22 REPORT OF THE SECRETARY. 



It has constantly grown until it has carried the work of the Institu- 

 tion, and incidentally its own name, through every part of the world, 

 and it would be well to recall, the constantly growing number of its 

 correspondents, which at the close of the year had reached 31,000, of 

 whom 23,000 are outside the United States. 



No portion of the work done by the Institution more justifies the 

 motto of its seal, "per orbem," and possibly even the general reader 

 ma}^ care to look at the mdications of the vast amount of correspond- 

 ence that IS carried on as given in the report of the assistant in charge. 



The weight of packages handled by the service during the past year 

 was 317,883 pounds and their total number was 97,835, representing 

 10,322 foreign societies, 13,378 foreign individuals, and 7,269 domestic 

 societies and individuals. 



There were received from abroad and distributed to domestic 

 addresses 30,645 packages. The total number of correspondents at 

 the close of the year was 30,969, an increase of 1,511 over the previous 

 year. These are scattered over nearly every portion of the globe. 



The new distributing agencies established in Vienna and Budapest 

 have proved very beneficial and relieved the former severe pressure at 

 the Leipzig agency. 



The small increase in the appropriation granted by Congress has 

 enabled the service to dispatch packages by more expeditious routes 

 than heretofore, and greater improvement still is expected during the 

 coming year. 



The thanks of the Institution are again due to those forwarding 

 agencies who for many vears have granted special courtesies in facili- 

 ttiting the dispatch of exchanges. 



The veiy complete record system practiced in the Service made it 

 possible to determine the contents, source, and destination of several 

 boxes lost by the foundering of two ocean steamers, and to arrange 

 for their duplication in nearly every instance. 



NATIONAL ZOOLOGICAL PARK. 



As the result of special efiort a considerable number of valuable 

 animals have been added to the zoological park. 



Through the courtes}^ of the Secretaries of State, War, and Navy, 

 an illustrated circular prepared by the Secretary and describing the 

 zoological park has been distributed to oflicers of the United States 

 throughout the world, and in this way the special wants of the park 

 have been made known and methods of caring for animals to be trans- 

 mitted have been explained. As one of the results of this efi'ort, a 

 very interesting group of animals was forwarded bj^^ Commander Todd 

 oi the U. S. S. Wilmingtoti, having been obtained while on a cruise up 



