42 REPORT OF THE SECRETARY. 
Adding the miscellaneous exchanges to the total of Government exchanges, the total 
is 90,666 packages. Of this number 61,619 were received for foreign and 29,047 for 
domestic distribution. 
The Government of Paraguay, the first to carry out the provisions of the treaty of 
Brussels for the immediate exchange of parliamentary annals, began at the end of 
June, 1890, the regular transmission of the Official Journal and the Gazette of the 
Paraguay Congress. Pending the passage by Congress of a bill making special pro- 
vision to enable the Institution to carry out this treaty, as the recognized Exchange 
Bureau of the United States Government, no return for this exchange has yet been 
made. <A bill appropriating $2,000 for the purpose named passed the Senate at the 
last session, but failed to reach consideration in the House of Representatives. 
It is gratifying to note that on July 25, 1890, announcement was made of the es- 
tablishment by the Government of New South Wales of a special board for receiving 
and transmitting International Exchange publications. The exchange with that 
country has heretofore been effected through the Royal Society of New South Wales. 
Notice was also received of the establishment by the Government of Uruguay on 
December 10, 1890, of an Exchange Bureau designated as the Oficina de Deposito, 
Reparto y Canje Internationales. 
EFFICIENCY OF THE SERVICE. 
The recommendation for an additional assistant in the shipping room having re- 
ceived your approval by the transfer in October, 1891, of Mr. George L. Snider from 
the Smithsonian to the exchange roll, it is believed that the exchange work at the 
close of the fiscal year was in more satisfactory condition than ever before. Eight 
thousand and ninety-four more packages were handled than in the previous year, an 
increase of 10.2 per cent, and on June 30, 1891, all that could be disposed of had been 
shipped, leaving but 153 packages then on hand. 
Packages received from abroad for distribution in the United States are sent out 
by registered mail, a record being made of each package showing the sender and the 
person or institutionaddressed. As arule, this record can be made, the package can be 
rewrapped in stout paper and can be delivered at the post-office on the day, or within 
one or two days of its receipt. In some instances where the Bureau is crowded by 
the receipt of several thousand Government documents, a little longer delay may 
take place. 
Books for distribution abroad received from individuals or institutions in the 
United States are entered in a similar way and are held until a sufficient number 
have accumulated to make a reasonable shipment to any one country. They are 
then carefully examined and a list for each country is made up and the volumes 
packed and shipped. Where a large number of packages for one country are re- 
ceived from any institution they are usually shipped with a delay of from one to four 
or five days. 
An improvement in foreign transmissions has been made in the Exchange Office 
by increasing the frequency of shipments. The number of shipments to each country 
and the date of shipment is given in Exhibit A appended, but the great need at 
present is a more rapid communication with the principal European countries. This 
can only be effected when the appropriation by Congress becomes sufficient to enable 
the institution to pay for fast freight. Asitis now, free freight is granted by a 
majority of the steamship companies, and where it is necessary to pay for transpor- 
tation, the boxes must be sent by slow steamers offering low rates. 
Dr. Felix Fliigel in Leipzig, and Messrs. William Wesley & Son, in London, the 
foreign agents of the Institution, have paid the same careful attention to its inter- 
ests as in former years. I regret to note here the death of the senior member of the 
firm of William Wesley & Son, which occurred on April 17, 1891. Ialso have to note 
the death of Dr. Felipe Poey on January 28, 1891. Dr. Poey has taken charge of the 
