EEPORT OF THE SECRETARY. 



33 



Government Document Exchange, — In addition to its general function of 

 intermediary between the institutions of the New World and the Old, 

 the Smithsonian Institution has been for some years the agent of the Gov- 

 ernment for the exchange of public documents and other official publi- 

 cations, in the interest of the Library of Congress, and under the i)rovis- 

 ions of law. By act of Congress, fifty copies of all publications of the 

 United States Government, whether ordered for the use of Congress or 

 of the Departments, are available for distribution, under the direction 

 of the Joint Library Committee of the two houses of Congress, to such 

 J'oreign Governments as agree to make a corresponding return. These 

 returns, when received, are forwarded directly to the Library of Con- 

 gress, without being entered on the records of this Institution. A 

 detailed report in an appendix gives all the information ijossessed un- 

 der this head, including the aggregate of such distribution, the agencies 

 through which it has been effected, and the parties interested in the 

 exchange. 



List of Governments to which boxes "16" and "17" were sent in 1882. 



Colombia, Hungary, and India were furnished with the entire set of 

 17 boxes (A to li). France has received 2 sets of all the documents 

 except box " 17," of which only one was sent, the practice of sending 

 double sets having been discontinued. 



LIBRARY. 



The large increase in the number of books and pamphlets received in 

 1881 (the total number amounting to 11,959 pieces) has been well main- 

 tained during 1882, by the accession of 11,789 pieces, as detailed in the 

 following statement. This, compared with the 8,570 pieces received in 

 1880, represents a very gratifying increase. 



As already explained, the books and articles received by the Smith- 

 sonian Institution (excepting only such as are needed for immediate 

 reference by the specialists of the Institution and National Museum) 

 are deposited at once in the Library of Congress, and represent a very 

 large i^art of the mass there which is at present calling so earnestly for 

 proper accommodation. 



Eeference has been made in a preceding report to the arrangements 

 for obtaining a special library for the service of the National Museum; 

 H. Mis. 26 3 



