REPORT OF THE SECRETARY. a6 
office, representing 90,666 packages—an increase of 8,094 packages over 
the number handled during the preceding year. Upon the exchange 
books accounts of publications received and transmitted are kept with 
18,848 societies, institutions or individuals. 
The expenditures on account of the exchange service have amounted 
to $20,382.21, of which $17,000 were appropriated directly by Congress, 
$3,361.12 were repaid by Government bureaus, and $9.95 were paid by 
State institutions and others, leaving a small deficiency to be met by 
the Smithsonian Institution. 
While the expenses of the exchange service, it will be observed, are 
in the absence of rent charge now nearly met by the sum appropriated 
by the General Government, this end is only effected at the cost of 
dispatch; and even this slow freight is in many cases due to the 
liberality of the ocean steamship companies, a fact to which allusion 
has been made in all recent reports. While there seemed to be no im- 
propriety in accepting the generosity of these companies when it was 
to be regarded as a direct contribution to the philanthropic aims of the 
Institution, it does not seem proper, where so much of the freight now 
carried is Government property and the service is conducted under an 
international treaty, that we should impose on this liberality further, 
yet if this privilege should be withdrawn the service would be most 
seriously crippled. 
An appropriation is also needed to give effect to the treaty of Brus- 
sels, which calls for an immediate exchange of parliamentary annals. 
A bill making an appropriation of $2,000, estimated as necessary tor 
this purpose, passed the Senate, but failed to come up for consideration 
in the House of Representatives. 
I may mention also that the difficulty of making provision for the 
storage of the surplus copies of Government publications intended for 
foreign exchange is each year becoming greater, and it is necessary to 
store many boxes of valuable documents in a basement which past ex- 
perience has shown is liable to be flooded with water. This fact I con- 
sider it my duty to bring to the attention of Congress that such action 
as it deems fit may be taken to protect this public property. 
LIBRARY. 
The accessions to the library have been recorded and cared for as dur- 
ing the last fiscal year. The following statement shows the number of 
books, maps, and charts received from July 1, 1890, to June 30, 1891: 
stay P|} Quar >} om 
Octavo or| Quarto o1 Total. 
| smaller. | larger. 
| | is 
WGI) a Se Se ae ie eee er ea | 1, 844 | 837 2, 681 
ATA OLSVOULINGS seeteeecens ane ce Soe sisson ce eee | 9,439 | 11,086 | 20,525 
en esa. eet ee Sl ee oh ad 3 eit 3, 130. | 639 3, 769 
NETO ioe 6 SON IBE RC GOCOnS Geee Seine sae IEE Sete Bea eenets eee gee [eae eee Soe o19 
ANGI ES 75 eee 22s Ok i eee ee ee Cee [ee a [Sais ers Seer 27, 294 
