iiKr(>RT OF THE 8Ecrj:taiiy. r>3 



In the main tliosaim- arranfienieiits for ili.strihutinfj; cxclianges in other conn tries 

 have cDntiniied (hirin<; the year as have existed in tiie j)ast. Bnt one change re()Mires 

 special notice. 1 refer to the deatli at I.eip7,i;i-(tohHn, on February 6, 1904, of Dr. 

 Carl Felix Alfred Fliif^el, in his eighty-fourth year. 



Doctor Fli'igel succeeded his father in 1855 as agent of the Smithsonian Institution 

 for the kingdoms and principalities which now constitute the German Empire, and 

 continued in that capacity until his death, a continuous service of forty-nine years. 



His long term of office gave Doctor Fliigel an exceptional opportunity to further 

 the work of the International Exchange Service throughout central Europe, of which 

 he never failed to take advantage. 



Doctor Fliigel i)nhlished numerous pamphlets and critical essays on the English 

 language, and was the author of the standard work extensively known as Fliigel's 

 Dictionary of the English and German languages, which reached its fifteenth edition 

 in 1891. The Institution deeply regrets his loss. 



Mr. W. Irving Adams, chief clerk of the International Exchange Service, was in 

 Leipzig on official business at the time of the death of Doctor Fliigel and took imme- 

 diate steps to recommend the selection of his successor in order that the work of the 

 agency should suffer as little inconvenience as possible. The long and faithful 

 service, the scholarly attainments, and wide acquaintance of Doctor Fliigel made the 

 selection of a suitable person a not inconsiderable task; but after careful inquiry INIr. 

 Adams selected Mr. Karl W. Hiersemann, the bookseller of Leipzig, as Doctor 

 Fliigel's successor, and on March 8, 1904, the Secretary approved the selection by 

 tendering Mr. Hiersemann the appointment. The central location of Mr. Hierse- 

 mann's establishment and his efficient clerical stjiff have already shown the selection 

 to have been a fortunate one. 



The progress of diplomatic negotiations between the United States and China with 

 a view of estaV)lishing mutual exchange relations have frequently been referred to in 

 the annual reports of the Exchange Service, and I am now pleased to announce that 

 the matter has ])een referred by the Chinese department of foreign affairs to tlie 

 superintendent of trade for the south (Nanking viceroy), with authority to deal with 

 it. It would therefore seem that official exchange relatif)ns with China more nearly 

 approach consummation than ever before. Meanwhile only occasional publications 

 are received from China l)y mail, and no i)rovision exists for sending exchanges from 

 the United States to China except to addresses in Shanghai. 



The indirect method of forwarding parcels to the West Indies through the Crown 

 ngents for the colonies in London has been abolished, and the services of colonial 

 officers and educational institutions in several of the islands have been enlisted 

 instead. In the near future it is hoped that similar arrangements will l)e perfected 

 with other IJritish colonies. 



The department of foreign affairs, Bangkok, Siam, has accepted the invitation of 

 tiie Institution to enter into a mutual arrangement for an exchange of pul)lications, 

 both governmental and scientific. 



Following is a list of correspondents abroad through which the distribution of 

 exchanges is accomplished. Those in the larger and in many of the smaller coun- 

 tries forward to the Smithsonian Institution reciprocal contributions for distribution 

 in the United States. 



Algeria (via France). 

 Angola (via Portugal). 

 Argentina: Museo Nacional, Buenos Ayres. 

 Austria: K. K. Statisti.sche Central-Commission, Vienna. 

 Azores (via Portugal) . 



Belgium: Service Beige des Echanges Internationaux, Brussels. 

 Bolivia: Oficina Nacional de Inmigracion, Estadistica y Propaganda Geognifica, La 

 Paz. 



