REPCRT OF THE SECRETAKY 35 



TRANSMISSIONS. 



1. Foreigu exchanges: 537 boxes, representing a bulk of 3,531 cubic feet, with a 



weight of 131,350 pounds, being an increase of 118 boxes over the year 1883. 



2. Domestic exchanges: 10,236 packages, of which 8,094 were addressed to institu- 



tions, and 2,142 to individuals. 



3. Government exchanges : 114 boxes, representing a bulk of 750 cubic feet, with a 



weight of 27,885 pounds, against 76 boxes in 1883 ; or an increase of 38 boxes, as 

 compared with that year. 



The increase over the year 1883 is most aoticeable in the foreign and 

 Government exchanges, being 156 boxes, with a bulk of 993 cubic feet 

 and a weight of 30,970 pounds. 



In the domestic exchanges there is an apparent decrease in the num- 

 ber of parcels, but this is owing to the fact that packages arriving by 

 mail for the Smithsonian library were formerly recorded by the ex- 

 change office, while during a great portion of the year 1884 this practice 

 had been discontinued. 



Government Document Exchange. — The exchange of official publica- 

 tions of the United States Government for those of most other foreign 

 nations has been continued, as in previous years, under the auspices of 

 the Smithsonian Institution, in accordance with the law of Congress, 

 and a large number of valuable publications have been sent to agencies 

 designated by their respective countries. 



During the year the Government of Great Britain has agreed to make 

 a complete exchange of all official documents, commencing with Janu- 

 ary 1, 1882, and preliminary arrangements have been made to the same 

 effect with the Government of Austria. 



There are now thirty-eight foreign Governments regularly receiving 

 the publications of the United States. 



For some time there has been considerable difficulty in establishing 

 the regular international exchange connection with the British Prov- 

 inces and the United States. A satisfactory arrangement, however, 

 has been made with the Geological Survey at Ottawa to receive and 

 distribute all parcels belonging to Canada proper, and by the kind aid 

 of Mr. Matthews, of St. John, N. B., Mr. Kane, of the custom-house at 

 St. John, has agreed to receive parcels for Nova Scotia, New Bruns- 

 wick, and Prince Edward Island, and to assess pro rata the freight 

 expenses upon the recipients. There only remains to make some satis- 

 factory arrangement with Newfoundland to complete the British pro- 

 vincial service, which it is thought can be accomplished before long. 



Public Utility of the Smithsonian Exchanges. — The practical benefits of 

 the Smithsonian exchange system are extended to the remotest quar- 

 ters of the earth 5 and have been frequently acknowledged by erninent 

 scientific workers abroad. It has even been suggested that in the in- 

 terest of science, similar agencies iu Great Britain and elsewhere, are 

 a great desideratum, notwithstanding the increasing activity among 



