504 CONGRESSIONAL PROCEEDINGS. 



Mr. T. G. Pratt. If I understand that amendment, the expenditure 

 proposed by it is an annual one for the preservation of the collec- 

 tions of the exploring expedition. 



Mr. R. M. T, Hunter. The Senator from Maryland, over the way 

 [Mr. Pearce], can explain this matter. 



Mr. J. A. Pearce. These collections have been, from the time they 

 were received in this countr}'^ down to the present period, under the 

 charge of the Library Committee, who are very anxious to get rid of 

 that responsibility. But there are other reasons why thej^ should be 

 transferred to the Commissioner of Patents. They are in the Patent 

 Office building; they are under his eye. He is the proper officer to 

 take care of them. He takes care of other things which are con- 

 nected with them. 



The sum appropriated, I will remark, is rather more, perhaps, than 

 has been heretofore expended by the Librar}' Committee for that 

 purpose, for the reason that it will be necessary to erect additional 

 buildings, and necessary to have an additional watchman, as there is 

 now nothing to prevent burglars from getting into so much of the 

 building as is now going on. I believe that all the allowances are 

 economical; and I am very sure they are below those made in other 

 departments of the Government. If we do not appropriate this 

 money here, we shall have to appropriate the same sum of mone}^ to 

 be expended under the care of the Library Committee. That is the 

 only difference. That committee is not the proper body to take 

 charge of the matter. They are not an executive body properly. 



Mr. Pratt. I called attention to the matter because it struck me as 

 being rather singular that there should be an annual appropriation of 

 about ^3,000 for the purpose of preserving the curiosities collected 

 by the exploring expedition. I do not know whether they are worth 

 to the Government this annual expense. I only desired the explana- 

 tion, as it struck my mind as curious. 



Mr. Pearce. As long as we keep them we must take care of them, 

 and we can not take care of them with less expenditure. These are 

 very interesting objects. There are 120,000 people who visit that 

 building annually, and it seems to me that this is a very small expendi- 

 ture to afford so much gratification to our people. 



Adopted. 



July 31, 1854— House. 



Mr. G. W. Jones, of Tennessee. The Committee of Ways and 

 Means recommend a nonconcurrence in the amendment of the Senate 

 [July 22] relative to Government collections. 



The amendment was nonconcurred in. 



