 Chemistry yal Carin ChonebOmlonee es sees eae saeco eae 637 hme loa Wy? Jai eal Sh JDP eee eo cend HoccRk eobRds Kooomenn Gees Choe 687 Bibliography of Invertebrate Paleontology, by J. B. Marcou ...-.--..-.-- 713 Looloey, by,bheodore) Gilb eee 22 ee eee eee os enisieiesie seine esis sins ae 761 Ampibronoloave bye ObiswuwvlasOles jase oes eel eee Serena ae cate eae 815
Le —MISCLELANE OUSUPAPIRS sas aos. <ceecise = caiccislelsioie ain oelonisisce ceciee oO osc ass 871 BapersirelabingetovAmbthropologysesemee ee eee wee cee selassicleeee ee aes 871 Observations on Stone-chipping, by George E. Sellers .......--.----- 871 Copper implements from Bayfield, Wis., by Charles Whittlesey -..... 892 ANCIEMiphemalnsnn Ohio by b- Machean ca cre sse mers setae 893 A primitive store-house of the Creek Indians, by Charles C. Jones, jr. 900 Shell beaps and mounds in Florida, by James Shepard..-.--.--------- 902 Ancient earthworks in China, by Mark Williams ....-.-.-------...-. 907
Plan for American Ethnological Investigation, by the late Henry R. Schoolenattyerysapsa seis areas aera rot ae ete oe malice esis Wines Sevateemeumgeleise 907 Index to the Literature of Uranium, by H. Carrington Bolton..-..---- 915 Price-list of the Publications of the Smithsonian Institution.....-.. - 947 TNE RGLO GHG: VOMMNG oe aoa Seiselscwceciclacice <'sasninsiasc's ss aShoScrbacedGosses natn 973
VIII CONTENTS.
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS.
Observations on stone chipping— Big. 1, Avchippinig boohoo. 22 eos lone seine nemalnelsseeaaes se neee eee Bigs 2: -Alarcer chippirg 00] 2 als emacs oereciee else sates nee cee eee eee ee
Figs. 3,4,and 5. Views of a stone flake
i ee
Fig. 6. Block for supporting stone flake q
Fig. 7. Notched tree for holding chipping lever -.--...2--2......----- -<-- Pig Ss eu ped. arrow headiee jee elec ape seit ee ls sate ae ee eee
8 Fig. 9. Smaller chipped arrow-head
Figs. 10-12. Chipped spear-heads
Copper implements from Bayfield, Wis.—
Fig. 1. Curved spade-like implement of copper
Fig. 2. Copper knife-blade
Fig. 3. Crescent-shaped cutting tool of copper -- Ancient remains in Ohio—
Plan 1. Diagram of annular mounds near Winchester
Plan 2. Map of mounds in Eagle Township
ee ry
Plan 3. Map of stone and earthworks in Concord Township
Plan 4. Map of annular mounds in Harmony Township
THE SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION.
MEMBERS EX OFFICIO OF THE “ESTABLISHMENT.”
(January, 1885.)
GROVER CLEVELAND, President of the United States.
JOHN SHERMAN, President of the United States Senate.
MORRISON R. WAITE, Chief Justice of the United States. . THOMAS F. BAYARD, Secretary of State.
DANIEL MANNING, Secretary of the Treasury.
WILLIAM C. ENDICOTT, Secretary of War.
WILLIAM C. WHITNEY, Secretary of the Navy.
WILLIAM F. VILAS, Postmaster-General.
LUCIUS Q. C. LAMAR, Secretary of the Interior.
AUGUSTUS H. GARLAND, Attorney-General.
MARTIN V. MONTGOMERY, Commissioner of Patents.
REGENTS OF THE INSTITUTION.
(Full list given on the following page. )
OFFICERS OF THE INSTITUTION.
SPENCER F. BAIRD, Secretary, Director of the Institution, and of the U. S. National Museum.
WILLIAM J. RHEES, Chief Clerk. DANIEL LEECH, Corresponding Clerk.
x
REGENTS OF THE SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION.
By the organizing act approved August 10, 1846, (Revised Statutes, title LXx111, section 5580,) ‘The business of the Institution shall be con- ducted at the city of Washington by a Board of Regents, named the Regents of the Smithsonian Institution, to be composed of the Vice- President, the Chief Justice of the United States [and the Governor of the District of Columbia], three members of the Senate, and three mem- bers of the House of Representatives, together with six other persons, other than members of Congress, two of whom shall be resident in the city of Washington, and the other four shall be inhabitants of some State, but no two of the same State.”
REGENTS FOR THE YEAK 1885. The Vice-President of the United States : JOHN SHERMAN (elected President of Senate Dee. 7, 1885).
The Chief Justice of the United States: MORRISON R. WAITE.
United States Senators:
Term expires.
SAMUEL B. MAXEY (appointed May 19, 1881) ..........-----.--. Mar. 3, 1887
JUSTIN S. MORRILL (appointed February 21, 1883)..........--.- Mar. 3, 1891
SHELBY M. CULLOM (appointed March 23, 1885) .-....----.---.. Mar. 3, 1889 Members of the House of Representatives :
OTHO R. SINGLETON (appointed January 7, 1884)..-.....--.. -- Dec. 23, 1885
WILLIAM L. WILSON (appointed January'7, 1884) ......---..-.. Dee. 23, 1885
WILLIAM W. PHELPS (appointed January 7, 1884)...........-.-. Dee. 23, 1885 Citizens of Washington :
JAMES C. WELLING (appointed May 13, 1884). ..-.-.-....--..--.- May 13, 1890
MONTGOMERY C. MEIGS (appointed Dee. 26, 1885)--...--...---- Dec. 26, 1891 Citizens of a State :
JOHN MACLEAN, of New Jersey (first appointed in 1868) -...----- Dee. 26, 1891
ASA GRAY, of Massachusetts (first appointed in 1874) .......----- Dec. 26, 1891
HENRY COPPEE, of Pennsylvania (first appointed in 1874)....... Dec. 26, 1891
NOAH PORTER, of Connecticut (appointed in 1878)....---...-.-- Mar. 3, 1890
MORRISON R. WAITE, Chancellor of the Institution and President of the Board of Regents.
Executive Committee of the Board of Regents
JOHN MACLEAN. JAMES C. WELLING. HENRY COPPRE. x
JOURNAL OF PROCEEDINGS OF THE BOARD OF REGENTS OF THE SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION,
WASHINGTON, D. C., January 21, 1885.
The annual meeting of the Board of Regents of the Smithsonian Institution was held this day at half past 10 o’clock A. M.
Present: Hon. G. F. EpMunDs, Hon. J. S. MORRILL, Hon. S. B. MAXEY, Hon. O. R. SINGLETON, Hon. W. L. WiLson, Hon. W. W. PHELPS, Rev. Dr. JOHN MACLEAN, Rev. Dr. NoAn PORTER, Dr. HENRY CoppEs, Dr. JAMES C. WELLING, and the Secretary, Professor BAIRD.
Excuses for non-attendance were read from Chief-Justice Waite, Prof. Asa Gray, and Hon. N. P. Hill.
In the absence of the Chancellor, on motion of Mr. Phelps, Dr. Por- TER was called to the chair.
The journal of the Board was read and approved.
The Secretary stated that the Rev. Dr. NoAnw PoRTER had been re-elected a Regent for six years by the joint resolution of Congress, approved March 3, 1884.
The Secretary presented to the Board the following letter:
Prof. SPENCER IF’. BAIRD, Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution:
DEAR Sir: The state of my health renders it necessary to tender my resignation as a member of the Board of Regents of the Smithsonian Institution.
In signifying my resignation it is with no ordinary feelings I recall the years I have been connected with the Board and the distinguished men with whom it has been my privilege and honor to be associated. Not only the present members whom I so highly respect and esteem, but a long list of honored names of former members now deceased, re- cur to me, the last of which is that of Professor JoSEPH HENRY, and while JAMES SMITHSON will be known to the world and remembered as the founder of the Institution, JoseEpH HENRY will be regarded as having been raised up by a,signal Providence, the true interpreter of his will, the able organizer of the Institution, and wise controller of its finances.
xI
XII JOURNAL OF THE BOARD.
May the Smithsonian Institution, so auspiciously established and ex- tensively known, continue, under your wise administration, an estab- lishment distinct and specific, for the “‘increase and diffusion of knowl- edge among men.”
With great respect, your friend and servant, PETER PARKER.
2 LAFAYETTE SQUARE,
Washington, D. C., April 7, 1884.
The Secretary informed the Board that. Congress had filled the va. caney occasioned by the resignation of Dr. Parker by the election of Dr. JAMES C. WELLING, president of Columbian University of Wash- ington, D. C., for six years from May 13, 1884.
On motion of Dr. Maclean it was—
Resolved, That the Board of Regents has heard with regret of the resignation of Dr. Peter Parker, and hereby expresses the high appre- : ciation of the valuable and efficient services he has rendered the Insti- tution for the past seventeen years as a Regent and as Chairman of its Executive Committee.
The Secretary stated that in accordance with the rules of the Board during its recess, the remaining members of the Executive Committee had filled the vacancy occasioned by the resignation of Dr. Parker, by the appointment of Dr. Welling.
On motion of Dr. Coppée it was—
Resolved, That Dr. Welling be elected to fill the vacancy in the Ex- ecutive Committee.
The Secretary reported that in accordance with the request of the Board at its last meeting, Senator Edmunds had prepared a bill rela- tive to the provision for an Acting Secretary, which had passed Con- gress and become a law on the 13th of May, 1884, as follows:
An act to provide for the appointment of an Acting Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution. [Public No, 31, Forty-eighth Congress, first session. ]
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That the Chancellor of the Smithsonian Institution may, by an instrument in writing filed in the office of the Secretary thereof, designate and appoint a suitable person to act as Secretary of the Institution when there shall be a vacancy in said office, and whenever the Secretary shall be unable from illness, absence, or other cause to perform the duties of his office; and in such case the person so appointed may perform all the duties imposed on the Secretary by law until the vacancy shall be filled or such inability shall cease. The said Chancellor may change such designation and appoint- ment from time to time as the Institution may in his judgment require,
Approved, May 13, 1884. ;
JOURNAL OF THE BOARD. XIII
Under the provisions of this act the Chancellor had taken the fol- lowing action: LYME, Conn., July 2, 1884. By virtue of the authority conferred on me by the act of May 13, 1884, “to provide for the appointment of an Acting Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution,” I hereby designate and appoint Mr. WILLIAM J. RHEES to aci as Secretary of the Institution when there shall be a vacancy in that office, and whenever the Secretary shall be unable from illness, absence, or other cause to perform the duties of his office. M. R. WAITE, Chaneellor of the Smithsonian Institution.
Dr. Maclean presented the annual report of the Executive Commit- tee, which was read.
On motion of Dr. Coppée it was—
Resolved, That the report of the Executive Committee be accepted, - and that the income for the year 1885 be appropriated for the service of the Institution upon the basis of the above report, to be expended by the Secretary with full discretion as to the items, subject to the approval of the Executive Committee.
The Secretary presented the following communication he had received since the last meeting of the Board:
JUNE 2, 1884. SPENCER F. BAIRD, Secretary Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D. C.:
Sir: I intend to make a bequest for the advancement of science— that is, of physical science. For many reasons I would like to make the bequest in favor of the Smithsonian Institution; but there is one difficulty which must be cleared up before I can decide. If money were left by will to the Smithsonian Institution would it defend the will against the claims of any and all persons who should contest the will and take legal steps to set it aside? Has it authority by law; has it funds that it would be authorized to use for the purpose of defending a will in its favor? As I have no children the will would be less likely to-be contested, but there are others wao might attempt to set it aside. For this reason what I wish above all to be assured of, is that any legacy that I leave for the purpose named will not be given up without making a fight of it if needful. Please explain this point.
I wish you to send me a form of words, the very words themselves, in which a bequest should be made so that there could be no pretense of setting it aside for vagueness; and that will carry out my intentions, which I will explain:
The chief part I would desire to bequeath to the Institution would be for the “increase and diffusion of knowledge among men,” and beside would wish to have the Institution invest say $300 (is that too insig- nificant for the purpose?) and use the income thereof for conferring a gold medal either annually or biennially (which would be the better ?) on the person who had made the most important discovery in physical science during the year, or two years, ending, say a year before the date of ccuferring the medal. lor example, the Regents would have to decide, say in the month of December, 1883, who made the most important discovery in physical science during the year, or two years, ending December 51, 1882. If ycu have my meaning put it in language that will make it perfectly clear without multiplying words.
XIV JOURNAL OF THE BOARD.
The medal not for any patented invention, like the electric light, for example, but especially and only for such discoveries as Pasteur on in- fection, fermentation, &e., and G. Darwin’s on tidal action. Regents to be sole judges as to what is meant by physical science and most im- portant discoveries therein.
The reason why I would like to have not only suggestions and ex- planations but the full “I will and bequest to” is also because I don’t know whether to say the Regents shall do this or that, or whether to Say a majority or quorum of them shall do it in order to make it both strictly legal and also practicable; also, whether or not it is necessary to say how the Regeuts shall invest the money. I suppose a copy of that part of Hamilton’s or Huebus’ (Habel?) will would answer for the part relating to the “increase and diffusion,” &c. As for the medal I believe no fund has been left to institutions for that purpose, and I should like to have your opinion on it.
Please return this letter with your answer, which I would like you to let me have as soon as you can; taking, however, all the time you need to make it so full and explicit that no further correspondence will be necessary at this stage. I mean business if your answer is satisfactory. For the present I desire this affair to be treated as confidential, or if necessary to mention to other parties, withhold the name.
There is one thing I had rather do than make a bequest in favor of the Institution, namely, pay over a certain sum, say $2,000 or $2,500, in trust to the Regents; provided I could receive the income during life, the Institution to have the sole use and possession of the same after my death. Would the Institution be authorized to accept a sum of money on such terms?
Respectfully, * * * *
After full discussion of the subject it was, on motion of Mr. Edmunds—
Resolved, That the communication be referred to the Executive Com- mittee with full power to act in relation to it.
The Secretary, Professor Baird, presented his annual report of the operations of the Institution for the year 1884, which was read in part.
On motion of Dr. Maclean, the Secretary was instructed to transmit the report to Congress.
On motion of Mr. Edmunds, it was—
Resolved (1), That the fiscal year of the Institution shall hereafter ter- minate on the 30th day of June in each year.
(2) That the Secretary shall heveafter prepare and cause to be printed and sent to each member of the Board on or before the first day of De- cember in each year, his annual report.
(3) That the annual meeting of the Board of Regents shall hereafter be held on the second Wednesday in January in each year.
'The Board then adjourned sine die.
REPORT OF THE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE OF THE BOARD OF REGENTS OF THE SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION.
The Executive Committee of the Board of Regents of the Smithsonian Institution respectfully submits the following report in relation to the funds of the Institution, the appropriations by Congress for the Na- tional Museum and other purposes, and the receipts and expenditures for the Institution and the Museum since December 31, 1884.
At the last meeting of the Board of Regents (January 21, 1885) it was ordered that “ the fiscal year of the Institution shall hereafter ter- minate on the 30th day of June in each year.”
In accordance with this aetion it becomes the duty of the Executive Committee to confine its present report to the financial operations and condition of the Institution, for the six months ending June 30, 1885:
Condition of the fund July 1, 1885.
The amount of the bequest of James Smithson deposited in the Treasury of the United States, according to the act of Congress of August 10, 1846, was $515,169. To this was added, by authority of Congress, act of February 8, 1867, the residuary legacy of Smithson and savings from annual income and other sources, $134,831. To this $1,000 was added by a bequest of James Hamilton, $500 by a bequest of Simeon Habel, and $51,500 as the proceeds of the sale of Virginia bonds owned by the Institution, making, in all, as the permanent Smithson fund in the United States Treasury, $703,000.
Statement of the receipts and expenditures of the Smithsonian Institution, January 1, 1885, to June 30, 1885.
Cashjiourhand, dantary 1 i880. 22s... Yoess cles ce oss 3 2 B20. B00) 84
EXPENDITURES. Building : Repairs and improvements ........-.- $314 90 Furniture and fixtures ........,. naabie 237 25
$552 15
xV
XVI REPORT OF THE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE.
Building expenses brought forward......-.-... $552 15 $25,380 84 General expenses: Meetings of the Board .............. $347 25 Postage and telegraph | .2.)2.)/5)/./0.2. 202 28 GALLON Y= 26 anc Lee ae rete 407 45 General printing, blanks, &c .......- 91 30 Incidentals, gas, &c.--....--. 20-5... 408 79 Books, periodicals, binding -......... 779 33 Salaries, Secretary, clerks, and labor.. 9, 180 67 —————11, 417 07
Publications and researches: Smithsonian Contributions to Knowl-
rEXG [24 aR Rana EG ee yA eh AVR Pe NRL AED IRIE 2,367 65 Smithsonian ROOM eet collections. 2,631 01 Smithsonian annual report .........-. 775 12 Hxplorations': shuace eee ere 1,522 18 A PALACUS! St ts see ere e ee 151 25 —— 7,447 21 Literary and scientific exchanges (in addition to appropriation by Congress) .......... ...-... 3, 307 59 Total expenditures .....5..2.2... Mea ignrbe 5505 Po. 22,724 02 Balance -onghandey 222° ooh see eee eee ean 2,656 82 Interest on the Smithson fund for six months ending June SOS SD Nola oye hee 2 1s NG SAE ee ren eee Se 21, 090 00 fLotal cash on hand July 1, 188500 22 $23, 746 82
NATIONAL MUSEUM AND OTHER OBJECTS COMMITTED BY CONGRESS TO THE CARE OF THE SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION.
The following apprwpriations were made at the second session of the korty-eighth Congress for the National Museum and other objects com- mitted to the care of the Smithsonian Institution:
For the preservation and exhibition and in-
crease of the collections received from the
surveying and exploring expeditions of the
Government, and other sources, including
salaries or compensation of all necessary
CHAPIOVOS asa lees aoe ewok CS eee ame $95, 000 00 For expenses of heating, lighting, and tele-
phonic and electrical service for the new
Museum building: 22 Soke Uaioe Mauston 9, 000 00
$104, 000 00 For care of the Armory building and grounds, and expense
of watching, preservation, and storage of the property of the National Museum and of the United States Fish Commission contained thereiu, including salaries or com- pensation of all necessary employés ..,..--¢----.+0-0 2,500 00
REPORT OF THE EXECUTIVE’ COMMITTEE.
For cases, furniture, and fixtures required for the exhibition of the collections of the United States National Museum, and for salaries or compensation of all necessary em- ployés
For expenses of the system of international exchanges between the United States and foreign countries, under the direction of the Smithsonian Institution, including salaries or compensation of all necessary employés. ....
For finishing and completing the furnishing of the eastern portion of the Smithsonian Institution building........
For the purpose of continuing ethnological researches among the American Indians, under the direction of the Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution, including sal- aries or compensation of all necessary employés .......
To pay sundry bills for miscellaneous fixtures and for glass for exhibition cases for the National Museum, being for the service of the fiscal year ending June 30, 1884 .....
To meet expenses of receiving, packing, transporting to Washington, and installing, or storing, such new speci- mens and collections as may be presented to the United States at the New Orleans Exposition, to be available for the fiscal years ending June 30, 1885 and 1886......
For cost of restoring the collections sent to the New Or- leans Exposition to their proper places in the National Museum, including repair of cases and renewal of glass, to be available for the fiscal years ending June 30, 1885 ANG TSSGe\-)5 <0). < sisteye areas Bees ni cts to ene ore aioe Cele ov
eee eee eee eee Hr eee eee ee eee essere sese tern enwn eee ee se ee
XVil
$40, 000 00
10, 000 00
5, 600 00
40, 000 00
2,891 42
5,000 00
2,500 00
Exhibit of the condition of the appropriations by Congress for the Smithsonian Institution,
National Museum, §c.
| Expended |
Balances 5 January 1to Balances Object. January 1, |" fune 30, [July 1, 1885. i 1885. SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION. Fire-proofing, &c., eastern portion of building-.| $1,298 22 $1,298 22 |..........-- International exchange system.........--...-| 5,794 50 Die94700) || Rasieecieceses North American ethnology........-......-..- 19,525 62 18,166 70 $1, 358 92 NATIONAL MUSEUM. Preservation of collections...............---- | 53,399 27 | 48,543 71 4,855 56 ATIMOLVEDUILGIN See eeciasee cele cisisec's Se miacicaticl 1,500 50 1, 492 25 8 2 MUNA; ANG AX OUTOS betes celsecieis = eerec a= —ee 12,636 36 | 10,849 96 1,786 40 Paving sidewalk for Museum....-..........-..- TOCOROO TD eerste serciesicats 1,000 00
H. Mis. 15—-0
XVIII REPORT OF THE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE.
The committee has examined the vouchers for payments made from the Smithson income during the six months ending 30th June, 1885, all of which bear the approval of the Secretary of the Institution, and a certificate that the materials and services charged were applied to the purposes of the Institution.
The committee has also examined the accounts of the National Mu- seum and find that the balances above given correspond with the cer- tificates of the disbursing oflicers of the Interior and Treasury Depart- ments.
The quarterly accounts-current, the vouchers, and journals have been examined and found correct.
Respectfully submitted. JOHN MACLEAN, JAMES C. WELLING, HENRY Copper, Executive Committee.
REFORT OF PROFESSOR BAIRD,
SECRETARY OF THE SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION, FOR 1885.
To the Board of Regents:
GENTLEMEN: In accordance with the resolution of the Board at the last meeting directing that the fiscal year, instead of extending from January to December, shall correspond with the Government fiscal year, and extend from July to the following June, inclusive, the present re- port will include the history of the operations of the Institution for the first half of 1885 only. The same restrictions in regard to time will apply to the reports of the National Museum, the Bureau of Ethnology, and the system of Infernational Exchanges which have been placed by Congress under the direction of the Institution. As heretofore, there will also be some account of the operations of the United States Fish Commission, and those of the Geological Survey, which, although not controlled in any way by the Institution, are so closely affiliated with it as to render proper some notice of them.
SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION.
INTRODUCTORY.
The general routine work of the Institution continues to be much the same as in previous years, and while no specially new features have been introduced, considerable extension has been made in some depart- ments, and increased precision and efficiency in all. In the way of extra duty the principal occasion has been the International Exposition at New Orleans, where the Institution (by requirement of law) made a very extensive display. .
The new work on the eastern portion of the Smithsonian building has been entirely finished, and much progress made in renovating the cen- tral portion. ;
A considerable number of valuable publications have appeared, and others are in press.
The work of the Museum continues to increase in magnitude, much material having been received from the New Orleans Exposition.
THE BOARD OF REGENTS.
It is with great regret that I announce the termination of service on the’ Board, of General William T, Sherman, his term having expired and H. Mis, 15 1
2 REPORT OF THE SECRETARY.
his removal from Washington to Saint Louis, Mo., rendering him ineli- gible for re-election, the law of organization requiring two members of the Board to be citizens of the District of Columbia. Dr. Welling, president of Columbian University, is the only member from this city at present, he having been elected by Congress at its last session a Regent for six years, until May 13, 1890.
The term of service of an unusually large number of Regents will expire during the winter of 1885-1886. As ‘“‘members at large,” Rev. Dr. John Maclean, of New Jersey, Prof. Asa Gray, of Massachusetts, and Dr. Henry Coppée, of Pennsylvania, will cease to be members on the 19th of December next; and as the Forty-ninth Congress will com- mence its session in the same month, it will become the duty of the Speaker to appoint three Regents from the House of Representatives...
The termof Hon. N. P. Hill, of Colorado, as Senatorial Regent, expired on the 3d of March, 1885, and on March 25, 1885, the Vice-President, Mr. Hendricks, appointed Hon. Shelby M. Cullom, of Illinois, as Regent during his term of service as United States Senator. The Vice-Presi- dent on the same date also re-appointed Hon. J. 8. Morrill, of Vermont, for a new term of six years.
Until the next meeting of the Board of Regents, in January, 1886, the vacancy existing in the Executive Committee by the expiration of the term of General Sherman was filled by the appointment of Dr. Henry Coppée ad interim, by the remaining members of the committee.
The Board at its last meeting adopted an important resolution, order- ing that the‘fiscal year of the Institution shall terminate on the 30th of June of each year. This changes the practice of the Institution since its organization, and will occasion some difficulty in arranging tables of comparison of receipts and expenditures for annual periods. The reason for the change is that the fiscal year of the Government termi- nates in June, and as the appropriations made by Congress for the Museum, the exchange system, ethnological researches, &c., are for this period, it was thought advisable for the accounts of the Institution to conform to those of the General Government. The accounts of the In- stitution have therefore been given in this report only for the six months terminating on the 30th of June, 1885.
Change in the time of printing the Report.—It was also ordered by the Board that “the Secretary shall hereafter prepare and cause to be printed and sent to each member of the Board, on or before the 1st day of December in each year, his annual report.”
Difficulty has always been experienced in the early printing of the Annual Report of the Institution. The organic act, August 10, 1846, provides that “the Board” of Regents ‘shall submit to Congress, at each session thereof, a report of the operations, expenditures, and con- dition of the Institution.*. In accordance with this law the Board has annually submitted to Congress a report of the operations of the Insti- tution, which has been ordered to be printed and a number of extra.
* Revised Statutes, Title LX XIII, Section 5593. oon
REPORT OF THE SECRETARY. 3
copies granted for its use and distribution. The Public Printer how- ever has not felt authorized to put any part of the report in type before the adoption by Congress of a special resolution to print the extra copies referred to, and as there has frequently been great delay in the passage of the concurrent resolution, many months have frequently elapsed between the annual meeting of the Board and the printing of the report.
The best illustration of this delay is furnished by reference to the report of the Institution for the year 1883, which, although submitted to Congress on the 21st of January, 1884, was actually not ordered to be printed till July, 1884, and not delivered to the members and to the Institution until August, 1885.
To remedy this evil and to secure prompt publication, the Regents adopted the resolution referred to above at its last meeting, and by the efforts of the members of the Board in the Senate and House of Rep- resentatives secured the passage of the following joint resolution by Congress, No. 18, approved by the President of the United States March 3, 1885:
“Resolved by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That the annual reports of the Smithsonian Institution shall be hereafter printed at the Govern- ment Printing Office, in the same manner as the annual reports of the heads of Departments are now printed, for submission in print to the two Houses of Congress.”
The intent of this act is to instruct the Public Printer to print the Annual Report of the Regents whenever copy shall be furnished, so that the whole report may be presented to Congress in printed form at the commencement of each session.
The statute under which the reports of Departments are printed is as follows:
“The head of each Department, except the Department of Justice, shall rurnish to the Congressional Printer copies of the documents usually accompanying his annual report, on or before the first day of
November in each year, and a copy of his annual report on or before the third Monday of November in each year.*
‘‘It is further provided that of the documents accompanying the an- nual reports of the Executive Departments one thousand copies shall be printed and bound for the use of the members of the Senate, and two thousand copies for the use of the members of the House of Repre- sentatives, in addition to the usual number for Congress, 1,900 copies.”t
While the printing of the report is now secured without a special order at each session of Congress, it will still be necessary to have a concurrent resolution every year for the printing of extra copies for the use of the Institution.
FINANCES.
The financial condition of the Institution continues to be satisfactory.
The Smithson fund remains the same as at the date of the last report,
* Revised Statutes, Title IV, section 196. +t Revised Statutes, Title XLV, section 3798.
4 REPORT OF THE SECRETARY.
$703,000, deposited forever in the United States Treasury, from which is received an annual interest of 6 per cent. This interest is paid on the 1st of January and 1st of July, and the money immediately placed in the hands of the Treasurer of the United States, who keeps a special account of it. All payments are made by checks on this officer, signed by the Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution. A monthly statement is rendered by the Treasurer of all checks paid and of the balances. This is compared with the books kept by the accountant of the Institution. A quarterly examination is made by the Executive Committee of the Regents of all the financial transactions of the Institution. The mem- bers of the committee sign a certificate, of which the annexed is a copy:
CERTIFICATE.
WASHINGTON, D. C., , —, 18—.
The undersigned members of the executive committee of the Board of Regents of the Smithsonian Institution have examined the account for for the ——— end- ing —, 18—, the receipts amounting to dollars, and the expenditures to dollars, leaving a balance of dollars, as entered in the journal, pages —— to ——, inclusive; and certify the same to be correct. For each disbursement there is a voucher approved by the Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution, and cer- tified by an agent of the Institution that the articles or services charged therein were required and furnished on account of the objects specified, and that the same were necessary and the charges reasonable.
The balance above stated corresponds with the certificate of the of ——— 18—.
Department
’
, Executive Committee.
The change of the fiscal year of the Institution, to terminate on the 30th of June instead of the 31st of December, renders it necessary to state in this report the receipts and expenditures for six months only, viz, from January 1 to July 1, 1885:
Cash on hand January 1, 1885 ............ ood <a seeeReee $25, 380 84 Expenditures :
Building, furniture, and fixtures ...... Sasesase. SOUR sO General expenses, salaries, supplies, books, &c. 11,417 07 Publications and researches ........... <bas ccters 7,447 21 Literary and scientific exchanges........,..... 3, 307 59
22,724 02
Balaneeunci sarees simile lake shwiste/ ee siccteatavs\a steps tenat ieee 2,656 82 Interest on the Smithson fund for the six siaeing ending
SUNCIIOPA SSO ois oi5)<1 35 shale sioseiowy opment referee Boneases cision, ale OULD,
Total on hand July 1, 1885.......... Mais a $23, 746 82
The appropriations made by Congress for the system of Exchanges, ander the direction of the Smithsonian Institution, have been disbursed by Maj. T. J. Hobbs, of the Treasury Department; those for ethnological
REPORT OF THE SECRETARY. 5
researches by Mr. J. D. McChesney, disbursing officer of the United States Geological Survey; those for the preservation of Government collections, furniture, and fixtures, and other objects for the National Museum, by Mr. eee W. Evans, disbursing clerk of the Interior Department.
The youchers for all these expenditures are critically examined by the proper Auditor and the Comptroller of the Treasury, and have been formally passed by those officials.
Every payment for the Institution and its aebanianoreet is made by bonded officers of the Government.
BUILDINGS.
The Smithsonian Building.—As stated in previous reports, two appro- priations were made by Congress for fire-proofing the eastern portion of the Smithsonian building and increasing its accommodations for doing the Government work. connected with the Museum, the International Exchanges, &c. The whole has now been completed in a thoroughly fire-proot manner, with twice the original number of available office rooms, and with every facility for doing the work mentioned in n the best possible manner.
The rest of the Smithsonian building is in an unsightly and dilapi- dated condition, and will before long require extensive repairs in the way of a new Ceiling to the second-story room, and the re-arrangement of cases in the first floor, &c.; an undertaking which, as being strictly in the interest of the National Museum, will warrant the asking Con- gress for the necessary appropriation.
The exterior of the central portion of the building was in a very bad condition, requiring repainting, reglazing, &c., and this work has been undertaken and practically completed at a moderate expense, greatly improving its appearance.
National Museum Building.—This building is apparently in excellent condition, and has required comparatively little in the way of repairs. An appropriation was made in 1884 for a concrete walk along the south- ern and eastern sides of the building, and was expended so as to furnish a much-needed improvement in the facilities of access.
Armory Building.—This building, which has been assigned by law for the purposes of the Smithsonian Institution and the United States Fish Commission, is occupied partly for the storage of collections and partly
‘for the active work of the Commission. It now constitutes what is known as the central hatching station of the Commission, where the work of propagation of food fishes is conducted on a very extensive scale. It is also the depot from which shipments of fish are made from Washington to all parts of the country, and for this purpose has a branch track of the Baltimore and Potomac Railroad, by means of which the cars are brought alongside of the building and receive and deliver their loads.
6 REPORT OF THE SECRETARY.
The Brick Workshop.—This building continues to be used for the same purposes as in previous years, a part of it being occupied as a stable, - while the greater portion is used for the preparation and mounting of birds, modelling in plaster and papier-maché, in painting the casts of specimens, &c.
Temporary Workshop.—Reference has been made to a large shed or annex, built at the expense of the appropriation for the New Orleans Exposition, and used in the preparation of exhibits for the same, and also for storage of the articles received therefrom, and their special preparation for exhibition. It was also intended to receive the collec- tions as returned until they could be properly assigned to their places or otherwise disposed of. An appropriation was however made by Con- gress at its last session to meet the cost of restoring the collections sent to New Orleans to their original condition, very serious damage having occurred in consequence of the dampness and other agencies. This has made it necessary to retain the building for the present. As soon as arrangements can be made to receive what is now stored therein, it will be taken down and the ground cleared of what is a serious incum- brance.
Army Medical Museum Building.—For several years the authorities of the Army Medical Museum have been endeavoring to secure an appro- priation for the erection of a fire-proof building for the accommodation of the library of the Museum and the offices of the Bureau, so as to ob- viate any possible danger of loss by fire of important archives and ma- terial. An appropriation of $200,000 was finally made by Congress; and the Secretary of War, the Architect of the Capitol, and the Secre- tary of the Smithsoniaxn Institution were authorized to select a site in the vicinity of the National Museum for the accommodation of the aforesaid building. The committee met and selected the southeast corner of the Smithsonian reservation, extending along Seventh street 170 feet and South B street 260 feet. As the expenditure was contin- gent upon the adequacy of the appropriation to construct the building in question, the plans were prepared and submitted for estimate to a number of bidders, whose offers were as follows:
Bids for construction of Army Medical Museum Building. |
| : Building | Heating Names of bidders. Where. proper. lapparatus. Total.
Bright, Humphrey & | District of Columbia. - .|$165,827 00 | $14,160 | $179,987 00 Co.
MEAG McGowan sss elles OWE tote eee 171,540 17 11,000 | 182,540 17.
rankebaldwinkeeeeee alueee se GOs ee ee ee 170, 358 00 15, 140 185, 498 00
C. A. Schneider’s Sons |..---.. COS re ae eee 172, 509 33 15,897 | 188,406 33
J.T. Laeger H (anf Or=5| eae COM Ce eae eee 176, 600 00 15,000 | 191,600 00 mal.
Aug. Getz & Cones 22.5 |e ee Ore Eee aad ee 78, 600 00 15,400 | 194,000 00
Dire = Met enty, CcCO-es Peewee Cons ooasen west 185, 295 00 15,300 | 200,595 00
ae Cees 217,337 00 | 15,700 | 233,037 00
ee
REPORT OF THE SECRETARY. 7
It thus appearing that the appropriation was adequate to the demand, a contract was entered into with Messrs. Bright, Humphrey & Co., and the work ordered by the Secretary of War to be prosecuted with the utmost possible diligence.
Necessity of new buildings for the National Museum.—An application was made to Congress a year or two ago for an appropriation with which to commence the construction of a second building for museum purposes, and also to accommodate the offices of the United States Geo- logical Survey, an establishment which in its close affiliation to the work of the Smithsonian Institution and the National Museum would be appropriately quartered in connection therewith. This application however was not granted ;. but the need is now much greater than be- fore, as there is enough material in the way of valuable specimens of economical interest to fill a second building the size of the present one. This unexhibited surplus is now stored in several buildings, some in Washington and some elsewhere, and consists of important illustra- tions of the economical geology, metallurgy, and other resources of the United States. In addition to what has been on hand for some time, very large collections were presented to the Government at the New Orleans Exhibition, which embraced a great deal of intrinsic value as well as of popular and scientific interest. It is earnestly to be hoped that this requirement will be met by Congress by the speedy appropri- ation of an amount suitable for the purpose.
For the safety of the general collections of the National Museum a separate building is also very much needed for the accommodation of the alcoholic specimens, such as are now provided by most first-class museums. Although the present building is practically fire-proof, yet should a fire be started in the vicinity of these specimens it is probable that much damage would be done by the ignition of the many thou- sands of gallons of alcohol, and the destruction of the specimens and of the jars in which they are contained.
EXPLORATIONS.
As the present report, in view of the change of the fiscal year of the Smithsonian Institution, covers only the period from January 1 to June 30, 1885, the account of explorations will necessarily be much shorter than usual, especially as such work frequently does not begin until midsummer. The completion of the history of 1885 must there- fore be deferred until the next report.
Greenland, Labrador, and the British Provinces.—Reference has been made in a previous report to the return of the Greely expedition and to the general results accomplished. Specimens illustrating the botany of the region in the vicinity of Lady Franklin Bay have been sent to the National Museum by Lieutenant Greely.
8 REPORT OF THE SECRETARY.
Mr. Lucien M. Turner has been engaged in preparing his report upon the natural history and meteorology of the region about Fort Chimo, Ungava Bay, Northern Labrador, where he spent several years, as stated in the last report. - As he completes his investigations of the various collections, they are turned over to the National Museum, and represent very important additions to its treasures. The report will be made to the U.S. signal officer.
Important material, especially in geology and paleontology, has been received from the Geological Survey of Canada.
Alaska.—There has been an unusual amount of activity in the inves- tigation of the geography and natural history of Alaska, especially the northern portion. Lieut. George M. Stoney, of the United States Navy, with a force of naval officers and men, has been engaged in con- tinuing the explorations made by him in 1884, and already reported upon. The revenue cutter Corwin also again visited the Arctic Ocean, and parties were sent up the Kowak and other rivers emptying into Kotzebue Sound. Mr. Charles H. Townsend, an accomplished collector, accompanied the vessel and made many interesting gatherings in -nat- ural history. Mr. Henry D. Woolfe, agent of the Pacific Steam Whal.- ing Company, stationed at Cape Lisburne, in the Arctic Ocean, has also collected numerous specimens, including shells and marine invertebrates. A few of these have been sent in, but the greater part of the collection has yet to come.
Mr. John J. McLean, signal observer at Sitka, has continued his transmissions of rare and interesting archeological material, while Mr. W. J. Fisher, at Kodiak, has forwarded additional series of ethnological objects, birds, &c. Mr. Johnson, Signal Service observer at Nushagak, has transmitted some desirable specimens of birds.
Washington Territory and the west coast of the United States.—Mr. James G. Swan, of Port Townsend, has furnished a number of interest- ing ethnological specimens, obtained from the Indians of Puget Sound, and Ensign A. P. Niblack, U.S. N., attached to the United States Coast Survey steamer Carlile P. Patterson, while proceeding in that vessel from _ San Francisco around Cape Horn and thence to Alaska, gathered many notes upon the natural bistory and ethnology of the country, and trans- mitted them to the Smithsonian Institution, with quite a number of specimens. |
East coast of the United States and Gulf of Mexico.—During the first half of the year 1885 the steamer Albatross, of the United States Fish Com- mission, continued its important exploration into the fisheries and the natural history and physical condition of the waters adjacent to the coast of the United States. The winter and early spring were spent in the Gulf of Mexico in search of new fishing grounds for valuable fish, and in June was commenced a similar work on the banks of Newfound-
REPORT OF THE SECRETARY. 9
land and the other fishing banks still nearer to the coast of New Eng- land. The result of these explorations, when published, will be found to be of much practical benefit and will add greatly to our information.
New Mexico and Arizona.—Mr. E. W. Nelson has continued his work in connection with the archeology and natural history of Arizona, and has sent in a large number of boxes of valuable collections.
Dr. R. W. Shufeldt, at Fort Wingate, N. Mex., has also supplied much interesting material.
Dr. F. W. Taylor has sent some rare minerals and fossils from the vicinity of Lake Valley.
Mexico and Lower California.—Mr. L. H. Aymé, to whom reference has been made in previous reports, has continued his explorations and investigations into the natural history and ethnohogy of Western Mexico, and has contributed much material to the National Museum.
Professor Dugés, of Guanajato, has also sent in a number of interest- ing specimens for identification.
Dr. Edward Palmer was sent to make explorations into the ethnology of the regions in the vicinity of Chihuahua, and was enabled by the courtesy of Mr. A. R. Shepherd to acquire many interesting articles in the neighborhood of Batopilas.
The investigations of Mr. Charles H. Townsend in regard to the oc- currence of the great seal, known as the sea-elephant, were crowned with success, some eight or ten specimens having been obtained and forwarded to the National Museum. Itis confidently asserted that these represent the last of the race and that we may fairly consider the species as extinct on our coast.
Central and South America.—Prof. Miles Rock, who was appointed by the Government of Guatemala as astronomer in the boundary survey between Guatemala and Mexico, kindly offered his services to make photographs and collections of any interesting objects he might find, and has already fulfilled his promise by the transmission of a large amount of material, including photographs, specimens of birds, and ob- jects of archeology.
Mr. J. C. Zeledon, of Costa Rica, has also continued the transmissions begun by him many years ago, and has supplied the National Museum with an almost complete collection of the vertebrate animals of that country.
Dr. W. H. Jones, of the United States Navy, was very successful in archeological research on the coast of Peru and Chili, and the specimens received from him are among the most highly prized of the articles in the National Museum.
Mr. George Kiefer, of Lima, has also made contributions of the same character. ;
Europe.—Mr. Thomas Wilson, late consul at Nice, France, has been busy during the greater part of his official term as consul, first at Nantes
10 REPORT OF THE SECRETARY.
and then at Nice, in France, in explorations into the remains of prehis- toric man, and has presented a very large collection, the unpacking of which only awaits his return to this country. It is believed that this collection, filling a large number of boxes, will prove to be one of the richest. and most complete of its kind ever sent to the United States.
The results of minor researches of more or less productiveness, will be detailed in the accompanying report of the National Museum.
PUBLICATIONS.
In view of the fact that the Annual Report of the Institution is yearly presented to a number of readers for the first time, it seems proper to repeat frequently the general statement that the publications prepared by it embrace three different classes. These are:
First, a quarto series of volumes of irregular issue entitled “‘ Smith- sonian Contributions to Knowledge,” which consist of original memoirs furnishing additions to scientific information, corresponding somewhat with the Transactions of learned societies, though generally form- ing more elaborate treatises than such publications. Asa rale these contributions to positive knowledge are based on experiments, obser- vations, or material, carefully undertaken or gathered by the Institu- tion, or they are the results of investigations originated or encouraged and assisted by its means.
The second class of publications is an octavo series of volumes en- titled “‘Smithsonian Miscellaneous Collections,” which also include the presentation of a large amount of new truths developed by origi- nal research, but which contain in addition useful summaries, essays on improvements in classification—in zoology, botany, and other depart- ments of science, and new and extended tables of physical, chemical, and other natural constants; all of which possess great value in aiding the labors of scientific specialists in many directions, and at the same time are calculated to encourage inquiring minds to prosecute particu- lar lines of investigation, as well as to afford facilities to such students.
The third class of publications is an octavo series of ‘“‘ Smithsonian Reports,” presented annually to Congress, which include, in addition to the usual record and statement of operations for the year, a consider- able amount of carefully prepared matter on various scientific topics intended for the general reader.
Distribution.—These publications are liberally distributed for the dif- fusion of knowledge, but from the absolute impossibility of producing editions large enough to supply all intelligent inquirers who might be interested in their perusal, the distribution is now confined: 1st, to those learned societies of the first class which give to the Institution in return complete sets of their own publications; 2d, to colleges of the first class furnishing catalogues of their libraries and students, and pub- lications relative to their organization and history ; 3d, to public libra-
REPORT OF THE SECRETARY. ha
ries in this country having 25,000 volumes; 4th, they are presented in - some cases to still smaller libraries, especially if no other copies of the Smithsonian publications are given in the same place, and a large dis- trict would be otherwise unsupplied. ‘To institutions devoted exclu- sively to the promotion of particular branches of knowledge, such of its publications are given as relate to their special objects.
Smithsonian Contributions to Knowledge.—A work on “ Prehistoric Fishing in Europe and North America,” by Dr. Charles Rau, men- tioned in my last report (that for 1884) as being in type and nearly ready for the press, was printed and published early in the year, and has since been distributed in accordance with the general practice adopted. This work forms a volume of 342 pages (including the index), with 18 pages of introductory matter, in all 360 pages, and is illus- trated with 406 figures. Part I, occupying nearly one-third of the memoir, is devoted to the archeological relics of Europe, giving a con- cise though comprehensive survey of whatever is supposed to relate to fishing, under the three epochs of the paleolithic age, the neolithic age, and the bronze age. Part II is occupied with the archeological fishing relics of North America, under the general headings of ‘“ Fish- ing Implements and Utensils,” ‘“ Boats and Appurtenances,” ‘* Prehis- toric Structures connected with Fishing,” ‘‘Aboriginal Representations of Fishes, Aquatic Mammals, &c.,” and, lastly, ‘Artificial Shell-Depos- its.” This descriptive summary is supplemented by an interesting col- lection of extracts compiled from various writings of the sixteenth, sev- enteenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries, in which reference is made to aborigin&él fishing in North America.
During the past year two volumes of the Contributions to Knowledge have been made up from outstanding memoirs.
Volume XXIV comprises: Article 1, “Results of Meteorological Ob- servations made at Providence, R. I., extending over a period of forty- five years, from December, 1831, to December, 1876.” By Prof. Alexis Caswell, of Brown University, Providence, R. I. Published in 1882 (an account of which was given in the Annual Report for that year). Article 1, “Tables and Results of the Precipitation in Rain and Snow. in the United States, and at some stations in adjacent parts of North America and in Central and South America. Collected by the Smith- sonian Institution, and discussed under the direction of Joseph Herry and Spencer F. Baird, Secretaries.” By Charles A. Schott. Second edition published in 1881 (an’account of which was given in the An- nual Report for that year). The whole forms a volume of 311 pages, illustrated with 8 diagrams in the text, and accompanied by 5 plates and 5 large folding maps of the United States, showing the curves of equal precipitation for each of the four seasons and also for the year.
Volume XXV comprises: Article 1, ‘“ Prehistoric Fishing in Europe and North America.” By Dr. Charles Rau (just previously described).
1 REPORT OF THE SECRETARY.
Article i, ‘‘Archzxological Researches in Nicaragua.” By J. F. Brans- ford, M. D. Published in 1881 (an account of which was given in the . Annual Report for that year). Article 111, ‘‘On the Contents of a Bone Cave in the Island of Anguilla, West Indies.” By Edward D. Cope. Published in 1883 (an account of which was given in the Annual Re- port for that year). The whole forms a volume of 509 pages, illustrated with 545 cuts or figures and accompanied by 7 engraved plates.
Smithsonian Miscellaneous Collections.—The ten following numbers com- prise pamphlet editions of papers published by the Institution, which being extracted from the Annual Report for 1883, should properly have appeared during the year 1884; but which, through delay at the Gov- ernment Printing Office, were not actually issued till the present year.
d77. “An Account of the Progress in Meteorology in the year 1883.” By Prof. Cleveland Abbe. This, with 4 pages of index, comprises 92 pages 8vo.
578. “An Account of the Progress in Physics in the year 1883.” By Prof. George F. Barker. 8vo. 52 pp.
582. “‘An Account of the Progress in Zoology in the year 1883.” By Theodore Gill. 8vo. 53 pp.
083. ‘An Account of the Progress in Anthropology in the year 1883.” By Prof. Otis T. Mason. 8vo. 43 pp.
585. “Addresses at the Unveiling of the Joseph Henry Statue at Wash- ington, D. C., April 19, 1883.” By Chief Justice Waite, Chancellor of the Smithsonian Institution, and Noah Porter, LL. D., president of Yale College. Preceded by a sketch of the proceedings on that occasion; and illustrated with a page wood-cut of the bronze stdtue as it appears in the Smithsonian grounds. S8vo. 27 pp.
586. ‘Report of Prof. Spencer F. Baird, Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution, to the Board of Regents, for the year 1883.” 8vo. 86 pp.
587. ‘Report of the Assistant Director of the United States National Museum, together with the Reports of the Curators, for the year 1883.” 8vo. 200 pp.
588. ‘‘ Miscellaneous Papers relating to Anthropology.” By <A: W. Howitt, James Wickersham, W. H. Adams, Augustus A. Foerste, J. P. MacLean, William J. Taylor, S. T. Walker, L. A. Kengla, John A. Ruth, Henry Booth, Henry E. Chase, and Charles C. Nutting. S8vo. 122 pp.
596. ‘Australian Group Relations.” By A. W. Howitt. 8vo. 28pp,
605. “On the Comparative Phonology of four Siouan languages.” By Rey. J. Owen Dorsey. 8vo. 11 pp.
Among the issues properly belonging to the year 1885, the first and most important is No. 538 of the Smithsonian series—“Tables, Meteor- ological and Physical.” By Dr. Arnold Guyot, of Princeton College. Fourth edition, revised and enlarged. Edited by William Libbey, jr.
REPORT OF THE SECRETARY. 3
A quarter of a century has passed since the publication of the third edition of this valuable and elaborate work. The first edition of the Tables was published by the Institution in 1852, comprising 212 pages. Five years later (in 1857) a second edition was published, with careful revision by the author, and the various series of tables were so en- larged as to extend the work to over 600 pages. The third edition was published in 1859, with still further amendments.
To this volume Dr. Guyot, with untiring industry, has been making constant additions; and the present issue, projected by him in 1879 (from various delays occasioned by pressing professional occupations, as well as by illness and death in his family), was about four years in passing through the press. Just before completing the last few tables, the esti- mable and distinguished author departed this life, February 8, 1884, in the seventy-seventh year of his age. The completion of the work was intrusted to his able assistant, Prof. William Libbey, jr., who has judi- ciously executed his duties as the final editor of the work. The tables are arranged in seven series. The first series (comprising 15 tables), thermometrical comparisons and conversions; the second series (of 33 tables), hygrometrical computations; the third series (of 27 tables), barometrical; the fourth series (of 27 tables), hypsometrical; the fifth series, geographical tables, including 40 of measures of length (for heights, &c.), 10 of itinerary measures, and 10 of square measures of geographical surface; the sixth series (of 99 tables) for corrections of variations of temperature, &c., at different parts of the earth; and the seventh series comprising 9 miscellaneous tables. The whole forms an octavo volume (including 25 introductory pages) of 763 pages.
No. 545. “‘ Proceedings of the Biological Society of Washington: Vol. Il.” From July 1, 1882, to July 1, 1884. 8vo. 195 pp.
592. “Bulletin of the Philosophical Society of Washington: Vol. VII, containing the Minutes of the Society and of the Mathematical Section for the year 1884.” From January 5, 1884, to December 20,1884. 8vo. lix+135 pp., or 194 pp.
594. ‘‘Mental overwork and premature disease among public and pro- fessional men.” By Charles K. Mills, M. D. Being lecture IX of the “Toner Lectures”; delivered in Washington, D. C., March 19, 1884. Svo. 34 pp.
595. “The Refraction of Sound.” By William B. Taylor. A reprint from the Smithsonian Report for 1875. Svo. 12 pp., with 6 figures.
608. ‘Report of Prof. Spencer F. Baird, Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution, to the Board of Regents, for the year 1884.” 8vo. 98 pp.
609. “An Account of the Progress in Astronomy in the year 1884.” By Prof. Edward 8. Holden. 8vo. 55 pp.
610. “A Review of the Progress of North American Invertebrate Paleontology for the year 1884.” A bibliography of publications on the subject for the year. By John Belknap Marcou. 8vo, 20 pp.
14 REPORT OF THE SECRETARY.
611. “An Account of the Progress in Geography in the year 1884.” By Commander F. M. Green, U.S. N. 8vo. 19 pp.
612. ‘An Account of the Progress in Meteorology in the year 1884.” By Prof. Cleveland Abbe. 8vo. 176 pp.
613. “An Account of the Progress in Physics in the year 1884.” By Prof. George F. Barker. 8vo. 57 pp.
614. “An Account of the Progress in Chemistry in the year 1884.” By Prof. H. Carrington Bolton. 8vo. 52 pp. 4
615. “An Account of the Progress in Mineralogy in the year 1884.” By Prof. Edward S. Dana. 8vo. 19 pp.
616. “An Account of the Progress in Vulcanology and Seismology, in the years 1883 and 1884.” By Prof. Charles G. Rockwood, jr. 8vo. 21 pp. ;
617. “ An Account of the Progress in Zoology in the year 1884.” By Theodore Gill. 8vo. 93 pp.
618. “An Account of the Progress in Anthropology in the year 1884.” By Prof. Otis T. Mason. 8vo. 41 pp.
619. “Antiquities at Pantaleon, Guatemala.” By Lieut. Charles E. Vreeland and Dr. J. F. Bransford, U.S.N. 8vo. 12 pp. Illustrated with 12 figures.
620. ‘‘ Miscellaneous Papers relating to Anthropology.” By M. L. Leach, Charles M. Smith, and E. T. Wiltheiss. 8vo. 38 pp. Illus- trated with 16 figures.
621. “The Guesde Collection of Antiquities in Pointe 4 Pitre, Gua- daloupe, West Indies.” By Prof. Otis T. Mason. 8vo. 107 pp. Illus- trated with 221 figures.
The Scientific Writings of Joseph Henry.—Good progress has been made in the collation and printing of the collected scientific writings of Professor Henry ; 600 octavo pages, or more than half the entire work, having now (July 1) been set up in type, corrected, and stereotyped. It is estimated that the entire work will comprise 1050 pages; and it is hoped that the whole will be stereotyped and printed off by the close of the present year.
Bulletins of the National Museum.—These form a series (as heretofore explained) designed to supply a prompt publication of original descrip- tions of specimens received by the National Museum, and of other al- lied matter. While these are primarily printed under the direction of the honorable Secretary of the Interior, asupplementary edition is pub- lished from the stereotype plates by the Institution for the benefit of its correspondents, and they are included in its “ Miscellaneous Collee- tions.”
Bulletin No. 27 comprises “ Descriptive Catalogues of the Collections sent from the United States to the International Fisheries Exhibition, © London, 1883; constituting a Report upon the American Section,” pre- pared under the direction of G. Brown Goode, United States commis-
REPORT OF THE SECRETARY. 15
sioner, and a staff of associates. It contains a preliminary catalogue and synopsis of the collections exhibited by the United States Fish Commission and by special exhibitors; a concordance of the official classification for the use of the juries; collection of economic crusta- ceans, worms, echinoderms, and sponges, by Richard Rathbun ; a cata- logue of the aquatic and fish-eating birds, by Robert Ridgway; a cata- logue of the economic mollusea and the apparatus and appliances used in their capture and preparation for the market, by Lieut. Francis Winslow, U. S. N.; the whale-fishery and its appliances, by James Temple Brown; a catalogue of the collection of fishes, by Tarleton H. Bean; a descriptive catalogue of the collection illustrating the scientific investigation of the sea and fresh waters, by Richard Rath- bun; a catalogue of the aquatic mammals, by Frederick W. True; a catalogue of the collection illustrating the fishing vessels and boats and their equipment, the economic condition of fishermen, anglers’ outfits, &c., by Capt. Joseph W. Collins; a catalogue of the apparatus for the capture of fish, by R. Edward Earll; a catalogue of fishery products and of the apparatus used in their preparation, by A. How- ard Olark; and a catalogue of the fish-cultural exhibit, by R. Edward Earll; the whole forming (with introductory matter and general index) an octavo volume of 1333 pages.
Report on the Reptiles and Batrachians of North America.—The Smith- sonian Institution may claim the credit of having done more than any other organization or any individual in furnishing to the students and naturalists of the country convenient and effective text-books for the determination of the natural history of the United States and North America. In proof of this itis sufficient to point to what has been done in the way of systematic treatises on mammals, birds, fishes, certain groups of mollusks, &c.
Although a number of monographs of reptiles have been published more or less directly under its auspices, such as that of the serpents and other groups, there is still lacking a compact manual of both the reptilia and batrachia; and arrangements were accordingly made with Professor Cope, of Philadelphia, to supply this want. This gentleman is well known for his professional acquaintance with these groups as studied by him in the collections in the Museum of the Academy of Natural Sci- ences of Philadelphia, the National Museum of Washington, and else- where. An agreement was therefore made with him for the preparation of a much-needed manual on the reptiles and batrachians of North Amer- ica; a year’s time being allowed, at a suitable compensation, for the final and critical examination of the collections of the National Museum and the preparation of the report. In this way the entire field of the ver- tebrates of North America will have been completely covered.
Proceedings of the National Museum.—This series, somewhat allied to the series of ‘‘ Bulletins,” comprises papers relative to the collections—
16 REPORT OF THE SECRETARY.
generally of a less elaborate character, and aiming at a still greater promptness of issue by having printed single “ signatures” of the peri- odical so soon as the matter is furnished.
Volume VII of the ‘“ Proceedings of the National Museum” was — completed during the early .part of the year, and contains descriptive papers by Tarleton H. Bean, Charles E. Bendire, F. W. Clarke, W. H. Dall, Frederick P. Dewey, H. G. Dresel, C. H. Fernald, Charles H. Gilbert, Theodore Gill, G. Brown Goode, Asa Gray, Romyn Hitchcock, David 8S. Jordan, Seth E. Meek, George P. Merrill, John Murdoch, E. W. Nelson, Temple Prime, Richard Rathbun, Robert Ridgway, J. T. Rothrock, John A. Ryder, R. W. Shufeldt, Elisha Slade, Sidney I. Smith, Rosa Smith, Leonhard Stejneger, Joseph Swain, Cyrus Thomas, and Frederick W. True; forming an octavo volume of 670 pages, illustrated with 8 figures and 2 plates.
The following circulars have been published as appendices to the Pro- ceedings of the National Museum:
589. Circular No. 22. ‘ Brief directions for removing and preserv- ing the skins of mammals.” By William T. Hornaday. 8vo. 7pp.
590. Circular No. 23. ‘Instructions for taking paper molds of in- scriptions in stone, wood, bronze, &c.,” prepared by A. P. Niblack. 8vo. dD pp.
597. Circular No. 24. ‘‘Plan of a Collection to illustrate the textile industries of the United States, to be exhibited at the World’s Indus- trial and Cotton Centennial Exposition of 1884~85, at New Orleans.” By Romyn Hitchcock. 8vo. 16 pp.
598. Circular No. 25. ‘Preliminary plan for a collection of the build- ing and ornamental stones and rocks of the United States, to be exhib- ited at the World’s Industrial and Cotton Centennial Exposition of 1884~85, at New Orleans.” By George P. Merrill. 8vo. 2 pp.
599. Circular No. 26. ‘Plan for a collection of gems and precious stones to be exhibited at the Cincinnati Industrial Exposition, and the World’s Industrial and Cotton Centennial Exposition of 1884~85, at New Orleans. By F. W. Clarke. 8vo. 2 pp.
600. Circular No. 27. ‘Directions for collecting, preserving, and transporting tortricids and other small moths.” By C.H. Fernald. 8vo. 3 pp. 601. Circular No. 28. “ Directions for mound explorations.” By Cyrus Thomas. 8vo. 3 pp.
602. Circular No. 29. ‘ Provisional plan for a collection of mammals to be exhibited at the World’s Industrial and Cotton Centennial Expo- sition of 188485, at New Orleans.” By Frederick W. True. 8vo. 27 pp.
603. Circular No. 30. ‘A list of birds, the eggs of which are wanted to complete the series in the National Museum, with instructions for collecting eggs.” By Charles E. Bendire. 8vo. 4 pp.
604. Circular No. 31. ‘Plan to illustrate the mineral resources of the United States, and their utilization, at the World’s Industrial and
REPORT OF THE SECRETARY. 17
Cotton Centennial Exposition of 1884-85, at New Orleans.” By Fred- erick P. Dewey. 8vo. 8 pp.
622. Cireular No. 32. ‘Classification of the Materia Medica collec- tion of the United States National Museum, and catalogue of speci- meus.” By James M. Flint. ‘“ Revised and extended” by Henry G. Beyer. 8vo. 39 pp.
626. Circular No. 33. ‘ Notes on the preparation of rough skeletons.” By Frederick A. Lucas. 8vo. 8 pp., with 12 figures.
The Smithsonian Annual Report.—The third class of publications con- sists of Annual Reports of the Board of Regents of the Smithsonian Institution, presented to Congress, and printed by authority of that body. * The Report of 1883 was not issued till 1885. It contains the report of the Secretary of the Institution for the year, supplemented by the cor- respondence relative to the transfer of astronomical announcements by telegraph to Harvard College Observatory; the report on the operations of the Smithsonian system of international and domestic exchanges ; and the report of the Assistant Director of the National Museum on the condition of that department, together with a general Appendix, embracing a record of scientific progress for the year, —in astronomy, by Edward S. Holden; geology, by T. Sterry Hunt; geography, by F. M. Green; meteorology, by Cleveland Abbe; physics, by George I’. Barker ; chemistry, by H. Carrington Bolton; mineralogy, by Edward 8. Dana; botany, by W. G. Farlow; zoology, by Theodore Gill; and anthro- pology, by Otis T. Mason; together with miscellaneous papers relative to anthropology, by A. W. Howitt, James Wickersham, W. H. Adams, Augustus A. Foerste, J. P. MacLean, William J. Taylor, S. T. Walker, L. A. Kengla, John A. Ruth, Henry Booth, Henry E. Chase, Charles C. Nutting, and J. Owen Dorsey. The Report forms an octavo volume of 997 pages (including introductory matter and index), illustrated with 33 figures and sketch-maps and 1 plate.
The “Annual Report of the Board of Regents of the Smithsonian In- stitution, for the year 1884,” forming an 8vo. volume of 943 pages (in- cluding introductory matter and index), has been most unfortunately delayed, and is not yet published.
Publications of the Bureau of Ethnology.—To the three preceding classes of established publications (one of quarto size, and two of ordinary oe- tavo size), a fourth class, of imperial octavo size, embracing the publi- cations of the Bureau of Ethnology, under the direction of the Smith- sonian Institution, may now properly be added. Of this series two vol- umes have already appeared.
The “First Annual Report of the Bureau of Ethnology, to the Smith- sonian Institution,” by J. W. Powell, Director, though published two years ago, was not noticed in the last report of the Secretary. This
work contains oe by J. W. Powell (in addition to his report proper), H. Mis. 15
18 REPORT OF THE SECRETARY.
by H. C. Yarrow, E. 8. Holden, C.C. Royce, Garrick Mallery, J.C. Pil- ling, J. O. Dorsey, A. S. Gatschet, and 8. R. Riggs. It forms an im- perial octavo volume of 638 pages (including introductory matter and index), and is illustrated with 292 figures in the text, 2 maps, and 53 plates, of which four are colored.
The “Second Annual Report of the Bureau of Ethnology, to the Smith- sonian Institution,” by J. W. Powell, Director, contains papers by J. W. Powell, Frank H. Cushing, Erminnie A. Smith, Henry W. Henshaw, Washington Matthews, William H. Holmes, and James Stevenson. It forms an imperial octavo volume of 514 pages (including introductory matter and index), and is illustrated with 60 figures in the text, 2 maps, and 173 plates, of which 12 are colored. The plates contain about 750 separate figures.
INTERNATIONAL EXCHANGES.
One of the most important factors in the ‘diffusion of knowledge among men” is found in the system of international exchange carried on by the Smithsonian Institution. Originally only intended for the dis- tribution of its own publications, the Institution by degrees extended its usefulness and privileges to learned societies and individuals of both hemispheres, and at present this exchange service forms the medium of scientific intercourse between about 700 home institutions and 4,000 establishments distributed over all parts of the inhabited globe.
The gradual development of this service has resulted in a large in- crease both in the work to be performed and in the number of employés. The management of this branch has, since the year 1880, been in charge of Mr. George H. Boehmer, and to his detailed report, hereto appended, I refer for more minute information.
Statistics —The increase in the number of parcels received will best be illustrated by the following comparison of the first six months of 1885 with the full years of 1882, 1883, and 1884:
x. Six months— Qa 1882. 1883. 1884. 1885. Receipts. p 2 3 : a sf ep D DB a = 3 op 3 ¢ 3 eS 3 oO 5 S =| =) = = =| a iS x S a S 3 iS pay Ay Ay Ay Ay Ay AY Ay
o_O | SE | Le
Foreign ex- changes ..| 19,292 | 83,720 | 15,063 | 78,647 | 18,866 | 78,732 | 10,688 | 60,475 Domestic ex- changes ..| 7,187 30, 904 8, 262 49,608 | 7,967 42,255 | 3,679 | 14,375 Government 22, 182 exchanges| 31,568 | 28,750 | 37,569 | 27,395 | 38,337 | 32,827 | 29,233
Total...| 58,047 | 143,374 | 63,894 | 155,650 | 65,170 | 153,814 | 43,600 | 97, 032
REPORT OF THE SECRETARY. fale)
The transmissions of exchanges have been in direct ratio to the increase in the receipts, being for the first six months of 1885:
(1) Foreign exchanges: 345 boxes, representing a bulk of 2,415 cubic feet, with a weight of 82,800 pounds, against 276 boxes during the same period of 1884.
(2) Domestic exchanges: 5,138 packages, this being a little above the half of the total number sent out during the year 1884.
(3) Government exchanges: 38 boxes, representing a bulk of 266 cubic feet, with a weight of 10,500 pounds.
Congressional Aid.—The Smithsonian Institution continues: to receive the usual Congressional appropriation of $10,000 to carry out the op- erations of the exchange service. The Library of Congress is the prin- cipal beneficiary of the exchanges, large numbers of books and parcels
-being annually received for that institution.
Transportation Companies.—A very important contribution toward the expenses of the exchange service consists in the granting of free freight on the exchange parcels or boxes by the following transportation com- panies and firms, for which liberality acknowledgments are hereby grate- fully rendered :
Allan Steamship Company (A. Schumacher & Co., agents), SEITE SE:
American Colonization Society, Washin gton, D.C:
Anchor Steamship Line (Henderson & Brother, agents), New York.
Atlas Steamship Company (Pim, Forwood & Co., agents), New York.
Bailey, H. B., & Co., New York.
Bixby, Thomas E., & Co., Boston, Mass.
Borland, B. R., New York.
Boulton, Bliss & Dallett, New York.
Cameron, R. W., & Co., New York.
Compagnie Générale Transatlantique (L. de Bébian, agent), New York.
Cunard Royal Mail Steamship Line (Vernon H. Brown & Co., agents), New York.
Dennison, Thomas, New York.
Hamburg American Packet Company (Kunhardt & Co., agents), New
York.
Inman Steamship Company, New York.
Merchants’ Line of Steamers, New York.
Monarch Line (Patton, Vickers & Co., agents), New York.
Munoz y Espriella, New York.
Murray, Ferris & Co., New York.
Netherlands-American Steam peeatign Company (H. Cazaux, agent),
New York.
New York and Brazil Steamship Company, New York.
New York and Mexico Steamship Company, New York.
North German Lloyd (agents, Oelrichs & Co., New York; A. Schu- macher & Co,, Baltimore).
20 REPORT OF THE SECRETARY.
Pacific Mail Steamship Company, New York. Panama Railroad Company, New York. Red Star Line (Peter Wright & Sons, agents), Philadelphia ane New
York.
White Cross Line of Antwerp (Funch, Edye & Co., agents), New York. Wilson & Asmus, New York.
The concessions of reduced freight on the part of the Pennsylvania Railroad Company and the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad Company, as well as by the line of freight steamers between Washington and New York, have been continued.
The thanks of the Institution are also due to the foreign ministers and consuls of the various Governments for their assistance in taking charge of the transmission of boxes to the countries which they respectively represent.
Government Exchanges.—By enactment of Congress of March 2, 1867, the Institution was appointed the agent of the United States in an ex- change of official public documents with foreign Governments. As pro- vided for by Congress, 50 copies of all official publications, whether ema- nating from Congress or any Department or Bureau of the Government, whether printed at the Congressional Printing Office or elsewhere, must be delivered to the Library of Congress for distribution by the Smith- sonian Institution and to such foreign Governments as are willing to furnish to the Library of Congress a corresponding return from their publications. The conditions of this exchange having been accepted by 38 Governments—of which 19 are European—one box (the 23d of the series since the establishment of this exchange) of United States pub- lications was sent to each of these Governments in April, 1885.
The returns having for some years fallen considerably short of ex- pectations, Mr. George H. Boehmer, in charge of the exchange office, was detailed, at the request of the Librarian of Congress, and with the sanction of the chairman of the Joint Committee on the Library, to visit Europe for the purpose of arranging for better and fuller returns on the part of those Governments exchanging with the United States. For detailed information of the progress of his mission, success ob- tained, and suggestions relative to the service, I would refer to the re- port on the subject contained in the section “Government exchange division” of his report on the operations of the exchan ge office, hereto appended.
Mr. Boehmer left on his mission on the 24th of July, 1884, and re- turned on the 20th of February, 1885, during which time he visited con- secutively nearly all the European states, obtaining satisfactory re- sults and securing large and valuable additions for the library, consist- ing mostly of parliamentary papers and connate of the laws of the various Governments.
One of the principal obstacles preventing the establishment of per-
REPORT OF THE SECRETARY. ae
manently satisfactory measures on the part of the European Govern- ments, and which can perhaps be obviated by a’ personal representation in Europe, is caused by the entirely different understanding of the ex- change question in those countries, resulting from the exchange conven- tions of Paris in 1875 and 1880, and Brussels in 1883, and by the absence of sufficient legislation by them for securing copies of official publica- tions for exchange purposes.
The governmental bureaus of most of the European states issue their publications through the medium of publishing houses, receiving from these about 50 per cent. from the sales of the books. Copies for gra- tuitous distribution, therefore, are not issued, but the books represent a trade value which is accepted by the exchange Commissions (estab- lished on the basis adopted at the Paris Convention of 1875), who are allowed only to exchange value for value.
The publications of the United States, being issued at the public ex- pense, and not considered as purchased (although they are quoted at _ very high prices in the book trade, and especially abroad), it becomes under these circumstances difficult to obtain in Europe satisfactory returns. It is therefore suggested by Mr. Boehmer that in future transactions the market value, as given by the foreign book trade, be accepted, which would enable our Government to obtain more satisfac- tory returps. -
Preliminary arrangements have been effected with the Imperial Gov- ernment of Austria for a complete exchange of all the official and sci- entific publications of the two Governments.
The Government of Uruguay has also forwarded to the Smithsonian Institution, through the United States Department of State, proposi- tions relative to a full and permanent exchange of official public docu-
ments. LIBRARY.
The following is a statement of the books, maps, and charts received by the Smithsonian Institution from January 1 to June 30, 1885:
Volumes : WetavO.OL AMANOR ee sss aja) los! valele ose iaiw ce ses cece ¢ 688 COHALEOON MALO GDH ee igo casa eis wae Delrnei el Sano ~ oie 222 910 Parts of volumes : MotAYGhOnisM ALOR. 2/2). lad Seisce eee se We Syetsia as ee 1,971 Saree NAT OR tani vine sites sine aye ote etriercis Screls = 3° 2, 238 4, 209 Pamphlets: GIG T a OuOl SUMMON fe eae erat siclepalscren cian sin) elelow sic! y.alepe 4, 612 CDM GLO OR MARGOT 4. calcein Ge ai Cys oS <2 0 61 s\imie 0h s'e,~,<16 256 4, 868 PRG aera eo ens aie nial ot <yeied Ae icratn si al alia a= cieiaia 354
De REPORT OF THE SECRETARY. CO-OPERATIVE RELATIONS OF THE SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION.
Duplicate Collection of Building Stones for the American Museum of Nat- ural History, New York.—Among the various important subjects of in- quiry on the part of the census organization of 1880, was one into the statistics of: the quarries in the United States used to furnish building stones for building and ornamental purposes, and an arrangement was made by General Walker with Dr. G. W. Hawes, curator of mineralogy and lithology of the Nationa] Museum, to collect the necessary material, and to prepare a complete report on the subject, this to be done at the expense of the United States. General Walker also authorized an ar- rangement by which, on payment of all the costs, Mr. Morris K. Jesup was to have a duplicate collection, with a view to its presentation to the American Museum of Natural History. Estimating the cost of acquisi- tion of the specimens and their preparation, including a microscopical section of each specimen, at $3.50 each, and the number of specimens to be treated at one thousand, the sum of $3,500#was placed at the com- mand of Dr. Hawes for the purpose in question. The work upon this series was prosecuted with much vigor until interrupted by the death of Dr. Hawes. During the present year however, the work was re- newed, and the necessary means being furnished by Mr. Jesup, extra workmen were employed upon his collection, which will probably be ready for delivery in the course of the year 1885. By thus duplicat- ing the collection without expense to the Smithsonian Institution or the National Museum, the opportunity of study and comparison will be, of course, greatly extended.
* Bureau of Education.—Im accordance with the general policy of the Institution to do nothing with its funds which can equally well be done by other means, and to co-operate with other bureaus and departments of the Government, the Institution turned over to the Commissioner of Education 3,326 catalogues, announcements and reports of colleges and educational institutions, together with 401 letters, and 1,978 card-slips, containing an alphabetical list of the entire series.
The Diplomatic Review.—In March, 1883, the conductors of ‘‘The Diplomatic Review” of England sent to the Smithsonian Institution an offer of the Review to any library that would undertake to bind it.
By some strange mishap the letter containing this very liberal offer went astray, and no attention was paid to it. In October, 1884, the offer was renewed by Mr. C. D. Collet, the letter being accompanied by a list of libraries to which the Review had been sent direct. This letter was the initiatory step of a correspondence, which will eventually result in the distribution of several hundred sets of the He Review, as full as the conductors thereof can furnish.
The Diplomatic Review commenced in 1855, and carried on to the end of 1865, under the title of the Hree Press, is a continuation of the first
>
REPORT OF THE SECRETARY. 23
and second series of the Portfolio, in which, nearly half a century ago, the late Mr..William Pollard Urquhart began his series of articles on the political history of Europe. In the pages of the Diplomatic Review will be found Russian secret dispatches, together with other rare and interesting documents on the history of Europe from the time of the Protocol of April 4, 1826, for the ‘“ Pacification of Greece,” to the end of the Servian war, in 1876. Besides these scarce documents, the Diplo- matic Review contains many original works of Mr. Urquhart, and a mass of the transactions of the Foreign Affairs Committees of Workingmen formed by him at the time of the Crimean war.
Among these papers the following may be mentioned: Will of Peter the Great, brought to Paris by the Chevalier d’Eon in 1757; Dangerto the Political Balance of Europe, by Gustavus ILI, King of Sweden, 1791; Protocol of a Conference at Constantinople between the British Ambassador and the Divan on the Connexion of Russia with the Greek Revolt, 1822; Memoir of Count Bernstorff to the King of Prussia on the means of annexing the Minor German States, 1831, &e.
On the 18th of April, 1885, in pursuance of the above-mentioned notice, a printed circular was sent to over 400 of the principal libraries, educational institutions, and kindred establishments, to the following effect:
This Institution is informed by the Conductors of The Diplomatic Review of England, that ‘“‘a set of the twenty-five volumes of the Review, stitched and wrapped in seven books,” will be presented to your library ‘‘on the condition of your binding them, so that they may be safely preserved for reference.”
The Diplomatic Review extends trom the 13th of October, 1855, to the 3d of Jan- uary, 1877; and contains rare and interesting documents relative to the history of Europe from 1826 to 1876. It is proper to notify you that the successive volumes were printed in different sizes:
Book I is in folio, and comprises two volumes.
Books II, 111, and IV, are quarto, comprising sixteen volumes.
Books V, VI, and VII, are octavo, comprising seven volumes, and supplement.
Please notify this Institution whether this offer is accepted by your library; or, if you have already received a set, whether you desire another on the same terms.
Replies to the above were received as follows: 236 accepted the en- tire set; 8 desired portions to complete partial sets previously received, and 43 declined, generally on the ground that the character of the in- formation contained in the Review did not come within the scope of the library. Quite a number of libraries have not noticed the cireular or the offer contained.
A list was prepared, and sent to Mr. C. D. Collet, of those libraries which accepted, and inasmuch as the sets were all declared to be more or less incomplete, preference was given to the more important libra- ries, in order that the volumes might reach the greatest number of readers.
Newfoundland Postage on Exchanges.—An arrangement has been made with the postmaster-general of Newfoundland by which all matter re-
24 REPORT OF THE SECRETARY.
lating to the exchange system shall be passed through the mails under frank of the Smithsonian Institution, the chief clerk of which certifies to the contents of each package.
Zoological Specimens for the Museum, contributed by Menageries.—For a number of years the Institution has been indebted to the proprietors of the menageries of the country for the contribution of animals dying from disease or otherwise while in their charge, the principal establish- ments in this connection being those of Messrs. Barnum, Bailey, and Hutchinson; Mr. Adam Forepaugh; the Central Park Menagerie, in charge of Mr. W. A. Conklin; and the Zoological Gardens at Philadel- phia, under the direction of Mr. A. E. Brown.
From time to time specimens have been received in this way, and thus a large number of highly-prized additions have been made. The addi- tional advantage of having them in the flesh in more or less perfect con- dition, enables them to be mounted under the best possible auspices.
In order to make some return to the contributors, the Institution offered to have post-mortem examinations instituted of specimens re- ceived, and the cause of death or disease reported to the senders. For this purpose the co-operation of the Army Medical Museum was in- voked and was cheerfully rendered, and an examination of each subject received is usually made under the direction of Dr. John S. Billings.
The National Museum reserves the skins and skeletons, while the Army Medical Museum makes any preparations of the viscera, &c., that may be desired by it.
NECROLOGY.
From among those connected with the Institution, I have but one death to record. .
EDWARD FoREMAN, M. D., was born in Baltimore, October 29, 1808. After reaching manhood, he was for 12 years an assistant professor in the University of Pennsylvania. In 1848, he was appointed an assist- ant in the Smithsonian Institution by Professor Henry. He was en- gaged in organizing the meteorological system established by the In- stitution, and rendered efficient service in this department; and also in conducting the correspondence and arranging the details of the scientific lectures. In 1852 he accepted the position of chief examiner in the Patent Office, which he retained for eight years. In 1874 he re- turned to the Smithsonian Institution as an assistant in the ethnologi- cal division of the National Museum. His death occurred April 14, 1885, at his residence in this city.
MISCELLANEOUS.
The Tyndall Trust Fund.—It will be remembered that when Prof. John Tyndall of the Royal Institution of Great Britain, at the solicita- tion of scientific friends in this country, made a visit to it in the latter
REPORT OF THE SECRETARY. 25
part of 1872, for the purpose of delivering in a few of our principal cities courses of lectures on physical science, he very generously presented the entire net proceeds of his lectures to trustees for the purpose of pro- moting sciencein this country. These popular lectures, eloquently pre- sented and admirably illustrated experimentally, were attended by large and appreciative audiences in Boston, New Haven, New York, Brook- lyn, Philadelphia, Baltimore, and Washington.
Professor Tyndall’s trust deed, executed in New York, February 7, 1873, just before his departure for England, was forwarded with a friendly personal letter of the same date, to Professor Henry of this In- stitution, and was published in full in the Smithsonian Report of 1872, pages 104-106.. By this grant it was found that he assigned to our peo- ple the liberal fund of $13,033, in the following gracious terms,—omitting here all but the more essential passages :
“As an evidence of my good-will toward the people of the United States, I desire to devote this sum of $13,033 to the advancement of theoretic science and the promotion of original research, especially in the department of physics, in the United States.
**To accomplish this object I hereby appoint Prof. Joseph Henry, Sec- retary of the Smithsonian Institution, Washington City, D. C., Dr. EH. L. Youmans, of New York, and General Hector Tyndale, of Philadelphia, to act as a board of trustees to take charge of the above sum—to care- fully invest it in permanent securities; and I further direct that the said board shall, for the present, appropriate the interest of the fund in supporting or in assisting to support, at such European universities as they may consider most desirable, two American pupils who may evince decided talents in physics, and who may express a determina- tion to devote their lives to this work. My desire would be that each pupil should spend four years at a German university—three of those years to be devoted to the acquisition of knowledge, and the fourth to original investigation.
‘“‘If however in the progress of science in the United States, it should at any time appear to the said board that the end herein proposed , would be better subserved by granting aid to students, or for some special researches in this country, the board is authorized to make the appropriations from the income of the fund for such purposes.
“‘T further direct that vacancies which may occur in said board, by death or otherwise, shall be filled by the president of the National Academy of Sciences.”
Even with the wise and far-seeing provision for discretion of judg- ment vested in the trustees by the donor, they experienced much greater difficulty in satisfactorily carrying into effect the enlightened purpose of the grant than could have been anticipated. One promising student,.in the uncertainty of devoting his life to the career of scientific research contemplated, very honorably returned to the trustees the sum advanced to him. Another, after hesitating as to the condition of re- maining for four years in a German or other European university, finally declined to avail himself of the opportunity afforded him. It thus resulted, from the conscientious administration of the trust, and the earnest desire of the trustees to execute the expressed wishes of
26 REPORT OF THE SECRETARY.
Professor Tyndall, that but a small portion of the income of the fund has been expended, and the original sum has been thereby augmented.
On the death of two of the trustees—Professor Henry, at Washing- ton, and General H. Tyndale, at Philadelphia,—Dr. I’. A. P. Barnard, of New York, and Prof. Joseph Lovering, of Cambridge, Mass., were duly appointed as their successors; and how judiciously the trustees have continued to husband the resources committed to them is sufficiently evinced by the remarkable fact, that the Tyndall fund has now ae- cumulated, by the constant addition to it of the unappropriated income, from the original sum of $13,000, to $32,000.
Under these circumstances the distinguished donor has been induced to modify the original conditions of the gift, so as to divide the in- creased principal into three separate funds (of nearly $11,000 each), and to give the charges thereof, respectively, to Harvard College at Cam- bridge, Columbia College at New York, and the University of Pennsyl- vania at Philadelphia, for the perpetual maintenance in each of these institutions of learning, of a graduate fellowship in the department of physies. There can be little doubt that this change of the direction was, under the peculiar circumstances, eminently judicious; and that the several endowments will constitute brilliant prizes to aspiring American students, and will greatly contribute to the noble purpose of their founder—the stimulation of original research, and the advance- ‘ ment of physical science in the United States.
UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM.
Arrangement of material_—The regular work of the Museum has been considerably interrupted during the six months now under consideration by the participation of the Museum in the World’s Industrial and Cotton Centennial Exposition at New Orleans. Several members of the staff were in attendance at this exposition, in custody of the collections of the Museum there displayed, and in May and June ten curators and me- chanics were sent to New Orleans to attend to the re-packing and for- warding of the collections sent by the Smithsonian Institution, as well as to care for the numerous exhibits transferred to the Museum by for- eign and domestic exhibitors at the close of the exposition. The extent of these accessions was very considerable. One hundred and seventy-six thousand pounds of exhibits were sent to New Orleans. Of this amount 138,624 pounds were sent direct, 19,814 pounds from Cincinnati, and 17,631 pounds from Louisville, at each of which places the Smithsonian Institution had displayed large exhibits during the summer of 1884 320,744 pounds were returned, including 51,267 pounds received from the State Department, whose valuable exhibit, gathered by the United States consuls all over the world, was transferred in bulk to the National Mu- seum with the understanding that a limited number of loan exhibits were reserved for return to their owners. Besides this amount, 74,489
REPORT OF THE SECRETARY. a |
pounds were acquired by gifts from Mexico and other sources. ‘In ad- dition to the collections consigned directly to the Museum from New Orleans, the important collection illustrating the uses of American woods, gathered for the exhibit of the Agricultural Department by Mr. William Saunders, has, since its receipt in Washington, been delivered to the Museum. Atthe beginning of July a considerable portion of the collec- tions had already been received, apd many of the exhibition halls of the Museum, which before this time had been reduced to an appearance of
order, were becoming filled up with the unopened boxes and eases. Itis however confidently expected that before the end of the calendar year the new material will be unpacked and brought under control. A
‘ special appropriation of $7 ,000 was made by Congress for the packing and forwarding of the new material, and for repairing and reinstalling the original collection. The New Orleans Exposition, although its in- fluence was perhaps less comprehensive than that at Philadelphia in 1576, has nevertheless accomplished a great work in the South and West, both from commercial and educational standpoints, and in my judgment the money appropriated for the display of the Smithsonian Institution (including the United States National Museum and Fish Commission) has been productive of important results to the country. There can be no doubt that the National Museum has been the gainer by the undertaking, although the work of final arrangement has re- ceived a temporary set-back.
The general work of the Museum has been for the most part of the same character as that described in my reports for the last three years, and in nearly every department the curator states that decided progress has been made in the development both of the study and the exhibition series of specimens. The work of case-construction has been steadily carried forward, and during the coming year the collections will be more thoroughly classified than has hitherto been possible, by the assignment of definite space for each department in the exhibition halls. The gal- leries of the main exhibition hall in the Smithsonian building have been cleared of the old exhibition cases, which proved to be inadequate to present needs, and the space is being used temporarily for the overhaul- ing and arrangement of certain large collections in the departments of birds, mollusks, marine invertebrates, invertebrate paleontology, and ethnology. This step has been found absolutely necessary, since the space in the crowded laboratory rooms was not sufficient to admit of any general rearrangement.
Museum Publications.—The various publications of the Museum have been, as hitherto, under the editorial supervision of Dr. Tarleton H. Bean. The seventh volume of the “Proceedings” was finished in Feb- ruary, and of the eighth volume, the printing of which was begun in March, 221 pages were printed prior to the lstof July. At the present time four Bulletins are in the hands of the printer, No. 23, “ Biblio- graphy of the Publications of Isaac Lea, LL. D., by Newton Pratt
28 REPORT OF THE SECRETARY.
Seudder: No. 28, “A manual of American Land Shells,” by W. G. Bin- ney: No. 29, ‘“‘ Results of Ornithological Explorations in the Comman- der Islands and in Kamtschatka,” by Leonhard Stejneger, and No. 30, ‘ Bibliography of Publications relating to the collection of fossil inver- tebrates in the United States National Museum, including complete lists of the writings of Fielding B. Meek, Charles A. White, and Charles D. Walcott,” by John Belknap Marcou.* Circular 32, ‘Classification of the Materia Medica Collection of the U. S. National Museum, and Catalogue of Specimens,” by Dr. James M. Flint, revised and extended by Dr. Henry G. Beyer; aud Circular 33, ‘‘ Notes on the preparation of rough skeletons,” by Frederic A. Lucas, have also been published.
The publication of the special report upon the fisheries of the United States, in quarto, which, in addition to its descriptive, historical, and statistical contents, will in reality constitute a monograph of the Amer- ican portion of the fisheries collection in the Museum, has been going through the press under the supervision of the Assistant Director and Mr. A. H. Clark, who are rendering this service to the Fish Commission as volunteers.
Museum Library.—The accessions to the Museum library, including books and pamphlets, have been 454. arly in the year Mr. H. W. Spofford was appointed assistant to Mr. F. W. True, the librarian.
Visitors.—The total number of visitors to the National Museum dur- ing the first half of 1885 was 107,365, a daily average of 6923
Meetings in the Lecture Hall.—The lecture hall, as in previous years, has been used for the meetings of several societies, viz, the National Academy of Sciences, the American Fisheries Society, the Biological Society of Washington, the Society of Naturalists of North America, and the Entomological Society of Washington.
Saturday Lectures.—Twelve Saturday lectures, under the auspices of the Biological and Anthropological Societies of Washington, were de- livered in the lecture hall on successive Saturday afternoons, and were well attended. Many of these lectures had direct reference to the work of the Museum, and were illustrated by specimens from the cases.
Museum Report.—A. special report upon the Museum having been or- dered by Congress, the reports of the Assistant Director and curators for the year 1884, together with the accompanying statistics and the scientific papers based upon the collections in the National Museum, have been in a measure separated from the regular Smithsonian report, forming Part II of the same, and being arranged in a separate volume.
In accordance with my custom in previous years, I shall here present a brief review of what has been accomplished in each department, refer- ring to the special Museum report for the full discussion of the additions
*These form Parts II and III of ‘‘ Bibliogr anes of jucetien Natur ieee and are shaped in reference to the long contemplated scheme of publishing a complete bibli- ographical record of all papers relating to the collections in the National Museum.
REPORT OF THE SECRETARY. 29
to the Museum during the first half of 1885, and of the genera) adminis- trative details of the work of the several executive officers.
Organization of the Scientific Departments.—The organization of cura- torships in the several scientific departments is as follows: I, arts and in- ‘ dustries, the assistant director, G. Brown Goode, acting as curator, di- vided into the following sections: (a) materia medica, H. G. Beyer, U.S. N., honorary curator; (b) textile industries, Romyn Hitchcock, acting curator; (¢) fisheries, R. Edward Earll, curator; (d) animal products, R. Edward Earll, acting curator; (e) naval architecture, J. W. Collins, United States Fish Commission, honorary curator; (7) foods, W. C. At- ‘water, acting curator; (g) historical relics, at present under the charge of A. H. Clark. II, a, ethnology, Otis T. Mason, curator, and II, B, American prehistoric pottery, William H. Holmes, Bureau of Eth- nology, Smithsonian Institution, honorary curator. III, antiquities, Charles Rau, curator. IV, mammals, Frederick W. True, curator. V, A, birds, Robert Ridgway, curator; and V, B, birds’ eggs, Charles Bendire, U. S. A., honorary curator. VI, reptiles and batrachians, H. C. Yarrow, U. 8. A., honorary curator. VII, fishes, Tarleton H. Bean, curator. VIIT, comparative anatomy, Frederick W. True, hon- orary curator. IX, mollusks, William H. Dall, honorary curator; X, insects, C. V. Riley, honorary curator; XI, marine invertebrates, Rich- ard Rathbun, curator. XII, A, invertebrate fossils, (paleozoic,) C. D. Walcott, United States Geological Survey, honorary curator; and XII, B, invertebrate fossils, (meso-cenozoic,) C. A. White, United States Geological Survey, honorary curator. XIII, A, fossil plants, and XIII, B, recent plants, Lester F. Ward, United States Geological Survey, honorary curator. XIV, minerals, F. W. Clarke, United States Geo- logical Survey, honorary curator. XV, lithology and physical geol- ogy, George P. Merrill, acting curator. XVI, metallurgy and econo- mic geology, Fred. P. Dewey, curator. The departments of explora- tion and field-work, chemistry, experimental physiology, and vivaria are Still unorganized. These twenty-seven departments and sections are administered by twenty-four curators, honorary curators, and act- ing curators, of which number at present only nine receive salaries from the Museum appropriation. Of the remaining fifteen, five are of- ficers connected with the Geological Survey; one, an officer of the Bureau of Ethnology ; two, officers of the Fish Commission ; two, officers in the United States Army ; one, an officer in the United States Navy; one, an officer in the Agricultural Department; and one, professor of chemis- try in Wesleyan University ; the remaining two are Museum officers, but receive no salaries for their work in administering upon the special collections under their charge.
Department of Arts and Industries—In the department of arts and industries several sections have already been organized ; that of Materia Medica, under the charge of Dr. H. G. Beyer, U.S. N., who has been de-
30 REPORT OF THE SECRETARY.
tailed for this service by the Surgeon-Genéral of the Navy, is in excel- lent condition, and the collection is the most extensive of its kind in America. The work of labelling has been finished, and during the year the exhibition series will be extended and rearranged. Dr. Beyer is prosecuting a chemical investigation of the different species of cinchona - barks in the collection, numbering over one hundred, and has made some important determinations of the alkaloids of some cinchona barks from new regions in Guatemala and Costa Rica. He hasalso carried on investigations upon the physiological actions of atropia, cocaine, and caffeine, on the circulatory apparatus, the results of which have already been published in the ‘‘ American Journal of the Medical Sciences.” Other experiments on the action of atropine on the heart and of blood at different temperatures on the same, have been discussed in the Pro- ceedings of the Museum.
In the section of foods, under the honorary curatorship of Professor Atwater, some progress has been made in the work of building up a collection illustrating the physiological action of foods and the composi- tion of the human body, similar to the famous collection in the Bethnal Green Museum,in London. Mr. Hitchcock, whois acting curator of this collection, has, however, devoted most of his time to the development of the section of textiles, which is directly under his charge. This section has been largely increased by donations from abroad, but especially through collections made by himself while preparing for the Exposition at New Orleans. The object of these collections is twofold, first, to af- ford an exhibit of the various textile fibers available for use in this coun- try and abroad, with specimens of articles made therefrom, such as cloth, rope, twine, mats, &c.; second, to provide a series of specimens of every fiber that can be used in the arts, to be used for scientific examination, tests of tensile strength, and especially to serve as type specimens for the identification of other fibers by microscopical examination. A number of collections which have been received are worthy of special mention. Among these, a particularly fine set of fibers from Brazil, collected by Dr. J. Carlos Berrinni, of Quissaman, who has devoted un- usual care and labor to the work. Allthe textile fibers in the Museum of the Department of Agriculture were placed in Mr. Hitchcock’s charge during January, and from this collection some valuable specimens have been selected and placed on exhibition. Mr. George W. Bond, of Boston, has selected a large collection of native and foreign wools from samples belonging to the United States customs department which have been pre- pared for exhibition; they are not yet on exhibition, as the cases for their display have not been made. This collection is probably al- ready the best thing of the kind to be found in any museum, and when all the wools belonging to the Museum collections are mounted, the display of this textile will be, ifnot quite complete, at least very large and valua- ble. Owing to the restricted floor space in the Museum which has been assigned to this department, it has been impossible to make the display
REPORT OF THE SECRETARY. BY |
of specimens as instructive and attractive as it might be. By far the greater part of the collection, and some of the most interesting speci- mens, have been sent to the Exposition at New Orleans, where this de- partment was well represented. A detailed account however of the display there made would not be of interest in this report, and the sub- ject niay be passed over with the statement that there were sent to New Orleans 290 unit boxes to represent the textiles department of the Museum. The display is said to have been very attractive. Mr. Hitcheock has also been requested to take charge of the physical ap- paratus belonging to the Smithsonian Institution which has been trans- ferred to the National Museum and placed in cases. The arrangement has been necessarily very unsystematic, owing to the limited space at his disposal, but in a general way it is classified under three heads, namely, apparatus for experiments on (1) sound, (2) heat and light, and (3) electricity. A list of the instruments in this collection (which is of interest as having been used by Professor Henry) is in course of preparation. In connection with it may be mentioned the relics of electrical and chemical apparatus of Dr. Joseph Priestley, which is on exhibition in the same place.
The collection of historical relics has received but little attention during the six months, and no effort is at present being made to increase its extent. Perhaps no part of the Museum is more attractive to visitors than that in which the relics of General Washington are displayed, and itis believed that the section of historical relies will receive from year to year a constant increment of valuable memorials of the past. The heirs of General Robert HE. Lee have presented a claim for the recovery of articles of furniture removed from Arlington in 1862, and since then on exhibition with the Washington relics at the Patent Office and in the Museum. Most of these appear never to have been the property of General Washington. They will however be held in the Museum until official instructions for their delivery have been received.
There has been little activity in connection with the section of fish- eries, the section of naval architecture, and the collection of musical instruments, all of which are however in excellent order and have been considerably extended, though without direct effort.
An illustrated catalogue of the Catlin collection of Indian paintings has been prepared by Mr. Thomas Donaldson, and will soon be offered for publication.
Mr. J. EK. Watkins, of Camden, N.J., who is one of the leading au- thorities in the country upon the history of railroads and steam trans- portation, and who is indorsed by many of the leading railroad men of the country, was appointed in June honorary curator of the section of steam transportation. It is intended, as opportunity offers, to gather in the Museum a collection of objects illustrating the history of Amer- ican railroads and steamboats, with a view to preserving permanently the memorials of the growth of this most important interest which has
32 REPORT OF THE SECRETARY.
been so closely connected with the material progress of the United © States. Several important specimens have already been received, notably the “John Bull” locomotive engine, which was built in 1831 in England by George and Robert Stephenson for the “Camden and Am- boy Rail and Tramway Company,” by which this engine was used from 1831 to 1861. This is now stéred at the Armory building, but will be placed on exhibition as soon as proper space can be provided.
Department of Ethnology.—The Curator of this department, Prof. Otis T. Mason, having gathered the ethnological material belonging to the Museum during the last half of 1884, commenced in 1885 its methodical arrangement. The basketry, throwing-sticks, sinew-backed bows, and the whole series of arrows, have been studied and classified, so as to illustrate their distribution, tribal characteristics, and evolution. It is designed to continue this system in the remaining portions of the col- lection, with the view of better unfolding through the arts of savagery the origin and development of civilization.
During the past six months the Curator made two official visits to the
New Orleans Exposition, for the purpose of securing for the National Museum some of the material exhibited by the Departments of the Gen- eral Government and of foreign countries. By this means the Museum has obtained a large number of accessions. Material of especial value was also received from Rev. C. H. A. Dall, of Calcutta; Rev. Dr. George W. Samson; Mr. James Stevenson, of the Bureau of Ethnology, and others, which will be fully described in the Report on the National Mu- seum. ; Mr. William H. Holmes, of the Bureau of Ethnology, has continued the installation of aboriginal pottery, directing his efforts chiefly to la- belling, cataloguing, and classifying the accessions received in the sum- mer and fall of 1884. The very extensive collections of Pueblo material made for the World’s Industrial and Cotton Centennial Exposition in New Orleans, arrived too late to be made fully available for exhibition, but a small representative series of vessels and other objects of clay was forwarded to New Orleans. The collection of ancient pottery, re- cently obtained from Chiriqui, Panama, and partly paid for from the exposition funds, was also represented. The most important accessions have been from the explorations ot Mr. L. H. Aymé, in Mexico. It is hoped that a portion, at least, of the pottery court will be opened to the public by the end of the present calendar year.
Department of Antiquities—Dr. Charles Rau has continued bis work in the department of antiquities, carrying on toward completion the system of arrangement which he began ten years ago. He reports im- portant accessions from the Bureau of Ethnology; from explorations of Kdward Palmer in Arizona; from Oaxaca, Mexico, by L. H. Aymé; from Costa Rica, by J. C. Zeledon ; and from the island of Guadaloupe by L. Guesde. An exceedingly valuable collection of casts of the antiquities of Mexico and Yucatan has been deposited in the Museum by Sefior.
REPORT OF THE SECRETARY. oo
Eufemio Abadiano, of Mexico, by whom they were made. This collec-
tion includes full-size reproductions of several exceedingly important ob- jects, such as the Mexican Aztec Calendar Stone, the Sacrificial Stone, the Aztec Goddess of Death (Teoyoamiqui), and the wonderful reclining figure of Chac-Mool. This collection has been forwarded from New Or- leans and will soon be on exhibition, and it is hoped that by some means it may ultimately become the property of the Museum. It will be in- stalled by the side of the Lorillard collection and other Central Amer- ican antiquities. These two collections of casts, together with the orig- inals already in possession of the Museum, will ertirely fill one of the small exhibition galleries and constitute a display of native American sculpture and architecture which is equalled nowhere else in the world.
Department of Mammals.—At the beginning of the year the work of the mammal department, incident upon the preparation of a collection to be exhibited in New Orleans, having been entirely completed, the regular routine work was resumed. The mammal exhibition hall had _ been rendered less attractive than formerly by the removal of numerous large specimens for the New Orleans Exposition, and a temporary re- arrangement of the collections was attempted in order to make the vacancies less conspicuous. During the first quarter of the year thirty- three mounted specimens were added to the exhibition series, including several large forms, such as a Siberian sheep, a baboon, &c. A list of all the mounted mammals was made in February, and soon afterwards temporary labels were written and distributed among the specimens. Manuscript for printed labels for the entire series was also prepared.
In April the director of the Museum offered a reward for the capture of a specimen of a spotted dolphin, said to be abundantin the Gulf of Mexico. Afreshspecimen was soon afterwards received through Messrs. Warren & Stearns, of Pensacola, Fla., and proved to be of remarkable scientific interest. On the 9th of April three telegrams were received from life-saving station keepers announcing the stranding of cetaceans, two having reference to blackfish stranded near Cape Henry, and the third to a fin-back whale ashore near Truro, Mass. The most interesting - cetacean specimens received during the half-year were a male pygmy sperm-whale (Kogia) and the skull of an Atlantic right-whale (Balena cisarctica). :
Messrs. Barnum, Bailey, and Hutchinson, Mr. Adam Forepaugh, and the authorities of the Philadelphia Zoological Gardens (through Mr. A. E. Brown), and the Central Park Menagerie (through Mr. W. A. Conk- lin), have continued to send many interesting animals in the flesh.
In June the chief taxidermist was ordered to New Orleans to super- intend the packing of the mammals exhibited in that city. During his stay he negotiated an exchange in behalf of the Museum by which three valuable species of quadrumana were acquired, including a specimen of
the interesting gibbon, Hylobates concolor. The New Orleans exhibit H. Mis. 15 3
34 REPORT OF THE SECRETARY.
J
" was not received at the Museum until after the 1st of July. (For a de- tailed account of this collection see Museum Report, 1884, p. 129.)
At the beginning of the year an office and a commodious laboratory in the southwest pavilion of the Museum building were assigned to this department. The collections are thereby made more accessible than formerly.
Department of Birds.—Mr. Ridgway, curator of birds, reports that by direction he prepared for exhibition at the New Orleans World’s Cotton Exposition a collection of North American game birds, numbering 163 finely mounted specimens, and representing nearly all the species. The exhibit was at first intended to be much more comprehensive, the original plan being to exhibit all the known species of North American birds, so far as they could be secured, together with typical groups to illustrate the avian fauna of the several zoo-geographical divisions of the earth’s surface. To this end more than 700 specimens were mounted on special contract, it being impossible to make up a suitable collection from the birds already mounted. The collection had been nearly completed on the original plan when it became necessary, on account of the limited space available, to make the great reduction which ensued. This collection was installed by Dr. Leonhard Stejneger, assistant curator, who for the purpose left Washington January 3, and returned on the 16th of the month. Dr. Stejneger reports that ‘in regard to completeness, perfec- tion of mounting and preservation, scientific exactness, and popular in- structiveness,” this collection “ was superior to any other ornithological exhibit at the exposition.” The collection filled two double Museum cases, fitted with two rows of terraced shelves, the exhibition surface amounting to a little over 600 square feet. Each specimen was mounted on a stand of polished black walnut, and provided with a printed label on which were printed in large, clear type both the scientific and popular names. The curator also calls attention to the “ American Ornitholo- gists’ Union,” which was formed at the urgent request of the various ornithological interests of the country for the main purpose of harmon- izing existing differences in the nomenclature of North American birds, and thereby removing the most serious obstacle to the.study of ornithol- ogy. Atthe meeting of organization in New York City a “ committee on classification and nomenclature” was formed, of which the curator of the department of birds of the United States National Museum was made a member ; and this committee, in pursuance of a call from the chairman, held a meeting in Washington, from the 15th to the 23d of April, inclu- sive, in the office of this department, the collections of which were ap- pealed to in all cases where there was a difference of opinion among mem- bers of the committee, and many perplexing problems were settled to the satisfaction of the committee as a whole. The importance to ornithol- ogy of this meeting, together with one held the previous year in the office of this department. can scarcely be overstated, the whole subject of zo- ological nomenclature having been exhaustively reviewed and a care-
REPORT OF THE SECRETARY. 35
fully prepared code adopted, in which the satisfactory rules of the exist- ing codes were adopted and their unwieldy provisions rejected. This new code has been the guide of the committee in the preparation of a new list of North American birds, and will, without much doubt, be adopted by zoologists generally. The curator having been charged by the above-mentioned committee with the Cetermination of names of North American birds according to the new code of nomenclature, this duty has been carefully performed, and the copy for the new list put in the hands of the president of the union. At this date the list is being printed. The naturalists.of the United States Fish Commission steamer Albatross having made an extensive collection of birds on the almost unknown island of Cozumel, off the coast of Yucatan, it became the duty of the curator, as a part of his official work, to determine the spe- cies and describe those which proved new to science. The latter were no less than nineteen in number, of which the greater part have already been published, while the remainder are described in a full report upon the collection now being printed as a part of Volume VIII of the ‘+ Pro- ceedings of the National Museum.” ‘The offer of the mounted birds— which had for some years been on exhibition in the museum of the De- partment of Agriculture, having been accepted by the National Museum, the transfer of the specimens to the Smithsonian building was effected during the month of May. This collection, numbering 712 specimens, con- sisted largely of common North American birds, the mounting of which was not up to the standard required for exhibition in the Museum col- lection. Being however suitable for purely educational purposes, this surplus stock is at present being made up into sets for distribution to schools or other public educational establishments which may require such material. The remainder of the collection, consisting of a very good series of the different varieties of the domesticated fowl and a smaller number of specimens of exotic Phasianide, has been properly arranged for exhibition in the Museum cases. Mr. Ridgway reports the accession of 3,681 specimens of birds and 185 specimens of nests and eggs.
Department of Fishes.—Dr. Tarleton H. Bean, curator of the department of fishes, reports 297 entries on the catalogue. The most important collec- tions were made, as usual, by the vessels of the United States Fish Com- mission. The Albatross collections which are discussed in the Museum report are very large and important. ‘The curator was aboard this steamer from the 3d of January to the 20th of February, during her work off the southern coast, and inthe West Indies, Caribbean Sea, and the Gulf of Mexico, up to the time of her arrival at New Orleans. He was sent out to make observations upon the living specimens of the deep-sea fishes and upon the southward range of the east coast food-fishes. During the week spent at the island of Cozumel he had opportunity, incidentally, of aiding Mr. Benedict in securing a large series of the birds of that
36 REPORT OF THE SECRETARY.
island, while the seining for fishes along the shore yielded 57 species. At New Orleans a short time was spent in attaching descriptive labels to casts of fishes in the Exposition.
Department of Comparative Anatomy.—This department is under the care of Mr. F. W. True, curator of mammals. Early in the year a number of exhibition cases were set up in the east south range, and in the latter part of February a provisional arrangement of the exhibition series of vertebrate skeletons was effected. A month later the entire collection of bird skeletons was brought from the Smithsonian building and stored in the range. An arrangement was made with the authorities of the Army Medical Museum for the exchange of a collection of human skulls for skeletons and skulls of North American vertebrates, and in April the first in stallment, consisting of about 500 skulls and 350 skeletons of North American vertebrates, was transferred to the United States Na- tional Museum. An agreement was also entered into between the Army Medical Museum and the National Museum to undertake post-mortem examination of animals in the flesh received by the Institution, and of which the donors desired to know the cause of death. <A series of casts of bones of Dinoceras, presented by Prof. O. C. Marsh, was also placed on exhibition. The osteological preparator and his assistant were con- stantly engaged in cleaning skeletons and mounting them for exhibi- tion. One of the most interesting of the recently exhibited skeletons is that of Ahytina gigas, obtained in Bering Island by Dr. L. Stejneger for the Institution. Some progress has been made in the preparation of a series of specimens illustrative of the modifications of the limbs and other portions of the skeletons in the different classes of vertebrates. Experiments in special cases for the exhibition of this and other simi- lar series have proved very successful. But little work has been done in connection with the reserve series except for the purpose of deter- mining whether the specimens were in good order.
Department of Mollusks.—This department has been making extra- ordinary progress under the charge of Mr. William H. Dall, assisted by Dr. R. E.C. Stearns. Mr. Dall reports that the department under his charge has been making steady advance in its administration upon the mass of accumulations of the last ten years, and, except in regard to the New Orleans exhibit, has little more to offer than a record of such un- eventful work which is indispensable for making the collections useful for the paleontologist or the conchologist who may desire to consult it. The most interesting accession was a small lot of Japanese shells con- tributed by Mr. Uchimura, which contains several great rarities. The preparation of material for the New Orleans Exposition, which absorbed several months’ time prior to the beginning of the year, was completed under the direction of Dr. Stearns, so that the boxes containing the specimens and the cases required for their display reached their desti- nation and were ready for arrangement early in January. About the middle of the month Dr. Stearns proceeded to New Orleans and re-
REPORT OF THE SECRETARY. ot
mained there until the installation of this exhibit was completed. The exhibit in this division of natural history probably surpassed, in extent and general excellence, any previously made at any great Exhibition. It was arranged in 21 table-cases, the specimens being placed in inside trays and labelled. The general system followed was a geographical one, and presented a characteristic representation of the more con- spicuous and interesting forms of the various zoological-geographical provinces. The exhibit included several cases of the fresh-water mus- sels of the Mississippi drainage area, which is remarkable for the great number and beauty of the shells; also the rare and peculiar forms be- longing to this group from other parts of the world. The land and pond snails of the Mississippi basin were each represented by a separate case. The marine shells of the Atlantic coast of America from the Arctic Sea to the Caribbean, and the sea-shells of the Pacific coast from Bering Sea to Panama, were also shown, including the principal species inhabiting the tidal areas of Puget Sound to tbe north and the Gulf of California to the south. Other cases contained selected specimens from the Indo- Pacific region, such as live in the warm waters of the great coral areas of the tropical and semi-tropical seas between the shores of Western America and Eastern Asia. Four cases were devoted to the edible mollusca of the United States. Two of these contained clams, cockles, &e., of the Atlantic seaboard, and two cases were devoted to similar forms peculiar to the coast of Western North America from Alaska to San Diego, Cal. The systematic and critical selection of the foregoing involved a great deal of work and the overhauling of a large quantity of material, the accumulation of many years. This labor was however incidentally advantageous to the Museum, as a considerable portion of the work consisted in the examination and partial preparation of mol- luscan material, hereafter to be incorporated in the national collection, and of very great importance for reference in connection with the study of fossil forms of the Quaternary or even of the Tertiary age. Unlike the results to some other departments of the Museum, the Exposition contributed little or nothing to this section, and indeed the Museum was the only contributor of an important mollusean exhibit.
Department of Insects.—Prof. C. V. Riley continues to perform the duties of curator without assistance; but arrangements have been made for the appointment of a paid assistant curator for the next fiscal year. Professor Riley reports a number of important accessions, including a large collection of Coleoptera and Lepidoptera sent from Sikkim by the
tev. C. H. A. Dall, of Calcutta. A varied collection of insects was se- cured by the United States Fish Commission steamer Albatross from the West Indian region, and an important general collection of alco- holic material was received from Dr. R. W. Shufeldt, U.S. A., stationed at Fort Wingate, New Mexico. The most valuable addition to the collee tion during these six months, from a classificatory standpoint, however, was the dipterological collection of Mr. Edward Burgess, treasurer of the
38 REPORT OF THE SECRETARY.
Boston Society of Natural History, which was obtained by purchase; while the most valuable, from a popular and economic view, is the ex- hibit collection prepared for the New Orleans Exposition. This has been returned with little injury, and is only awaiting space for perma- nent exhibition in the Museum. It is made up of the following material, arranged in cases made on the same unit plan as those of the Museum:
(1) Insects injurious to Agriculture.—Arranged according to the partic- ular plant and the particular part of the plant affected, and containing, as far as possible, the different states of growth of the insect, its enemies and parasites, a statement of the remedies or preventives available, and a reference to the chief articles where full information can be found upon it. These references are principally to Government and State reports, to which the farmer will most likely have access.
(2) Insecticide Substances.—In the catalogue of this collection the aim has been to add, as briefly as possible, a statement of the method of using such substances, so that whenever in the first section a particular substance is recommended for a particular insect, the reader can turn to this second section for further details.
(3) Insecticide Machinery and Oontrivances for Destroying Insects.—In the catalogue of this section there is also added such information as will add to the instructive value of the exhibit, and a large proportion of the more useful contrivances are such as have been designed and perfected in the work of the entomological division, or of the United States Entomological Commission during the past five years.
(4) Bee-culture.—This collection is designed to show all the more val- . uable methods and contrivances now in use among the advanced apia- rians.
(5) Silk-cultwre.—In this collection the aim has been to make the exhibit instructive rather than full in detail. The collection includes, in addi- tion to the foregoing, a number of framed plates, both colored and plain, which have been prepared in the work of the division; and a number of Prof. Riley’s enlarged colored diagrams of some of the more important injurious insects were also used. <A catalogue of this exhibit has been published under the direction of the Department of Agriculture, giving a full and detailed statement of its contents.
The routine work of the department has consisted in answering let- ters and in acknowledging and determining accessions. A good deal of work has also been done in the proper arrangement and classifying of material, particularly in the Micro-Lepidopteraand in the Lepidoptera generally. In this work Professor Riley was assisted by Mr. Albert Koebele, who was detailed from the Department of Agriculture for the purpose.
The researches in entomology have been made chiefly in connection with Prof. Riley’s work for the Department of Agriculture; and some of the results have been published in the bulletins and publications of said Department.
REPORT OF THE SECRETARY. 39
Department of Marine Invertebrates.—Mr. Richard Rathbun, curator, reports that the most important addition to this department was made by the United States Fish Commission steamer Albatross in April, on her return from a three months’ cruise in the Gulf of Mexico, mainly spent in investigating the grouper and red-snapper fishing grounds off our southern coast. The collection turned over to the Museum was much larger and contained many more novelties than that made by the Albatross in the same region and the Caribbean Sea the previous year, and the unassorted materials filled nearly 1,000 packages of all sizes. Of most interest was a series of several hundred specimens of sea-lilies, mostly collected off Havana, Cuba, and representing the various stages of growth of two species of Pentacrinus and of one of Rhizocrinus. Over 30 species of Echini, or sea-urchins, were also con- tained in the collection, and other divisions of the Echinodermata, as well as the Celenterata, Crustacea, and Mollusca, were very fully rep- resented. The bathymetrical range covered by these explorations ex- tended from the shore level to a depth of 1,467 fathoms. Prof. A. E. Verrill, of New Haven, has transferred to the Museum over 1,000 packages of identified specimens resulting from the explorations of the Fish Commission in former years.’ Mr. Henry Hemphill continued his collecting on the Florida coast, begun the previous winter, until Mareh of this year, and has contributed several cases of specimens belonging to many groups. The other principal accessions have been . a fine series of the sea-urchins and star-fishes of the west coast of Mexico from Mr. A. Forrer, numerous specimens of Pacific corals and echinoderms from Dr. R. E. C. Stearns, and the collection of marine invertebrates made by Lieut. George M. Stoney, U. 8S. N., in Alaska, in 1884. Much progress has been made in the determination and cat- aloguing of specimens. Prof. Walter Faxon has completed his studies of the collection of cray-fishes, which is now the second in the United States in size and number of species, being exceeded only by that at the Museum of Comparative Zoology, Cambridge. It contains 46 North American species. The collection of echini, which holds the same relative rank, has also been almost completely identified, and other groups are being rapidly worked over. In June the west hall of the Smithsonian building, devoted to the exhibition of marine invertebrates, was opened to the public, and although the collections now displayed fill only the wall cases surrounding the room, they present a very credit- able appearance, and all the groups belonging to this department are represented to a greater or less extent. The dried collections not on display have been mostly transferred to the northwest gallery of the main hall, which will also serve as a general work-room for the depart- ment. Soon after the middle of June the curator and his assistants left for Wood’s Holl, Mass., to take part in the summer explorations of the United States Fish Commission.
40 REPORT OF THE SECRETARY.
Department of Invertebrate Iossiis ( Puleozoic). —Mr. Charles D. Wal- cott, honorary curator of this department, reports that his principal work has consisted in identifying and labelling a collection of Carbon- iferous fossils which were in the old Smithsonian collection. This work is now well advanced, and will soon be completed as far as identifying the species from the old records can be done. In the laboratory the time of the curator has been chiefly devoted to the preparation and ‘study of the Cambrian faunas of North America. This has been done in connection with his work for the Geological Survey. A large num- ber of types and a great quantity of specimens of described species will be added to the Museum collections as a result of this work. A number of minor accessions have been received from various persons throughout the country. <A large addition was made to the collection in the latter part of 1884, a full discussion of which was presented in the report for that year, and another valuable contribution from the Geological Survey will probably be made in the latter part of the pres- ent year.
Department of Invertebrate Fossils (Meso-cenozoic).—Dr. Charles A. White, the honorary curator of this department, states that a number of important accessions have been received during the first six months of this year, and that some of them constitute new additions to the col- lection. Descriptions of these have been published in the various bul- letins of the United States Geological Survey. The work of preparing the collections of the Museum has been in progress, and the installation of types has been commenced. Since the beginning of the year con- siderable space has been assigned to this department in the gallery of the Smithsonian Institution, and the work of preparing materials for exhibition has steadily progressed. The space in the southeast court of the Museum building is occupied by specimens belonging to this de- partment which have been turned over by the Geological Survey to the Museum, and in this court the collections are prepared for instal- lation.
Departments of Fossil and Recent Plants.—Prof. Lester F. Ward, cura- tor, reports that the work of his department was exclusively confined to fossil plants until near the close of the year 1884, and no collections of recent plants were received until February last, when rooms were assigned to him for the purpose, and the large Joad collection from Kew was placed in his charge. With this Professor Ward joined his own collection, consisting of nearly 5,000 species. The two collections combined form a nucleus of not less than 14,000 species, including twice as many herbarium specimens for a future herbarium. He sub- mits the following suggestion:
‘‘ All botanical collections have for many vears been turned over to the Department of Agriculture, to be cared for by the botanist of that
Department. When in 1881 I was requested to take charge of the fossil plants of the National Museum, and consented to do so, I per-
REPORT OF THE SECRETARY. 41
ceived at once the great inconvenience which this arrangement would cause to the department of fossil plants. The collections of fossil plants were largely undetermined, and required to be studied and identified. Most of them were from recent formations, and represented types of veg- etation still living, requiring constant comparison with the recent forms to be seen in herbaria. Even the installation and care of those that were named necessitated such comparison, and the difficulties of this nature that were encountered were very great. It was rarely possible to carry the fossils to the Department of Agriculture, and as it was usually necessary to search through large families of plants, the temporary transportation of the botanical specimens was still more impracticable. I therefore early began to urge the establishment at the Museum of a permanent collection of the plants still growing in America and other countries where the analogues of fossil plants were likely to occur. While I am highly gratified at the progress in this direction already made, as reported above, it must however be evident that only a begin- ning has thus far been made, and that the present collection of living plants is still very inadequate. The Joad collection represents chiefly the flora of Southern Europe, which is widely different from all Tertiary floras, and especially so from the Cretaceous and Tertiary floras of North America. The collections that I have made are exclusively American, and, so far as they go, are valuable aids to the study of American fossil plants, but they are, of course, too limited in extent to be trusted in critical cases. The parts of the world next after those in North Ameri- ca with which our fossil floras most closely agree, are Hastern Asia, the East Indies, Australia, and South Africa, and from all these vast re- gions scarcely any representatives are to be found in the present her- barium of'the National Museum. It is therefore highly desirable, as a necessary adjunct to the department of fossil plants, and aside from the still greater desideratum of establishing a truly national herbarium at the Museum, that all reasonable efforts be made to enlarge and en- rich the botanical collections.”
The technical botanical work of thedepartment has been intrusted to Mr. Frank H. Knowlton, who in addition to identifying and installing the material, has devoted much time to bibliographical research, and to the development of the sectional library. Very large collections have been made by Mr. A. L. Schott during the spring and summer months from the parks and gardens of the city. These collections are designed primarily to aid in the preparation of a catalogue of the ornamental plants of Washington, but while serving this purpose, they are at the same time valuable accessions to the herbarium and highly useful in connection with the study of fossil plants. In collecting and preserving these speci- mens Mr. Schott has shown great industry and skill. In addition to this work Mr. Schott has undertaken the preparation of a check-list of genera from the ‘Genera Plantarum” of Bentham and Hooker, of which about half the manuscript was completed at the end of June. The time of the curator was almost exclusively spent in the study and determina- tion of fossil plants collected by himself, and over one hundred species, many of which are new, were identified and will be duly incorporated in the Museum collections.
42 REPORT OF THE SECRETARY.
Department of Minerals.—This department has been under the charge of Prof. ’. W. Clarke, assisted by Mr. William S. Yeates. There have been made during the first half of the year 534 entries, representing 2,137 specimens, all of which are new accessions, except 138 specimens which were found in the old collections without evidence of having been previously catalogued. Highteen sets of minerals have been sent out as exchanges, comprising about 1,200 specimens, and much valuable material has been obtained in return. This department was represented at New Orleans by collections of the minerals from which are obtained gems and ornamental stones, and also by a collection of cut and polished stones. These collections attracted the general attention of connois- seurs and visitors at the Exposition. The minerals were classified after Dana’s system, and were arranged in seven fiat-top table-cases. The gems were displayed in two cases, the specimens being mounted on white and black velvet pads. This department did not secure a large amount of new material from the New Orleans Exposition, most of the mineral collections on exhibition belonging to private individuals, to whom the agents were responsible for the safe return of their specimens: One-half of the southwest court has been assigned to this department as its exhibition space, and the collections have been removed thither.
Department of Lithology and Physical Geology.—The curator, Mr. George P. Merrill, was on duty at the New Orleans Exposition at the beginning of the year, but has nevertheless accomplished very satis- factory results in the work of reinstalling the collections upon the ex- tended floor-space recently assigned to this department. The opening of the year found the affairs of this department in a quiescent though somewhat confused state, owing to the fact that since the preceding July the entire energies of the working force had been devoted to the preparation of the exhibit designed for the New Orleans Exposition, and the regular work of the Museum had consequently fallen behind. The special exhibit was completed late in December and the extra hands discharged. This exhibit consisted of (1) a collection of 358 specimens of building and ornamental stones of the United States in the form of four-inch cubes; (2) a collection of some 12 specimens of foreign and native marbles in the form of polished slabs; (3) a collec- tion of 150 specimens of rock-forming minerals; (4) a collection called a “structural series,” intended to represent all the common forms of rock structure and texture; (5) a collection of 198 specimens of rock illustrating the geology and lithology of the Comstock lode and Wa- shoe district, Nevada; and (6) a lithological collection comprising 500 specimens of various rocks; this last together with numbers 3 and 4 forming a part of the regular educational series of the Museum. As these collections were all fully described in the report of this depart- ment for 1884, no further reference to them in this place is necessary. The large quantity of building-stone and other material occupying the space in the southwest court, was removed and stored temporarily
REPORT OF THE SECRETARY. 43
in a shed outside the eastern entrance to the Museum, the court being thus available for exhibition purposes. By a reassignment of exhibi- tion space, the exhibition area of this department was made to include the whole of the west-south range, instead of a portion of this range and a portion of the court, as heretofore. The new arrangement is vastly preferable both on account of the better light thus obtained and . of greater convenience in arranging and classifying the exhibit. In May the force of the department was again increased by the addition of one aid, one clerk, and three stone-cutters, and the preparation of a collec- tion of building-stones commenced for the American Museum of Natural History in New York. This collection will, when complete, comprise not Jess than one thousand specimens, and an equal number of thin sections for microscopical study. This work was still in progress at the end of June. The number of entries in the department catalogue during the six months has been 486, comprising some 700 specimens. These will be fully deseribed in the Museum report for the first half of 1885. Con- siderable time has been devoted to the preparation of the various ex- hibition series, particularly those included under lithology, and histori- eal, dynamical, and structural geology. The last three are as yet far from completion, and at the present rate of progress, which is neces- sarily very limited, must so continue for several years. On this point
Mr. Merrill comments as follows:
“T may, perhaps, be pardoned for mentioning here the fact that from past experience, | am convinced that the only satisfactory way in whieh these last-named branches of my department can be built up, is to allow the curator, or some experienced person, a certain sum of money to be expended either in the purchase of collections under his direct supervision, or of especially desirable material. A very considerable portion of the material now necessary for this purpose is of such a nature—principally on account of the bulk and weight of the speci- mens—as to be beyond the scope of the ordinary collector, and in too little demand to be found in many of the natural-history stores. I might mention such examples as fault structure, examples of folds, contortion, false bedding, &c., which can scarcely be obtained by other than the means suggested.”
Department of Metallurgy and Economic Geology.—At the opening of the year the curator, Mr. F. P. Dewey, was still detained at New Or- leans, arranging the collection which had been sent from his depart- ment to the Exposition, and he did net return to Washington til the middle of January. The design of the special exhibit of this department was to show, as far as the time and means at his disposal would per- mit, the prominent occurrences of each metal, the methods of extract: ing the metals from their ores, and the utilization of the metals. To these were added a few illustrations of non-metallic ores and their utilization, including a very extensive and valuable illustration of the coal industry. Most of the ore material was selected from the Museum collection, and only a very few new collections were made. These lat- ter were taken upon a systematic plan representing the mine as a unit
AA REPORT OF THE SECRETARY.
rather than to gather a few specimens selected at random, as is usually done. In following the plan, specimens were taken to represent sections across and up and down the vein, and to show an average of the product of the vein, while to these were added the walls and other interesting material. In representing the extraction and utilization of the metals, tbe plan adopted was to begin with the ore as it leaves the mine, and to follow it through the various steps in all the operations to the production of the finished article, showing,when possible, every material entering into each operation, as well as every product of each operation. In the case of coal, the collections were based largely on the ethnological aspects of the question, and thus included many specimens aside from those of an eco- nomic or geological value. Throughout the new collections of the depart- ment special attention has been paid to gathering as fulland completea de- scription of everything shown as possible, while the pictorial side of the question has been treated very elaborately and includes some views of the interior of a coal mine'taken by electric light, the first views of the kind ever produced. These collections form a basis for a full and complete rep- resentation of the mineral resources of the country, and it is hoped that they will increase until they shall have attained their highest educa- tional value. They have been fully described in Museum Circular No. 31. The regular force of the department having been reduced to a scientific assistant and a laborer, the work of preparing the collections in the Museum has been at a comparative stand-still during the first half of the year. The laboratory of this department has been moved to the second floor of the southwest pavilion, and the work-room on the floor of the Museum has been cleaned out and space prepared for ex- hibition purposes, so that now the entire work of preparing material for exhibition has been concentrated into one place. The work of investi- gating the New Orleans material has been carried on as far as practi- cable, and, with the assistance of Mr. Allen, a number of very valuable analyses have been made. A large number of accessions have been re- ceived, among which may be specially mentioned a collection from the Argo works, presented by Hon. N. P. Hill, a series donated by the Copper Queen Company, and a series of apatite from many localities, presented by Pickford & Winkfield, of London, England. In the middle of May the curator returned to New Orleans to pack up the collection and to solicit contributions for increasing the value of the permanent collections. No attempt was made to obtain large, entire collections without regard to their value to the Museum, requests being made for material of only two classes, 7. e., that of intrinsic value, and such as would fiil gaps in our permanent collections. This effort was so successful that much very valuable’ material was obtained and some of the most important gaps were filed. Among the former should be especially noticed» the important and interesting collection received from Mexico, and among the latter the valuable series of iron ores from the Menominee region in Michigan. After the return of the curator to
REPORT OF THE SECRETARY. 45
Washington in June, the collection presented to the Museum by the American Institute of Mining Engineers, and which has for some years been stored in Philadelphia, under the care of Mr. Thomas Donaldson, commenced to arrive and claimed his attention during the remainder of the fiscal year.
BUREAU OF ETHNOLOGY.
For continuing the prosecution of ethnological researches among the North American Indians during the year 1885, under the general super- vision of the Smithsonian Institution, an appropriation of $40,000 was made by Congress. The charge of this interesting work—so valuable for the advancement of anthropological knowledge—still remains under the efficient direction of Maj. J. W. Powell.
The explorations in this field for the collection of information and material, being mainly conducted during the summer months, the re- sults cannot be collated and discussed till late in the fall. And as the present report is brought down only to the 1st of July, a notice of the operations of this Bureau for the year 1885 must necessarily be post- poned until the next annual report.
UNITED STATES GEOLOGICAL SURVEY.
While this important branch of the public service is in its organiza- _tion entirely independent of the Smithsonian Institution, yet its inti- mate relations to the latter, not only in the advancement of original scientific research, but particularly in the valuable contributions made by it to the stores of the National Museum, have seemed to justify an annual summary of its general operations. Maj. J. W. Powell continues to administer in a highly satisfactory manner the responsible duties of his position as Director of the Survey.
In this department also, as in that last referred to, the field work is still in progress at the closing of this report. And hence, for the rea- son assigned, no details of the work and its results can here be given. The character of the geological operations for the year will be concisely presented in the report of 1885~86.
THE UNITED STATES FISH COMMISSION.
The work of the Commission has been prosecuted on about the same scale as during the year 1884, the usual attention being paid to the pro- duction of trout, salmon, whitefish, and other species, and to the gen- eral investigations into the fisheries of the country.
The steamer Albatross, which was sent to the Gulf of Mexico, partly to represent the United States Fish Commission at the New Orleans
46 REPORT OF THE SECRETARY.
Ex»osition and partly for the prosecution of research, was very success- ful in her mission, attracting much attention at the exhibition, and making many important explorations. Included in these was a short visit to Cozumel, an island off the coast of Yucatan, where many new species of vertebrate animals were secured.
The investigations made at Wood’s Holl will be detailed in the next report, as the work was begun after June 30, which represents the limit of the present report.
Respectfully submitted. SPENCER F. BAIRD, Secretary Smithsonian Institution. WASHINGTON, July 1, 1885.
REPORT ON SMITHSONIAN EXCHANGES, JANUARY 1 TO JUNE 30, 1885.
By GrorRGE H. BOEHMER. OFFICE WORK.
On my return from an official mission to Europe as special agent for the international exchange of official public documents of the United States Government with foreign powers, to which position I had been appointed by yourself, and at the request of Mr. Spofford, the Libra- rian of Congress, on July 22, 1884, | resumed charge of the Exchange Office on Mareh 1, 1885. One of my first duties was the preparation of reports to (1) the Smithsonian Institution, as the agent of exchange of the United States Government, and (2) to the Library of Congress, as the beneficiary under the Congressional act establishing this system of exchange. The latter report is a manuscript of 620 pages of (42-line) foolscap paper, and will in all probability be presented to Congress by the Librarian of Congress through the Joint Committee on the Library. The report to the Smithsonian Institution is a manuscript of over 500 pages foolscap, and comprises: (a) Letter of transmittal; (b) historical sketch of international exchanges; (¢) journal; (d) correspondence; (e) bibliographical list of official and scientific publications made by the Government departments and scientific and learned societies located in Berlin, Germany. ‘This list is as complete as could be collected during the comparatively short sojourn in that city. Of this report only the letter of transmittal, exhibiting a résumé in a condensed form of the work performed, success attained, and certain observations made abroad, will be given in the present statement, under the heading ‘“‘ Government Exchange Division.”
Special attention had been given in all the countries visited to the collecting of reliable information and material to aid in the correction of the “list of foreign correspondents.” In this endeavor 1 met with the most generous assistance on the part of all officials to whom I made known my wishes, and a full list of the co-operators in this enterprise will be presented in the new and revised list prepared from the mate- rial collected and now ready for publication. This new list comprises over 4,000 titles, while the last one published by the Institution had only 2,901. .
The regular office work has received proper attention, and the first six months of the present year close with a record never attained before,
47
48 REPORT ON EXCHANGES.
The Record Division.—The duties of this office have become so numer- ous, that an additional assistant was this year allowed. The work of this division now embraces all the records and card catalogues under the system adopted on the Ist of January, 1885. Under this system all exchanges, whether incoming or outgoing, foreign or domestic, after verifying the correctness of the sending, are entered on a blotter—this work being done by the assistants in the foreign and domestic exchange division, respectively ; these blotters are then transcribed by the clerks of the record division in the day-book, from which the ledger, repre- sented by a card catalogue, is posted. In addition to these duties, it devolves on the clerks of this division to prepare the invoices for the outgoing exchanges, and to credit on the ledger the acknowledgments sent by recipients of exchanges, and to record and file letters, bills of lading, &e.
The following statement exhibits the work done in this division dur- ing the first six months:
Description. Number. & INGEN Vor EES) TNE) GA oe dSkcas oeenos eoce se sonscos cso pee ookicos Soho 6 3,375 Domestic! Cand Shiu peels ese sees aeie ae aoa ee oe ae eee ee eee ae 206 Domesticventries Made eyes ese cieisenoe, Seeeieeeenes Seem oe ero weer neal Moreignilentriesimade\eanemsclsiae sere ser lolemaaiala atcts crate icles elation apape eve one 30, 691 ToVOlGes Written yc sys calise aioe Stes cect ee saree Ine Sisley at Oe ered 13,576 Goverment) packaces received aca 52-2 sac selce a eee ee eee 51, 600 Miscellaneous packages teceived oe eae eos see iclaeetsine ee eee eae 14, 042 Ihetters;entered so 25. oh See a occe els nisin cioseisicie sence eivisw sinc ete seer 433
Tie Woregn ie hance Donen Hee vane 1 “1885, 39, 921 packages have been received in this division and 383 boxes sent, including the Government exchanges. A comparative statement of boxes sent dur- ing corresponding periods of former years present the following results:
Boxe! 1880. | 1881. | 1882, | 1883. 1861, 1885,
HMI ee en 2 155 | 168 | 166 350 | 383 |
The year 1884 exhibited an extraordinary increase in the transmis- sions, which was largely due to an arrangement for exchanges on the part of the United States Patent Office with foreign Governments by which 62 large cases were sent abroad through the Smithsonian Insti- tution in June of that year. But notwithstanding this unusual send- ing, the last six months show an inerease of 33 boxes over the similar period of 1884. A detailed list will be presented in the statistics of exchanges.
Owing to the large addition in the work required under the present system of preparing blotters, &e., and im consideration of the regular increase both in incoming and outgoing exchanges,-two (temporary) assistants have been employed.
REPORT ON EXCHANGES. 49
The Domestic Hachange Division.—The work performed in this division between January 1, 1885, and June 30, 1835, is as follows:
‘Description. Number.
Mocslepackag es CisihiDULed ae nac sane cele sae eee eee ania aecia ale ene ae miebemievsiee 5, 138 ATITIO MN COMENUS AV DLULG I street ere stem pee etl ae Sa IN diate e yet steinieleteteite 1, 830 AAGIOMBEEES WHIUIA o ho scceshossédo seep onadan odsc Gaosacidgae sobbesse bebe 7, 320 Hniries made inyDlLOGhers=- ace os ose se clone Ses ecinse sadsele dase sacar 5, 138
While now, as compared with 1884, the number of packages distrib- uted does not apparently present any marked increase, it must be re- membered that until the end of August, 1884, all books for the Smith- sonian Institution, whether received by mail or otherwise, were entered on the exchange record; but since then the books for the Smithsonian Institution, coming by mail, were sent direct to the Smithsonian Li- brary without passing through the exchanges. Thus, while the num- ber of entries on the exchange records has apparently remained the same, an increase has in reality taken place, the extent of which is represented by the number of packages sent direct to the Smithsonian Library.
VISIL TO EUROPE.
The Government Exchange Division.—On the 22d of July, 1884, hav- ing been appointed as special European agent of the Library of Con- gress for exchanging the official publications of the United States Gov- ernment for like publications of foreign Governments, in accordance with the Congressional acts of March 2, 1867, and July 2, 1868, I ven- ture to here present, as a concise statement of the business accom- plished, a reproduction of the letter transmitting the formal report:
‘““Obediently to the instructions received, and provided with letters of credence (1) from yourself to the correspondents of the Institution abroad, (2) from Mr. Spofford, on behalf of the Library of Congress to the officers in charge of Government exchanges in Europe, and (3) from the Department of State to the officers of the diplomatic and consular corps of the United States in Europe, I left on my mission on the 24th of July, 1884, and successively visited the executive depart- ments of the following countries : Germany, Prussia, Saxony, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Finland, Russia, Austria, Hungary, Roumania, Ba- varia, Switzerland, Wurtemberg, Belgium, Holland, England, Italy, and France (several of them repeatedly), obtaining immediate results far above all expectations, and securing the promise of further valuable returns. In most of the countries visited even the promise of two com- plete sets of official publications has been secured, while the Govern- ment of the United States furnishes only one single copy to each of the exchanging states. Austria has been added to the list of exchanging Governments, and Germany and Prussia are also expected to be repre- sented in a decided majority of their respective publications.
“One of the paragraphs of instruction, specifying the kind of docu-
H. Mis. 15——4
50 REPORT ON EXCHANGES.
ments especially desired by the Librarian of Congress, mentions, among others—
‘‘(a) Complete sets of the laws of each country.
“(b) Journals, &e., of parliamentary bodies.
‘‘(¢) Historical publications.
‘In compliance with this paragraph I desire to state that on the part of all the Governments visited the promise has been cheerfully given (including even that of Germany and Prussia), and a number of them have already redeemed their promise. Large collections have been re- ceived from the Governments of Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Hungary, Saxony, Wurtemberg, Bavaria, Holland, Italy, France, and Switzer- land, while in furnishing collections of laws those of Wurtemberg and Bavaria stand pre-eminent, the collection from the former extending from the year 1289 to the present day. This is not a Government pub- lication, but a private enterprise. The complete work had to be pur- chased by the Government of Wurtemberg, and is now being presented to the Government of the United States in appreciation of the many and valuable documents presented under the Congressional act of Gov- ernment documents exchange, while the collection from Bavaria com- prises several hundred volumes. As regards historical publications the Government of Switzerland stands pre-eminent in her promise to sup- ply as complete a collection as can be obtained—a library in itself— of the historical works of that Republic, while the Governments of Saxony and Italy have already furnished some very valuable works. Of other official publications a collection of 4,500 volumes of ‘* Procés- verbaux des conseils généraux des Départements Fran¢ais,” received from the French Government, may be named, while the offer of the English Government of supplying the parliamentary papers from the year 1817 to the end of 1881 also deserves mention.
“At first I met with great difficulties and vexations in carrying out the designated plan of operations, mainly owing to the facts that all the intercourse had been in a very indirect way of correspondence, and that an agent of exchange had never visited the respective Govern. ments, among whom some very singular ideas prevailed as to the true position of the Library of Congress as regards this exchange, as well as to its relative position to the Government of the United States and the bodies representing the Government in its various branches, and in consequence of which some very serious misapprehensions and miscon- structions as regards the purpose of this exchange had occurred.
‘Another disadvantage which soon became painfully noticeable has its origin in the entirely different organization and construction of the exchange service of the European countries as compared with our own system.
‘¢ While the United States Congress makes a liberal provision for the printing and gratuitous distribution of all official publications, from the most inexpensive to the most costly production, in European countries the respective governmental bureaus and departments relieve them-
REPORT ON EXCHANGES. 51
selves of any and all annoyances and cost attending the printing and publishing of their various issues by giving the manuscript in com- mission to some enterprising and reliable publishing house. Thus the work is at once thrown in the book trade and represents a commercial value, and copies can only be supplied through the firm holding the work on commission. The department may receive probably some 50 per cent. of the proceeds of the sales, which income greatly lessens the cost of preparing the manuscript. The respective departments ean obtain copies only by purchase, and no legislation existing in those countries like our Congressional act authorizing the exchange of official documents, the one bureau, having undertaken the collecting and pro- viding for the exchange with other Governments, has a very difficult task in obtaining from the other departments the works required for the purpose. It has no right to demand, but it is always the suppli- cant for a favor, since such only it can be considered. “Furthermore, the bureaus of exchange established (on the basis adopted by the Paris convention in 1875) in a number of European states are greatly restricted in their modus operandi by well-defined laws, which prescribe distinctly that the official publications obtained in the manner above described, and purchased from funds exclusively allowed for the purpose, can be exchanged only for works of the same (commercial) value. This, however, is a difficult matter in the case of the United States publications, which represent no commercial value, although they command very high figures in the book trade. I beg leave ‘here to quote from an English catalogue the prices of some of the more important United States publications—the figures reduced to American currency :
Publications. Prices. Contributions to North American Ethnology, vol. 4-.-.--...---..----.------ $11 25 Contributions to North American Ethnology, vol. 5...-..-.---.----.---.----- 10 50 Annual Reports, bureau of Hthbmolovya.>- 2 -sces-.24 2 ce esc per volume..| 12 50 Wisse iS One COMMISSION epOLES, SavOlUMCS mace ete tees ieee l= ata ial tala l= 45 00 Monuhe@ eneusiep seas ec oo eae a cacle cee ciciscieccistectemaiais ¢ per volume, about. - 5 00 MEMO OTST nViOl Senet ey eet cto ose mine relates eee ania see ere Seclod wavelets iste Alay 7) Commercial Relations of the United States, 1880-1884...........-..- per set..| 27 50 Ibixoyauenavel Shree, PO WODNNGS 55 oo6 seo sh Sone Hoos Uribe coca SOS5hn EH SemoUIOEOnIeEer Soar 10 50 Annual Report Secretary of War, 1l8e0...-.....---.-.....--..--...- per set..| 10 50 Mineral Resources of the United States -.....-.---.---.---.---- per volume... 7 50 Wairiyesp nae LY Mr bh aye Se See Oe IS Ee a tSe 6 Se kee ace ee MRE tere donee: 7 50 PaAriggh SMI IGOUMmes eae eee ee estos ecto ceiiccines paiwinteissinarstc clecie es eec's per set..| 10 50 BAe KEM IStO LOD DO Gan canine etree ant eels nsattsiaiciaciis (Stale) a's (ais cia:o'sieie = =i 18 75 Haven SUL Vey 10 nVOlUM ES 40m aeons ee eels assis as ss te ymra ial elalelm -~)eimlnln ls ela = 75 00 Hayden Survey, Annual Reports, 12 volumes.........--. ---..-.--...---.---- 63. 00 lnbisy@keye, Swinyenys JENS he (Orolo ale) sae os ols ee ee eee abe ee Oise oooe 15 75 Kine SunveyHontlepnearallolierac ca ceee eames loss ciaemia accom cele per set-.| 157 00 U.S. Geological Survey (Powell), Annual Reports-.-.....-------- per volume.-| 7 50 U.S. Geological Survey, monograph, vol. 2....--..- SaccEQneeuocEeEsou casedas 21 00 WesaGeolocics Survey, monograph, -VOl..o ---222- ---.5---c--< eemcee cece ss-s-| el, 00 UsSGeolocical Sunveys monooraph, vViOl. 4 2 sseee - = es sewers cane sae eee ema - 7 50 MES Geolocicalo Sune ye MONO OVA My ViOly Olio) sia es leleleierss pe ate el eine aml ie 14 2% Wheeler, Surveys West of the 100th Meridian .............--.-...--- per set..| 130 00
DET ORSES OAM HS RENO DOT Ee semis clon So clncicis we cinlelacins «cies e (ais sess + oem, seme 11 25
52 REPORT ON EXCHANGES.
“Herein, and in the misconceptions above stated, we may find an explanation of the scant returns the Government of the United States has received and of the incompleteness of the series furnished; and though, through the kind and hearty co-operation of our diplomatic and consular officers, I finally succeeded in placing, for a time at least, the ex- changes on a sound basis, allow me to seggest that the means of securing for the Government of the United States full returns for the liberal pro- visions made for the exchange, and of reaping the benefit of the prom- ises obtained from the European Governments in the execution of my mission, can only be found in the establishment of a permanent agency in Europe, a precedent for which we find in the Congressional act of June 26, 1848, wherein Congress charged the Library Committee with the nomination of an agent to conduct the operations of the exchange between France and the United States, which ought to be intrusted to a person entirely familiar with the business and its requirements, who is to keep himself always informed as to the quality and quantity of the publications made by the European Governments, and who should be capable of judging and selecting from the works thus offered such as would compensate the Government of the United States in the fullest measure in an exchange, value for value, the value of the United States publications being accepted as they are quoted in the book trade, for the works sent abroad, in compliance with the Congressional acts es- tablishing this exchange.”
EXTENSION OF THE SYSTEM OF EXCHANGES.
With two Governments preliminary arrangements have been made for an exchange of official publications, the extent of which however has not yet been fully decided on. These Governments are those of the Republic of Uruguay and of the Empire of Austria. The correspondence relating to these arrangements is here given:
EXCHANGE WITH URUGUAY.
From Department of State, Washington, December 30, 1834, to Prof. S. F. Baird, Smithsonian Institution.
DEAR Sir: I inclose a copy of a note from the Chargé d’ Affaires ad interim of Uruguay here, touching the wish of his Government to form (or accede to) conventions with other Governments, with a view to provid- ing for exchanges of publications ; also the printed paper which accom- panies the same, and which it is desired to have returned, with your comments on the proposition of the Uruguayan Government.
Iam, &c., FRED’K T. FRELINGHUYSEN.
. /
REPORT ON EXCHANGES. 53
Inclosure from legation of Uruguay, New York, December 14, 1884, to the Secretary of State, Washington.
Str: I have the honor to address your excellency for the purpose of bringing to your notice, by means of the copy herewith inclosed, the invitation which the Government of the Republic that I represent has the high honor to address to you, for the purposes stated in the note. It extends this invitation feeling every confidence in the lofty American spirit and the good will of the United States Government.
I transcribe to your excellency, in full, the note whereby I am in- structed to bring to the notice of your Government this invitation; it reads as follows:
‘“« Montevideo, October 29, 1884. “Mr. CHARGE D’AFFAIRES:
“T send you a printed copy of the Jaw recently passed by the honor- able general assembly of the Republic providing for the establishment, in the national library, of a bureau which is to be called ‘The Central Bureau of International Exchanges of Publications.’
‘In pursuance of the provisions of article 8 of the reglementary de- cree of that law, you will be pleased to invite the Government to which you are accredited, in the name of the Republic, to conclude a conven- tion for the exchange of publications on various subjects. Two objects are had in view by the Government in pursuing this course, viz, to draw still closer the cordial relations which exist between this Republic and that of the United States of America, and to encourage, by facilitat- ing them as far as possible, the knowledge and study of literary, scien- tific, and other questions among the nations of A merica, whose advances in progress and civilization must speedily place them on a footing with the most progressive nations of Europe. Your superior enlightenment renders it unnecessary for me to advance any arguments in order to show theimportance of the proposed convention, or theadvantages which must accrue from it to the nations adopting it. If, as is to be hoped, the United States Government agrees to conclude the arrangement in ques- tion, it may be done on the basis of that which already exists between this Republie and Chili, or of that concluded by Belgium with various other nations, which you will find in the inclosed printed documents, if the United States Government does not consider that certain modifica- tions are necessary, which the Government of this Republic is prepared to consider. You will be pleased to request that Government to send you a reply in regard to this matter.
‘“¢ MANUEL HERRERA Y OBER.”
In bringing the foregoing note to your knowledge, and inclosing the printed copy of the conventions to which it refers, permit me to hope that the cabinet of which your excellency is so distinguished a mem- ber will not consider the plan which I hereby have the honor to submit
5A REPORT ON EXCHANGES.
as impracticable, since it will tend torender better known in our country the practical details of the institutions of this, together with its ad- vances, which so greatly stimulate our own, while the constant perusal of the publications of our Republic will show the eagerness with which American countries of Spanish extraction are seeking, in spite of well- known obstacles, to secure for themselves a permanent position among the nations of the modern world. CARLOS FARINI.
Central Office of International Exchanges of Publications.
The Senate and House of Representatives of the Republic of Uruguay in general assembly, Ge., resolve : Article 1. There is established in the national library an office called “The Central Office of International Exchanges of Publications.” Article 2. The director of the library, through the intermediary of the office created by the preceding article, will proceed to effect the ex- change of official publications, and of the literary and scientific works which are printed in the Republic, in conformity with diplomatic con- ventions in force, and those which the Executive may conclude with foreign Governments. Article 3. The Executive will make the necessary regulations for the office created by this law. Article 4. This is made known, &e. House of Representatives, Montevideo, May 14, 1884. X. LAVINA, President. Josh Luis MISSAGLIA, Secretary.
House of Representatives of tie Republic of Uruguay, Montevideo, May 15, 1884. To the Executive of the Republic:
We have the honor to transmit to the Executive of the Republic the law sanctioned by the honorable Congress in yesterday’s session, establish- ing in the national library an office called “The Central Office of Inter- national Exchanges of Publications.”
XAVIER LAVINA. JOSE LUIS MISSAGLIA,
Department of State, Montevideo, May 27, 1884. Wehave the honor to acknowledge the receipt of your communication, and to inform you that there has been forwarded to the director of the library the decree authorizing him to make the necessary regulations. SANTOS. CARLOS DE CASTRO.
REPORT ON EXCHANGES. BH
Department of State, Montevideo, July 24, 1884. DECREE.
In conformity with the provisions of article 3 of the law of May 27, 1884, the Executive of the Republic decrees :
Article 1. After the office of International Exchanges of Publications referred to in the, preceding law has been established and organized, the director of the national library will, with the view to the better service of said office, prepare regulations for the same, which he will in due time submit to the Government for its approval.
Article 2. The above-mentioned functionary will on the 31st Decem- ber of each year present to this ministry a report showing the progress, the needs, and the increase of said office, which document, when pub- lished, shall be transmitted to all institutions which exchange publica- tions with the national library.
Article 3. All the departments and their bureaus will transmit to the office of International Exchanges of Publications 25 copies of all the documents published by them.
Article 4. The director of the national library will acquire for the office to which this decree relates, gll such publications as will, in his opinion, tend to contribute to the reputation of the Republic in foreign parts, with the view that this office may distribute them. The provis- ions of this art’cle, however, shall not interfere with any donations which may be made to the ofiice of exchanges.
Article 5. All agents of the Republic in foreign countries will aid the director of the library, whenever he calls on them for such aid; and if such obligation involves any expenditure, the agents shall, before taking any action, inform the director of the amount needed, so that he may either allow the expenditure or refuse it, according to the amount of funds at his disposal for the purpose.
Article 6. Any conventions which may be concluded in the future shall be formulated according to the test of the convention concluded between the chargé @ affaires of Uruguay in Chili and the Govern- ment of Chili on the 6th June, 1875, and whenever this is impossi- ble, according to the project of a‘convention prepared at Brussels on the 26th August, 1850.*
Article 7. In view of the fact that any delay in the conclusion of con- ventions may prove prejudicial to the Republic and the national li- brary, the director of that institution will propose to the Department of State the establishment of an exchange of publications with all those nations with whom, in his opinion, such an exchange should be estab- lished, determining at the same time what publications should be See And if the ee of State approves of the propo-
#0 The nies of ae eee were peniened in the SHA nen. st for 1883, pp. 123, 124.)
56 REPORT ON EXCHANGES.
sition, it will transmit it to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which im mediately, and without any legislation on the subject, will proceed to arrange the necessary convention, reporting its action to the Depart- ment of State.
Article 8. There shall be forwarded to all the Governments of Amer- ica, through the intermediary of the Ministry of Foreign A ffairs, a circular giving the provisions of the law in question and of this decree, inviting them at the same time to enjoy the benefits which will result from such an exchange for all nations which accept it.
Article 9. The above shall be published and inserted in the code of
laws. SANTOS.
CARLOS DE CASTRO. Eauchange of publications between Uruguay and Chili.
Met at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on the sixth day of June, one thousand eight hundred and seventy-three, Don Jose C. Arrieta, chargé Waffaires of the Republic of Uruguay, and Don Adolfo Ibaiez, minister of foreign affairs of Chili, for the purpose of concluding a convention for the regular and permanent exchange between the two Republics of the literary and scientific productions of their citizens, which will strengthen the bonds of sympathy which unite the two countries, and agreed upon the following articles:
Article 1. The Government of Uruguay and of Chili will send to each other, as soon as possible, two copies of all the publications which they have had printed in accordance with the provisions of the law in their respective territories, excepting productions of purely private interest or whose contents do not entitle them to be considered as scientific or literary publications.
Article 2. The same obligation will be in force even if the publica- tions in question have not been published in either of the two countries, but have been published at the expense of either of the two Govern- ments, or by their aid or subvention.
Article 3. As soon as one of the two Governments has received the publications sent by the other, it will acknowledge their receipt in the official journal, giving the place where they have been published and the place whence they were sent, with the view to bring them to the notice of those who desire to obtain them.
Articie 4. The provisions of the above three articles will apply to geo- graphical maps and other works of that character.
Article 5. Kach Government will also procure and send to the other two copies of works published by citizens of their respective countries residing abroad; but this obligation will cease as regards the Govern- ment of Uruguay if. a citizen of Uruguay publishes a work in Chili, and as regards the Government of Chili if a Chilian citizen publishes a work in Uruguay.
REPORT ON EXCHANGES. 57
Article 6. Each of the two Governments will form a collection as com- plete as possible of all the works published within its territory, or out- side of it, if the provisions of article 2 apply to them; and will trans- mit this collection to the other at as early a date as possible. This col- lection should especially comprise works treating of the history, geog- raphy, industries, statistics, and legislation of the country.
Article 7. Publications shall be transmitted in the month of January of every year; in Uruguay through the intermediary of the Chilian legation, and in Chili through the intermediary of the Uruguayan le- gation, or direct between the two Governments whenever there are no legations.
Article 8. The present convention will go into effect this day, and will continue in force, until either of the two Governments shall desire its discontinuance, and shall so advise the other.
At the close of this conference the chargé d’affaires of Uruguay and the Chilian minister of foreign relations have signed this document in duplicate copy, and affixed thereto their respective seals.
[L. 8.] J. ARRIETA, [L. S.]| ADOLFO IBANEZ.
From the Smithsonian Institution, January 31, 1885, to Hon. F. T. Fre- ci linghuysen, Secretary of State.
Sir: In acknowledging the receipt of your letter of the 30th of December last, inclosing a copy of a note from the Chargé daffaires of Uruguay in reference to an exchange of publications between that Government and the Government of the United States, I beg to say that an answer was necessarily deferred until a translation could be made of the Spanish document accompanying your communication, the original of which is herewith returned.
It is not my province to offer suggestions to the Government of Uru- guay regarding a general system of exchanges with the various Gov- ernments of the world; but so far as the United States is concerned, I can say that it will give the Smithsonian Institution much pleasure to make the necessary arrangements for an interchange of official publica- tions of the two countries, the Institution sending to Uruguay at least once a year, and perhaps twice, all the publications of the Government of the United States, whether printed by order of Congress or any of the Departments—these, of course, in return for an equally exhaustive and comprehensive transmission on the part of the Government of Uru-. guay, all the returns received to be placed in the Library of Congress.
The Smithsonian Institution cannot undertake to secure publications generally of the scientific and literary establishments of the United States, but it will be happy to do all in its power in this respect. It is, however, willing to send its own works—the Smithsonian Contribu- tions to Knowledge, the Miscellaneous Collections, and the Annual
58 REPORT ON EXCHANGES.
Reports, which embody a, large percentage of American scientific litera- ture.
In return for this special and separate sending it would expect for its own library copies of any works on scientific subjects published by the Government of Uruguay.
In reference to the best, or most convenient, method of conducting an exchange of publications between the two countries in question, I beg to say that where distant communication by sea is involved, as is the case in the present instance, we find it most convenient to deliver all packages, free of freight, to the consul in New York of the country addressed, and to have the returns transmitted free of cost to the American consul at the port of shipment.
This course is pursued for the reason that any question of ocean ex- penses can be more readily settled on delivery of the packages. AI- though differing somewhat from that agreed upon at Brussels, this ar- rangement has been acceded to by all the European correspondents of the Smithsonian Institution. Of course it would not be impossible to make deliveries at Montevideo, if that be the proper port of entry, but there would necessarily be petty charges that even in that case it would be difficult to arrange for.
I inclose for the information of the enaews Waffaires of Uruguay some of the publications of the Smithsonian Institution bearing upon the subject of exchanges, and which possibly may contain some in- formation that will interest him.
A first transmission can be made by our sending as complete a series of the documents of the United States Government as can now be sup- plied. This will consist of publications for a number of years, and will include several hundred volumes, occupying 13 cases. And we shall be pleased to receive information as to the exact address for the con- signment, both in this country and Uruguay.
I have the honor to be, very respectfully, your obedient servant,
SPENCER F. BAIRD.
EXCHANGES WITH AUSTRIA.
From the Department of State, Washington, D. C., February 11, 1885, fo Prof. Spencer F. Baird, Secretary Smithsonian Institution.
Sir: As suggested by dispatch No. 50 of the 21st ultimo, from Vienna, Tinclose a copy of the same and of the list of official works of the Austro-Hungarian Government for exchange, to which it refers; and L also inclose, for the better understanding of dispatch No. 50, copies of two previous dispatches on the exchange of Govérnment publications with Austria-Hungary.
Lam, &¢., FRED. T. FRELINGHUYSEN.
REPORT ON EXCHANGES. 59
[ Inclosed. ]
Mr. Francis to Mr. Frelinghuysen January 21, 1885, No. 50. Mr. Francis to Mr. Frelinghuysen, October 16, 1884, No. 17. Mr. Francis to Mr. Frelinghuysen, October 24, 1884, No. 20.
From Hon. John M. Francis, ambassador, United States legation, Vienna, October 16, 1884, to Hon. Frederick T. Frelinghuysen, Secretary of State, Washington, D. C.
Sir:_I have the honor to report that Mr. George H. Boehmer, chief of Exchange Bureau for the Smithsonian Institution and the Congres- sional Library, having special reference to Government publications, recently visited Vienna with a view of securing Such exchange between Austria-Hungary, and the Bureau above named, of which he is chief.
In conformity with your general instruction to diplomatic agents of the United States abroad, of which Mr. Boehmer was the bearer, I as- sisted him in procuring interviews with representatives of the Austro- Hungarian Government, who are authorized to treat upon the object of his mission, for this purpose securing audience on the 9th instant with Count San chief of section of Ministry of Foreign Affairs, on which occasion the subject-matter was fully discussed, and the methods to be adopted in the proposed exchange freely canvassed.
Count Szogyényi expressed much interest in the matter, and appointed a meeting for the next day with Mr. Boehmer, to give it further con- sideration. Mr. Boehmer was subsequently placed in communication with other departments of the Government to arrange details, and the result as reported to me by him was in every respect satisfactory. The publications will now be sent forward regularly from each capital, the one to the other, in the exchange of Government publications.
The details of the agreement entered into will be reported Dy Mr. Boehmer to the Congressional Librarian.
From Hon. John M. Francis, ambassador, United States legation, Vienna, October 24, 1884, to Hon. Frederick T. Frelinghuysen, Secretary of State, W singin D. C.
Sik: Referring to my No. 17, of the date of October 16th, relative to the exchange of Government publications between the Government of the United States and that of Austria-Hungary, I have the honor to inclose herewith copy of note on this subject to Count Szogyényi, chief of section of Ministry of Foreign Affairs, of the date of October 9, with copy of inclosure therein, a letter of same date addressed to me by Mr. George H. Boehmer, ‘chief of Exchange Bureau of the Smithsonian In- stitution, and delegate of the Library of Congress of the United States. I also inclose translation of a communication from Count Szégyényi, dated October 20, in reply to my note as above, showing the progress thus far made in the matter.
60 REPORT ON EXCHANGES.
From Hon. John M. Francis, ambassador, United States legation, Vienna, October 9, 1884, to his excellency the Count Szdgyényt, chief of section of Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Your ExceLLENcY: I have the honor to inclose herewith a copy of a communication this day received by me from Mr. George H. Boehmer, delegate of the Library of Congress of the United States, treating of the subject of a proposed exchange of official documents between the Government of the United States and Austria-Hungary. ’
I beg leave to inform your excellency that I have received instruc- tions from my Government to aid as far as may be convenient in draw- ing the attention of His Imperial Majesty’s Government to the subject matter referred to, with the hope that the exchange of Government publications as proposed may be favorably regarded by His Majesty’s Government to the end that the desired object be assured.
I avail myself of this occasion to renew to your excellency the as- surance of my distinguished consideration.
From George H. Boehmer, Vienna, Austria, October 9, 1884, to his ea- cellency Mr. John M. Francis, envoy extraordinary and minister plent- potentiary of the United States of America, Vienna.
Sir: In the year 1867, the Congress of the United States passed a law authorizing the exchange, under the direction of the Smithsonian Institution, of a certain number of all the United States official docu- ments for the corresponding publications of other Governments through- out the world, the returns to be placed in the National (Congressional) Library. . .
The object of this law was to procure for the use of the Congress of the United States a complete series of the publications of other Gov- ernments.
A circular letter was therefore issued by the Smithsonian Institution, asking the advice of the various Governments as to the best method of accomplishing the object.
It was important to ascertain what Governments were willing to enter into the proposed exchange, and whether any one person or branch of the Government or public library in each country would undertake to collect all the national publications and transmit them to Washing- ton. Information was also desired as to the titles and character of the regular official publications of each country, and their average number and extent in each year, as well as the names of the different sources from which they emanate.
On the 30th of October, 1875, a circular was sent by Professor Henry, Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution, with a letter to the foreign ministers at Washington,* and among them to the ambassador of His Majesty the Emperor of Austria.
*[This circular and letter were published in the Smithsonian Report for 1881, pp. 768, 769. ] ”
REPORT ON EXCHANGES. 61
In accordance with instructions received in respect to the letter re- ferred to, the first two boxes of documents were sent to Vienna, and are now deposited in the Imperial Royal Library. Subsequent transmis- sions, however, were refused by the imperial legation at Washington as being too bulky.
It is now desired by the Congress of the United States of America to resume relations of exchanges with the Empire of Austria, this being the only Government required to complete the exchange serv- ice with the United States of all the European monarchies, and in this connection I beg to remark that the Smithsonian Institution, as the authorized agent of the Government, has now ready for transmission, (in addition to the boxes of documents already received into the Impe- rial Royal Library), eighteen (18) boxes, each of about six cubic feet, containing several thousand volumes, and to which abeut two boxes will be added each year. This entire accumulation would, upon ac- ceptance of the terms and conditions of the exchange on the part of His Imperial Majesty’s Government, be delivered at once and free of cost to any agent the Imperial Government might be pleased to appoint . at any seaport of the United States, while the returns on the part of His Imperial Majesty’s Government should be placed, free of cost, in the hands of Dr. Felix Fliigel, 49 Sidonien Strasse, Leipsic, the agent of the Smithsonian Institution for Europe. The boxes or parcels thus sent should be marked, ** To the Smithsonian Institution, for the Library of Congress,” and both these establishments be informed of the sending by letter, together with a list of the documents sent.
In obedience to instructions I have the honor to submit this proposal of exchange to you, and to request your excellency to lay the same before the proper authorities of His Imperial Majesty’s Government and to kindly advise me of any action taken or any results derived from this application.
From his excellency the Count Szigyényi, chief of section of Ministry of Foreign Affairs, to Hon. John M. Francis, ambassador, Vienna, Octo- ber 20, 1884.
Sir: In conformity with the desire expressed in the esteemed note of the 9th instant, I*. O. No. 8, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has made known to the respective imperial and royal central stations the mis-. sion of Mr. Boehmer, chief of Congressional Bureau of the United States for International Exchange, who proposed making an agreement whereby a regular exchange of official publications may be established between the Governments of Austria-Hungary and the United States.
The Imperial Royal Ministry of the Interior has already expressed its approval of such an agreement as far as its department is concerned, and observes in this connection that it deems it most advisable to con- fine itself to the regular communication of the reports of the sessions of the Anstrian Parliament and of the official paper known as the Legal
62 REPORT ON EXCHANGES.
Advertiser (Reichs Gesetzblatt), which publishes all the general laws enacted, believing that reports of the sessions of the several provincial diets and the different provincial laws and regulations would be of but a secondary interest to the United States Government.
The undersigned will not fail to communicate to the Hon. J. M. Fran- cis, envoy extraordinary and minister plenipotentiary of the United States of America, all further information bearing upon this question, and avails himself of this opportunity to tender a renewed assurance of his high esteem.
From Hon. John M. Francis, ambassador, United States legation, Vienna, January 21, 1885, to Hon. Frederick T. Frelinghuysen, Secretary of State, Washington, D. C.
Sir: I have the honor to inclose herewith translation of a note from Baron Pasetti, chief of section Ministry of Foreign Affairs, dated Janu- ary 16, 1885, in regard to the exchange of Government publications be- tween the Baia NON of the United States and that of Austria, as fully set forth in my No. 20 of October 24, 1884.
Baron Pasetti’s note, with accompanying inelosure of a list of official works from the imperial royal department of public instruction, ex- plains or suggests the basis of the proposed international exchange, which has the approval of Mr. Boehmer, agent for the Congressional Library and Smithsonian Institution, who recently conferred with the proper Government officials here on this subject.
Mr. Boehmer now requests that a copy of the inclosed communication from Baron Pasetti and the accompanying list of official works referred to be transmitted by the department to the directors of the Smithsonian Institution.
From Baron Pasetti, minister of foreign affairs, Vienna, January 16, 1885, to Hon. John M. Francis envoy extraordinary and minister pleni-. potentiary of the United States.
Sir: On the 20th of October last, under Nos. £122, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs had the honor of informing Hon. John M. Francis, en- voy extraordinary and minister plenipotentiary of the United States of America, that the Imperial Royal Ministry of the Interior had con- sented to an establishment of a regular exchange of official publica- tions with the United States Government.
In the mean time a note has been received by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs from the Imperial Royal Ministry of Instruction, wherein the latter makes known its views on the above question.
The last named ministry says that the exchange of official publica: tions and of periodicals published by scientific institutes in Austria has been uniformly pursued for some time. Numerous eopies are forwarded
REPORT ON EXCHANGES. 63
annually in every direction, and the volumes sent in return by institutes abroad are promptly and regularly received. This direct mode of ex- change between the respective corporations, institutes, &c., facilitates not only the requirements in the most speedy and simple manner, but tends also to reduce the expenses of transmission to the lowest possible rate. The Imperial Royal Ministryof Instruction would nevertheless be ready to accept the proposal made by, the American Government as far as its department is concerned on condition that the exchange be not extended to all publications made, but be confined to such as would upon investigation be found to be the most acceptable and needed by both parties, and that the number of copies to be sent would also be made dependent upon this rule. With this view the Ministry of Foreign Affairs begs to inclose herewith to the North American envoy a list compiled by the Ministry of instruction, giving the publications periodi- cally appearing under its direction, and requests that it be transmitted, and that the number and the titles of the copies desired on the part of America be pointed out.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs addresses itself at the same time to the other departments interested in the exchange in question, request- ing them to make known their views on the subject, and to send in simi- lar lists of periodicals published under their direction.
As far as the publications are concerned which have been offered by America, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs will first inform the different departments of the receipt of the work published by Mr. Boehmer, en- titled *‘ History of the Smithsonian Exchanges,” of which the author had the kindness of placing several copies at the disposal of the Imperial Royal Government, in connection with which it must be observed that the list of official American publications the work contains only reaches as far back as the year 1881, which will probably make a supplement necessary.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs begs to observe here that the Ministry of Instruction regards it as a matter of course that this proposed new arrangement will in no way affect or alter the exchange of publications kept up for a number of years heretofore with the Smithsonian Institu- tion.
Finally, the ministry wishes to say that in case an agreement is made the publications intended for Austria be forwarded by the American Government to Vienna, carriage paid, and that the Austrian consign- ments be sent, carriage paid, to be delivered either at Leipsic or at Washington, according to the desire of the American Government.
While the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has the honor of conveying this intelligence to the knowledge of the honorable North American envoy, the undersigned embraces the opportunity to renew the assur- ance of his profound consideration.
64 REPORT ON EXCHANGES.
List of official works published periodically under the direction of the Min- istry of Worship and Public Instruction.
(1) Record of laws issued by the Ministry of Instruction. (2) Report of the sessions of the Imperial Academy of Science at Vienna, viz: (a) Philosophie historical class. (b) Mathematic natural-science class. (3) Memorial of the Imperial Academy of Science at Vienna, viz: (a) Philosophie historical class. (b) Mathematic natural-science class. (4) Almanac of the Imperial Academy of Science at Vienna. (5) Austrian Statistics, published by the Statistical Central Commis- sion. (6) Year Book of the Imperial Royal Institute for Meteorology and Magnetism. (7) Annals of the Imperial Observatory at Vienna. (8) Astronomieal Calendar, published by the Imperial Observatory at Vienna. (9) Year Book of the Geological Institute. (10) Results of investigations made by the Geological Institute. (11) Treatises of the Imperial Geological Institute at Vienna. (12) Austrian historical sources. (13) Archives for Austrian history, published by the Imperial Acad- emy of Science at Vienna. (14) Communications made by the Imperial Institute for Historical Researches. (15) Communications of the Imperial Royal Central Commission for Preservation of Historical Monuments. (16) Communications made by the Imperial Royal Museum for Art and Industry. (17) Central organ for industrial schools in Austria, published under the direction of the Ministry of Instruction, together with a supplement.
STATISTICS OF EXCHANGES FOR THE SIX MONTHS ENDED JUNE 30, 1885.
I.—RECHIPTS.
1. For foreign distribution.
Whence received. Packages.) Weight.
(a) From Government Departments: Number. | Pounds. Bureau ot Ethnology. a: a. cei oleae Se slecincieecieesisaciaee 3 21 Bureauof Navigationge. sacs e-5 ese eee soeeee eee 1 18 Coast and Geodetic Survey Oiffice ....--.. -... 22-22-55 1 16 Department of interior 225-6 tae) eee eee ee eee 935 6, 212 Department ohJusticelss-ee-)-22 see eee eee eee een eee 50 24 Departmentiol States --c- bse ss eee ene eee eee eee 28 26
Engineer) Bureaus UaS Aeneas essere viaierafateeosiniee ste 5 Gl
REPORT ON EXCHANGES. 65
1. For foreign distribution—Continued.
Whence received. Packages.| Weight. (a) From Government Departments—Continued. BIS HE C OMMNISSI ONE eer eee oie tetes ayao aieio wane series 144 486 Geolocicali Survey: OMCs s2= Jo soes oie ese tec sn ate, sees 3, 125 21, 792 House OlROPLesenluabIVeS nce cee seas lose niscisacissenicaicisee 1 11 PR NUEAT VEO CG ON UREA Ge. cess ace jcc tlhe nes sma lass cieeles 1, 007 4,728 INaiblonalenLuseunan ssie toe sere mee cater ecm eee 157 806 INAUtica Allman se; @ fice ss ene are cece e ava e le ie myeia ete 16 69 Naval Observatobyjece ss oacacscace ess -cocal ease c cee: 6 33 Patent! © tices eee ee ree ee Re arenes Saye) 14 3,776 I SES]O VENI Se na ete a i Eiri Nah Ae LAC Se NE ee ye be 11 26 Sloe le OM Cera see eco creel aie seecta te ecto iets casein A 868 4, 456 Surgeon-GenerallsiOliceris. see nee se aeeemeeciateecoe: 3 35 RreasuryeDepantmemltres.-.s2 o> soos Joc ale scien Save onisyeicie's 20 42 WiarsDepanrtnenties. so scce soee ce Wyss as alate cise aie Sere aye 4 67 Ota eeeereas = eto ctane e areke otal armed wine Sais, Sine e ee one Ae 6, 899 43, 310 (0)) Erom the) Smithsonian Institution=.-. -2---...--22--2...---- ~ 886 2, 980 (C) MEMOMESLIOM UC ISOCLET1OS i= -em- ete s see seme oe veneer e ciaisioci wer 3.143) 12, 434 (@) Pbromtindivaduals: sj scsec opera a oes weeein) «siete cio ce oat cinjcie= 260 1, 751 AEE eS ROSA CRORE SE SP CIS TIC ICIS ERC ae epee eres 10, 688 60, 475 2. For domestic distribution.
From— Boxes. | Parcels.| Weight.
Number.| Number.| Pounds. Arrentine ROpupliG case cjssesee ns cece cic cee cece esses 1 57 250 IBelommm sacs cone sass cosavessoe siene Petes OF levaee (tra abet nes 3 933 510 Wena lke tee eek elec ees one eo ecsee sek eaeeaeonee 1 37 43 [DIE RIVES) SSG OSGGA OG AOS SE ee Cea eee tee oes eee nes 8 592 2,790 Germany) -s<- s-cios5s0--55 PE aed eee Rate nieces 2ONnlas0s 5, 850 Creabutam and lrelandcsssssnheeewea a seceiae ceca seme 31 792 4, 003 Neth Onan OS eerste ee oe es ee nee ee ne ce eee sereaee iL 85 210 INOTAWY Agia ere he ects Se rey eee ne etree aisles os orate oni 2 49 257 New couth Wales o<cacess cesses atesices ve dacs oeueenior 2) 26 47 IVUSHE aaa ey roel cms sen nee heen ces, cosemelbeitinem cee 2 105 415 MOtal seccescasteccesaerciaateecectes eels esate st osous 710, 35,679 14, 375
3. For Government exchanges.
For what and whence received. - Boxes. | Packages. | Weight.
(a) For Library of Congress, from— Number.| Number. Pounds. MN Palys sarees sense saosin esse ces i 3 257 PAN CCia crocs slide seistacare oavels cris. ea hemnanioee 16 16 4, 330 MOAN Monat sesc sae sa see areca cate msec See e 3 13 2,545 Netherlandsissons ec osee tee seen soua eer 1 1 300
(b) For foreign Governments, from—
Poplicthriiteretoscacses soeee sate ce cane cee eis |e comeces 29, 200 | 14, 750 LiL 5 ithe Eee SU ee AIR fe 31 | 29, 233 | 22, 182
H. Mis. 15
66 REPORT ON EXCHANGES.
RECAPITULATION. For what and whence received. Packages. | Weight. Number. Pounds. fd HOT POLS SM GISETUDUbLON seas eee) tee ee a ere a iaete 10, 688 60, 475 Je Horidomestic distribution 2-o- = seen eee ees eee 3, 679 14, 375 3. Hor Government exchanges)/22-2 2522225 owe eaeee nee nee . 29, 233 22, 182 DO teal eee as ache k ae Street it a ly a eas EA Dechy inchs ANY ee 43, 600 97, 032 II.—TRANSMISSIONS. 1. Foreign transmissions. Country. Boxes. | Total. Africa: ATC OLA vee wcee setae oe ate ei ah me mercies Sia tenn mia alee elena 2 CapolColony? Woche senelse oe eee sue soe manieaceeeonsccmostee 1 1S 0 Re SO eR cla Sac omene Oo ane obec 1 America: 4 Canady sa ae ee Sess Se eee miele cie eee Se eet see ene 4 ING Wp DONS Wa Ce Sie sceee eae eee oer ae ee Sere emote eae 2 Newfound land S20 2e co ee sate e eet See ioe mecttee corey acne i VIG RHC OS at San cored NE ES ea iL I EA Oe tare ty at ae te ree fi 5 Guateniall ae erg ole oe Rye ie Sis ies Ure ee ey. Een eine 1 SaMiSahvaG@orescase aocee ee cere ene ee ee ae Resear 1 i aa ee Sera ee ele hc raneat ok = (Ca See eM SP BMP ee aay epee a 2 Haybl sie cec Cae Seelsine mio tee sae Asics Sane ooleee mete cease 1 PLE sO Ut: agile eo est ta ara A A AE ee ae ae ae 1 Wann CAO PN Sa ee eEe e erates Misr cence ts ot ers cy mmmr el ara dn oh 2 Arsentine Confederation. 95 sstss 3 so ete ate eee tere rectors 3 DSTA Zeta ae ss Loo oes pa i LR = ALS NE At OS EA el 3 TRE eee a lg Ae ae Oe eS Se ort ee ene ae 1 A G5) eb Lean as a Ore a RS NN ee Ee SE ee ee NR Rivage Li agile 2 we 29 Asia: Philippine Islands. 3201s se acmelisises sce Sh ot asl eesee ee mesenaee. 1 —--— 1 Australasia: New. SouthvWialesy: sec os he ae Se ee Sc see ee eer eee 3 ING WCZiG BL ATi eae is oes i rene ly a ce Rah a a 3 Stat Hi A UST TMT ea ees