304 REPORT OF NATIONAL MUSEUM, 1891. 



" The exploring expedition," he continued, "has already sent home 

 a large collection, Avhich remains packed away in boxes in a room be- 

 longing to the Philadelphia Museum, generously loaned by t\w com- 

 pany for that purjDose; and we may anticipate, from the ability and 

 well-known zeal of the naturalists who accompanied it, that the sfpiad- 

 rou itself, shortly expected, will return richly freighted with objects of 

 natural history. I cannot believe that, after all the labor, pains, and 

 expense incurred in procuring them, these specimens are not to be 

 brought to Washington to be arranged and exhibited here."* 



Mr. Poinsett was at this time still Secretary of War, and had the 

 power to effect at least the beginning of what he desired to see done, 

 and one of his last oflicial acts was to persuade his colleague, James 

 K. Paulding, the Secretary of the Kavy, to order these collections for- 

 warded from Philadelphia. 



In February the Institution was informed "that about one hundred 

 andfift}^ boxes, the results as far as have been received of the exploring 

 squadron's exertions, containing a variety of interesting objects ot nat- 

 ural history, and destined for the cabinet of the Institution, have been 

 shij^ped at Philadelphia, and are expected as soon as the navigation 

 opens."t 



Here, again, Mr. Poinsett's prompt action told in the interest of the 

 future national museum. If he had waited till the navigation opened 

 he would have been obliged to treat with the Secretary of the Navy. 



The entirely unorganized condition of affairs in Washiijgton and the 

 lack of experience in museum administration is shown by the fact that 

 Mr. AV. McGingan, curator of the Philadelphia Museum Company, 

 thought it necessary to write the following amusing cautionary letter, 

 which was printed in the bulletin of the Institution : 



It would be uuadvisable to break open the cases containing the ar- 

 ticles collected l)y the South Sea exph)ring expedition until such period 

 as they are unpacked to be prepared for exhibition. The immense 

 quantity of arsenic and corrosive sublimate necessary for their preser- 

 vation requires, respectively, that very great caution should be ob- 

 served, and that the handling and arrangements should be under either 

 the immediate inspection or personal attention of one lully adequate 

 to all the details connected with this subject. 



In the hands of inexperienced persons, death might he the result. 



W. McGingan. 



Philadelphia, February 6", 1841. 



Still another step was taken on March 3, 1811, the day before the 

 final adjournment, which I am also disposed to attribute to the fore- 

 thought and interest of Mr. Poinsett, which was the appropriation by 

 Congress of $5,000 "for defraying the expenses of transporting to the 

 city of Washington and of arranging the collections made by the ex- 

 j)loring expedition." 



The committee, consisting of Col. Abert, Mr* Markoe, Mr. Dayton, 

 and Dr. King, appointed under a resolution passed at the stated meet- 



*Disconrso, etc., 1841, p. 50. 

 tProcecdiiigs, p. 48. 



