I'T [ 108 ] 



As a part of the same system, application was inado llirough Sir Hcmy 

 Bulwer, the British minister at Washington, for a remission of duties on 

 packages intended for Great Britain, and we are informed that a permanent 

 arrangement will probably be made, through the agency of the Royal 

 Society, for the free passage through the English custom-house, of all 

 jiackagcs from this Institution. 



The Smithsonian exchanges are under tlie special charge of Professor 

 Baird, who has been unwearied in his exertions to collect proper materials, 

 and to reduce the whole to such order as will combine security with rapidity 

 of transmission. 



The system of exchange here described has no connection with that 

 established between national governments by Mr. Vattemare. It is merely 

 an extension of one which has been in operation on a small scale for nearly 

 half a century between the American Philosophical Society and the Ameri- 

 can Academy on this side of the Atlantic, and the several scientific societies 

 on the other. 



Ancient Monuments. — The success of the first m.emoir published by the 

 Smithsonian Institution has awakened much attention to American antiqui- 

 ties, and a number of communications have been submitted on this subject. 

 Among these is one by Mr. William Pidgeon, of Virginia, who has spent a 

 number of years in the exploration of mounds, and other ancient remains, 

 on the upper branches of the Mississip])i. 



The results of his labors are of a vei-y interesting character, though the 

 facts contained in his memoir are too much minsfled with the traditions re- 

 ceived by hun from the Indians, and Vv'ith his own hypotheses, to be accepted 

 as a part of the Smithsonian Contributions. After repeated conversations with 

 Mr. Pidgeon, I was clearly of opinion that his reseaiches ought to be given 

 to the public in some way, in order that his statements might receive due 

 attention, and be corroborated or disproved by other explorers ; and I am 

 pleased to be able to state that a gentleman of Washington has undertaken 

 to arrange and edit these researches, and that they will be published in a sep- 

 erate volume for the benefit of the authors. 



We have also received communications relative to mounds from Mr. 

 Charles Whittlesey of Ohio, from Mr. Titian R. Peale of Washington, and 

 Mr. William E. Guest of Ogdensburg, New York. The first of these may 

 be considered as supplementary to the memoir of Messrs. Squier and Davis, 

 describing works omitted in their survey. The second gives a plan and 

 description of tlie mounds which formerly existed on the present site of 

 St. Louis, Missouri, made during the visit of Major Long's party in 1849 

 to that country, on their way to the Rocky mountains. This sketch is now 

 interesting on account of the fact that, in the rapid progress of improvement, 

 these mounds have been nearly obliterated, and that they can only be pre- 

 served to science, as they existed more than thirty years ago, by this publi- 

 cation. 



The third is an account, with drawings, of ancient works at Prescot, in 

 Canada west. The great size of the remains of trees which occupy the 

 ground, evince the long time which must have elapsed since these works 

 were constructed, and the entire absence of stone pipes and arrow heads has 

 induced the belief that they are of a higher antiquity than those in the Ohio 

 valley. 



The last two contributions will form a single memoir, the plates for which 

 are partially completed. 



