6 REPORT OF THE SECRETARY. 



$651,500, leaving a balance of $348,500 necessary to make up the million 

 dollars authorized by Congress as its perpetual endowment. It is very 

 much to be hoped that some of our wealthy men may feel inclined to 

 contribute a part or even the whole of this sum, as it is believed that 

 no more desirable contribution to science and education could be devised. 

 The machinery of the Institution is extensive enough to administer a 

 much larger amount than it at present possesses, so that no part of such 

 contribution would be required for salaries, rent, or other attendant 

 expenses. It may safely be said that the addition of one-half to the 

 present fund would at least double the efficiency of the Institution in 

 carrying out its mission of the "increase and diffusion of knowledge 

 among men." 



Relation to the National Museum. — It is, of course, fully understood 

 that while the Smithsonian Institution is supported and administered 

 at the expense of the Smithson endowment, the cost of carrying on the 

 National Museum is necessarily defrayed entirely by Congressional 

 aj)propriations. Although the estimates presented by the Institution 

 from time to time as desirable for the prosecution of the work have 

 sometimes been reduced by the Congressional committees, there is no 

 reason to complain of the feeling of Congress toward this interest, and it 

 is confidently believed that as the plans in regard to the reorganization 

 of the Museum in the new building are carried out a cordial support 

 will be extended in the future. The appropriations requked for the 

 maintenance of an establishment five times as great as the present one 

 must necessarily be largely increased, although not in proportion to its 

 expansion. It is evident that to supx)ly a building covering two and a 

 half acres of ground with cases will require a large exi)enditure of money 

 until they are completed. It is estimated that the cases needed will 

 in a continuous line extend a mile and a half; and of course several 

 years will be required for their proper construction. After this the cost 

 of the Museum will be essentially that of maintenance only, and be 

 reduced much below the figures for the fiscal year of 1881. 



BUILDINGS. 



Smithsonian Building. — The disastrous fire which destroyed a large 

 13ortion of the roof and upper story of the Patent Office building in the 

 summer of 1877, gave rise to the formation of a commission of govern- 

 ment officers, consisting of Col. Thomas L. Casey, Mr. E. Clark, and Mr. 

 J. G. Hill, to inspect all buildings of the government in the city, and to 

 report what measures might be necessary to better secure them and 

 their contents from injury by fire. The Smithsonian building was one 

 of those carefully examined by the commission, and it was recommended 

 that iron doors should be placed in the passage ways between certain 

 rooms. An api)ropriatiou of $3,000 was subsequently made by Con- 

 gress for this purpose ; and a contract tor its execution was accordingly 



