Report of the secretary. 41 



With the cooperation of the leading druggists, and by means of ex- 

 tended exchanges, a collection has been brought together superior to 

 any other in the United States and scarcely excelled by any in Europe. 



Dr. Flint has had supervision of this collection, and has brought it 

 into admirable condition, the specimens being all neatly put up and 

 properly labeled with the scientific and common names, and made 

 available for study. Further reference to this collection will be found 

 in another part of the report. 



At the suggestion of the Institution, the Secretary of the Navy de 

 tailed Messrs. Diesel and Ackerman, two ensigns on duty at the Insti- 

 tution, to the Yantic — the naval vessel which convoyed the Proteus in 

 her trip for the relief of Lieutenant Greely and his party at Lady 

 Franklin Bay. These gentlemen made very valuable collections in zo- 

 ology and mineralogy, which have been turned over to the National 

 Museum, and have been absorbed in the general collections. 



The Secretary also assigned Ensign Bernadou, at the suggestion of 

 the Institution, for duty with the steamer Alert, about to proceed to 

 Corea, with the understanding that he was to be detached from that 

 vessel on reaching Corea, and permitted to devote himself to scientific 

 research, under the direction of the Institution. He is specially inter- 

 ested in chemistry, mineralogy, and geology ; but he hopes to make com- 

 prehensive collections in many other branches. 



The Secretary of State also furnished Mr. Bernadou with a special pass- 

 port to Corea, and a letter commending him to Mr. Foote, the United 

 States minister to that country. 



The Pinta being under orders for Alaska, Dr. Crawford, of the Navy, 

 offered his services as collector, and applied for the necessary appa- 

 ratus for making alcoholic collections. Suitable tanks filled with alcohol 

 and other supplies were forwarded to the vessel; but as Dr. Crawford 

 was detached from service on her, his successor, Dr. Willsou, very kindly^ 

 renewed the offer, and will doubtless make due report of his labors. 



The War Department. — The United States Signal Service. — The close re- 

 lationship existing between the objects of the Smithsonian Institution and 

 the United States Signal Office, as established by the transfer to that 

 Bureau of the entire meteorological organization, has continued to the 

 present time. The most important connection is in the prosecution of 

 scientific research in various parts of the country, as shown more par- 

 ticularly in the establishment of stations in northern or Arctic America. 

 Many of the persons selected by the Signal Office for carrying on re- 

 search in the interests of climatology, either for its own special purposes, 

 or in co-operation with the international arrangements, have been nom- 

 inated by the Smithsonian Institution, at the request, or by the perrnis 

 siou of the Chief Signal Officer. Instructions as to the special desiderata 

 have been issued, and the additional expenses needed in the way of out- 

 fit and supplies have been furnished by the Institution. The result has 

 been to add a great amount of important information to what we pre- 



