NATIONAL MUSEUM BUILDINGS. 219 



concluded to allow this room to remain unfinisheil until other means are provided 

 for comjileting it. 



It is not by its castellated l)uilding nor the exhibition of the museum of the Gov- 

 ernment that the Institution has achieved its present reputation, nor by the collec- 

 tion and display of material objects of any kind that it has viudicated the intelligence 

 and good faith of the Government in the administration of the trust. It is by its 

 explorations, its researches, its publications, its distribution of specimens, and its 

 exchanges, constituting it an active, living organization, that it has rendered itself 

 favorably known in every part of the civilized world, has made contributions to 

 almost every branch of science, and brought more tlian ever l)efore into intimate 

 and friendly relations the Old and New Worlds. 



******* 



The Board of Regents are confident that upon a full consideration of the case, your 

 honorable body will grant an adecjuate support for the collections of the Govern- 

 ment, and also an ap})roi)riati()n for finishing the repairs of the building. 



******* 



In conclusion, your memorialists beg leave to represent on behalf of the Board of 

 Regents that the usual annual appropriation of |4,000 is wholly inadequate to the 

 cost of preparing, preserving, and exhibiting the specimens, the actual expenditure 

 for that purpose in 1867 having been over ?12,000; and they take the liberty of 

 respectfully urging on your honorable body the expediency of increasing it to 

 $10,000, and that a further sum of $25,000 be appropriated at this session of Congress 

 toward the completion of the hall required for the Government collections. 



And your memorialists will ever pray, etc. 



S. P. Chase, 

 Chancellor Smithsonian Institution. 

 Joseph Henry, 

 Secretary Smithsonian Institution. 



In his report for the same and the succeeding- ^^ear. Secretary 

 Henry explained that the only exhibition rooms to which the general 

 public had had admission since the fire were the large hall on the first 

 floor of the main building and the adjoining apartment in the south 

 tower. This large hall, containing rich collections in ornithology and 

 ethnology, presented to the eye a succession of large pillars, which 

 obstructed the view of the cases. In fitting up the room of corre- 

 sponding dimensions in the second story, an opportunity would be 

 afforded of adopting arrangements far better suited for a comprehen- 

 sive display of the vast number of objects with which in time it would 

 be furnished, as it was intended that the ceiling of this hall should be 

 attached to the long iron girders which span the space from wall to 

 wall, thus obviating the necessity for introducing cohnnns. In addi- 

 tion to the above the west connecting range was provided in 1868 with 

 cases for ethnological specimens and opened to the pubJc in 1869. 

 The west wing was at this time temporaril}^ appropriated to the alco- 

 holic specimens and miscellaneous purposes. 



During each of the years 1870 and 1871, Congress appropriated 

 110,000 for the fitting up of the large second-stor}- room and other 

 work of reconstruction. Those sums, together with about $9,000 from 



