REPORT OF THE SECRETARY. 37 



Up to tho present time, nev^ertheless, the Smithsonian Institution, 

 rather than interrupt this useful work, and while still acting for the 

 United States Government, has maintained in London an agency 

 transacting all the business for scientific institutions and individuals 

 within Great Britain that it could be expected the English Govern- 

 ment itself would transact. 



It is desired that, in addition to the arrangement for conducting the 

 exchange of Government official publications above referred to, or as 

 a part of it, the Government of Great Britain shall establish such a 

 bureau to receive such literary and scientific exchanges within the 

 British Empire as the Smithsonian Institution does for Great Britain 

 within the United States, and that the British Government shall agree 

 to pay the cost of delivery at the port of New York or San Francisco 

 on all matter of this kind, the United States Government agreeing to 

 pay all the costs of delivery on similar matter either at the ports of 

 Liverpool or Southampton. 



I beg to add. in anticipation of any possible inquiry, that as regards 

 the literary and scientific exchanges, not only are those of a mercantile 

 character not admitted, l)ut that such are rarely tendered even, and 

 that, so far as can be gathered from an experience of somewhat over 

 fifty years, the great advantages that this system ofi'ers to literar3'^and_ 

 scientific men are unlikely to be abused. 



I beg to inclose with this, for your convenience, a copy of a recent 

 letter from the honorable the Secretary of State, a copy of the Brussels 

 treaty referred to, and a copy of the History of the Smithsonian 

 Exchange System between the years 1841> and LSSl. 



I have the honor to be, ver}^ respectf idl}^, j'our obedient servant, 



S. P. Langley, 

 Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution. 



The Hon. Joseph H. Choate, 



American Ambassador to the Court of St. James., 



London., En gland. 



The ambassador, Mr. Choate, and the first secretarj^ of the embassy, 

 Mr. White, used every available means to bring the matter to the 

 attention of the foreign office, but it was not until October 9, after 

 the Secretary's return from France and German}^, that he was able to 

 arrange an interview with ]Mr. Villiers, the under secretary for foreign 

 affairs. In the course of this conversation, Mr. Oakes and Mr. Plow- 

 man, the assistant comptroller of the Secretary's office, were called in 

 for consultation. ]Mr. Villiers and his associates seemed to doubt if 

 ^the English Government would undertake to act as a medium for the 

 forwarding and distribution of scientific exchanges, and stated that 

 the matter had already been referred to the treasury. The Secretary 

 represented that we did not want to involve them in an expenditure, as 

 they seemed to apprehend, but to have them meet us halfway, and 

 recognize the utility of the work which was now being carried on by 

 affording it an official sanction, such as our Government had already 

 done, thus giving to them something which they were not giving to 

 us. The Secretary laid stress upon the fact that we were not asking 

 them to enter on an3'thing resembling the general reciprocity of the 



