1842.] THE NATIONAL INSTITUTION. 163 



The committee, consisting of Col. Abert, Mr. Markoe, Mr. Dayton, and Dr. King 

 appoiBted under a resolution passed at the stated meeting of the National Institution 

 on the 13th December, 1841, which is in the following words : 



Resolved, That a committee of four members be appointed by the Chair to exa- 

 mine the subject of Exchanges, to propose a plan for that purpose, and to report fully 

 thereon to the Institution for its further consideration and action, 



Beg leave, in pursuance of the directions of the said resolution, to report 



That the duty devolved on the committee by the resolution, is. First to examine the 

 subject of exchanges; second, to propose a plan of exchanges; and, third, to report 

 thereon to the Institution. In reference to the first point, viz : " the examination of 

 the subject," the committee state, that they have examined the subject, and that the 

 result has been a full conviction of mind that a system of exchanges is of very great 

 importance in the accomplishment of one of the primary objects for which the 

 National Institution has been declared to be formed, viz : " the establishment of a 

 National Museum of Natural History," &c., &,c. Exchanges enter essentially 

 into the plan of every society constituted as the National Institution, and having 

 like objects in view ; and no occasion has been omitted to acquaint societies and 

 individuals, whose correspondence has been sought by or offered to the National In- 

 stitution, that a system of general exchanges would be entered upon as soon as the 

 Institution should be able to mature a plan for that purpose. Under this assurance, 

 and independently of it also, it should be added, valuable collections of various 

 kinds have already been received by the Institution, which is thus already placed 

 in a position which makes it incumbent on us to redeem the pledge that has been 

 given. The committee consider it superfluous to dwell upon the advantages of 

 exchanges; but they wish the members to know that for this object they have 

 already in hands the most abundant materials — materials which are increasing and 

 will continue to increase every day. These materials consist of contributions made 

 by members, by individuals v\-ho are not members, by societies and institutions at 

 home and abroad, and by foreign Governments, as well as of those accessions that 

 have been made by the Exploring Expedition, which has already sent home an 

 inexhaustible quantity and variety of duplicates. It is well known to the Institu- 

 tion that the collections received from all these sources are equally and absolutely 

 the property of the Government, and that therefore the permission of the Govern- 

 ment is indispensable to enable the Institution to part with the duplicates derived 

 from all these sources. This permission, it is believed, will be cheerfully accorded. 

 At the Eame time the committee, for obvious reasons, do not think it proper to ask 

 the Government to allow the Institution to part with any of the duplicates of the 

 Exploring Expedition, until tlio squadron shall have returned. 



In reference to the second point, viz : a plan of exchanges, the committee do not 

 feel called upon or competent to enter into details. These must be left in a good 

 degree to those whom the Institution may see fit to charge with the execution of the 

 plan, in which of course they will be governed by the practice of other Institutions, 

 and by such regulations as it may become expedient to adopt from time to time to suit 

 oar own convenience and peculiar circumstances. Here, however, on the threshold 

 of the plan which the committee mean to propose, they regard it of consequence to 

 •uggest for the sanction of the Institution, that in exchanges of all kinds, the natu- 

 ral productions of our country shall first and always have a decided preference. A 



No. 2. 13 



