REPORT OF THE ACTING SECRETARY. 61 



at Peking, finally been brought to a successful conclusion. The Chinese Govern- 

 ment has designated the Shanghai bureau of foreign affairs as its representa- 

 tive for this purpose. While this arrangement is only for the exchange of 

 official publications, it is hoped that full exchange relations will be entered into 

 by China in the near future. Pending the arrangement of details the first ship- 

 ment of Government documents from the United States has not yet been made. 



Owing to the death of Dr. Paul Leverkiihn, who since 1900 attended to the 

 reception and distribution of exchanges for Bulgaria, all transmissions to that 

 country have been suspended for the present. Doctor Leverkiihn was director 

 of the scientific institutions and library of His Royal Highness the Prince of 

 Bulgaria, and this office is now in correspondence with that establishment with 

 a view to enlisting its services in the distribution of exchanges. It should be 

 added that Doctor Leverkiihn during his connection with the Smithsonian 

 Institution was of much service in furthering the interchange of publications 

 between Bulgaria and the United States. 



As referred to elsewhere in this report, the office of agent of the Institution 

 for Hungary became vacant in the latter part of June through the death of 

 Dr. Joseph von Korosy. Dr. Julius Pikler, who was employed by the Institu- 

 tion as Doctor Korosy's assistant, has been tempofarily appointed agent for 

 Hungary, to take effect on July 1, 1906. 



Prior to the late Russo-Japanese war packages addressed to correspondents 

 in Korea were distributed through the courtesy of the Russian Commission 

 of International Exchanges at St. Petersburg. In view of the terms of the 

 treaty of peace, the department of foreign affairs at Tokyo — the exchange 

 distributing agency for Japan — was asked to undertake the distribution of 

 such packages as might be received at the Institution for Korean correspond- 

 ents. It is regretted that the Department was not able, owing to lack of proper 

 arrangements and sufficient funds, to comply with the Institution's wishes in 

 this matter. A number of packages for Korea having accumulated at this 

 office, those that were within the mailing limit were forwarded to their destina- 

 tions and the remainder were returned to the senders with the statement that 

 there were at present no means of transmitting exchanges to that country. 

 The Korean branch of the Royal Asiatic Society at Seoul has been invited 

 to act as the exchange medium through which packages to ajid from Korea 

 may be forwarded. No reply has yet been received, though it is hoped that a 

 favorable one will come to hand at an early date. 



As a more direct means of transmission, the few packages that are received 

 for Persia, instead of being sent through the Russian Exchange Commission, 

 are now forwarded directly by mail. 



All exchanges for Portuguese East Africa have in the past been forwarded 

 through the national library at Lisbon, which acts as the exchange bureau 

 for Portugal and its colonies. As considerable delay in the receipt of packages 

 sent in this manner has been experienced by correspondents in that country, 

 the Institution asked the Government library at Lourengo Marquez to take 

 charge of the reception and distribution of exchanges for Portuguese East 

 Africa. This request the Government library was good enough to comply with. 



Following is a list of bureaus or agencies abroad through which the dis- 

 tribution of exchanges is effected. Those in the larger and in many of 

 the smaller countries forward to the Smithsonian Institution reciprocal con- 

 tributions for distribution in the United States: 

 Algeria (via France). 

 Angola (via Portugal). 

 Argentina : Museo Nacional, Buenos Ayres. 



