HISTORY OF THE SMITHSONIAN EXCHANGES. 757 



tion at Washinjiton. The triennial reports on public instruction period- 

 ically sent to this legation by your colleague of the department of the 

 interior have been duly transmitted to my government, and duplicates 

 of these copies will not, therefore, be needed. 



Thanking yon again, Mr. Minister, for your courteous and liberal re- 

 spouse to the suggestion of exchange of public documents, 



I pray your excellency to receive the renewed assurance of my high- 

 est consideration. 



H. S. Sanfoed. 



Department of State, Washington, December 11, 1867. 

 Prof. Joseph Henry, 



Secretary of the Sniithsoman Institution : 

 Sir : Eeferring to your circular of the 16th of May last, in regard to 

 the x>roposed exchange of a certain number of all official documents of 

 the United States for the corresponding publications of foreign govern- 

 ments, I inclose for your information the translation of a note upon the 

 subject which Mr. Berthemy, the French minister here, has addressed 

 to the Department. 



I am, sir, your obedient servant, 

 William H. Seward. 



[^Inclosure. — Translation. ] 



Legation of France to the United States, 



Washington, November 15, 1867. 

 Hon. William H. Seward : 



Mr. Secretary" of State : In conformity with the wish you did me 

 the honor to express to me in your letter of 13th of June last, I hastened 

 to transmit to the imperial government, in commending it to attention, 

 a circular from Prof. J. Henry of the Smithsonian Institution concerning 

 an exchange of documents of official character, edited in the United 

 States, — for publications of a similar kind printed by order, and with the 

 concurrence of foreign governments. 



In reply to the communication which was addressed to him on this 

 subject by the minister for foreign affairs, the minister of agricultiue, 

 commerce, and public works has made known to the Marquis de Mon- 

 stier that he could give of what pertains to his department his assent 

 to the project for exchange, and could dispose of publications relating 

 to general statistics of France, and to special statistics of railroads, as 

 well as of reports made on the labors of engineers of mines, of annals of 

 commerce with foreign countries and some analogous documents. 



The minister for foreign affairs has charged me to bring this com- 

 munication to your knowledge, and to add that the French administra- 

 tion would take the measures necessary to effect the exchange in ques- 

 tion, either through the medium of the legation of the United States at 

 Paris or through my intervention, as soon as it be known what are the 



