22 REPORT OF THE SECRETARY. 



lation ought, therefore, as far as possible, to be obviated ; and this 

 could readily be donej if Congress would relieve the Institution from 

 the care of a large collection of si^ecimens principally belonging to 

 the government, and purchase the building to be used as a depository 

 of all the objects of natural history and the fine arts belonging to the 

 nation. If this were done, a few rooms would be sufficient for trans- 

 acting the business of the Institution, and a larger portion of the in- 

 come would be free to be applied to the more immediate objects of the 

 bequest. Indeed, it would be a gain to science could the Institution 

 give away the building for no other consideration than that of being 

 relieved from the costly charge of the collections ; and, for the present, 

 it may be well to adopt the plan suggested in a late report of the Com- 

 missioner of Patents, namely, to remove the museum of the Exploring 

 Expedition, which now fills a large and valuable room in the Patent 

 Office, wanted for the exhibition of models, to the spacious hall of 

 the Institution, at present unoccupied, and to continue under the di- 

 rection of the Kegents, the appropriation now annually made for the 

 preservation and display of the collections. 



Although the Regents, a few years ago, declined to accept this 

 museum as a gift, yet, since experience has shown that the building 

 will ultimately be filled with objects of natural history belonging to 

 the general government, which, for the good of science, it will be 

 necessary to preserve, it may be a question whether, in consideration 

 of this fact, it would not be well to offer the use of the large room 

 immediately for a national museum, of which the Smithsonian Institu- 

 tion would be the mere curator, and the expense of maintaining which 

 should be paid by the general government. The cost of keeping the 

 museum of the Exploring Expedition, now in the Patent Office, 

 including heating, pay of watchmen, &c., is about $5,000, and if the 

 plan proposed is adopted, the Institution and the Patent Office will 

 both be benefitted. The burden which is now thrown on the Insti- 

 tution, of preserving the specimens which have been collected by the 

 different expeditions instituted by government during the last ten 

 years, will be at least in part removed, and the Patent Office will 

 acquire the occupancy of one of the largest rooms in its building for 

 the legitimate purposes of its establishment. It is believed that the 

 benefit from this plan is so obvious that no objection to it would be 

 made in Congress, and that it would meet the approbation of the 

 p ublic generally. 



