18 REPORT OF THE SECRETARY. 
impairment of the administrative work of the Museum. These matters 
have already been represented in strong terms in previous reports, and 
the Secretary has taken every available means of calling attention to 
the dangers which beset the National Museum owing to the insuffi- 
ciency of the appropriations made by Congress for its maintenance. It 
is only necessary to add in this place that the sum mentioned in the 
statement accompanying the report for 1889 (pp. 35-38), as then required 
for services, was prepared in response to a Senate resolution asking for 
a “schedule of the classified service of the officers and employés of the 
National Museum,” and represented the needs of the Museum at that 
time. Since then there have been large increases in almost every de- 
partment of the Museum work, and if I were now preparing a similar 
statement, I should find it necessary to make a corresponding increase 
in the totals of the several divisions of the schedule referred to. 
The operations of the Museum in all of its departments for the fiscal 
year ending June 30, 1891, are fully discussed in the report of the Assist- 
ant Secretary in charge of the Museum, and therefore reference to the 
work of the Museum will here be restricted to some of the most impor- 
tant general features. 
Accessions.—Ten years ago the National Museum moved into a new 
building, and the present year thus marks the close of a very important 
decade in its history. The increase in the collections during this period 
has been unexpectedly large, the accessions from all sources now num- 
bering 3,028,714 specimens. In 1882, when the first census of the col- 
ections was made, the total number of specimens was estimated at less 
than 195,000. The totally inadequate space provided for this vast accu- 
mulation of material has been so frequently commented upon in pre- 
vious reports, that it is not necessary to reiterate the urgent recom- 
mendafions which have been made to Congress for another building. 
Name of department. 1882. | 1883. | 1884. |11885-’86.| 1886-’87. | 1887-88. 1888-’89. |21889-"90.| 1890-91. 
Arts and industries: | 
Materia medica....|.-...-. 4, 000 4, 442 4, 850 5, 516) 5, 762 5,942) 35,915 6, 088 
IMM est sooseceooalodaence 1, 244 1, 580 822 877 877 911 apa tlal ip aol 
SEIMES Gheosaosecc|sposnedisacssec 2, 000 3, 063 3, 144 3, 144 8, 222 3, 288 3, 288 
INV NES) Soe ooonaddllocae co ollesessee 5, 000 9, 870 10,078; 10, 078 10, 078 10,080} 10, 080 
Animal products-..|--.----|.------ | 1, 000 2, 792 2, 822 2, 822 2, 948 2,949 2, 994 
Graphic arts... S92) saeco bso eA 8 eS oetacs sal eeeoet agate 4600 974 
Transportation and) 
CNP INGeLIN Ge see | 2 eel eee Seeabs >. Saseeeeee sconsoane baesceced| (= s-coonc 41, 250 1, 472 
Naval architecture-|....---|------- (ht) aeeodesse Boseaceesl aera 600 5 600 5 600 
Historical relics ...|.......]------- Peeieat 1, 002 
Coins, medals, pa- | 18, 634 14, 640 14, 990 20, 890 23, 890 
DEW IMONGY, GtC =| see |e inarereeee 1, 005 | 
Musicalinstruments|.....--|-.-.--- [ake as See 400 417 427! 427 447 542 
1 No census of collection taken. 
2 The actual increase in the collections during the year 1889-’90 is much greater than appears from 
acomparison of the totals for 1889 and for 1890. This is explained by the apparent absence of any 
increase in the Departments of Lithology and Metallurgy, the total for 1890 in both of these depart- 
ments combined showing a decrease of 46,314 specimens, owing to the rejection of worthless material. 
3 Although about 200 specimens have been received during the year, the total number of specimens 
in the collection is now less than that estimated for 1889, owing to the rejection of worthless material. 
4 The collection now contains between 3,000 and 4,000 specimens. 
5 No estimate of increase made in 1890 or 1891. 
