24 TENTH ANNUAL REPORT OF 



country. The mail steamship line to California via Panama conveys 

 our packages free of cost to the Pacific coast. The line of steamers to 

 Bremen has also adopted a like liberal policy, and Messrs. Oelrichs & 

 Lurman, of Baltimore, have indicated their estimation of the value 

 of the system, by making no charge whatsoever for transmitting a large 

 number of boxes to Germany, and in receiving and forwarding others 

 from that country. 



In connexion with the subject of exchanges, it becomes my duty to 

 announce the loss which the Institution has experienced in the death 

 of one of its Avarmest friends and most active agents, Dr. J. Gr. Fliigel, 

 of Leipsic. After a residence of several years in this country he re- 

 turned to Germany as United States consul, in which capacity he was 

 unremitting in his efforts to render service to American travellers, 

 and, by his untiring industry and zeal in behalf of the Institution, 

 contributed more than any other person to make it known through 

 northern and central Europe. His son, Dr. Felix Fliigel, has been 

 appointed his successor, and has evinced a desire and given evidence 

 of his ability to carry on the system with promptness and efficiency. 

 The agent of the Institution in London is Mr. Henry Stevens, and in 

 Earis Mr. Hector Bossange; and to these gentlemen the thanks of the 

 Eegents are due for important services in the distribution and recep- 

 tion of packages without charge. 



Correspondence. — The correspondence during the last year has been 

 more extended than that of any preceding period. The character of 

 the Institution becoming more widely known, the number of applica- 

 tions for information relative to particular branches of knowledge 

 has been increased. The correspondence relates to the exchanges, 

 the collections, the publications, the communication with authors and 

 the members of commissions to which memoirs are submitted, an- 

 swers to questions on different branches of knowledge, and reports as 

 to the character of specimens of natural history, geology, &c.; also 

 explanations of the character of the Institution, the distribution of its 

 publications, its system of meteorology, &c. 



The whole number of pages copied into letter-books in 1855 is 

 about 4,000. 



Besides this correspondence, there have been sent off from the In- 

 stitution upwards of 5,000 acknowledgments of books and other ar- 

 ticles presented to the Institution^ and 6,000 circulars, asking for 

 information on special points, such as natural history, meteorology, 

 physical geography, statistics of libraries and colleges, &c. 



Many of the communications are interesting additions to knowl- 

 edge, though tlicy are scarcely of a character to warrant their publi- 

 cation in the quarto series of Contributions ; and it is now proposed to 

 append some of these to the annual report to Congress to illustrate 

 the operations of the Institution, as well as to furnish information on 

 subjects of interest to the public. The meteorological system gives 

 rise to an extensive correspondence, and maintains a lively sympathy 

 between the institution and a large number of intelligent individuals. 

 During the past year, as usual, many crude speculations on scientific 

 and philosophical subjects have been presented for critical examina- 



