4 REPOKT OF THE SECRETARY. 



cludiug those of tlie Bureau of Ethnology, are set forth in a letter ad- 

 dressed to the Speaker of the House of Kepreseutatives in accordance 

 with a provision of the sundry civil act of October 2, 1888, while the 

 expenditures from the Smithsonian fund, having likewise been examined 

 and approved by the executive committee, are given in their report. 



The estimates for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1891, forwarded to 

 the Secretary of the Treasury under date of October 1, 1889, were as 

 follows: 



International exchanges !it;27, 500. 00 



North American ethnology 50,000. 00 



National Mnsenui : 



Preservation of collections 175, 000. 00 



Heating and lighting 15, 000. 00 



Fnrniture and fixtures 30,000. 00 



Living animals, in connection with zoological de))aitment .50,000.00 



Printing and binding 18,500.00 



Postage 500.00 



BUILDINGS. 



I regret that I am unable to report any immediate prospect of relief 

 from the over-crowded condition of the Museum building. The Re- 

 gents nearly eight years ago, (at their meeting of January 17, 1883,) 

 recommended to Congress the erection of a new Museum building, and 

 the previous steps taken in pursuance of their instruction have already 

 been laid before the Board. Since 1883, the collections of the Museum 

 have enormously increased, so that before a new building can now be 

 completed, the material pressing for display or even for storage, will 

 demand a considerable part of a building as large as the present one. 



Sketch-plans for a building that would meet the wants of the Museum 

 for the immediate future were laid before the Board at their meeting in 

 January, 1890. These plans contemplated a building of two stories and 

 a basement, it being indispensable to have rooms for the preparation an<l 

 study of material apart from the rooms used purely for the purposes of 

 exhibition. 



A bill appropriating $500,000 for a building was reported by Sen- 

 ator Morrill on February 19, 1890, from the Senate Committee on 

 Public Buildings and Grounds, and passed the Senate on the 5th of 

 April, 1890. It was referred in the House to its Committee on Public 

 Buildings and Grounds, from which it has not as yet been reported. 

 The following letter in relation to the subject transmitted to the Hon. 

 Lelaud Stanford, chairman of the Senate Committee on Public Build- 

 ings and Grounds, sets forth at some length the urgent need for fur- 

 ther accommodation: 



