G2 REPORT OF THE SECRETARY. 



the fact that temporary exposition buildiugs are never fire- proof, and 

 that the time is sure to come, if the present practice prevails, when some 

 exhibition building containing Government collections, to the value of 

 hundreds of thousands of dollars, will be destroyed. The experience 

 of the Mexican Government in its participation at the New Urleans 

 Exposition and of the Government of New South Wales in 1883 may 

 be taken as warnings. If, however, in future years Congress is dis- 

 posed to order such participation in exhibitions, I would urge as a ne- 

 cessity that legislation should be provided at least six months in ad- 

 vance of the date of the exhibition; other «^ise, the participation can 

 not but be unsatisfactory and expensive. I am also disposed to lay 

 stress upon the necessity of liberal appropriations, which should be 

 made with the understanding that new material may be obtained, which 

 shall not only replace that which has been lost in past exhibitions, but 

 shall enrich the Museum collections for home use and for use in future 

 exhibition work. If this necessity is not recognized, the result will be 

 that in a few years the Museum will be greatly impoverished, not only 

 by the destruction of material, but also by the dissipation of the energy 

 of its staff, which being applied to temijorary purposes in this way is 

 taken away from its legitimate 'work. It would indeed seem only fair 

 that a distraction of this kind, which afiects in large degree every 

 oflBcer and employe, should be compensated for by the opportunity to 

 purchase new material which will remain permanently the property of 

 the Government and increase the usefulness of the Governmental 

 Museum work. 



BUREAU OF ETHNOLOGY. 



The prosecution of ethnologic researches among the North American 

 Indians, under the Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution, and in com- 

 pliance with acts of Cougress, was continued during the year 1887-'88 

 in charge of Maj. J. W. Powell, as director, who has furnished the fol- 

 lowing account of operations. 



The work of the year is most conveniently rei)orted upon under two 

 general heads of field work and ofQce work. 



FIELD WORK. 



The field work of the year is divided into (1) mound explorations and 

 (2) general field studies, which during the year were chiefly directed to 

 archaeology, linguistics, and pictography. 



Mound explorations. — The work of exploring the mounds of the east- 

 ern United States was, in former years, under the superintendence of 

 Prof. Cyrus Thomas. 



Much of his attention and that of his assistants was directed to the 

 preparation for the publication of his reports on the work of the mound 

 division during the previous years of its labors. 



