APPENDIX TO THE SECRETARY'S REPORT. 



Appendix I. 



REPORT ON THE UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM. 



Sir : I have the honor to submit the following report upon the condition and 

 operations of the National Museum during the year ending June 30, 1905. 



At the beginning of the year the excavation for the new building on the north- 

 ern side of the Mall was actively under way and in the autumn the heavy 

 concrete foundations were completed. In October, 1904, the contracts were 

 executed for the granite required for the outer walls and for the trimmings of 

 the two courts. Contracts for other materials were also entered into at intervals 

 during the remainder of the year, all at prices which insure the putting up of 

 the structure within the limit of .$.3,.500,000 fixed by Congress. It was hoped 

 that work upon the basement might begin by February or March, but unfortu- 

 nately the winter was severe, with much snow, which interfered with quarrying, 

 and up to the close of the fiscal year not enough stone had been received to 

 warrant the commencement of building operations. The date at which this 

 report is written, however, permits it to be said that the first basement stone 

 was laid on August 21, 1905, and no further delays are anticipated. 



In respect to the increase of collections, the year's record has never been 

 exceeded, except during the period immediately following the Centennial Exhi- 

 bition of 187G. There were the usual accessions from the Government surveys 

 and through donation and exchange, but the Louisiana Purchase Exposition, 

 held at St. Louis, furnished an opportunity probably not soon again to be 

 presented for securing a very large amount of valuable material, especially in 

 ethnologj% mineral technology, and other branches of the useful arts, which was 

 accepted to the extent of over thirty carloads. Only a small proportion of these 

 objects could, however, be directly added to the classified and exhibition collec- 

 tions, owing to lack of space, and the greater part have been placed in storage 

 to await the completion of the new building. 



Among the additions from other sources was one of special moment consisting 

 of the large and important private herbarium and botanical library of Capt. 

 .John Donnell Smith, of Baltimore, which the owner has most generously pre- 

 sented. The former comprises over 100,000 mounted plants, and the latter 

 above 1,500 volumes. 



The number of accessions, including only that small part of the material 

 from the exposition which it was possible to place on record, was 1,692, and of 

 specimens 245,384. 



Except for the crowded state of the buildings, the Museum is now in as 

 good condition as at any time in its history. The standard of the exhibition 

 collections was materially improved, though their expansion practically ceased 

 some years ago. The reserve, or study, collections were extensively utilized 



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