REPORT OK ASSISTANT SECRETARY. 117 



In addition to all these, there are the collections whose interest is 

 chieriy historical — personal relics, national relics, portraits, autographs, 

 coins, medals, memorials of past periods in the history of our own and 

 allied races. These stand in a i;roup by themselves, and are in popu- 

 lar estimation more interestiuj;' than anything- else that can be shown, 

 and their influence upon the people who see them is not to be under- 

 valued. They are surely not without instruction, and beyond this, tend 

 to the development of lofty and ennobling sentiments. 



In the report for this year, the various collections assigned to the 

 Department of Arts and Industries, except those which are under the 

 control of a special curator, will be referred to only in rapid review. 



Fisheries collection. — The fishery hall has been almost dismantled by 

 the withdrawal of material to form part of the exhibition of the Fish 

 Commission in Chicago. The attention of Capt. Collins, the curator, 

 has been for two or three j'ears devoted to other things, and few addi- 

 tions have been made to the collection. 



The collection of naval models. — This, too, has been drawn upon 

 largely for the exhibit of the Fish Commission at the World's Fair, 

 many of the models of American fishing vessels having been withdrawn 

 to be combined with a large number of additional models which have 

 been constructed by the Commission. The entire series will be returned 

 at the close of the Exposition. 



The general collection of models is one of the most extensive in the 

 world, embracing, as it does, a very large number of boats of savage 

 and semicivilized races, and material for a very full exposition of the 

 vessels of America. The models of modern steamships and vessels of 

 war are very few, and no attempt will be made to extend the collection 

 in this direction until there is more space. Three times the amount of 

 exhibition room now available is desirable for the proper display of this 

 collection. Among the interesting additions have been models of the 

 historic ships Sally Constant and the MayHoicer, prepared by the 

 National Museum for Chicago, and exhil)ited in connection witli the 

 historical relics. 



The animal products collection. — This collection, already referred to 

 as forming an important part of the technological material belonging 

 to the ^luseum, was transported to Chicago in its entirety and was 

 greatly enlarged. Much attention has been given to developing a collec- 

 tion illustrating the races of domesticated aninmis, and a specially good 

 series of the breeds of domestic birds has been gathered. To secure 

 the domesticated mammals is a more difficult matter, attended with 

 great expense and delay. Even this would have been carried much 

 further in Chicagobiit for obstacles interposed by the accounting officers 

 of the Treasury, who objected to the payment of v(mchers for the pur- 

 chase of foreign material. 



An extensive exliibit selected from this collection was sent to Chicago. 

 This exhibit is intended to illustrate the utilization of the various ])arts 



