26 REPORT OF THE SECRETARY. 



Fublications. — There lijis been unusual activityin the work of this de- 

 partment of the Museum during the year. The report for 1889 has been 

 publish ed, and the report for 1890 has been put in type, Th e manuscript 

 of the report for 1891 was sent to the Public l*rinter and is now going- 

 through the press. Vol. xiii of the '' Proceedings" of the National Mu- 

 seum has been published. Of the ^'Bulletin," jSTos. 39 (Parts A to G)^ 

 41 and 12 have been issued. 



The Proceedings and Bulletins of the iSTational Museum are not "pub- 

 lic documents," hence no part of the edition is regularly apportioned 

 for distribution by the Senate and House, or to the legal depositcn-ies. 

 The edition of 3,000 copies, now printed, is only snflieiout to supply in 

 limited measure the very urgent requests from public libraries, educa- 

 tional institutions, and scientific investigators in the United States and 

 throughout the world. A larger appropriation for printing is needed, 

 so as to enable the Museum to place a full series of its publications in 

 representative libraries in different parts of each State. It is not the 

 intention that the annual number of issues of the Proceedings and Bul- 

 letins should be increased, but that a larger edition of each should be 

 printed. On account of the small edition, the Museum fails to receive 

 in exchange the valuable publications of many scientific institutions. 



The amounts hitherto appropriated, though expended with strict 

 economy, have been found inadequate. 



Visitors. — The total number of visitors to the Smithsonian building 

 during- the past year was 114,817, and to tlie Museum 269,825; total, 

 384,642. This is an increase of 13,453 over the previous year. 



Heating and W/hting. — The larger part of this approi)riation is ex- 

 pended for fuel and gas. As has been explained in connection with 

 the estimates for previous years, it is necessary for the safety of the 

 collection that the buildings should be kept at a nearly even temj)era- 

 ture day and night throughout the winter. The reduction of this ap- 

 priation below the minimum of $12,000 will make a deficiency estimate 

 necessary. From lack of fuel, required to maintain the proi^er temper- 

 ature, some of the ofl&ces had to be abandoned on several occasions 

 during- the winter of 1892. The longer the heating apparatus is used 

 the less efidcient it becomes, and of late it has been necessary each 

 successive year to expend a larger sum for replacing worn-out jiarts. 

 The wires of the burglar alarms, watchman's call boxes, and other 

 electrical apparatus, have deterioiated fiom long- use, and need imme- 

 diate attention. 



There are at present in use in the Museum building twenty-five arc 

 lights, and this number is not sufticient to illuminate the entire build- 

 ing, there being no lights in the courts and an insufllicient number in 

 the halls. It is thought that with an additional plant, costing about 

 $5,000, the building may be so lighted that it can be thrown oi)en 

 occasionally to the public at night, to the advantage of tliose persons 

 who are unable to avail themselves of the regular hours of exhibition. 



