REPORT OF ASSISTANT SECRETARY. 17 



scientific collections of the Government, and it was not until after 187(5 

 that it was officially reorganized as the National Museum of the IJiiited 

 States. 



But for the provident forethought of the Smithsonian Institution, 

 the United States would probably still be without a reputable nucleus 

 lor a national museum. 



The relations of the Museum to the system of popular lectures, for 

 many years established in Washington, which replaces the old Smith- 

 sonian courses, once so influential, and the assistance which it affords 

 each year to students of science, are referred to elsewhere in this 

 report. 



The Institution publishes many circulars giving information on scien- 

 tific subjects, which are distributed gratuitously to those who write to 

 make inquiries, and this system is being continually extended. In addi- 

 tion to this, a large correspondence is carried on with people in search of 

 information on scientific toi^ics. Probably not less than 7,500 letters a 

 year go out to people who write seeking to know the name of some object 

 or other scientific fact. Inquiries of this kind are always answered 

 promptly and fnlly; and frequently, to intelligent inquirers, books are 

 sent which will enable them to find out such names for themselves in 

 future. This work has not only an educational value, but often a great 

 economic importance as well, as, for instance, when some common min- 

 eral has been mistaken for one of value, some useless jilant has been 

 wrongly identified and supposed to be of service in medicine, or some 

 harmless animal feared as noxious. 



The i^ublications of the Institution and its dependencies reach every 

 State and almost every county in the United States. A careful study 

 of the subject, recently made by the president of one of the scientific 

 societies in Washington, seems to indicate that there are several States 

 which are reached by no scientific publications whatever except those 

 distributed gratuitously by the Government. 



Speaking of the Smithsonian Institution proper, and not of the 

 Museum or any other trust which it administers, it may be positively 

 stated that in the execution of the trust of Smithson more has been 

 given to the Government than has been received. The maciiinery of the 

 Institution's action has been such that it has incidentally, in connec- 

 tion with its legitimate work for the increase and diffusion of knowl- 

 edge, paid over to the Government the equivalent of nnich more than 

 the whole original fund. 



The present Secretary has pointed out that "although by the judi- 

 cious administration of the Smithson fund nearly $1,500,000, the fruits 

 of its investment, have been applied during the past forty years to the 

 advancement of science and education in America (in addition to the 

 principal, $911,000, larger now than ever before), it should be remem- 

 bered that the unrestricted income of the Institution is less than 

 NAT MUS 95 2 



