REPORT OF THE SECRETARY. 13 



by the oncrg-etic exercise of native talents, there are probably not a few 

 who only need the assurance of a successful precedent to induce them 

 to emulate the liberality of Smithson in the endowment of other institu- 

 tions for the advancement of knowledge. 



At the last session of the board it was resolved that a memorial should . 

 be presented to Congress, setting forth the large expenditure to which 

 the Institution had been subjected by reason of the accomnuxlatiou and 

 maintenance of the National Museum, and asking that the usual ai>pro- 

 I)riation of $4,000 which had been made on account of these objects 

 might be increased to $10,000; also that $25,000 miglit be appropri- 

 ated towards fitting up the large room in the second story of the 

 main building for the better exhibition of the government collections. 

 In accordance with this resolution the petition was prepared, signed by 

 the Chancellor and Secretary of the Institution, and presented to the 

 House of Eepresentatives by General Garfield, one of the regents. It was 

 referred to the Committee on Appropriations, and although forcibly and 

 eloquently' advocated by the members of the Board of Regents belonging 

 to the House, it was not granted, aud only the usual appropriation of 

 $4,000 was made. The reasonableness of this petition, which I doubt 

 *not under a better condition of the national finances will meet with a 

 more favorable reception, must be manifest when it is considered that 

 $4,000 is the sum which the maintenance of the museum cost the gov- 

 ernment when it was under the charge of the Patent Oflice, and that 

 since its removal to the Institution it has been enlarged to threefold its 

 previous size, while the money has been depreciated to one-half its former 

 value; and furthermore, that the amount expen<led since the tire in 

 18C5, for the reconstruction of the building and sup])ly of furniture, is 

 over $ 140,000, the greater part of which was for the accommodation of the 

 National Museum. This large sum was rendered necessary by tlie pecu- 

 liar character of the architecture, the cost of fire-proof materials, and 

 the high price of labor. Of the above amount, more than $20,000 was 

 defrayed from the annual income of last year, and after this reduction 

 of the resources it was scarcely to be expected that the oi)erations of 

 the Institution could be carried on with as much efiiciency as had been 

 the case iu years previous to the disaster which eutailed ou it this heavy 

 incidental exi)eiiditure. Yet we vent ure to hope that the exposition given 

 in the following ])arts of this report will show the results attained to 

 have been little inferior in value or extentto those of any ])rece(liugyear. 



It will a])pearfrom the re])ort of the Executive Committee, tliat notwith- 

 standiiig the large draughts which have been made upon the funds on 

 account of the building, they are still in a highly prosperous condition. 

 Thus', Avhile at the beginning of the year 1SG8 there was a balance in the 

 treasury of about $ll,Oi)l), with outstanding liabilities contracted ])rin- 

 cipally for rei^airs and reconstruction to the amouut of $22,000 ; on the 

 other hand, at the beginning of 1.S09, there is a disposable balance of 



