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observers and other persons in the country, known to us as being actively 

 engaged in promoting the science of Astronomy. 



The preparation of the report on the Forest Trees of North America, 

 though delaved in consequence of the absence of the author, Dr. Gray, of 

 Harvard University, on a visit to Europe, is still in progress. The illus- 

 trations are in the hands of the artists, and the first part will probably be 

 published during the present year. The cost of this report on account of 

 the elaborate illustrations, will be greater than was at first anticipated, 

 consequently the publication of the entire work must necessarily be spread 

 over a number of years. It is believed, however, that a consitlerable part 

 of the expense will be repaid to the Institution, by the sale of copies at a 

 small advance on the original cost. 



The other reports on the Progress of Knowledge mentioned in my last 

 communication to the Regents are ready for the press and will be published 

 in whole or in part during the present year. 



The Report on the statistics of Libraries of the United States, prepared 

 by Professor Jewett, has been ordered to be printed by Congress, as an 

 appendix to the Regents' Report. A sufficient number of extra copies will 

 be presented to the Institution, for distribution to all the libraries from 

 which statistical information was received. It forms a volume of about 

 two hundred and twenty-five pages, and will, I am sure, be considered an 

 important contribution to Bibliographical Statistics. 



DISTRIBUTION OF PUBLICATIONS. 



We have found considerable difficulty in deciding upon the rules to l)e 

 observed in the distribution of the Smithsonian publications. It must 

 be evident that from the small portion of the income which can be 

 devoted to this object the distribution must be circumscribed. Fifteen 

 hundred copies of each memoir have been printed, but this number though 

 all that the income could furnish, has not been found sufbcient to meet a 

 tenth part of the demand. It should be recollected that though these 

 memoirs consist of the results of new investigations of the highest import- 

 ance to the well being of man, in extending the bounds of his know- 

 ledge of the universe of mind and matter of which he forms a part ; yet 

 they are not in all cases of such a character as to be immediately ap- 

 preciated by the popular mind, and indeed they are better adapted to 

 instruct the teacher than to interest the general reader. They should, 

 therefore, be distributed in such a way as most readily to meet the eye of 

 those who will make the best use of them in ditfusing a knowledge of 

 their contents. 



The following rules have been adopted for the distribution of the quarto 

 volumes of collections of memoirs. 



1. They are to be presented to all Learned Societies which publish trans- 



actions and give copies of these in exchange to the Institution. 



2. Also, To all Foreign Libraries of the first class, provided they give in 



excliange, their catalogues, or other publications, or an equivalent 

 from their duplicate volumes. 



3. To all Colleges in actual operation in this country ; provided they 



furnish in return, meteorological observations, catalogues of their 

 Libraries and of their students, and all other publications issued by 

 them, relative to their organization and history. 



