REPORT OF ASSISTANT SECRETARY. 73 



ill 1882, iu the World's Cotton Exposition at New Orleans, in 1884, and 

 wlio was snperintendeiit of the Mnsenm disjjlay during tlie Centennial 

 Exposition of the Ohio Valley at Cincinnati, in 1888, has been made 

 chief special agent of the Smithsonian for the World's Columbian 

 Exposition, and will devote his entire energy to tlie preparation and 

 installation of the Museum exhibit. 



The wording of the bill making the appropriation for the Columbian 

 Exposition renders the employment of clerical help upon the Exposi- 

 tion roll virtually impossible, so that the necessary work of this class 

 must be done by the employes of the Museum. The preparation and 

 settlement of accounts, in this as in other recent exi)ositions, will 

 devolve upon the clerks of this office, in addition to their other duties. 



Many i-equests have been received this year, as in the past, from 

 museums, scientific associations, universities, colleges, etc., in this and 

 other countries, for information in regard to the Museum standard 

 cases, of various tj-pes, in compliance with which cyanotypcs of the cases, 

 with details as to cost of construction, have frequently been sent out. 

 Among the institutions asking for information of this sort during the 

 year may be mentioned the American Museum of Natural History and 

 the Academy of the Sacred Heart, New York City; the College of Fine 

 Arts, Syracuse, N. Y, ; the College Museum, Bloomington, Ind. ; the 

 State University, Iowa ; the Academy of Natural Sciences, San Fran- 

 cisco; the University of Toronto, and the Royal Society of Northern 

 Antiquaries, Copenhagen. 



In this connection I would note the fact that several new designs for 

 cases, which prove highly satisfactory, have been made by the engineer 

 of jirox^erty, and in some instances, by uniting the most desirable fea- 

 tures of different cases, others of a new pattern have been constructed 

 under the direction of Mr. Watkins, which prove admirably suited 

 to the purposes required. 



The work of the ^Museum, which has been gradually but surely ex- 

 tending itself in various directions without a commensurate increase of 

 the force, has been accomplished only by the means of the most faith- 

 ful and energetic service on part of the employes, many of whom have 

 been frequently required to work beyond the regular hours. It should 

 be added that a request for such extra service has always been most 

 cheerfnlly complied with. 



CORRESPONDENCE AND REPORTS. 



The system adopted several years ag-ofor (MUiducting the correspond- 

 ence still prevails and has been found on the whoh^ satisfactory. This 

 division of the Museum is under the charge of Mr. Iv.I. Geare, assisted 

 by a corps of stenographers and typewriters. The number of corre- 

 spondents of the Museum is constantly increasing. 



The following geographical statement of letters written in Ihis office 



