Etei^ORT OF THE SECRETARY. 



59 



The apparent decrease in the number of correspondents shown in the following 

 table is to be explained from the fact that the present figures represent the actual 

 count of the ledger cards under the system adopted in 1892. The corresponding 

 figures in the table of last year represent the total number of correspondents on 

 both the new and old system of ledger cards. 



For comparison with previous years, I add a statement from 1888 to 1894, which 

 will make apparent the growth in the service : 



Nil mber of packages received 

 Weight of packages received 

 Ledger accounts : 



Foreign societies 



Foreign individuals 



Domestic societies 



Domestic individuals 



Domestic packages sent 



Invoices written 



Cases shipped abroad 



Letters received 



Letters written 



235, 028 



6,991 



8,610 



1,620 



2,993 



32, 931 



20, 869 



905 



2, 166 



1,904 



EXPENSES. 



The expense of the exchange system is met in j^art by direct appropriation by 

 Congress to the Smithsonian Institution for the purpose and in part by appropria- 

 tions made to different Government departments or bureaus, either in their contin- 

 gent funds or in specific terms for repayment to the Institution for a portion of the 

 cost of transportation. 



In addition to the transmission of its own documents the Government has under- 

 taken, through a treaty which was concluded at Brussels in 1886, and formally 

 ratified and proclaimed by the President of the United States in 1889, the exchange 

 of the publications of learned societies in this and other countries and the Smith 

 sonian Institution has been recognized as the medium in the United States through 

 which this exchange is to be effected, other governments having established special 

 exchange bureaus for the purpose. 



In 1878 the Board of Regents established a charge of 5 cents per pound weight for 

 the publicationssent out or received by the various Government bureaus, this charge 

 being necessary to prevent an undue tax upon the resources of the Institution. 

 For similar reasons it has been found necessary to make a charge of like amount 

 to State institutions, from which a further small revenue has been derived. 



As the same reasons for the continuance of this charge have existed to the present 

 time, the appropriations by Congress never having been sufficient to meet the entire 

 expense of the service, recommendation has frequently been made that tlie entire 

 appropriation allowed by the Government should be contained in a single item to the 

 Smithsonian Institution. 



The appropriation made by Congress to the Institution for the Exchange Service 

 for the fiscal year 1893-94 was in the following terms: 



"For expenses of the system of international exchanges between the United 

 States and foreign countries, under the direction of the Smithsonian Institution, 

 including salaries or compensation of all necessary employes, fourteen thousand 

 five hundred dollars." 



The receipts and disbursements by the accounting officer of the Smithsonian lusti- 



