16 REPORT OF NATIONAL MUSEUM, 1^93. 



be incurred for their biiidrng, enlarged room, and otlier purposes con- 

 nected witli tbeir use, threatened to grow beyond the means of the 

 Institution, appear to have been the moving causes wliich determined 

 the Kegeuts to accept an arrangement by w-hich Congress was to place 

 the Smithsonian Library with its own in the Capitol, subject to the 

 right of the Kegents to withdraw the books on paying the charges of 

 binding, etc. Owing to the same causes (which have affected the 

 library^'of C<.ngress itself) these principal conditions, except as regards 

 their custody in a fire-proof building, have never been fultilled." 



The books"^ are still deposited chiefly in the Capitol, but though they 

 have now increased from 40,000 to fully'250,000 volumes and parts of 

 volumes, and form one of the most valuable collections of the kind in 

 existence, they not only remain unbound, but in a far more crowded 

 and inaccessible condition than they were before the transfer. 



This condition of affairs will happily soon be remedied. 



The purchasing power of the publications of the Institution, when 

 offered in exchange, is far greater than that of money, and its benefit 

 is exerted chiefly in behalf of the National Library, and also to a con- 

 siderable extent in behalf of the National Museum. 



The amount expended during the past forty years from the private 

 fund of the Institution in the publication of books for gr.ituitous dis- 

 tribution has been fully half as much as the original Smithson bequest. 



These publications have had their influence for good in many ways, 

 but, in addition to this, a library much more than equal in value to the 

 outlay has, through their buying power, come into the possession of the 



nation. 



In addition to all this, a large amount of material has been acquued 

 for the :^[useum by direct expenditure from the private fund of the 

 Smithsonu.n Institution, llie value of the collections thus acquired is 

 estimated to be more than e(iual to the whole amount of the Smithson 



bequest. 



The early history of the Museum was much like that of the library. 

 It was not until 1858 that it became the auth(uized depository of the 

 scientific collections of the Government, and it was not until after ISKJ 

 that it was olhcially recognized as the National Museum of the United 



States. 



But for the provident forethought of the Smithsonian Institution, 

 the United States would probably still be witlumt a reputable nucleus 



for a national museum. 



The relations of the Museum to the system of popular lectures, for 

 many years established in Washington, which replaces the old Smith 

 soman courses, once so intluenfial, and the assistance which it atibrds 

 each year to students of science, is referred to elsewhere in this report. 



The Institution publishes many circulars giving information on scien- 

 tific subjects, which are distributed gratuitously to those who write to 

 make inquiries, and this system is being continually extended. In addi- 



