756 HISTOEY OF THE SMITHSONIAN EXCHANGES. 



The best method to adopt with the view to secure the regular and 

 collective dispatching of Belgian publications would be, seemingly, to 

 collect them at the "science and letters division" of the ministry of the 

 interior, so as to form the object of yearly or half yearly communication 

 to the legation of the United States at Brussels, through the medium 

 of my department. 



I join to my letter, Mr. Minister, a provisional list of documents that 

 could be placed at the disposal of the Government of the United States. 

 The departments of foreign affairs will add a few publications enumer- 

 ated at the end of this list. Should you have no objection, Mr. Minister, 

 to make to the disposition intended to be taken, a first sujjply of works 

 might be prepared before the end of the year. 



The letter of the Minister of the Interior concludes as follows: 



"As far as public instruction is concerned the exchange proposed has 

 already been made the object of a direct communication from Mr. Sanford, 

 dated May 27 last. Mr. Sanford was informed, in replj^, that the United 

 States must be in possession of the laws, decrees, and other documents 

 relating to that service; that, in fact, the department of the interior has 

 transmitted two coi)ies of them to the legation at the time of tlieir 

 publication with request to be so kind as to forward one to the United 

 States Government. The documents alluded to are the triennial reports 

 in the three degrees of instruction. They contain everything connected 

 with public teaching in our country. Mr. Sanford has been informed, 

 besides, that, if he wished for it, another collection of these documents, 

 as complete as possible, would be forwarded to him." 



The only thing requisite in this respect would therefore be to act in 

 conformity with precedents. 



Please to receive, Mr. Minister, the assurance of my most distin- 

 guished consideration. 



For the minister — Mr. Eogier, 



The Secretary-General, Baron Lambermont. 



llnclosure No. 3.] 



Legation of the United States, Brussels, October 19, 1867. 

 His Excellency Monsieur Eogier, 



Minister of Foreign Affairs, (&c., tfcc, (&c. : 



Mr. Minister : I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of your 

 excellency's letter, under date of 17th instant, relative to the proposition 

 made in my communication of the 5th of July last, for an exchange of 

 public documents. 



I thank you, Mr. Minister, for the interest you have been pleased to 

 manifest on this subject, and I shall have great satisfaction in receiving 

 and transmitting to my government the documents as proposed in your 

 letter, and at such times as will be most convenient to your excellency's 

 department. 



The documents referred to in the letter of his excellency the min- 

 ister of the interior were specially designed for the Bureau of Educa- 



