REPORT OF THE SECRETARY. 55 



G.J. Brush, of Yale College; Dr. Gray, of Harvard; Profs. Newcomb 

 and Harkness, of the Naval Observatory: Drs. Woodward and Craig, 

 of the Surgeon General's OiBce; Prof. Schaeffer and Mr. Taylor, of 

 the Patent Office; Mr. Gibbs, of Washington; Mr. C. Rau, of New 

 York; Prof. Chace, of Brown University. 



National Museum. — Much time has necessarily been consumed dur- 

 ing the past year in repairing the damage sustained by the specimens 

 and the gallery of exhibition in consequence of the conflagration of 

 the upper part of the building in 1865. The defective state of the 

 temporary roof permitted a large amount of moisture to enter the 

 Avails, which kept the hall in a constant state of dampness, covering 

 the specimens with mould. The entire collection has, however, been 

 examined, dried, and cleaned; the shelves and the interior of the 

 cases, with the stands of the specimens, whitened; the ceilings and 

 walls frescoed, and new paint applied to most of the woodwork. 



The most important work connected with the museum has been the 

 labelling and preliminary arrangement of the extensive collection of 

 ethnological objects, and the separation of the duplicates. All the 

 collections of vertebrata as received have been catalogued and put in 

 place; many osteological specimens cleaned; bottles of alcoholic speci- 

 mens washed, &c. The labelling and registering of the collection has 

 been continued as rapidly as possible, 13,221 entries having been 

 made during the year. 



This museum is principally made up of the type specimens of the 

 collections made by the various expeditions organized by the govern- 

 ment, as well as those projected and supported by the Smithsonian 

 Institution itself, and owes but little to donations, and still less to 

 purchases. There is, however, a large debt due the Institution from 

 foreign museums, in the way of exchange, which we have no doubt will 

 be cheerfully discharged as soon as they ;are informed that Congress 

 has made provision for the support of a museum on a more extended 

 scale than that which the Smithsonian is able to maintain. Besides 

 the increase of the museum from the addition of type specimens 

 derived from the' various collections examined and described during 

 the year, a number of foreign donations have been received, among 

 which are specimens of the products of the iron mines and man- 

 ufactures of Sweden, presented by Hon. G. V. Fox, late Assistant 

 Secretary of the Navy, and from the same donor large and beautiful 

 specimens of graphite from eastern Siberia, both rough and wrought, 

 as well as exemplifications of the rocks associated with it. 



It may be recollected that when the government museum was 

 transferred to the Institution, it was stipulated that an appropriation 



