APPENDIX TO THE SECRETARY'S REPORT. 



KEPOiiT ON SMITflSONlAN EXCIIANUES FOli THE FISCAL 

 YEAU ENDING JUNE 30, 188(;. 



liy CJEoiieJE II. BoEiiMEit. 



When, towards the close ol" the year LSS!), you iatriisted the chari;e 

 L)t' the exchaiii^e .service to niy kecMhig, no very dehnite system had been 

 established, though the records kept may have been sutiicient for the 

 sxtent of the business at that time. 



As the work expanded I ventured to make some suggestions whereby 

 the service might be established on more business principles, involving 

 the organization of the Kecord, Foreign, D.>mestic, and Government 

 Exchange Divisions. 



At present the oftice force is worked to its full capacity, and an in 

 :3rease m the work would require a corresponding increase in the force. 



The Record Division. — One of the improvements introduced in 1881 

 was a system of card catalogues as ledger accounts, which has been 

 found very useful. We have at i)rescnt 4,513 cards, ro[)resenting the 

 iccountskcpt with societies ; and 3,340 cards, re[>resenting the accounts 

 with individuals. 



These cards, arranged in geographical series (and under each coun- 

 try al[)habetically), are numbered as in the "List of foreign corre- 

 s[)ondents." They represent a double-entry ledger, showing to the left 

 the books and packages received for the party represented, together 

 with the date of rece[)tion, transmission, and acknowledgment of re- 

 [;eii)t by the recipient, and to the right the nature and character of any 

 sending received from that party. The number of tlie page on which 

 each entry is recorded on the day-book and the number corresponding 

 to each item on the incoming or invoice book complete the record. 



The manner of i)roceeding in posting the cards was fully described 

 in the report for ISS"), as also the duties of the (two) assistants eni- 



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