104 REPORT OF THE SECRETARY. 



ances against wbicli now .stand on its books to the following amounts, on the 30th of 

 June, 1888:. 



Naval Observatory .|94.70 



Office of Engineers, U. S. Army 16. 80 



Signal Office, U. S. Army 115.97 



Geological Survey 1,922.25 



Patent Office 112.25 



Total 2,201.97 



By the terms of the pending sundry civil bill for the year ending June 30, 1889, 

 the Geological Survey will have an appropriation of $5,000 "for the purchase of neces- 

 sary books for the library, and the payment for the transmission of public documents 

 through the Smithsonian exchange." Other appropriations of a similar purport are to 

 the Signal Office "for expenses * * * of prei)aying, printing, disfrihiitinfj, and 

 displaying weathiy;- maps, etc., I|15,000," and to the War Departmenr. ''for the trans- 

 portation of charts and maps to foreign countries through the Smithsonian Institu- 

 tion, $100." By the legishitive and executive bill it is iiroposed to appropriate to the 

 Naval Observatory "for payment to the Smithsonian Institution for freight on Ob- 

 sei'vatory i>ublications sent to foreign countries, $136," and to the Library of Con- 

 gress "for expenses of exchanging public documents for the publications of foreign 

 governments, $1,500." Bj' the same act an indefinite part of an appropriation of $3,000 

 to the Patent Office is " for the purchase of books and expenses of transporting pub- 

 lications of patents issued by the Patent Office to foreign governments," and a simi- 

 lar appropriation of $2,000 to the Bureau of Education is "for the distribution and 

 exchange of educational documents," among other purposes. 



It appears then to have been the intention of Congress that its specific appropria- 

 tion for the exchange business shall be supplemented by special appropriations to 

 some of the bureaus and departments of the Government, so that the charge of 5 cents 

 per pound weight, imposed by the Regents of the Smithsonian Institution in 1878, 

 may be met by them. 



It is my opinion, and I therefore respectfullj' recommend, that this procedure, 

 which had become necessary at the time of its original adoption by reason of the 

 heavy annual expense of the exchanges to the Smithsonian fund, is no longer ad- 

 vantageous or economical and may wisely be discontinued. The average annual 

 amount collected in this way between the years 1878 and 1887 was about $1,650. Al- 

 lowing for the increased business of later years $2,000 should be added to the annual 

 appropriation for Exchanges. The expense to the Government would be no greater 

 than it now is, while the entire cost of the Exchanges would appear in a single ap- 

 propriation. By the present system the cost of the service is actually larger than ap- 

 pears in the specific appropriation for Exchanges, and as the special appropriations to 

 the different departments of the Government vary from year to year, and are often 

 omitted altogether, an uncertain burden, which can not be accurately foreseen, is 

 imposed upon the Smithsonian fund. 



CORRESPONDENTS. 



The number of correspondents has been increased during the year by 1,721 new 

 names. There have been 100 losses by deaths 6f individuals or discontinuance of 

 organizations. 



The additions are classified as follows : 



Foreign. 



Domestic. 



Societies and institutions i 240 



Libraries [ 28 



Individuals « , Oj^ 



Total 1,221 



96 



38 



366 



