REPORT OF THE SECRETARY. 19 



Assistant Secretary, who acted as the representative of the Institution 

 upon that occasion. It is only necessary to add here that the exhibit 

 proved exceedingly attractive to the visitors, as evidenced by the 

 crowding of the space from the opening to the closing day, and by the 

 numerous favorable notices published in the newspapers and periodi- 

 cals of the country. 



A considerable number of the staff of the Institution served as 

 judges of award in connection with the several scientific juries of the 

 Exposition. 



The Exposition closed on October 31, and the reshipment of the 

 exhibits to Washington was immediately commenced. 



At the close of the Exposition several interesting- collections were 

 presented to the Institution by foreign Goverumeuts and by individuals 

 which it has been difficult to provide room for. 



In this connection I desire to call especial attention to the regret- 

 table fact that many exhibits that might have been secured f(n' the 

 National Museuu), without expense to the Government, went elsewhere, 

 as no provision could be made here for their exhibition in the already 

 overcrowded condition of the Museum building. 



Beh'fjates to universities and learned .societies. — The Smithsonian Insti- 

 tution is not infrequently invited to send representatives to special 

 celebrations instituted by learned societies or universities witli which 

 it is in correspondence, both in this country and abroad. Whenever 

 practicable, special delegates have been designated by the Secretary to 

 represent the Institution on such occasions. 



Dr. Paul Ilaupt, of Johns Hopkins University and curator of oriental 

 antiquities in the National Museum, was ap[)ointed as Smithsonian 

 representative at the Tenth International Congress of Orientalists to 

 be held in Geneva, September 3 to 12, 1894. 



Woodcuts, etc. — A room on the third floor of the Smithsonian build- 

 ing has been set ai^art for the storage of several thousand original 

 woodcuts, copperplates, and photo engraved blocks used in illustration 

 of the publications of the Institution and National Museum. These 

 blocks, which have now been marked and catalogued and arranged for 

 ready reference, are frequently asked for by publishers, and it has been 

 the policy of the Institution to allow their use for reproduction and 

 publication at the mere cost of electrotyping. 



The expense of handling and storage of the collection of stereotype 

 plates of the different series of publications has become so great, and 

 tlie plates are so rarely called for, that it has been determined to dis- 

 continue the j)rej)aration of the plates except when their future use can 

 be distinctly foreseen. From past experience it is thought that the 

 saving of the original cost of electrotyping will more than meet the 

 expense of reproducing any papers for which the future may bring 

 special demands. 



