FOKTY-NINTH CONGRESS, 1885-1887. 989 



oration and is rapidly disappearing, it would seem eminently appropriate that a 

 collection, which is so interesting to artists and so suggestive to students of industrial 

 art and to designers, should become the property of the Government and be dis- 

 played in the National Museum. We have already a large number of objects of a 

 similar nature, for the most part the gift of the Japanese Government, acquired both 

 at the time of Perry's expedition and during the past year. The Capron collection 

 added to these would give to the National Museum a very creditable collection illus- 

 trating Japanese arts and manufactures. 



I am, sir, yours, very respectfully. 



Spencer F. Baird, 

 Secretary Smithsonian Institution 

 and Director U, S. National Museum. 



Hon. W. J. Sewell, 



Chairman Joint Library Committee, United States Senate. 



U. S. National Museum, under direction of the Smithsonian Institution. 



Washington, February S3, 1886. 



Sir: Pursuant to your instructions, I have carefully examined the collection of 

 Japanese works of art belonging to the estate of the late Gen. Horace Capron, with 

 the view of estimating its desirability for the use of the National Museum, and of 

 forming an idea of its commercial value, and have the honor to report as follows: 



The collection, in connection with similar objects already the property of the Mu- 

 seum, would be extremely serviceable, and I should hope that it may be possible to 

 acquire it. 



The lacquered objects are the most valuable, particularly the four which bear the 

 crest of one of the families of shoguns — the Tokagawa family, if my memory serves 

 me right. These I estimate at $3,000. There are also about twenty pieces of smaller 

 size, many of them of great age and fine quality. These are probably worth $1,000. 

 Total for lacquer, $4,000. 



The bronzes are 46 in number, 5 being of large size. I place their value at $3,500. 



There are also 2 pieces in silver bronze and 1 in gold bronze, representing birds 

 and flowers, which I place at $1,100. 



There are 37 carvings of ivory, estimated wortli $700, and 10 carvings in wood, at 

 $500. 



The porcelains and enamels are worth, perhaps, $1,025. The armor, lance, and 

 sword, $400. The large pictorial screens, albums, and scrolls, $450. Ti:3 makes a 

 total of $11,675. 



There is also the collection of coins, containing 63 pieces; 35 of them are of gold, 

 and weigh about 600 grams. I am told that an expert from New York appraised 

 this collection as worth $5,000. I think it may safely be considered worth $3,000, 

 although I know little or nothing of the value of Japanese coins. 



The estimates thus amount to $14,675. I may add that there has been an enor- 

 mous increase in the value of such objects since the collection was first deposited in 

 the Museum, and that the figures here presented are nearly double what I should 

 have thought it proper to submit under similar circumstances five years ago. I have 

 not, of course, a dealer's familiarity with values, but am tolerably well acquainted 

 with the subject under consideration, and do not believe that my estimates are too 

 high. That they are not too low, particularly in the case of the lacquers, I am not 

 at all positive. 



Yours, very respectfully, G. Brown Goode, 



Assistant Director. 



Prof. Spencer F. Baird, 



Director U. S. National Museum. 



