AN ACCOUNT OF THE U. S. NATIONAL MUSEUM. 307 



the great public exhibitious, have broadened the activities and increased 

 the wealth of the Museum, both directly and indirectly; directly, 

 because the Museum has need to bestir itself to bring together and 

 arrange exhibits which will be acceptable to the public; indirectly, 

 because the participation of the Government of the United States often 

 leads other governments to participate, and the exhibits of these, in 

 greater or less proportion, are ultimately presented to the United States 

 for its National Museum. 



The held of activities of the Government has had a strong influence 

 on the character of collections of its National Museum. While Euro- 

 pean governments have been engaged in exploring new regions and 

 founding colonies in distant sections of the globe, that of the United 

 States has confined its attention almost exclusively to North America. 

 The collections of the National Museum, therefore, are predominantly 

 North American, Leaving out of consideration the important foreign 

 collections of a few early expeditions, and those resulting from the deep- 

 sea investigations of the United States Fish Commission, the additions 

 in this direction have chiefly come from the activities of private explor- 

 ers, by gift of foreign governments at expositions, by exchange of speci- 

 mens, and only in a few instances by purchase. 



In the organic law of the Smithsonian Institution it is provided 

 that — 



in proportion as suitable arrangements can be made for their reception, all objects 

 of art and of foreign and curious research, and all objects of natural history, plants, 

 and geological and mineralogical specimens belonging or hereafter to belong to 

 the United States, which may be in the city of Washington, in whosesoever cus- 

 tody the same may be, shall be delivered to su«h persons as may be authorized by 

 the Board of Regents to receive them, and shall be arranged in such order and so 

 classed as best to facilitate the examination and study of them. 



In the act of June 30, 1880, making appropriations for the sundry 

 civil expenses of the Government, it is enacted that " all collections of 

 rocks, minerals, soils, fossils, and objects of natural history, archaeology, 

 and ethnology, made by the Coast and Interior Survey, the Geological 

 Survey, or by any other parties for the Government of the United 

 States, when no longer needed for investigations in progress, shall be 

 deposited in the National Museum." ^ 



In the same year, as we have said. Congress appropriated money "for 

 a fireijroof building for the use of the National Museum." 



As may be seen from the statutes cited, the National Museum is the 

 recognized depository for all objects of scientific and artistic interest 

 and value which come into the possession of the Government. Its 

 function is to preserve these treasures perpetually, and to administer 

 the collections in such a manner as to render them of the highest 

 service to research and education. In pursuance of these ends it 

 exhibits a portion of the collections for public inspection and instruc 

 tion ; another portion it assembles in laboratories for the use of investi 



1 Statutes United States, Forty -fifth Congress, third session, chapter 182, page 394. 



