REPORT ON EXCHANGES. 49 



The Domestic Exchange Division. — The work performed in this division 

 between January 1, 1885, and June 30, 1885, is as follows : 



Description. 



Total packages (Tistributed. 

 Aunouucemeuts written ... 



Addresses written 



Entries made in blotters... 



Number, 



5, 138 

 1,830 

 7, 320 

 5,138 



While now, as compared with 1884, the number of packages distrib- 

 uted does not apparently present any marked increase, it must be re- 

 membered that until the end of August, 1884, all books for the Smith- 

 sonian Institution, whether received bj' mail or otherwise, were entered 

 on the exchaoge record; but since then the books for the Smithsonian 

 Institution, coming by mail, were sent direct to the Smithsonian Li- 

 brary A^ithout passing through the exchanges. Thus, while the num- 

 ber of entries on the exchange records has appaj-ently remained the same, 

 an increase has in reality taken place, the extent of which is represented 

 by the number of packages sent direct to the Smithsonian Library. 



VISIT TO EUROPE. 



The Government Exchange Division. — On the 22d of July, 1881, hav- 

 ing been appointed as special European agent of the Library of Con- 

 gress for exchanging the official publications of the United States Gov- 

 ernment for like publications of foreign Governments, in accordance 

 with the Congressional acts of March 2, 1867, and July 2, 1868, I ven- 

 ture to here present, as a concise statement of the business accom- 

 plished, a reproduction of the letter transmitting the formal report: 



" Obediently to the instructions received, and provided with letters 

 of credence (1) from yourself to the correspondents of the Institution 

 abroad, (2) from Mr. Spoftbrd, on behalf of the Library of Congress to 

 the officers in charge of Government exchanges in Europe, and (3) 

 from the Department of State to the officers of tbe diplomatic and 

 consular corps of the United States in Europe, I left on my mission on 

 the 24th of July, 1884, and successively visited the executive depart- 

 ments of the following countries : Germany, Prussia, Saxony, Denmark, 

 ISiorway, Sweden, Finland, Ivussia, Austria, Hungary, Eoumauia, Ba- 

 varia, Switzerland, Wurtemberg, Belgium, Holland, England, Italy, and 

 France (several of them repeatedly), obtaining immediate results far 

 above all expectations, and securing the promise of further valuable 

 returns. In most of the countries visited even the promise of two com- 

 plete sets of official publications has been secured, while the Govern- 

 ment of the United States furnislies only one single copy to each of the 

 exchanging states. xVustria has been added to the list of exchanging 

 Governments, and Germany and Prussia are also expected to be repre- 

 sented in a decided majority of their respective publi(!ations. 



"One of the paragraphs of instruction, specifying the kind of docu- 

 H. Mis. 15 4 



