REPORT OF THE SECRETARY. 11 



ruary 24, 1874, to December 31, 1875, amonuting to $118.49, wliicli uill 

 be expended iu accordauce with the will of the douor. 



The interest on the Virginia bonds collected during the year amounted 

 to $4,750.11. 



It was stated in the hist report that at the time of the suspension of 

 the First iSTational Bank of Washington, (lOtli September, 1873,) in 

 which the current funds had been deposited l\y direction of the board, 

 there were $8,224.87 to the credit of the Institution. The following divi- 

 dends have been received on this deposit : November 11, 1873, 30 i)er 

 cent.; on the 7th April, 1874, 20 per cent. ; on the 5th May, 1875, 10 

 per cent.; and on the 27th December, 1875, 15 per cent., or a total of 

 75 per cent., or $0,168.(14, leaving a balance still due of $2,050.23. 



PUBLICATIONS. 



The publications of the Institution are of three classes, viz: the Con- 

 tributions TO Knowledge, the Miscellaneous Collections, and 

 the Annual Eeports. The first consist of memoirs containing posi- 

 tive additions to science resting on original research, and which are 

 generally the result of investigations to which the Institution has, in 

 some way, rendered assivstance. The Miscellaneous Collections are 

 composed of works intended to facilitate the study of branches of 

 natural history, meteorology, &c., and are designed especially to induce 

 individuals to engage iu these studies as specialties. The Aunual 

 Eeports, besides an account of the operations, ex[)enditures, and con- 

 dition of the Institution, contain translations from works not generally 

 accessible to American students, reports of lectures, extracts from cor- 

 respondence, &c. 



The following are the rules which have been adopted for the distribu- 

 tion of the several publications of the Institution : 



1st. They are presented to learned societies of the first class which 

 in return give com[)lete series of their publications to the Institutiou. 



2d. To libraries of the first class which give in exchange their cata- 

 logues and other publications, or an equivalent from their duplicate 

 volumes. 



3d. To colleges of the first class which furnish catalogues of their 

 libraries and of their students, and all other publications relative to 

 their organization and history. 



4th. To States and Territories, provided they give in return copies of 

 all documents published under their authority. 



5th. To public libraries in this country, containing 15,000 volumes, 

 especially if no other copies are given in the same place; and to smaller 

 libraries where a large district would bo otherwise nnsupplied. 



Gth. To institutions devoted exclusively to the promotion of i)articu- 

 lar branches of knowledge are given such Smithsonian publications as 

 relate to their respective objects. 



7th. The Annual Eeports are presented to the meteorological observ- 



