30 KEPORT ON EXCHANGES. 



(c) The translation of foreign letters and documents. 



(d) The verifying of requests from abroad, for Smithsonian publica- 

 tions, including the issuing of orders for the same and the keeping of 

 an account of every Smithsonian publication sent abroad. A quarterly 

 abstract of this account is submitted to the Chief Clerk. 



(e) The ])reparation of a card catalogue, from the old records, show- 

 ing the distribution of the volumes of Contributions to Knowledge and 

 of the Miscellaneous Collections since the establishment of the Institu- 

 tion. 



(/) The preparation of a scientists' directory. 



[g) The preparation, for ready reference, of bibliographical informa- 

 tion relating to the titles of the publications of foreign establishments 

 in correspondence with the Institution. 



{h) The execution of any work assigned by the Secretary, the Assist- 

 ant secretaries, and the Chief Clerk. 



A very important duty, under this last head, intrusted to me by Pro- 

 fessor Laugley, the acting and assistant secretary, was that of collecting 

 and arranging all the information relating to the proposed plan for the 

 increase of the Suiithsouian library, and to report on the results of the 

 inquiry. 



The report submitted on the subject represents two divisions : I. In- 

 quiry. II. Eesult. 



The first division, that of inquiry, is again subdivided into two sec- 

 tions, of which the first shows, in brief, abstracts of all transactions of 

 consequence connected with the scheme, to the number of two hundred, 

 including the report, and representing, as recorded in full in the jour- 

 nal, 475 Iblio pages of manuscript. Part 2 represents a list of persons 

 addressed on the subject, by circular letter or otherwise, and their re- 

 spective replies, as indicated by the number corresponding to each 

 document in the journal. Three hundred letters were written and 174 

 replies received, as follows : 



Letters to curators of the National Museum - 26 



Replies 22 



Letters to others 274 



Replies 152 



Section 2, orpart 3, of the report represents the results of the replies 

 received, in the form of a geographical arrangement, based on the ex- 

 isting list of foreign correspondents, of the titles obtained, together 

 with the number of recommendations on each case. Of this the follow- 

 ing condensed statement is presented : 



