KEPORT OF THE SECRETARY. 65 



was naturally interested in having the more important works of 

 American writers, as well as the governmental documents con- 

 taining statistical information, placed within easy reach of our 

 neighbors in the Latin- American countries, and that it would be 

 gratifying to the department if the Smithsonian Institution 

 should find it practicable to send to the association such works and 

 statistics regarding science, literature, agriculture, industry, com- 

 merce, etc., as might seem suitable. The desire of the Brazilian 

 Press Association was brought to the attention of certain govern- 

 mental establishments and also of many scientific and literary organi- 

 zations throughout the United States. The majority of these organi- 

 zations gave the matter favorable attention, some of them sending 

 complete sets of their publications and adding the name of the Ameri- 

 can library to their lists to receive future issues. The Smithsonian 

 Institution, I need hardly add, contributed a selection of its own 

 publications. Altogether, more than 1,200 publications were received 

 and transmitted to the Brazilian Press Association through the Inter- 

 national Exchange Service as a nucleus for the proposed library. 



The chief of the bureau of publications of the Department of 

 Agriculture and Forestry, Peking, China, while attending the Seven- 

 teenth International Dry Farming Congress as a delegate from his 

 Government, forwarded to this Institution, for distribution among 

 the various State agricultural experiment stations, a number of copies 

 of three issues of an agricultural journal published by his bureau, 

 with the request that such bulletins as the experiment stations might 

 issue from time to time be sent to his bureau in exchange. This 

 matter was brought to the attention of the various stations, most of 

 which complied with the request by sending copies of their bulletins 

 and listing the name of the Chinese Department of Agriculture to 

 receive their publications regularly in the future. 



Many requests for documents are received through the various 

 exchange bureaus abroad, whose services are made use of by this 

 Institution in procuring foreign publications for correspondents in 

 this country. In this connection it may be mentioned that the Gov- 

 ernment of India invariably requires that requests from establish- 

 ments in this country for any extended series of Indian official docu- 

 ments be made through the Exchange Service. In such instances 

 the status of the society or establishment making the request is looked 

 into, and statistics and other information relative thereto are fur- 

 nished the Government of India with a recommendation, when 

 deemed advisable, that the desired documents be furnished. 



The foregoing are only a few of the important instances in which 

 the Institution has aided foreign establishments in obtaining pub- 

 lications, in pursuance of a policy of international helpfulness, which 

 44863°— SM 1913 5 



