REPORT ON EXCHANGES. 1 1 1 



CORRESPONDENCE RELATING TO GOVERNMENT EXCHANGE. 



Letter from the Department of State, April 16, 1883, to the Secretary of 

 the Smithsonian Institution. 



Sir : I inclose herewith for your information and consideration a copy 

 of a dispatch from Mr. Lowell, the American minister at London, in re- 

 lation to certain publications which he received from the British Gov- 

 ernment to be forwarded to the Smithsonian Institution in exchange 

 for the similar publications of this Government, adding that it will af- 

 ford me pleasure to instruct the legation at Loudon to take any further 

 action in reference to the matter which may be necessary to place the 

 exchanges of documents between the two Governments upon a proper 

 footing, 



I am, sir, your obedient servant, 

 Fred'k T. Frelinghuysen. 



(Inclosure.) — From Mr. Lowell, London, March 21, 1883, to Mr. Freling- 

 huysen. 



Sir : I have the honor to inclose herewith the copy of a note which 1 

 have just received from Lord Granville, informing me that the lords of 

 the treasury have given directions to forward certain books to the sec- 

 retary of the Smithsonian Institution in pursuance of a proposition which 

 his lordship states had been made by that association for the interchange 

 of the official publications of the two nations. 



In my reply I have expressed the thanks of my Government for this 

 gift, and requested that the volumes should be sent to the agent of the 

 Institution here for transmission to Washington. 



There seems to be some confusion in respect to this matter which per- 

 haps can be more conveniently explained at Washington than here. 



In my note of the 8th of October, 1880, to which Lord Granville refers, 

 I asked a gift of the record publications on behalf of the library of the 

 Department of State. These were given to us and have already been 

 forwarded. I have since, at the instance of the Secretary of War, which 

 was communicated to me through the Department of State, asked for 

 certain publications of the British ordnance survey and the India Office 

 in exchange for those of our War Department. I do not find that I 

 have ever formally proposed on the part of the Smithsonian Institution 

 that there should be a general interchange of public documents. Per- 

 haps this has been done through the British legation at Washington. 



I venture to suggest as to the record publications, if the Smithsonian 

 Institution do not possess the previous volumes, it would seem proper 

 that those now to be sent should be given to the library of the Depart- 

 ment of State in continuation of the series it has already received. 



I have, the honor to be, with great respect, your obedient servant, 



J. It. Lowell. 



