302 REPORT OF NATIONAL MUSEUM, 1891. 



semblage of miscellaneons objects for a time exhibited in tlie Patent 

 Office building-. 



From 1847 to 1851, however, there was no use of the term National 

 Museum, the collections of natural history which were accumulating 

 under the care of Prof. Baird constituting for the time being the " Mu- 

 seum of the Smithsonian Institution." 



The National Cabijiet of Curiosities, carrying with it a certain offi- 

 cial atmosphere as well as an annual appropriation, was, however, one 

 of the parents of the greater establishment yet to come. Of its marriage 

 with the Smithsonian Museum, the National Museum of the United 

 States was the offspring. 



The Smithsonian cabinet of minerals and meteorites was, as we have 

 seen, the first scientific collection which belonged to the United States, 

 coming into the custody of Mr. Eush in June, 1838. 



Of all the expeditions sent out by the Government, none previous 

 to the Wilkes exploring expedition, sent out in 1838, was instructed to 

 bring back collections of natural history. 



In the earliest days of our Republic the cabinet of the American 

 Philosophical Society of Philadelphia was doubtless the official muse- 

 um, and this was enriched by the efforts of the only naturalist Presi- 

 dent, Thomas Jefferson. 



The first exploring expedition, that of Lewis and Clarke, in 1803, was 

 sent out by Jefferson, wlio twenty-three years before, in 1780, began to 

 agitate the (question of exi^loring the unknown West, and who at that 

 time ofiered to raise 1,000 guineas for the purpose from private sources. 

 Lewis and Clarke returned in 1806, bringing with them some valuable 

 scientific material, zoological and ethnological. Some of the animals 

 appear to have found their Avay to Peale's Philadelphia Musenm. (iod- 

 man in his American Natural History mentions a sable which had been 

 obtained from this source and was to be seen there in 1823. I have 

 been told that within a few years Indian garments and weapons, 

 brought back by this party, were to be seen in St. Louis. Pike's ex- 

 I)edition in 1805, the second of the exploring enterprises, yielded little 

 in the way of scientific material. Whatever there was went undoubt- 

 edly to the Philadelphia Museum, and in 1808 there were still on (,'xhi- 

 bition at that place two grizzly bears which as cul)s had been brought 

 by Maj. Pike from the region of the Rio del Norte and presented by 

 him to President Jefferson, who gave them to Mr. Pealeforhis museum. 

 Other specimens appear to have found shelter in the University of 

 Virginia, Avhere two sets of antlers, brought back by Capt. Lewis, are 

 still preserved. 



lu 1820 a third expedition was sent by the General Government to 

 explore the Northwestern Territory, especially the region around the 

 Great Lakes and the sources of the Mississippi. This was under 

 charge of Gen. Lewis Cass, at that time governor of Michigan Terri- 

 tory. Henry R. Schoolcraft accompanied this expedition as mineralo- 



