REPORT OF THE SECRETARY. 25 



CORRESPONDENCE. 



The correspondence of the Institution, next to its publica- 

 tions, furnish, perhaps, the most effectual means of diffusing 

 knowledge concerning matters of purely scientific interest, 

 as well as of disseminating information of a popular nature 

 on subjects coming within the scope of the Institution's work. 

 The inquiries which come to the Institution from all parts of 

 the world embrace almost every conceivable topie, and the 

 major portion of the correspondence relates not to matters of 

 a routine nature, but to widely diversified subjects of scientific 

 investigation. Thus the expenditure of a very considerable 

 amount of time and labor is necessitated, as it is endeavored 

 in every instance to respond as fully as possible to the requests 

 for information, though where the subject of inquiry is 

 clearly without the scope of the Institution, the communica- 

 tions are referred to the branch of the Government service 

 having special cognizance of the matter or matters to which 

 they relate. Where the inquiries have particular reference 

 to the activities of the bureaus administered under the Insti- 

 tution, they are referred to the bureau concerned in each 

 case for attention and answer, unless they involve matters of 

 policy, in which event they are returned for the Secretary's 

 action. 



The plan adopted in 1890 of registering such letters as are 

 of sufficient importance to make a record of them desirable, 

 has been continued in operation during the year and has con- 

 stituted an efficient check against their loss or temporary 

 misplacement. 



The increasing demand for publications of the Institution 

 has necessitated an increase in tin 1 amount of correspondence 

 relating to their distribution, though this has been consider- 

 ably reduced by the employment of printed forms. Aside 

 from the letters sent out relating to the operations of its sev- 

 eral bureaus, special correspondence has been conducted on 

 aerodromic matters and in the administration of the Hodgkins 

 fund. Since the Smithsonian bureaus were put under the 

 civil-service law and rules in July, 1896, there has been a 

 steady increase in the amount of correspondence relating to 

 civil-service matters, and this has added perceptibly to the 

 labors of the Institution. 



