20 REPOET OF THE SECRETARY. 



honorary members of that important scientific body. Dr. Wilson was 

 unavoidably prevented from attendance; the Institution, however, par- 

 ticipated vicariously in the imposing ceremonies of the Centenary, and 

 at a banquet presided over by the Duke of Northumberland, and at 

 which the Prince of Wales and the Duke of Connaught were present, 

 its representative responded to the toast on behalf of the foreign 

 guests proposed by the Lord Chancellor. 



The Secretar}^ also attended the semicentennial celebration in honor 

 of Prof. William Stokes, held at Cambridge, and paid a visit to Pem- 

 broke College, at Oxford, at which James Smithson was graduated. 

 In a conspicuous place in the library of the college is the Sniithson 

 memorial tablet, presented by the Institution a few years ago, and in 

 a special bookcase suitably marked is a full set of the publications of 

 the Institution. The Secretary also visited Genoa and found the tab- 

 lets sent by the Regents had been properly placed on the tomb of 

 Smithson on the heights of San Benigno and in the English church in 

 the city. 



NATIONAL MUSEUM. 



The Smithsonian Museum, or, as it is commonly called, the National 

 Museum, has grown to be the largest interest of the Institution, and 

 the future growth of this most important work is limited only by the 

 willingness of Congress to provide means for its extension and main- 

 tenance. Each year seems to be a phenomenal one in the increase of 

 the collections, and more and more imperative does it become that 

 greater space be provided for the display of the valuable contributions 

 constantly being received. The collections now comprise nearly four 

 and a half million specimens, illustrating practically every branch of 

 anthropology, biology, and geology. During the past year the acces- 

 sions numbered more than 200,000 specimens. 



The new galleries have been of great benefit in relieving some of the 

 crowded halls, and additional storage quarters enable a better handling 

 of objects than heretofore, but a proper display of all the collections 

 will not be possible until a new building is erected, as the present one, 

 even with the aid just referred to, is in parts in a state of continued 

 congestion. 



Among new accessions of special interest may be mentioned about 

 1,000 ethnological objects of exceptional value pertaining to the Indians 

 of the Great Plains and Rock}^ Mountains, archaeological collections 

 made by Mr. Holmes in Mexico, collections by Mr. Beckwith in Puerto 

 Rico, and some electrical apparatus from the Boston fire department, 

 and from other sources, and also a large number of most valuable his- 

 torical objects relating to the war with Spain, secured through the 

 courtesy of the Navy Department, several of the bureau chiefs taking 

 a liveh' interest in collecting articles of special importance. There 

 were also received from the Society of Colonial Dames and the Society 



