HISTORY OF THE SMI-^HSONIAN EXCHANGES. 795 



iiotliiug whatever sliould be omitted, however trivial and apparently un- 

 iuiportant. These pnblications were to be sent to snch governments 

 only as would agree to majic an equally exhaustive return, the trans- 

 missions to be made respectively at times most convenient to the con- 

 tracting parties, on the part of the United States about once a year. 



The Smithsonian Institution agreed to deliver its boxes, free of ex- 

 pense, at New York, or any other convenient point of shipment in the 

 United States, the remaining charges to be met by the recii^ieut. The 

 returns in like manner to be delivered at a seaport in Europe j the 

 remaining expenses to be paid here. 



Various delays occurred, and it was not until 1S73 that the first trans- 

 mission could be made. 



At present thirty -two sets of forty-eight, reserved for the purpose, are 

 disposed of to as many governments; sixteen sets remaining on hand, 

 each occupjdng eleven boxes, of about 300 pounds. As France has re- 

 ceived the first eleven boxes of the series, the continuation will consist 

 of the twelfth and succeeding numbers. 



What we especially desire now from France in return for this sending 

 is not merely the special publications of some of the scientific bureaus, 

 but a series of everything published by the state, as complete as that 

 which we send, to include the records of the legislation of the republic, 

 its reports upon education, statistics, commerce, navigation, topograph- 

 ical and geological explorations, &c. 



Can we look forward to this through your instrumentality"? We do 

 not expect that the series can commence as far back as that which we 

 have sent, and are quite willing to have it begin with the present year, 

 or i)erhaps with 1878. 



Will it not be expedient to secure in France some provision like that 

 made by the United States Government, and which alone will accom- 

 l)lish the desired object, namely, that of directing the Public Printer to 

 reserve a certain number of copies of every official document for the 

 purpose of international exchange? 



The second division of our system of exchanges is tliat relating par- 

 ticularly to learned societies and men of science ; it also includes trans- 

 missions of separate bureaus of the United States Government to their 

 correspondents. The publications of the latter class are all embraced 

 in the full series of the govermental exchanges included in the first 

 division and are consequently duplicates, very useful, however, for bu- 

 reaus, public libraries, scientific societies, &c. 



I beg to inclose the rules lately adopted for the guidance of corre- 

 spondents of the Smithsonian Institution. These, you will see, exclude 

 objects of natural history except when especially authorized. There is 

 at present an immense amount of interchange of i^lants, minerals, and 

 other objects of natural history between amateurs, which is of no special 

 advantage to science. We therefore propose to exclude natural history 

 objects, excepting in the interest of some special scientific research. 



