546 CONGRESSIONAL PROCEEDINGS. 



Sir, the official report to be made at the present session of Congress 

 will show that — 



Liberal provision haa been made for a library, museum, and gallery of art in the 

 construction of a building which has cost $300,000. A library has been commenced 

 and means devised for its extension, which at present is valued at $40,000. 



A museum, the most complete to be found in the United States in the natural his- 

 tory of the North American continent, has been collected, which is vaUunl at not less 

 than $30,000. 



A cabinet of apparatus, consisting of instruments of illustration and i-esearch which 

 is worth more than $15,000, has been obtained. 



A beginning has been made of a gallery of art, consisting of a choice collection of 

 a series of specimens of engravings of the old masters. 



A correspondence has been opened and friendly relations established 

 with most of the leading colleges and literar}- institutions, not only in 

 this country but throughout the world, thus securing scientific coop- 

 eration, and often an exchange of valuable researches and publica- 

 tions. Such relations exist with no less than 342 foreign institutions, 

 scattered over Sweden, Norway, Iceland, Denmark, Russia, Holland, 

 Germany, Switzerland, Belgium, France, Itah% Spain, Portugal, Great 

 Britain, Ireland, South America, Mexico, and even Greece, Turkey, 

 Africa, Asia, and Van Diemen's Land. Lectures upon popular and 

 scientific subjects have been regularly delivered at the Institution dur- 

 ing the sessions of Congress, and have been open to "all men,-' free 

 of charge. Original researches haA'^e been stimulated, and many val- 

 uable memoirs upon scientific subjects published and distributed to all 

 the principal libraries and learned societies in the world. To show 

 conclusively what has already been done in this direction, I will give 

 a list of some of the publications, premising, in the language of the 

 Secretary of the Board, that "the Institution up to this time has scarcely 

 published a single paper the production of which has not been stimu- 

 lated and assisted, or whose character has not been improved by the 

 agency of the Institution; and, as a whole, they are such as could 

 not have been given to the world without the aid of the Smithsonian 

 bequest." They arc the products of American genius, and have 

 reflected the highest honor on American science. 



Works Published bv the Smithsonian Institution, 

 uuarto volumes. 



Smithsonian Contributions to Knowledge. 1848. ^"oi. I, 4°, pp. 34t), with 48 plates 

 and 207 woodcuts. 



Smithsonian Contributions to Knowledge. 1851. Vol. II, 4°, pji. 464, and 24 

 plates. 



Smithsonian Contributions to Knowledge. 1852. Vol. Ill, 4°, ]ip. 5tj4, and 35 

 plates. 



Smithsonian Contributions to Knowledge. 1852. Vol. IV, 4°, pp. 426. 



Smithsonian Contributions to Knowledge. 1853. Vol. V, 4°, ])p. 538, and 45 

 ])lates. 



Smithsonian Contributions to Knowledge. 1854. N'ol. VI, 4°, pp. 476, and 53 

 plates. 



