Appendix III. 



REPORT UPON INTERNATIONAL EXCHANGES, UNDER THE DIRECTION OP 

 THE SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION, FOR THE YEAR ENDING JUNE 30, 1888. 



By J. H. KiDUER, Curator. 



The business of the exchange office has increased during the year, as shown l>y the 

 following table : 



Packages received 



Pa<;kage8 shipped, domestic 

 Packages shipped, foreign . . 



1886-'87. 



52,218 

 10, 294 

 41,424 



1887-'88. 



7."), 107 

 12, 301 

 62, 30G 



Increaae. 



22, 889 



2,007 



20, 882 



or over 40 per cent, more packages were handled than during the previous year. This 

 large increase is partly oft'set by the fact that an unusually large number of the pack- 

 ages received during the year just passed were single publications and of small size. 

 The business of the office is set forth in detail by Exhibit A, hereto appended. 



The expense of the service for the fiscal year has been $1.5,113.7.'), of which sum 

 fia,000 were voted by Congress for the support of the " international exchangea 

 with foreign countries," and |20.5.7.'> were refunded by the Patent Ollice, Signal Of- 

 fice, and a correspondent in South America, leaving a net deticit of $•2,1)08, which has 

 been paid from the Smithsonian fnnd. 



The expenditure for the fiscal year 1888-'8t) at the present rate, making no allow- 

 ance for increase in the business of the office or in the p.ay of its employds, will be 

 $1G,0.'")0. If the amount estimated for Jast October, $1.'),000, shall be voted by Con- 

 gress, there will be a deficit at the end of the year of at least $1,0.50, to be paid by 

 the Smithsonian fund. Considering the probability that the business of the ofiice 

 will continue to increase during the next fiscal year, I think it reasonable to expect 

 that the deficit will amount to as much .as $-:i,000 by the :U)th of June, 1889. 



RE-IMBURSEMKNT OF EXTENSES. 



In former years a part of the deficit in the expense of transport.",tion has been re- 

 paid to the Smithsonian Institution by the dilfiuent departments and bureaus of the 

 Government, to which occasional appropriations have been granted by Congress for 

 the purpose. During the past year such i)ayments have been made by the Signal 

 Office and Patent Office, but only of a part of their indebtedness, the usual appro- 

 priations to other bureaus having been omitted. The Institution has. therefore, de- 

 sisted from sending bills during the year to offices of the National Government, bal- 



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