62 REPORT OF NATIONAL MUSEUM, 1889. 



and use them in making up certain volumes of the Miscellaneous Col- 

 lections. The papers published in the " Proceedings" and " Bulletin" 

 of the Museum were of precisely the same character which since 1862 

 had made up the great majority of the most important papers in the 

 Miscellaneous Collections. The Institution then undertook to print 

 an edition of 1,200 copies in the form of volumes of the Miscellaneous 

 Collections, and to distribute them to the principal libraries of the 

 world. This was at the time regarded as advantageous, since the cost of 

 composition and electrotyping was always at least two-thirds of the cost 

 of an edition of 1,200, and in addition to this the miscellaneous distribu- 

 tion, for which the Institution in the case of similar publications printed 

 at its own expense had been accustomed to provide, was now already 

 provided for out of the j)reliuiinary issue of several hundred copies 

 paid for from the Museum fund. 



The practice was in effect from 1878 to 1883, and five volumes of the 

 Miscellaneous Collections were made up entirely of the " Proceedings" 

 and "Bulletin" of the Museum, as is shown in the accompanying 

 table. 



Miscellaneous collections. 



Vol. XIII.. 

 Vol. XIX.. 

 Vol. xxn . 

 Vol. XXIII 

 Vol. XXIV 



Date. 



1878 

 ]880 

 1882 

 1882 

 1883 



Contents. 



Bulletins 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10. 

 Proceedings Vols. 1, and 2. 

 Proceedings Vols. 3 and 4. 

 Bulletins 11, 12, 13, 14. 

 Bulletin 1(5. 



In this manner the first four volumes of the "Proceedings" and the 

 first sixteen numbers of the "Bulletin" were published, constituting in 

 each instance about one-third of the entire series up to the present date. 



Since 1883 no publication of the " Bulletin" has been made, and none 

 has been made in the case of the "Proceedings" since 1882. 



There remain unpublished, then, eleven volumes of the " Proceedings" 

 and twenty-one numbers of the "Bulletin," in all sufficient to make 

 ten thick volumes of the Miscellaneous Collections. Possibly, by con- 

 densation and omissions the number might be reduced to nine volumes. 



If the Institution were to undertake to print the edition of 1,000, now 

 customary in the case of the Miscellaneous Collections, the cost would 

 be not less than $9,000. 



The same amount expended by the Institution in printing fresh mat- 

 ter would probably not produce one and a half volumes, or at most 

 two volumes, of Miscellaneous Collections. 



As a matter of fact, however, the publication of the edition of 1,000 

 copies by the Smithsonian Institution would not really meet the neces- 

 sities of the case, since it would leave unsupplied a very large number 

 of libraries quite as deserving as those already on the list. 



In view of all these facts, it seems not desirable that the Institution 

 should undertake hereafter the publication of the Museum "Bulletin" 

 and "Proceedings," since it is evident that these will increase in bulk 



