804 HISTORY OF THE SMITHSONIAN EXCHANGES. 



[The Smithsouian lustitution to the State Department.] 



Smithsonian Institution, October 23, 1880. 

 Hon. William M. Evarts, 



Secretary of State : 



Sir: a geographical congress of nations, with delegates from the 

 principal governments of the world, was held at Paris in the summer 

 of 1875, and among the representatives was one from the United States 

 of America. 



One of the results of the deliberations of the congress was a recom- 

 mendation of the adoption of a uniform system of exchanging the lite- 

 rary and scientific publications of all nations. This recommendation 

 was reported to your predecessor in office, the Hon. Hamilton Fish, who 

 requested that the Smithsonian Institution would act as the interme- 

 diary of the United States in carrying into effect the proposed system 

 as embodied in the recommendation of the Paris congress, as above 

 referred to. 



Under date of January 10, 1879, the Smithsonian Institution received 

 the following communication from the Department of State in reference 

 to the proposed international exchange system: 



" You are already aware of the desire of this department to secure to 

 the Smithsonian Institution the fullest liberty of action and the utmost 

 enhancement of its utility without entailing any additional burden on 

 its resources." 



You are of course informed that a number of other governments rep- 

 resented at the congress of Paris have seconded the recommendation 

 in question, and have already adopted special means, by establishing 

 bureaus of international exchange, to carry its provisions into effect. 

 Among these governments are France, Belgium, Holland, Switzerland, 

 Eussia, and Italy. 



Eecognizing the enlightened action of the Paris congress in recom- 

 mending a system of interchange of scientific and literary thought be- 

 tween the different peoples of the world, and acting in accordance with 

 the expressed wish of the Department of State, the Smithsonian Insti- 

 tution at once set about the inauguration of the proposed system on 

 behalf of the Government of the United States. 



It was originally presumed that by interlacing with the regular estab- 

 lished systems of exchanges of the Institution so successfully conducted 

 for more than a quarter of a century, the international system could be 

 carried on at a very little outlay in addition to that required for the 

 Smithsonian system. But this presumption did not prove to be a fact, 

 the Institution finding, after two years' trial, that the expense attendant 

 upon the execution of the request of the Department of State is far 

 greater than was anticipated. 



The Smithsonian Institution is therefore compelled to ask that an ap- 

 propriation of $7,000 be requested of Congress by the Department of 



