FORTY-FOURTH CONGRESS, 1875-77. 749 



way the respective products of each country would become 

 known to the people of our entire country. 



The articles donated are valuable, rare, varied, and occupy 

 much space. They are all, I believe, now stored in Phila- 

 delphia, for the reason that the Smithsonian Institution has 

 no building in which they can be either exhibited or safely 

 preserved. They must remain, therefore, in boxes, subject 

 to injury and to decay, unless Congress shall take some 

 immediate action toward the erection of a building in all 

 respects suitable for their exhibition and preservation. The 

 capacity of such a building is estimated by competent arch- 

 itects to be four times as large as the Smithsonian building. 

 A plan of such a structure has been already drawn by Gen- 

 eral Meigs. Its estimated cost will not exceed $200,000. 



The regents of the institution by this memorial ask Con- 

 gress to make at once the necessary appropriation. If it be 

 promptly done, a beautiful and capacious building can be 

 put up and finished by the assembling of Congress in De- 

 cember next. Of course, this memorial should go first to 

 the Committee on Public Buildings and Grounds. The 

 prompt erection of the proposed building is a public neces- 

 sity, which, I hope, will commend itself to the judgment of 

 that committee — and I trust they will at the earliest moment 

 make a report. I submit that the honor and good faith of 

 our country seems to demand and require prompt and lib- 

 eral action b}^ Congress. That is all I have now to suggest. 



Mr. CoNKLiNG. What is the worth of these articles? 



Mr. Stevenson. It is stated in the memorial that the es- 

 timated value is a million dollars. I ask that the memorial 

 be now read. 



The Secretary read as follows . 



To the Senate and House of Representatives of the 



United States of America in Congress assembled: 



The undersigned, Regents of the Smithsonian Institution, beg leave re- 

 spectfully to lay before you a question which has suddenly arisen, and which 

 can be solved only by your authority. 



In the year 1846, on the organization of the Smithsonian Institution 

 "for the increase and dift'usion of knowledge among men," Congress, to the 

 great relief of the Patent Office and other public buildings, devolved upon 

 the regents of that institution the custody of " all objects of art and of for- 

 eign and curious research, and all objects of natural history, plants, and 

 geological and mineralogical specimens belonging or hereafter to belong to 

 the United States, which may be in the city of Washington." 



In accordance with this enactment the institution has received and care- 

 fully ]irescrvod nil the specimens which have been brought together from more 

 than lifty pul)lic exploring expeditions, and has added specimens collected 

 by itself or obtained from foreign museums by exchange, till its present 

 edifice in the beginning of 1870 had become full to overflowing. 



By an act bearing date July 31, 187G, additional duties were laid upon 

 the Smithsonian Institution as custodian, and §4,500 were appropriated 



