IQ THE SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION. 



The following is a sketch of the labors of the Institution, and illustrates the 

 capability of the plan of operations for producing important results in the way of 

 increasing and diffming knowledge among men : — 



Puhlications.' — Three classes are issued. 



1. A quarto series, entitled "Smithsonian Contributions to Knowledge," 

 issued in volumes, each containing one or more separate articles. This includes 

 memoirti, embracing the records of extended original investigations and researches, 

 resulting in what are believed to be new truths, and constituting positive additions 

 to the sum of human knowledge. 



2. An octavo series, entitled "Smithsonian Miscellaneous Collections," 

 consisting of reports on the present state of our knowledge of particular branches 

 of science; instructions for collecting and digesting facts and materials for research; 

 lists and synopses of species of the organic and inorganic world; museum cata- 

 logues; reports of explorations; aids to bibliographical investigations, etc., gene- 

 rally prepared at the express request of the Institution, and at its expense. 



3. Another octavo series, consisting of the Annual Reports of the Institution 

 to Congress, called "Smithsonian Heports." These include the official reports 

 of the Secretary to the Board of Regents of the operations and condition of the 

 Institution ; the reports of Committees of the Board; abstracts of lectures delivered 

 before the Institution; extracts from correspondence; original or translated articles 

 relating to the history and progress of science, etc. 



The following rules have been observed ia the distribution of the first and second 

 series : 



1. They are presented to all learned societies of the first class which publish 

 transactions, and give copies of these, in exchange to the Institution. 



2. To all foreign libraries of the first class, provided they give in exchange their 

 catalogues and other publications, or an equivalent, from their duplicate volumes. 



3. To all the colleges in actual operation in this country, provided they furnish, 

 in return, meteorological observations, catalogues of their libraries and of their 

 students, and all other publications issued by them relative to their organization 

 and history. 



4. To all States and Territories, provided they give, in return, copies of all docu- 

 ments published under their authority. 



5. To all incorporated public libraries in this country, not included in any of 

 tiie foregoing classes, now containing 10,000 volumes; and to smaller libraries, 

 where a whole State or large district would be otherwise unsupplied. 



Institutions devoted exclusively to the promotion of particular branches of 

 knowledge, receive such articles published by the Institution as relate to their 

 objects. Portions of the series are also given to institutions of lesser grade not 

 entitled, under the above rules, to the full series, and also to the meteorological 

 correspondents of the Institution. ~~ 



The Reports are of a more popular character, and are presented 



