REPORT 



ri'ox 



THE CONDITION AND PROGRESS OF THE U. S, NATIONAL MUSEUM 

 DURING THE YEAR ENDING JUNE 30, 1892. 



BY 



<;. Brown Goode, 

 Assistant Secretary, Smithsonian Institution, in charge of U. S. National Museum. 



A.— GENERAL ( OXSIDERATIONS. 



The report now presented relates to the operations of the National 

 Museum during the fiscal year ending June 30, 1891'. 



The history of the origin and development of the National Museum 

 has been discussed in previous reports, both in the introductory pages 

 and in a paper published in the report for 1891, entitled "The Genesis 

 of the National Museum."* It will therefore be sufficient for our pres- 

 ent purpose to repeat a few of the most essential facts. 



The Smithsonian Institution was established by act of Congress in 

 1816. One of the provisions of the act was that all objects of art and 

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

 and geological and mineralogieal specimens belonging to the United 

 States, should be placed in the custody of the Smithsonian Institution. 

 As one of the results of this provision, the collections, both of ethno- 

 logical and natural history objects, made by the numerous Government 

 exploring expeditions, came into the possession of the Institution. 

 These, with the " National Cabinet of Curiosities," which was exhibited 

 in the Patent Office building, and which Avas transferred to the Smith- 

 sonian Institution in 1858, formed an important nucleus around which 

 thousands of other collections have since gathered. The " National 

 Cabinet of Curiosities" wns a name given to the collections of the 

 "National Institution," which was organized six years before the act 

 creating the Smithsonian Institution had been passed. 



The National Museum thus grew up under the care of the Smith- 

 sonian Institution, and the Secretary of the Institution was appointed 

 by Congress "Keeper of the Collections." 



P. 273. 



