712 CONGRESSIONAL PROCEEDINGS. 



creased to $10,000. These collections have been very largely 

 increased ; they have been doubled ; in fact, they have been 

 quadrupled, since they were removed to the Smithsonian 

 building, and the expense of taking care of them has been 

 very largely increased in consequence of the general increase 

 of the prices of labor, fuel, and everything that goes to make 

 up that expense. Even if the amount of labor had not been 

 increased in consequence of the increase of the collections, 

 the appropriation, which from 1842 to 1866 was $4,000, 

 ought to be increased to at least $6,000. 



The fund of the Smithsonian Institution, whatever it may 

 be, is a fixed sum, and in consequence of the great increase 

 in the prices of everything, it is not now worth more than 

 half as much to the institution as it was formerly. A very 

 large portion of the income from the fund for the institution 

 for the last two years has had to be expended in refitting 

 and repairing the building, rendered necessary by the de- 

 structive and ruinous fire that occurred there in 1865. It 

 seems to me there can be no question but what the appro- 

 priation for this purpose should be at least $6,000. 



Mr. Upson. Who has the disbursing of this money, and 

 what account is ever rendered to anyone of the manner in 

 which it was expended ? 



Air. Poland. It is disbursed under the care of Professor 

 Henry, one of the most prudent men in the country, and 

 it is all reviewed by the Board of Regents. 



Mr. Washburne, of Illinois. The Committee on Appro- 

 priations thought that $1,000 a year was about as much as 

 the people of this country desire to pay to preserve the col- 

 lections of the exploring and surveying expeditions of the 

 Government. The amount appropriated heretofore has been 

 much larger, as the gentleman from Vermont [Mr. Poland] 

 has said. I had a conversation this morning with Professor 

 Henry, who stated to me how this appropriation was to be 

 used. From what he told me, I am willing to admit that 

 there should be appropriated a much larger sum than the 

 committee have reported in this bill, though not so much 

 as $6,000, as the gentleman from Vermont has proposed. 

 The Professor himself expressed himself satisfied with 

 $4,000, the usual annual appropriation for this purpose. 



Mr. Poland. It may be true that Professor Henry did 

 not desire to have the friends of the Smithsonian Institu- 

 tion to get into a controversy with the gentleman from Illi- 

 nois, [Mr. Washburne,] for he knew too well how much 

 was involved in that; and, " to buy his peace," as lawyers 

 say, he agreed to take $4,000 instead of asking for $6,000. 



