REPORT OF THE SECRETARY. 33 



satisfactory, on account of the great number of changes required be- 

 tween Washington and the foreign capitals. The Smithsonian Institu- 

 tion, therefore, endeavored, so far as its own business was concerned, to 

 secure a modification of the i)ropositiou. It is a very simple thing for 

 charges from one point to follow the goods and be paid for in a lump 

 on receipt, while it is extremely difficult to know beforehand, or to 

 prepay expenses not yet estimated or assessed. The modification pro- 

 posed by the Smithsonian Institution was that each i)arty should select 

 its most convenient seaport for receipt and delivery and pay exi^enses 

 to that x^oint, or even to the port designated by the other ; the remaining 

 charges to be met by the recipient. The acceptance of this modifica- 

 tion by the governments of Russia and Italy was delayed, but ultimately 

 the matter was settled by making Hamburg the point of exchange 

 with Russia, and New York with Italy, the Institution paying only the 

 expenses to and from these two points. 



For some years the exchanges of its publications made by the De- 

 partment of Agriculture with foreign institutions have been inter- 

 mitted, and a \ery important source of increase of its library thereby 

 interrupted. Commissioner Loring, since his accession to the charge 

 of the department, has expressed his desire to resume the exchange, 

 and has made arrangements to carry it on upon a suitable scale. 



Reference has been made to the action of Congress in making an ap- 

 propriation for meeting, in part at least, the expense to the Institution 

 of the system of international exchanges. A letter was addressed, on 

 the 23d of October, 1880, to Hon. William M. Evarts, Secretary of State, 

 calling attention to the cost to the Institution of continuing a work for 

 the United States Government not properly chargeable to the Smithson 

 fund. In a letter, of which a copy is given in the appendix, Mr. Evarts 

 expressed his appreciation of the plea, and announced his intention of 

 asking Congress for relief. An estimate of $7,000 was sent in by him 

 for this purpose, but the sum of $3,000 only was granted. This, how- 

 ever, as stated, has been a very material help, and it is hoped that a 

 larger allowance will be made for the present fiscal year, an estimate 

 for which has been presented. 



As this work is prosecuted for the benefit of the country at large, and 

 especially for that of the various bureaus of the United States Govern- 

 ment, there is no reason why the actual expense should be a charge 

 upon the income of the Smithsonian Institution, which has so many 

 other calls upon it. Whatever sum can be saved in one direction can 

 always be usefully applied in another in the interest of science and of 

 general education. 



A history of the exchange system since its origin has been prepared 

 by IMr. G. H. Boehmer, and is presented in the appendix to this report, 

 together with a portion of the official correspondence between this In- 

 stitution and the department relative to the project of international ex- 

 change initiated by the Geographical Congress held in Paris in 1875, 

 S. Mis. 100 3 



