38 REPORT OF THE SECRETARY. 



received, are given in tlie appendix to this report ; they will be pub- 

 lished in detail when the series is complete. 



Laboratory. — It was stated in the last report that^ in conformity 

 with the act of Congress incorporating the Institution, a laboratory 

 had been fitted up with the necessary appliances for original research 

 in chemistry and other branches of physical science. During the past 

 year, besides the examination of minerals and other substances sub- 

 mitted to the Institution, a series of experiments have been made re- 

 lative to the strength of materials for building purposes, to some points 

 of meteorology, and to electrical induction. The results that have 

 been obtained from these investigations will, in due time, be given 

 to the public. 



Library. — During the past year the library has received, by ex- 

 change, a larger accession than during any previous year. The 

 whole number of volumes, parts of volumes, and other articles ob- 

 tained by this means, is 5,361. 



The series of transactions and scientific periodicals is gradually be- 

 coming more and more complete ; and, in the course, of a few years, 

 this collection will be as extensive as any to be found in the Old 

 World. A second part of the catalogue of transactions, now in the 

 library^ has been published, and distributed to foreign institutions. 

 In this the deficiencies of the library are pointed out, and in many 

 cases these have already been supplied by the liberality of the 

 societies having duplicates of the desired articles. 



Though the books received by donation and exchange are of the 

 most valuable character, and such as cannot, in many cases, be pro- 

 cured by purchase, yet, as they are generally presented in parts of 

 volumes in paper covers, they require a large expenditure for binding. 

 During the last two years, the sum of three thousand dollars has been 

 jDaid for this purpose. 



Among the liberal donors to whom the Smithsonian Library is 

 indebted, principally on account of the system of exchange, special 

 acknowledgment is due to the Prussian government for the continua- 

 tion of the celebrated work, by Lepsius, on Egypt ; to Baron Korff, 

 of the Imperial library of Russia, for the volumes of the monuments 

 of the Cimmerian Bosphorus ; to the Board of Health of London, for 

 a full set of its reports ; to the Imperial Society of Naturalists of 

 Moscow, for 21 volumes, 8vo, of the Bulletin of its proceedings ; to 

 F. A. Brockhaus, of Leipsic, for 151 quarto volumes of the Ency- 

 clopadie der Wissenschaften ; to Justus Perthes, of Gotha, for ninety- 



