16 REPORT OF THE SECRETARY, 



of other countries sent in return. In this twofokl service it is now per- 

 forming an important public duty, for which such inadequate provision 

 is made, that in spite of the efforts for an economical and efficient ad- 

 ministration of this department the best interests of the Government 

 as well as those of the Institution are seriously suffering. 



In reviewing the past year it is necessary to mention first of all the 

 serious loss in the death of Dr. Jerome H. Kidder, which however has 

 been more fully referred to elsewhere. At the date of his death, which 

 occurred on the 6th of April, 1889, owing to the efficient condition of 

 the division due to the hearty co-operation of all in it with the labors 

 of its lamented chief, the office was free from any parcels whatever, and 

 was ready to close its book accounts completely for the first time. 



I regret to record, also, the death on June 17, 1889, of Mr. George Ilill- 

 ier, superintendent of the New York Custom-IIouse. Mr. Hillier had for 

 more than thirty years attended to the transmission of Smithsonian ex- 

 change packages, rendering the Institution most valuable and eflficieut 

 service without compensation. In response to a request maile to the 

 Secretary of the Treasury, Mr. Quackenbush, chief entry clerk of the 

 New York Custom-IIouse, has been designated to receive and transmit 

 cases addressed to the Smithsonian Institution in future. 



Dr. Kidder was succeeded as curator of exchanges by Mr. William 0. 

 Winlock, who was appointed May 15, 1889. The curator's report to the 

 Secretary, containing the usual statistics for the fiscal year, will be found 

 in th^ appendix. 



In order to convey an idea of the present magnitude and character of 

 the exchange transactions it may be stated that during the year, 17,218 

 packages were mailed to correspondents in the United States and G93 

 boxes, containing 58,035 packages, were shipped to our agents abroad 

 for distribution to correspondents in nearly every civilized nation of the 

 earth. The total number of packages received was 75,966, of which 

 34,996, or nearly one-half, were governmental exchanges. * The services 

 of elevent clerks and packers have been required in handling and account- 

 ing for this material and in conducting the extensive correspondence 

 that such a business involves. The societies and individuals upon the 

 exchange list now number 13,130. 



The entire expense of " international exchanges " for the fiscal year 

 was $17,152,104 Of this sum $15,000 were appropriated directly by 

 Congress, $1,363.54 were repaid by several of the Government Depart- 



*It should bo uoted that almost from the very beginniug- of the exchange system 

 the pnblicatious of several of the scientific bureaus of the Govcrumeut were volun- 

 tarily transmitted by the Smithsouiau lustitutiou ; but it was not officially desig- 

 nated for the service till 1878. 



tit is not superlluous to repeat that these are engaged in addition to the proper 

 personnel of the Institution, the services of whose officers are given without charge. 



I The items |"2,329.99, under the head of expenditures for exchanges, and $2,189.52 

 repayments, in the report of the executive committee, include receipts and expendi- 

 tures made on account of the preceding fiscal year. 



