6 REPORT OF THE SECRETARY. 



National Museiim; 



Preservation of collections $145, 000 



Heating and lighting 12, 000 



Fnruitnre and fixtures 25, 000 



Printing and binding 18, 000 



Postage 500 



Duties on articles imported 1, 000 



Addition to electric-light plant 5, 000 



Galleries 8, 000 



National Zoological Park : 



Improvements 15, 000 



Buildings 18, 000 



Maintenance 17, 500 



Astro-Physical Observatory 10, 000 



BUILDINGS. 



I have repeatedly urged upon your atteution the necessity for more 

 ample accommodatious for the rapidly increasing collections of the 

 National Museum, a necessity that has been emphasized by the difli- 

 culties attending the preparation for the Museum exhibit at the 

 World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago and the Columbian Histori- 

 cal Exposition in Madrid. 



In the light of past experience, it is not unreasonable to anticipate a 

 large increase in the collecticms of the Museum in the shape of donations 

 from exhibitors at tliese expositions, if any assurance can be given 

 that such material will eventually be properly installed. If no such 

 assurance can be given a great amount of material will be lost to the 

 Institution, the value of which would, in my opinion, nearly equal the 

 estimated cost of a new building for the Museum. 



The present Museum building was finished and occupied in 1881. 

 The collections increased so rapidly that as early as 1883 the Regents, 

 at their meeting of January 17, recommended to Congress the erection 

 of a new building. 



Since 1883 the collections have again increased to such an extent 

 that a new building as large as tlie present one could now be advan- 

 tageously tilled with material held in storage, and I can only repeat 

 with increased emphasis the closing sentence of my letter of January 

 21, 1890, to the Hon. Leland Stanford, chairman of the Senate Com- 

 mittee on Public Buildings and Grounds, " That unless more space is 

 provided, the development of the Government collection, which is al- 

 ready partly arrested, will be almost completely stopped." 



The Museum collections have overflowed into every part of the 

 Smithsonian building, and special provisions have been made for them, 

 beginning with the galleries long since erected in the main hall, not 

 contemplated in the original plans of the building, and which seriously 

 interfere with lighting the exhibition open to the public. The storage 

 space of the Institution building needed for other purposes, is now also 

 almost exclusively occupied by jVIuseum specimens, and some relief 

 must be fouud. 



