THE SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION. 243 



mulates within the walls of its building, Init by what it sends forth to 

 the world. Its qreat mission is to facilitate the use of all the implements 

 of research, and to diffuse the knowledge which this use may develope. 

 The Smithsonian publications are sent to some institutions abroad, and 

 to the great majority of those at home, without any return except, 

 in some cases, that ot" co-operation in meteorological and other obser- 

 vations. Apphcations for these publications have now become so 

 numerous that the edition printed will supply but a part of the demand, 

 and it becomes a difficult matter to select the places which will best 

 subserve the purpose of rendering them accessible to the greatest number 

 of persons w4]o would be benefited by their perusal. 



In connexion with the distribution of its own publications, the Insti- 

 tution has adopted an arrangement to establish and promote a more 

 general exchange of literar}^ and scientific productions between this 

 and other countries. For this purpose it receives packages from soci- 

 eties and individuals in the different parts of die United States, and 

 transmits them to England or the continent, and through its agents dis- 

 tributes them to the parties for whom they are intended. It also re- 

 ceives the articles sent in return, and forwards them to those to whom 

 they are addressed. To facilitate this operation, the packages to the 

 Institution are addressed to the Collector of Customs in New York, and 

 b}^ him, on the certificate of the Secretary, admitted free of duty, and 

 without the delay of an examination. 



In carrying out this plan, the Institution is much indebted to the 

 liberal course adopted by the government of Great Britain, and to the 

 ready co-operation of the Royal Society of London. All packages 

 intended for Great Britain, for some parts of tlie continent, and the 

 East Indies, are directed to the care of the Royal Society, and on the 

 certificate of its president, are, by a special order of the government, 

 admitted duty free, and without the delay and risk of inspection. The 

 packages are afterwards distributed by the agent of the Institution, or 

 by those of the Society. 



This system of exchange does not stop here. The Royal Society 

 has adopted the same plan with reference to Great Britain and all 

 other parts of the world; and the Smithsonian Institution, in turn, 

 becomes an agent in receiving and distributing all packages which the 

 Society desires to send to this country. A general system of interna- 

 tional communication, first started by this Institution for the distribution 

 of its own publications, has thus been established, which will tend to 

 render the results of the labors of each country in the line of literature 

 and science common to all, and to produce a community of interest 

 and of relations of the highest importance to the advancement of knowl- 

 edge, and of kindly feeling "among men." 



The results of the operations of the system of foreign exchanges 

 during the ^^ear 1852 are exceedingly gratifying. The whole number 

 of packages sent out, including the Smithsonian publications, is 572, 

 containing 9,195 articles, and weighing 9,855 |>ounds. There have 

 been received, in addition to the 4,745 articles for this Institution, 637 

 packages, containing an unknown number of volumes, f(>r other insti- 

 tutions in this country. The details of the business of the exchanges 

 are intrusted to Professor Baird ; and I would refer, for a partlcuLu: 



