18 REPORT OF THE SECRETARY. 



1 have the honor to transmit herewith the acta of the conference. ■ 

 The proces verbal will be issued later, and a copy forwarded to the 

 Department. 



1 beg- most respectfully to bring to your notice the report of the 

 delegates of the United States to the first conference (Prof. Simon 

 Newcomb and Dr. J. S. Billings), to repeat the recommendations made 

 bv them, and to further draw your attention to the recommendation of 

 the Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution, all of which is contained 

 in Senate Document No. 43, Fifty-fourth Congress, second session, a 

 copy of which is herewith appended. 



1 have much pleasure in informing you that both in public and pri- 

 vately the delegates of the United Kingdom and of other powers 

 expressed a very generous appreciation of the scientific activity of the 

 United States, and I beg to be allowed to commend to the favorable 

 consideration of the Department the recommendation of such legisla- 

 tion as will enable the United States to w^orthily take its share in this 

 highly important international project. 



1 have the honor to be, sir, your most obedient servant, 



Cyrus Adler. 



The Secretary' of State. 



His reply is given herewith: 



Department of State, 

 Washington^ Navemhet' ^5, 1898. 



Sir: I have to acknowledge the receipt of your letter of the 15th 

 instant in regard to the work of the Conference on an International 

 Catalogue of Scientific Literature which met at London on the 11th 

 ultimo and to which you were a delegate on the part of the United 

 States. 



With reference to your .suggestion -that such legislation be recom- 

 mended to Congress as will enable the United States to Avorthily take 

 its share in this highly useful and important international project, I 

 have to state that 1 had already, in the estimates for this Department 

 for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1900, submitted an item olf $10,000, 

 or so much thereof as may be necessary, for the purpose of carrying 

 out on the partof the United States the recommendation of the Inter- 

 national Conference on a Catalogue of Scientific Literature, and for 

 the expense of clerk hire and for the other expenses of the work of 

 cataloguing the scientific publications of the United States, the same 

 to be expended under the direction of the Secretary of the Smithsonian 

 Institution, and pointed out that as the preparation of the catalogue is 

 to begin on January 1, 1900, it would be necessary for appropiate 

 action to be taken by Congress at its forthcoming session, if this Gov- 

 ernment is to participate therein. 



In support of this recommendation, I inclosed as appendices a copy 

 of the Congressional document to which you refer and a copy of your 

 report on the conference of 1896. The estimates are now in print and 

 it is too late to have your present letter included therein; but I shall, 

 upon the assembling of Congress, communicate it to that body in 

 further support of the item. 



I am, sir, your obedient servant, 



[l. s.] John Hay. 



Prof. Cyrus Adler, 



SmitJisonian Institution .^ Washington^ D. C. 



