50 REPORT ON EXCHANGES. 



ments especially desired by the Librarian of Congress, mentions, among 

 others — 



" («) Comi)lete sets of the laws of each country. 



"(Z^) Journals, &c., t)f parliamentary bodies. 



"(c) Historical publications. 



"In compliance with this paragraph I desire to state that on the part 

 of all the Governments visited the promise has been cheerfully given 

 (including even that of Germany and Prussia), and a number of them 

 have already redeemed their promise. Large collections have been re- 

 ceived from the Governments of Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Hungary, 

 Saxony, Wurtemberg, Bavaria, Holland, Italy, France, and Switzer- 

 land, while in furnishing collections of laws those of Wurtemberg and 

 Bavaria stand pre-eminent, the collection from the former extending 

 from the year 1280 to the present day. This is not a Government pub- 

 lication, but a private enterprise. The complete work had to be pur- 

 chased by the Government of Wurtei^berg, and is now being presented 

 to the Government of the United States in appreciation of the many 

 and valuable documents presented under the Congressional act of Gov- 

 ernment documents exchange, while the collection from Bavaria com- 

 X)rises several hundred volumes. As regards historical publications the 

 Government of Switzerland stands pre-eminent in her promise to sup- 

 ply as complete a collection as can be obtained — a library in itself — 

 of the historical works of that Republic, while the Governments of 

 Saxony and Italy have already furnished some very valuable works. 

 Of other official publications a collection of 4,500 volumes of " Proces- 

 verbaux des conseils generaux des Departements Fran^ais," received 

 from the French Government, may bi^ named, while the offer of the 

 English Government of supi)lying the parliamentary papers from the 

 year 1817 to the end of 1881 also deserves mention. 



"At first I met with great difficulties and vexations in carrying out the 

 designated plan of operations, mainly owing to the facts that all the 

 intercourse had been in a very indirect way of correspondence, and 

 that an agent of exchange had never visited the respective Govern- 

 ments, among whom some very singular ideas prevailed as to the true 

 position of the Library of Congress as regards this exchange, as well as 

 to its relative position to the Government of the United States and the 

 bodies representing the Government in its various branches, and in 

 consequence of which some very serious misapprehensions and miscon- 

 structions as regards the purpose of this exchange had occurred. 



"Another disadvantage which soon became painfully noticeable has 

 its origin in the entirely different organization and construction of the 

 exchange service of the European countries as compared with our own 

 system. 



. " While the United States Congress makes a liberal provision for the 

 printing and gratuitous distribution of all official publications, from the 

 most inexpensive to the most costly production, in European countries 

 the respective governmental bureaus and departments relieve them- 



