64 REPORT OF THE SECRETARY. 



to be expected, Congress made a liberal provision for the publication of 

 tbe results of the expedition. The narrative volume was prepared un- 

 der the supervision of Admiral Davis, at the time Superintendent of the 

 Naval Observatory at this city, and the volume of physical results, pre- 

 pared under the direction of Dr. Emil Bessels, the chief of the scientific 

 corps of the expedition, and printed by Congress. There stfll, however, 

 remains a large amount of material relating to the geology, natural his- 

 tory, and ethnology of arctic America, and Dr. Bessels has been con- 

 tinuing the elaboration of this work for publication, having a room in 

 the building assigned for the purpose. 



Congress at the last session made an appropriation of $8,000, and 

 placed it under the direction of the Smithsonian Institution, to be ex- 

 pended in preparing this material for final publication. The supervi- 

 sion of the work was placed in Dr. Bessel's hands, and in order to com- 

 plete his researches on the history of the Esquimaux, it became necessary 

 for him to visit Copenhagen and have conference with Dr. Eink in ref- 

 erence to that branch, as also to study the collections in the Copenhagen 

 Museum. He has been very sucessful in his mission, and expects to re- 

 turn in February, and immediately thereafter to begin the printing of 

 his final report. By authority of the Secretary of the Treasury the dis- 

 bursal of the funds was placed in charge of Mr. Thomas J. Hobbs, one 

 of the disbursing clerks of the Treasury Department. 



The Alaslca Commercial Company. — For many years the Alaska Com- 

 mercial Company has acted to a great degree as the agent of the Smith- 

 sonian Institution on the Pacific coast, and the heartiest acknowledge- 

 ments are due for its assistance during the year 1880, as well as in pre- 

 vious years. It has not simply been the agent for the transmission or 

 reception of packages between Washington and San Francisco, but has 

 readily undertaken the purchase of supplies and their transmission to 

 the agents of the Institution, in many cases making large money ad- 

 vances. The entire business has necessarily involved the employment 

 of much official time, and in some cases doubtless considerable annoy- 

 ance. This, however, has been cheerfully rendered by the company 

 without any consideration whatever. 



The company has also made many contributions to the Museum from 

 the collections sent to it by its own agents. 



Centennial Commission Archives. — In the latter part of 1880 a meeting 

 of the executive committee of the International Exhibition of 1^76 was 

 held in Philadelphia for the purpose of closing up the business of the 

 exhibition. It was then decided to deposit all the archives of the com- 

 mission in the National ^Museum at Washington, and the Secretary of 

 the Smithsonian Institution was notified of this action. 



The value and importance of these papers, plans, &c., will increases 

 with time, and the determination of the commission to secure for them 



