12() REPORT ON EXCHANGES. 



There is nothing among the details agreed upon at the conventions 

 of 1877 and of 1880 differing materially from the practice of the Smith- 

 sonian system so far as the purely governmental exchange is concerned ; 

 but in the interchange of publications between the learned bodies of 

 the two countries, respectively, there is a decided difference. The Smith- 

 sonian Institution aims at establishing direct relationships — parcels for 

 foreign societies and institutions being sent to us addressed by the do- 

 nors and the Institution simply charging itself with securing their safe 

 delivery abroad — while the foreign exchange agencies, on the other hand, 

 ass ume also the responsibility of delivering un addressed packages to 

 such societies as they deem suitable. While the Smithsonian Institu- 

 tion has at times performed this latter service, on special request, it 

 nevertheless endeavors to establish direct relations between donor and 

 recipient, confining itself, as far as possible, to the work of a carrier. 

 This method is, I think, very much the better of the two. 



Permit me to inquire whether the wording of Article 8 has been cor- 

 rectly rendered in the translation, so far as the use of the word " post" 

 near the end is concerned? If this be port it will be in strict accord- 

 ance with the practice and preference of the Smithsonian Institution. 

 In the entire inability to follow a package across the water to its ulti- 

 mate destination, we deliver the same either at New York or at the cor- 

 responding port in Europe, and expect to be responsible for charges only 

 from the opposite i)ort, or from New York, as may be agreed upon. 



I may say, in conclusion, that the system of governmental exchange 

 does not work as satisfactorily as where we have our own agents in the 

 respective countries, and it is extremely difficult to induce Government 

 officials to take the necessary pains to see that packages addressed to 

 minor institutions or to individuals reach their destination. Book- 

 sellers, who have usually served as our agents, attend to this matter 

 much more carefully. 



I inclose an article prepared bv Mr. Boehmer, showing the parallel- 

 ism in the letter of the Belgian minister and the practice of the Smith - 

 souiau Institution, together with a general brief of the Smithsonian plan. 

 For full details I would refer to the report of the Smithsonian Institu- 

 tion on this subject made to the Department of State some mouths ago. 



Very respectfully, your obedient servant, 

 Spencer F. Baird. 



Comparison of proposed and Smithsonian systems. 



ARTICLES AGREED UPON BY BRUSSELS WORK DONE BY THE SMITHSONIAN EX- 

 CONFERENCE. CHANGE. 



Article 1. A bureau having The establishment of the Smith- 

 charge of the exchange service sonian exchange service is fully ex- 

 shall be established in each of the I plained in the " History of the 

 contract in if states. Smithsonian Exchanges." 



