ID REPORT OF NATIONAL MUSEUM, I'JOT. 



museum ami the library Avas l()n<i^ a<>o assumed In* Coii<>;ress, the 

 Institution takinf; upon itself only so miicli of the necessary respon- 

 sibility for the administration of these and subsequent additions to 

 its activities as would weld them into a compact whole, which to- 

 gether form a imicnie and notai)le ai^encv for the increase and ditfu- 

 sion of knowled<ze, for the direction of research, for cooperation with 

 Departments of the (iovernment and with universities and scientific 

 societies in America, and likewise afford a delinite correspondent to 

 all scientific institutions and inen abroad who seek interchange of 

 views or knowledge with men of science in the I'nited States. 



Since that early day no material change has been suggested in the 

 general scope of the (lovernment museum; it has only renuiined to 

 elaborate the details, and the opportunit}'^ is now close at hand to 

 realize all that tlie first Board had in view, since ample space Avill be 

 available within another two years. 



The development of the museum has naturally been greatest in 

 those subjects which the conditions of the past sixty years have made 

 most fruitful — the natural history, geolog}^ ethnology, and arche- 

 ology of the United States, supplemented by many collections from 

 other countries. The opportunities in these directions have been 

 mainly brought about through the activities of the scientific and 

 economic surveys of the Government, many of which are the direct 

 outgrowths of earlier explorations, stimulated or directed by the 

 Institution. The Centennial Exhibition of 1876 afforded the first 

 opportunit}' for establishing a department of the industrial arts on 

 a creditable basis, and of this the fullest advantage was taken, though 

 only a part of the collections then obtained could be accommodated 

 in the space available. 



The de])artment or gallery of the fine arts had made little progress, 

 though not from lack of desire or appreciation, until \\ ithin the past 

 eighteen months, during which its interests have been nuirkedly 

 advanced, as elsewhere explained. 



Another subject to which nnich attention has been paid Avith grati- 

 fying results is American history, illustrated by objects representing 

 distinguished personages and im|)ortant events as avcU as the domestic 

 life of the country from the colonial period to the j^resent day. 



It has been deemed api)ropiiat(' to present the foregoing brief 

 review of the scf)pe of tlie national collections, in this connection, 

 since the time is near when tliey may l)e given an oi'dcrly aiTang(>- 

 ment and when the subjects least developed from lack of space nuiy 

 have the opportunity for gi-owth. By transferring to the new build- 

 ing, as proposed to Congress, the subjects which are best represented, 

 which have been as a whole most complet(>ly classified and can, there- 

 fore, be most advantageously exhibited for the benefit of the public, 

 namely, ethnology, aicheology, natural history, and geology, the pres- 



