SUMMARY OF THE OPERATIONS OF THE YEAR. 



THE MUSEUM STAFF. 



The executive curator, Dr. Frederick W. True, continued in direct 

 charge of the administration of the Museum during the year, the 

 Assistant Secretary exercising onl}- a general supervision over its 

 affairs. 



There have been but few changes in connection with the scientific 

 staff. In the death of Mr. Frank Hamilton Gushing on April 10, 1900, 

 the Museum, as well as the Bureau of Ethnology, lost one of its most 

 active and distinguished workers during nearly a quarter of a century. 

 Medical Director James M. Flint, XL S. N. , under whose supervision 

 the Division of Materia Medica was established in 1881, and who has 

 been its honorarj' curator, under detail by the Secretarj'^ of the Navy, 

 for three separate periods, aggregating about thirteen 3'ears, was 

 placed on the retired list of the Nav}^ in February, 1900. Proposing 

 to continue his residence in Washington, however, Doctor Flint has 

 volunteered his further services in the same capacity and they have 

 been gladly accepted. 



Mr. W. R. Maxon was appointed an aid in the Division of Plants in 

 November, 1899. 



A list of the members of the scientific and adniinistrative staffs will 

 be found in Appendix I. 



APPROPRIATIONS AND EXPENDITURES. 



The total amount appropriated by Congress for the maintenance of 

 the Museum during the year ending June 30, 1900, was $238,5-10, as 

 against $257,000 for the previous year. The only changes in the sev- 

 eral items, as compared with 1899, were an increase of $5,000 under 

 preservation of collections and of $2,000 under building repairs, and a 

 decrease of $10,000 under furniture and fixtures and of $4<)0 under 

 rent of workshops. The sundry civil act for 1899 also contained two 

 special items, one of $10,000 for the construction of galleries and one 

 of $5,000 for the purchase of the scientific library of the late Dr. G. 

 Brown Goode, which are mainly accountable for the larger appropri- 

 ation in that yeai'. 



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