54 EEPORT OF NATIONAL MUSEUM, 1905. 



On September 20, 1904, a special exhibition of electrical apparatus 

 was arranged in the lecture hall for the convenience of the foreign 

 electrical engineers, who were in the city as guests of the American 

 Institute of Electrical Engineers. 



CORRESPONDENCE AND DOCUMENTS. 



There has been a large increase in the correspondence during 

 recent years, as may be judged by the fact that, while five years ago 

 the total number of letters written filled about 4,500 pages of letter- 

 press, during last year nearly 8,000 pages were required for this pur- 

 pos3, besides over 2,000 pages of memoranda bearing upon th > cor- 

 respondence. This growth is chiefly due to the increased demands of 

 the public for information on scientific subjects, and all requests of 

 this character made in evident good faith are cheerfully complied 

 with. This is in accordance with long-established custom for the 

 diffusion of knowledge under the terms of the bequest of Smithson. 



In the Museum, however, this task has in many respects become 

 onerous, in view of the relatively small force employed and of the 

 fact that the time of both the scientific and the clerical staff is involved. 

 Specimens in lots of a single object to several hundred are received 

 for identification, the number of such lots during the year having 

 been 1 ,051 . While the Museum has no facilities for making quantita- 

 tive analyses, yet the qualitative examinations of the many mining 

 products received annually generally suffice for the purposes of the 

 sender. 



There has been a notable increase in the inquiries regarding 

 museum administration, the building of cases, the installation of col- 

 lections, their labeling, etc., indicating greater activity in museum 

 work throughout the country and the establishment of new museums. 



A large part of the information furnished by the Museum is accom- 

 plished through its publications, of which not less than 25,000 volumes 

 and pamphlets were distributed from the office of correspondence 

 during the year to institutions and individuals named on the regular 

 mailing list, while about 18,000 additional publications were fur- 

 nished in response to special requests. 



PUBLICATIONS. 



The publications of the past year comprised the Annual Report of 

 the National Museum for 1903, issued May 17, 1905; the third vol- 

 ume of Mr. Robert Ridgway's work on the "Birds of North and 

 Middle America," issued December 31, 1904; part 4, of volume 8, of 

 "Contributions from the National Herbarium," entitled "Studies of 

 Mexican and Central American Plants, No. 4," by Dr. J. N. Rose, 

 issued April 20, 1905, and volume 9 of the same series, entitled "The 

 Useful Plants of the Island of Guam," by Mr. William E. Safford, of 



