CENTENNIAL EXHIBITION. SI 



I. 



The display by the Smithsonian Institution of what pertains to its 

 own operations, apart from anything connectevl with the National 

 Museum, will consist of a series of tables illustrating some of its more 

 important branches, such as its system of iuteruational exchanges, its 

 publications, its explorations and researches, its twenty-five-year i)eriod 

 of meteorological observations, &c. This will include its series of 

 twenty quarto volumes of Smithsonian contributions to knowledge, 

 thirteen volumes of miscellaneous collections, and thirty volumes of an- 

 nual reports. 



Mr. W. L. Nicholson, of the Post-OfiQce Department, has been engaged 

 in constructing a large map of the United States, in twenty sheets, cov- 

 ering a space of sixteen by twelve feet, on a scale of IG miles to the 

 inch. Upon one or more of these maps will be shown the temperatures, 

 the rain fall, the biirometric pressure, the winds, &c., of the United 

 States for the twenty-five years' mean. 



II. 



A display of the mineral resources of a countr^N' like the United States, 

 so varied in character, was necessarily a very laborious undertaking, 

 and the Institution was lortunate enough to secure the aid, as director 

 of this part of the exhibition, of Prof. William P. Blake, a gentleman 

 of much experience as a geologist, mining engineer, and mineralogist, 

 and one who, by his ofiflcial connection with the Expositions at Paris 

 and Vienna, and as having had much to do with the original organiza- 

 tion of the Centennial Commission in Philadelphia, was able to render 

 very valuable service. He entered upon his duties on the 1st of May, 

 1875, and commenced by organizing a general plan of exploration, 

 and establishing correspondence, preparing blank instructions, circulars, 

 &c. Of these the following were prepared and published : First, a gen- 

 eral circular, stating the proposed plan of the mineral exhibition, and 

 giving an invitation to contribute specimens; second, sketch of the 

 proposed character of the display to be made and its systematic arrange- 

 ment ; third, a list of prominent gentlemen in different States from whom 

 aid might be expected, and whose co-operation was formally requested; 

 fourth, instructions for packing, collections for shipment; fifth, labels 

 for the specimens ; sixth, labels of address for the boxes; seventh, blank 

 invoices for enumerating the contents of the boxes. Many thousands of 

 these were printed and circulated throughout the country with very 

 excellent results. Mr. Blake himself, after his preliminary work was 

 accomplished, visited many i)arts of the country in the interest of the 

 Institution, and especiallj^ the mining regions of Pennsylvania, New 

 Jersey, New York, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Ohio, Missouri, Michi- 

 gan, Wisconsin, and other States. 

 '? As far back as 1873 the Board of Finance of the Centennial Commission 



