NATIONAL MUSEUM BUILDINGS. 237 



which were expected to be received from the Centennial Exhibition 

 at Philadelphia, b}- the following provision in the sundry civil act for 



1877: 



For repairing; ami fittintr.up the so-callod Armory Imildiiifj;, on the Mall between 

 Sixth and Seventh streets, and to ena])le the Smithsonian Institution to store therein 

 and to take care of specimens of the extensive series of the ores of the precious 

 metals, marbles, build in<i stones, coals, and numerous ol)jects of natural history now 

 on exhil)ition in l*hiladeli)hia, including:;: other objects of practical and economical 

 value presented by various foreign governments to the National INIuseuni, $4,500: 

 Provided, That the said sum shall be expended under the direction of the Secretary 

 of the Smithsonian Institution. 



The collections, when brought to Washington from Philadelphia and 

 stored in this building in their original packing cases, together with 

 other collections from national surveys, filled it completely from the 

 ground floor to the attic. The sundry civil act for 1878 provided for 

 the completion of the interior arrangements and for maintenance in 

 the following terms: 



For fitting up the Armory building for storage of articles belonging to the United 

 States, including those transferred from the international exhibition and expense of 

 watching the same, $2,500. 



For 1879 and 1880, the same sum was granted "for expense of 

 watching and storage of articles/' etc. An identical amount was 

 appropriated for 1881, in which year the National Museiun building 

 was completed, and the following clause added: "and for transfer 

 to the new National Museum." 



Some of these collections, with others from the Geological Survey 

 and the Bureau of Ethnology, and several workshops were retained, 

 however, at the Armory building for a number of 3'ears longer, when 

 certain quarters, including the main floor, were appropriated to the 

 use of the U. S. Fish Commission, of which the Commissioner, Spencer 

 F. Baird, was also keeper of the Museum. The following was the 

 wording of the act for 1882: 



For expense of watching, care, and storage of duplicate Government collections 

 and of property of the United States Fish Commission, $2,500. 



The text of the sundry civil items for 1883, 1884, and 1885, was 

 identical, except for the insertion of the word "ground" in two 

 instances and its omission in the others, and was as follows: 



For care of the Armory building (and grounds) and expense of watching, preser- 

 vation, and storage of the duplic-ate collections of the Government and of the prop- 

 erty of tlie United States Fish Gonnnission contained therein, including salaries or 

 compensation of all necessary enii)loyees, $2,500. 



In the corresponding hill lor 1886, "the property of the National 

 Museum" was su])stitut(Hl tor "the duplicate collections of the 

 (lovcriunent."" 



During the succeeding thice years no apjnopiiutions were made 



