14 REPORT OF THE SECRETARY. 



tions, could refer to twelve volumes of transactions and to other publi- 

 cations which have been printed, and are now to be found in all the 

 principal libraries of the world; to a system of international exchange 

 which has been inaugurated and successfully prosecuted for the last 

 ten years ; to an accumulation of a large amount of material in regard 

 to the meteorology and physical geography of the North American 

 continent, and to perhaps the largest collection which has ever been 

 made of the natural history of the same region ; and therefore, as far 

 as they are responsible, the administrators could render a satisfactory 

 account of the important trust confided to their care. We hope, how- 

 ever, notwithstanding the threatening aspect of our political affairs, 

 that the time will be far distant when this Institution will be obliged 

 to finally close its accounts. We trust that there is honesty, intelli- 

 gence, and liberality sufficient in this country, whatever may be its 

 political condition, to sacredly guard the bequest which was • intrusted 

 with unhesitating faith to the people of the United States for the good 

 of mankind. 



The policy of the Institution, from the beginning, has not been 

 merely to collect and hoard up materials for local purposes, but in 

 every way to promote the cause of science generally, by a liberal but 

 prudent expenditure of its income in advancing among men the various 

 branches of knowledge to which its efforts have been directed. For 

 example, a great amount of labor has been expended in collecting 

 specimens of natural history; and it will be seen, by the remarks on 

 the collections that active measures are now in progress for rendering 

 the results widely available for the purposes of science and education, 

 by a general distribution of the duplicates. 



The several objects to which the expenditures and labors of the 

 Institution have been devoted during the last year, are nearly the same 

 as those mentioned in previous reports ; and in describing them we 

 shall follow the order heretofore adopted. 



Publications.— The twelfth volume of the Smithsonian Contribution 

 to Knowledge has been completed, and will be ready for distribution 

 as soon as it comes from the hands of the binder. It consists of 537 

 quarto pages, and is illustrated by three plates and twelve wood cuts.. 

 The following is a list of its contents : 



I. Astronomical observations in the Arctic seas, by Elisha Kent 

 Kane, M. D. 



II. On fluctuations of level in the North American lakes, by 

 Charles Whittlesey. 



