60 EEPQRT ON EXCHANGES. 



From Hon. John M. Francis^ ambassador, United States legation, Vienna, 

 October 9, 1884, to his excellency the Count Szogyenyi, chief of section 

 of Ministry of Foreign Affairs. 



Your Excellency : I have the honor to inclose herewith a copy of a 

 communication this day received by me from Mr. George H. Boehmer, 

 delegate of the Library of Congress of the United States, treating of 

 the subject of a proposed exchange of official documents between the 

 Governmeut of the United States and Austria-Hungary. ' 



I beg leave to inform your excellency that I have received instruc- 

 tions from my Government to aid as far as may be convenient in draw- 

 ing the attention of His Imperial Majesty's Government to the subject 

 matter referred to, with the hope that the exchange of Government 

 publications as proposed may be favorably regarded by His Majesty's 

 Government to the end that the desired object be assured. 



I avail myself of this occasion to renew to your excellency the as- 

 surance of my distinguished consideration. 



From George H. Boehmer., Vienna^ Austria, October 9, 1884, to his ex- 

 cellency Mr. John M. Francis, envoy extraordinary and minister pleni- 

 potentiary of the United States of America, Vienna. 



Sir : In the year 1867, the Congress of the United States passed a 

 law authorizing the exchange, under the direction of the Smithsonian 

 Institution, of a certain number of all the United States official docu- 

 ments for the corresponding publications of other Governments through- 

 out the world, the returns to be placed in the National (Congressional) 

 Library. 



The object of this law was to procure for the use of the Congress of 

 the United States a complete series of the publications of other Gov- 

 ernments. 



A circular letter was therefore issued by the Smithsonian Institution, 

 asking the advice of the various Governments as to the best method of 

 accomplishing the object. 



It was important to ascertain what Governments were willing to 

 enter into the proposed exchange, and whether any one person or branch 

 of the Government or public library in each country would undertake 

 to collect all the national publications and transmit them to Washing- 

 ton. Information was also desired as to the titles and character of the 

 regular official publications of each country, and their average number 

 and extent in each year, as well as the names of the different sources 

 from which they emanate. 



On the 30th of October, 1875, a circular was sent by Professor Henry, 

 Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution, with a letter to the foreign 

 ministers at Washington,* and among them to the ambassador of His 

 Majesty the Emperor of Austria. 



* [This circular and letter were published in the Smithsonian Repbrt for 1881, pp. 

 768, 769.] 



