246 KEPORT ON NATIONAL MUSEUM, 188G. 



Ill tlie card-ciitalog-iie ],G38 entries have been made, and in this con- 

 nection Mr. II. J. Biddle kindly vohmteeied assistance and examined a 

 hxrge series of ores from Mexico, from Missouri, and from the New Or- 

 leans Exposition, making 2,400 determinations of mineral species in the 

 specimens. 



One hundred and seventy-seven specimens have been sent out in ex- 

 change, 59 reports upon material submitted for examination, and 11 

 special reports of information have been made. 



This is the first year since the organization of the department lliat 

 there has been any serious attempt at systematic installation of the 

 collections. Upon the receipt of the American Institute of Mining Engi- 

 neers' collection a portion of the west hall was assigned for its exhibi- 

 tion, but owing to the incompletness of the records of the material and 

 to the fact that, while many of the individual collections were (piite I'nll 

 and complete, there were many large gaps in the collection as a whole, 

 which rendered its installation in the west hall unadvisable, it was 

 found necessary to delay the exhibition of much of the material, and 

 instead it was decided to install the systematic collections, the basis of 

 which had been exhibited at the Isew Orleans Exhibition, using as much 

 of the Institute collections as were in proper shape. 



A large portion of the year has been devoted to unpacking, cxamin ing, 

 rearranging, and adding to the New Orleans material, so as to com[)lete 

 as fiir as possible the metallurgical collection. Aside from the arrange- 

 ment of the material, considerable time has been consumed in prepar- 

 ing general labels for the collections. 



In addition to the papers noticed in the Bibliography (Part iv) iis 

 published by the curator, tlierS is also included a notice of a i)aper by 

 Mr. F. L. Garrison, of Philadelphia, describing the i)hotograplis ot 

 microscopic sections of iron and steel, copies of which have been pre 

 sen ted to the Museum. 



Early in 18S4 the attention of the department was turned towards the 

 necessity of an examination of the fuel values of American coals, and 

 in the latter part of the year the results of a careful examination of the 

 subject, together with plans for a suitable investigation, were formally 

 laid before the Director, with the object of briiiging the matter before 

 Congress in order to secure the necessary appropriations to carry on 

 the work. 



The question of the relative fuel value of dilferent coals is one of 

 great importance to all users of coals, and on this account alone the sub 

 ject is one that should command the attention of the (lovernment; but 

 aside from this, the Government has a direct pecuniary interest in know- 

 ing the value of diiferent coals purchased for its own us^. This was 

 appreciated as long ago as 1841, when an appropriation was made to 

 enable a series of experiments to be made to determine the steaming 

 power of various coals furnished for the iNlavy. 



The examination carried on under tlu^ i»rovisions of this appropriation 



