KKI'OHT OF TIIH SKCKKTAHV. ()3 



liy \\li()in llic.v arc (lisirihiitc<l 1>\- mail or cxincss, ihc Institution assmiiiiig the cost 

 of transportation t() the distributing agents, and in tlii' casr ol' itssjiccial a,<;t'nt (In/ 

 (ost is f'nrtlicr ikdrayt'd to tlic ri!ci])ient wlu'n ].ia(ti(al)lo. ISccause of the lack ol" 

 siiriicicnt funds transi)ortatioii is cliiMtcd liy slow frcii;lit. and the governmental 

 hiircau of tin- United States or otlu'i- corrcsiioinients (d' tlus Institution eau not expect 

 tinir jinldications to be deliver<Ml with t lie same pr(nuptness with whieli they may be 

 sent by mail or by e\]ires,s. The transnussions are especially slow to foreign eountries 

 with wliiili we haxc eomparati\<'ly iiifre(|neiit commnniiation. To Enghiinl and 

 Germany, Avhere, as before stated, the agencies are nnder control aiwl jtay of the 

 .Smithsonian Institution, and to France, cases are dispatched on the average about 

 three times a month. 



S]iecial care is taken to insure the safe delixcry of the jiaekage to the pi'rson ad- 

 dressed, and the easesof failure constitutes but a small percentage of the entire num- 

 ber of packages handled. Souu) errors are incvital)le unless the gn/atest eare is ex- 

 ercised by the .sender in securing the propei- aildicss of his correspondent.^. 



With each ])a.ekage sent out a receipt card is forwarded r(M|nesting acknowledg- 

 ment tiiereon (d'the package; in (lutistion, and wiicn this receipt is placeel in the tiles 

 of the exiduiiige office the record of that particular package is complete. 



Transmissions from abroad receivcnl Iiy freight in large cases arc; distrilmted in t he 

 United States by registered mail, a record tirst having been made of the name of the 

 sender and of the recipient of each package. A recei[it card, returnable l)y mail 

 ■without postage, is sent with each of these packages, and should be returned at 

 once by the recipient in at'kuowledgiuent of the i)a.ckage, otherwise i'urther trans- 

 missions to that address can not 6e niad(?. It should l)e borne in mind that as no 

 rec<nd is madi; of the title of the book eontaiin-d in each package, it is not always 

 possible to trace a given work unless the date of its dispat(di to the exchange ol'lico 

 is known. 



I give this account of tiie W(uking of the Exchange Service, as f am led to believe 

 from a iiumhei' of inquiriis with refereiu'c, to this Bureau that it is not thoroughly 

 uneh'rstood by all who ha\e h.id occasion to make use of it. 



I am gratified to st.ite that, the re(;onnueudatiou for additional assistance con- 

 tained in }»re\"i()us rei)orts having been approved, it has been ixtssible to bring the 

 records ami tiles into ainueh more satisfa.ctory stati' than heretofore, as, owing to 

 the insufficient c lerical force, the wm-k has been for several years ])a.st somewhat in 

 arrears. By theailojition of ncsw and abbr(sviat(>d forms for records tluich^rical work 

 has been materially decreased without tiie sacritice* of accuracy, though in s])ite of 

 this reduction in the work aiul the iucrt^ase of tin; force it is only now possible to kee]) 

 the work of the Unreau well u]) to date. This, I think, will readily be understood 

 if it is reuuMulxu'ed that since JSSt! the number of |>ackages accounted lor has lieeu 

 nearly donltled. 



Six thousand four hundred and sixty-one more packages wen; handhul in 1891-92 

 than in tlie previous year, and on .June 30. 1892, tliere were but 102 ]>ackages on 

 hand to be disposed of. 



The increased number of Hhijuuents to the ])rincipal foreign countries has been 

 inaiutaiued, as shown in the tables appended as Exhihit A. A further improvement 

 in this direction can l)e looked for only wh(ui the appropriations made by Congress 

 beconu' suHieieid to enable the Institution to i»ay for fast freight. As it is now, 

 fn^e freight is granted by a majority of the ocean steamship com])aiiies to the Smith- 

 sonian Institution in its endeavor to increase and difFuse knowledge among men, 

 while full rates would bi; charged to the United States Government for a similar 

 service; and where! the privilege ol" fre^e freight has not b(>.en secured the exchange 

 boxes art; sent by slow steamers or by sailing vessels of["ering low rates. 



I take pleasure in bearing witness to tin; conscientious eflicieiicy of Hh; employes 

 of the Exchange Dllii-e, and I beg leave to <'X[>ress my ai»preciatioii of the c.ireful 



