REPORT OF THE SECRETARY. 25 



matiou obtained from the last representative of his people. A large 

 part of the publications of the Bureau relate to aboriginal languages: 

 yet the more or less fragmentary material, incomplete but constantly 

 growing, relating to this subject is still more voluminous; and students 

 of linguistics throughout the world are to be congratulated on the 

 existence of this rich storehouse of material CDlleeted through the labors . 

 of the Smithsonian Institution and of the Bureau of Ethnology. 



In addition to the researches in held and office several collaborators 

 of the Bureau were employed during the closing months of the year in 

 preparing an ethnologic exhibit for the World's Columbian Exposition 

 at Chicago. This exhibit was completed and installed duly; and it is 

 a source of gratification to be able to say that it proves constantly 

 attractive to visitors, and it is believed to have been also highly 

 instructive. 



The details of the work of the Bureau are set forth in the report of 

 the Director, Maj. J. W. Powell, which forms the accompanying Appen- 

 dix II. 



SMITHSONIAN INTERNATIONAL EXCHANGE SERVICE. 



The International Exchange Service has always been intimately 

 connected with the parent institution, which has until lately aided it 

 largely from its private funds, and which still aids it by giving it rooms 

 rent free and in other ways. 



It may be said to be at present upon as satisfactory a basis as it seems 

 ])< >ssible to place it with the appropriations that are now made by Congress. 



As an illustration of the extent of this special part of the Institution's 

 activities, it may be stated that it has now about 24,000 active corre- 

 spondents, of whom 14,000 arc in Europe, 2I>0 in Africa, 500 in Australia, 

 and about 0,000 in the various countries of the Western Hemisphere. 

 In the course of {his work the Institution lias gathered at Washington 

 an immense collection of books, found nowhere else to so great an 

 extent, bearing chiefly upon discovery and invention, which, with others, 

 now occupy nearly 300,000 titles. These are deposited temporarily with 

 the National Library at the Capitol. 



The details of the operations of the service are to be found in the 

 curator's report appended. Improvements in the service are needed in 

 an increase in the clerical force for office work, or rather a return to the 

 number employed in lS01-'92. There is need also for securing a more 

 prompt dispatch and distribution of packages abroad, which can only 

 be brought about by an increase of appropriation. 



The United States Government is under treaty obligation to maintain 

 an exchange service with ten foreign countries, and with France, Eng- 

 land, and Germany a special exchange arrangement is in existence. In 

 the two latter countries, where there are paid agents of the Institution, 

 and in other countries where official exchange bureaus have been estab- 

 lished the transmission of publications, while somewhat slow, is gene- 

 rally efficient. In other cases, however, the present arrangement is by 



; 



