58 APPENDIX TO THE REPORT OF THE SECRETARY. 



APPENDIX TO THE REPORT OF THE SECRETARY. 



Smithsonian Institution, 

 WasJdngton, January 3, 1876, 



Sir : I have the honor to present herewith an account of the proposed 

 plan of exhibition by the Smithsonian Institution at the International 

 Centennial Exhibition, and the extent to which the work has been car- 

 ried on. 



History of the movement. — On the 23d of January, 1874, the President 

 of the United States called upon the various Departments of the Gov- 

 ernment, including the Smithsonian Institution, to nominate one mem- 

 ber each, to constitute a board, in behalf of the Executive Departments, 

 to which should be committed the preparation and adoption of a plan 

 for a collective exhibition, at the International Exhibition of 1876, " of 

 such articles and material as will illustrate the functions and adminis- 

 trative faculties of the Government in time of peace and its resources 

 as a war-i30wer, and thereby serve to demonstrate the nature of our 

 institutions and their adaptation to the wants of the people." 



The persons designated, in response to the call of the President, were 

 the following : 



By the Secretary of the Treasury, F. M. Sawyer. 



By the Secretary of War, Col. S. C. Lyford, U. S. A. 



By the Secretary of the Navy, Aduiiral T. A. Jenkins, U. S. N. 



By the Secretary of the Interior, John Eaton. 



By the Postmaster-General, Dr. Charles F. McDonald. 



By the Department of Agriculture, William Saunders. 



By the Smithsonian Institution, S. F. Baird. 



On the 25th of March, 1874, the nominations were accepted by the 

 President for the board referred to, and Col. S. C. Lyford was desig- 

 nated as chairman. Subsequently, on the retirement of Mr. Sawyer, 

 Mr. R. W. Tayler was appointed in behalf of the Treasury Department. 



The first business before the board being that of preparing a general 

 plan of the exhibition and estimates of the cost of carrying this out for 

 each Department, the following estimates were made, after a careful 

 consideration of the subject, as being absolutely necessary to accomplish 

 the work on a proper scale : 



Interior Department $211, 000 



Treasury Department 5, 000 



Post-OflQco Department 5, 000 



Agricultural Department 50, 000 



Smithsonian Institution, (National Museum) , 100, 000 



War Department 200, 000 



Navy Department 150, 000 



Add for show-cases, shelving, incidentals, &c 50, 000 



