THE SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION. 33 



Pacific coast about a year, and will doubtless secure nnraerons speci- 

 mens in all departments of natural history, and will devote himself 

 to completing such collections as are imperfectly re])resented by the 

 results of the various Pacific railway surveys. Mr. Samuels is also 

 charged, on the part of the Commissioner of Patents, with collecting 

 specimens of seeds of the trees, shrubs, and grains of the country. A 

 division of the expense, and the liberality of the Panama line, have 

 enabled this exploration to be instituted at a small cost to each of 

 the parties interested. 



A small appropriation has also been made to assist in forming a 

 complete collection of specimens to illustrate the zoology of Illinois, 

 under the direction of Mr. LI. Kennicott. 



Another exploration was made in the northern part of the State of 

 New York, during the past season, by Professor Baird. 



The collections which have resulted from these expeditions, to- 

 gether with those from the Mexican boundary commission, and the 

 several railway surveys, will furnish important additions to the 

 natural history of the North American continent. 



Lectures. — The interest in the lectures still continues, and the 

 large lecture- room during the past winter has frequently been filled, 

 to overflowing by an attentive and intelligent audience. The plan 

 has been adopted to give courses of lectures on special subjects^ inter- 

 spersed occasionally with single lectures, principally of a literary 

 character. Courses of lectures on a single subject, it is believed, 

 serve to convey more valuable and permanent instruction than a 

 number of separate lectures on different subjects. To impress a gene- 

 ral truth upon the mind, requires frequent repetition and a variety 

 of illustrations, and hence but little impression can be made with re- 

 ference to any subject involving scientific principles by a single dis- 

 course ; and the lecturer who appears but once, too often attempts to 

 interest his audience by the enunciation of vague generalizations or 

 by mere rhetorical display. 



This is, however, not always the case, since, for example, a single 

 lecture may be given on the history of a discovery, or a brief analysis 

 of the life of a distinguished individual. 



As a general rule, therefore, we consider a number of single lectures 

 by difi"erent persons, as of less value than a series on one subject by the 

 same person. The latter requires a more profound acquaintance with 

 the subject, and a greater amount of previous preparation. There 

 are many persons who might be able to give a single popular lecture 

 on some branch of knowledge, who would fail in attempting an ex- 

 tended course. 



The following is a list of the lectures which were delivered during 

 the winters of 1854-'55 and 1855-'56.* 



1854-'55. — One lecture by Prof. Elias Loomis, of New York : " The 

 zone of small planets between Mars and Jupiter." 



■ ^- In order to complete tlie list for the winter of 1855-56, the lectures delivered after 

 the date of the report have been added. 



