REPORT ON EXCHANGES. 119 



4. May I request of you therefore the favor of your good offices iu 

 endeavoring to so arrange matters with the American minister at the 

 Court of St. James that the desired result can be obtaiued. 



5. Copies of the results of the 1880 census of the United States, and 

 of the various forms, book instructions, &c, made use of in connection 

 with that undertaking- would be particularly interesting ; and Mr. Scan- 

 Ian will feel obliged if you will procure and forward all such reports. 



I am, sir, your obedient servant, 

 Hampden Willis. 



From the Smithsonian Institution, September 15, 1883, to the Hon. John 

 Davis, Acting Secretary of State. 



Sir : I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of your letter of 

 the 11th September, inclosing a copy of a dispatch from the American 

 minister in London, covering a communication from the colonial sec- 

 retary of Cape Colony, in reference to establishing an exchange of pub- 

 lications between the United States and that colony. 



In reply I beg to say that at present there is no arrangement by 

 which such small colonies of Great Britain as Cape Colony could be 

 •placed on the list of exchanges for general publications; but I think 

 there will be no difficulty in making the necessary arrangements with 

 the Joint Library Committee of Congress, by which a larger edition of 

 the more important publications of the United States Government can 

 be placed at the command of the Smithsonian Institution. 



By a reference to my letter of a few weeks past you will notice that I 

 alluded to the committee as now having authority to increase the edition 

 of public documents for foreign exchanges. Perhaps 50 more sets of a 

 portion of the series will answer every purpose. 



I shall take great pleasure in conferring with the Department of 

 State, after my return to Washington, in regard to this subject. 



In reference to your suggestion of extending the system of govern- 

 ment exchanges, I may remark that at present Canada, New South 

 Wales, ISTew Zealand, Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania, and Vic- 

 toria, are all in the first class of exchanges; receiving a full set of 

 everything we have to furnish, and supplying a corresponding series in 

 return, for the benefit of the Library of Congress. 



Very respectfully, your obedient servant, 

 Spencer F. Baird, 



From the Public Library, etc., of Victoria, Melbourne, November 10, 1882, 

 to the Smithsonian Institution. 



Sir : I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of your letter of 

 the 1st July, 1882, and in reply to inform you that I have this day for- 

 warded to you through our London agent, the agent-general for Victoria, 

 a copy of fbe Victorian Parliamentary Papers for the sessions 1877. 1878, 

 1881.' 



