EEEORT OF THE SECRETARY. 19 



with the understanding tliat some sx)ecifled exchanges were to be re- 

 turned by the National Museum. Six cases of birds, mammals, alco- 

 holic specimens, &c., have already been received from Dr. Dale, and 

 several others are now on the way. It is quite probable that the results 

 of this expedition will rank favorably with those procured by any na- 

 tion from the same region. 



While connected with the expedition under Commander Lull, U. S. 

 N., for determining the character and best route of a canal from ocean 

 to ocean through Nicaragua, Dr. J. F. Bransford made some interest- 

 ing collections in natural history, ethnology, and archsieology, which 

 were presented by him to the Smithsonian Institution. Additional in- 

 formation being required in regard to this route, Dr. Bransford was 

 twice sent out to again review the ground and to investigate more par- 

 ticularly certain obscure points. In both cases he asked and obtained 

 suggestions from the Smithsonian Institution as to collateral researches, 

 and made some extremely important gatherings of specimens for the 

 National Museum. The results, so far as the archaeology of Nicaragu;i 

 is concerned have lately been published by the Institution in a well ilus- 

 trated quarto memoir. 



Dr. Bransford was recently again detailed by the Navy Department 

 to revisit Central America, for the purpose of making some determina- 

 tions as to the natural conditions and commercial relations of certain im- 

 X)ortant drugs largely used in medicine at the present time ; and was 

 directed also to apply his i)revious experience as an archaeologist to the 

 solution of some problems of the science, especially in Guatemala, Costa 

 Rica, and Honduras. He accordingly left Washington in December 

 last on his mission, proceeding directly to Aspinwall and Panama. His 

 route will take him first to Guatemala, thence across to Coban, and then 

 returning by the Gulf of Nicoya. One of the problems submitted to 

 Dr. Bransford is thediscoveryof the precise locality whence the material 

 for the many jade and jadeite ornaments, found in various parts of 

 America, has been derived. Such objects are among the choicest and 

 most highly prized of American antiquarian collections, while the mines 

 whence the raw material has been derived are entirely unknown. It has 

 been suggested that the material must have been brought in the rough 

 from China or Australia, although there is no good evidence to i)rove 

 such a conclusion. 



Should Dr. Bransford find the locality of this mineral it will contrib- 

 ute towards solving one of the most interesting problems of the day. 



The co-operation of the Smithsonian Institution and that of the 

 United States Signal Office of the War Department in prosecuting re- 

 searches into the physical condition of \ arious portions of North Amer- 

 ica, which has been adverted to in previous reports, continues in a very 

 satisfactory manner. Tliis relationship was first established by the 

 iransfer to the Signal Office of the entire system of meteorological re- 

 search initiated and for nearly a quarter of a century prosecuted by 



