344 REPORT OF NATIONAL MHSEUM, 1891. 



cepted aud that no part of the donation onght to be expended in the 

 care of property belonging to the (xovermnent of the United States. 



Previons to the discussion of this question it had been assunu'd tliat 

 the Regents were under an ol)bgation to take charge of the ninseuni, 

 and, on tliis account i)rincipa]ly, a large and exi)ensiYe building ha<l 

 been thought necessary. After it was settled, however, that the lie- 

 gents were not bound to acce|)t this trust the work of construction was 

 carried on more slowly with a view at once to secui-e certain ad van 

 tages to the building itself, and to increase the principal by funding 

 the interest of the money wliich would be aDsorbed by its com})letion. 



lu the meantime a very large amount of specimens of natural history 

 had accumulated ;!t the Institution from numerous exploring i)aities, 

 sent out by the ( ireneral Government; and as these collections ha<l l»een 

 ma<le under the direction of tlie Institution, and their preservation was 

 of the highest importance to the natural lustory of the country, it A\as 

 tinally ooiicluded that if Congress v/ould make an api)ro])riation I'or tiie 

 transfer and new arrangement of the articles then in the Patent Ottice, 

 and contiiuie the annual appropriation previously made for their care 

 and exhibition Mhile in charge of the Conunissioner oi' Patents, the In- 

 stitution would, under these conditions, become the curator of tlu' 

 national collections. This proposition was agreed to by the (lovern- 

 ment, and the contemplated transfer has accordingly been ma(h\ 



It is believed that tliis arrangenu^ut will be UHitnally beneficial to 

 the I'atent Office and the Institution, since the foinier will be relieved 

 from a duty scarcely compatible with the design of its establishmenr, 

 and will gain possession of one of the largest rooms in tlie city tor I lie 

 exhibition of a class of models to which the imblic iiave not ]n'e\ iously 

 had ready access; wdiile the Smithsonian Institution will be able to 

 present to the strangers who visit Washington a, greater number ot 

 objects of interest, and apjuopriate that portion of the large building 

 not required for its own most important o])eratioiis b» a useful ]mii)ose. 



The cost of keeping the collecti<tns at the Patent Olhce, including 

 fuel, was about -f 4,060 annually, but the Kegents might, with Justice, 

 haxe asked Ibr an additional amount sufticieiit to pay the interest on 

 the costof tiiat ptntion of the editice occupied by the museum. It was, 

 however, thougiit more prudent to restrict the application to the sum 

 above mentioned, and to request that the apiiropriation migiit lie con- 

 tinued under the charge of the Secretary of the Interior, thus obviating 

 the necessitv oi" an asinual application to Congress bv the Instilution 

 itself. 



The cases at ])resent required for the acconunodat ion of the collections 

 have been constructed at a cost within the a])in()i)riation made for that 

 purpose; and the Institution is indebted to Hon. rl, Th()m])S(ui, Secre- 

 tary of the Interior, and Hon. J. Holt, Commissioner ol'Patents, foi- the 

 use of glass, sash, and shelving no longer needed in the room which 

 formerly contained the nuiseum in the Patent OHice, but which have 

 been applied to good purpose in su])plying deticiencie« in the Smith- 

 sonian building. The Regents are also indebted to Tlioinas P. Walter, 

 esq.. Architect of the United States Capitcd K.xtension, tbr the beautiful 

 design of the cases, and to Edw. Clark, esci., architect of the Interior 

 Department, ibr the inspection of the work during its progress, and the 

 examination of the accounts presented by the contractor. 



In order to increase the cai)acity of the large ro«uii a])pr()priated to 

 the collection, the cases have been arranged in two st<»ries, Ibrming a 

 series of alcoves, and a gallery on each side. 1>,\- the ado|)ti(Ui of this 

 plan iqiace can be jn'ovided for double tlie number of specimens which 

 were exhibited at the Patent Office. 



