THIRTY-EIGHTH CONGRESS, 1863-1865. 643 



4. The contents of the rooms in the towers, inchiding the meteorological instru- 

 ments, the workshop, containing a lathe, and a large number of valuable tools, nearly 

 all the stock on hand of the duplicate copies of the annual reports, and many other 

 public documents and books intended for distribution to libraries, as well as a 

 quantity of stationery, hardware, etc. 



5. The woodcuts of the illustrations contained in the Smithsonian publications. 

 The loss to other parties was as follows: 



1. The contents of what was called the Picture Gallery, viz: (a) About 200 por- 

 traits, nearly all of life size, painted and principally owned by Mr. J. M. Stanley, 

 formerly of this city, and now of Detroit, Michigan, and which were on deposit in 

 the Institution, {b) A number of half-sized Indian portraits, painted by Mr. King 

 for the Government, (c) A copy, in Carrara marble, of the antique statue known 

 as the "Dying Gladiator," by John Gott, and owned by Mr. J. 0. McGuire, of 

 this city. 



2. A number of surveying instruments belonging to the Government. 



3. The clothing, books, and private effects of several of the persons connected with 

 the Institution, and of those engaged in scientific studies. 



4. The library removed from Beaufort, South Carolina, by the army, and also that 

 of Bishop Johns, from Fairfax Theological Seminary, given in charge to the Institu- 

 tion by the Secretary of War for safe-keeping, which libraries were stored in an 

 upper room in the south tower. 



Independent of injury to the building, the loss to the- Institution, as far as it may 

 be estimated and can be restored by money, may be stated at about $20,000; and to 

 individuals, $26,000, viz: To Mr. j" M. Stanley, $20,000; Mr. J. C. McGuire, $1,000; 

 Prof. Joseph Henry, $1,500; Mr. W.J. Rhees, $1,200, Mr. W. De Beust, $1,300; and 

 all others, $1,000. 



Although the loss which the Institution and individuals have sustained is nuich to 

 be regretted, yet it is a source of consolation that by far the greater part of the 

 valuable contents of the building have escaped without injury. The valuable library 

 of the Institution, the most extensive, in regard to the transactions of learned 

 societies and scientific books, in this country; the museum, including the collection 

 of the exploring expedition and those of the Institution; the large stock of many 

 thousand duplicate specimens for distribution to all parts of the world; the records 

 of the museum; a large portion of the correspondence relative to natural history; 

 nearly all the records of meteorological observations which have been accumulated 

 during the last fifteen years; the sets of Smithsonian publications (except the annual 

 reports) which have been reserved to supply new institutions, and the stereotype 

 plates of all the works which have been published during the last four or five years, 

 have been saved. All the original vouchers of payments made by the Institution, 

 the ledger in which they were posted, and the daybook from 1858, were also preserved, 

 having been deposited in a safe in the Regents' room. The contents of the connecting 

 range between the library and the museum are uninjured; this includes a series of 

 plaster casts and portraits of distinguished men, among the latter a life-size portrait 

 of Guizot, by Healy; an original full-length figure of Washington, by the elder 

 Peale, and also a valuable series of rare engravings illustrative of the history of art, 

 purchased from the Hon. George P. Marsh. 



All the important acts of the Regents from the beginning, and an account of the 

 operations of the Institution, having been published from year to year in the several 

 reports to Congress, a continued record of the history of the establishment from the 

 beginning is, therefore, still in existence. As these reports have been widely dis- 

 tributed, they are generally accessible to the public. 



The burning of the roof of the building can scarcely in itself be considered a 

 calamity, since it probably would have occurred at some future time when a much 

 larger accumulation of valuable articles might have been destroyed; and since it will 



