38 REPORT OF THE ACTING SECRETARY. 



own borders transmissions from the United States and in dispatch- 

 ing to this country simihir sendings from its own scientific and 

 educational institutions and citizens. Some important changes in 

 connection with the details of this service have been made during 

 the year, which have resulted in greater dispatch and efficiency. 



Steps have recently been taken through which it is hoped that the 

 British Government may establish a bureau of its own, thus relieving 

 the Smithsonian Institution from maintaining a special agency in 

 London for the receipt and distribution of exchanges with Great 

 Britain. 



It is gratifying to state that through the efforts of the Hon. W. W. 

 Rockhill, American minister at Peking, the long-j)ending exchange 

 negotiations with China have been brought to a successful conclu- 

 sion, the Shanghai bureau of foreign affairs having been designated 

 as the representative of the Chinese Government in this matter. 

 Efforts are being made to resume exchange relations with Korea, the 

 transmissions to that country having been carried on heretofore 

 through the courtesy of the Russian commission of international 

 exchanges at St. Petersburg, 



Through the offices of the Department of State and of the Ameri- 

 can minister at Rome, the exchange service between Italy and the 

 United States has been placed upon a more efficient basis. The 

 government of Lourenco Marquez has been added to the countries to 

 receive full sets of official documents, in exchange for which the 

 authorities of Portuguese East Africa are to send to the United 

 States not only the publications of Lourengo Marquez, but also those 

 of the province of Mozambique and of different chartered companies. 



The total weight of packages handled by the International 

 Exchanges for the year was 471,559 pounds, and the number of cor- 

 respondents throughout the world has reached 56,414, an increase of 

 4,434 over the preceding year. 



I record with regret the death on June 23, 1906, of Dr. Joseph 

 von Korosy, who had served as exchange agent of the Institution at 

 Budapest, Hungary, since 1897. He was the first agent of the In- 

 stitution for that country, and had taken special interest in the 

 work, materially increasing the number of packages received from 

 correspondents in Hungary. Mr. Julius Pikler was appointed, tem- 

 porarily, to succeed him. 



Owing to the death of Dr. Paul Leverkiihn, director of the scien- 

 tific institutions and library of His Royal Highness the Prince of 

 Bulgaria, the transmission of exchanges to that country has been 

 temporarily suspended, but it is expected that it will soon be 

 resumed. 



