HISTORY OF THE PARTICIPATION OF THE UNITED 



STATES IN THE COLUMBIAN HISTORICAL 



EXPOSITION AT MADRID. 



By the Commissioner General, Rear- Admiral STEPHEN B. LUCE, United States Navy. 



WASHINGTON, D. 0., May 2, 1893. 



SIR : The Columbian Historical Exposition at Madrid having- closed, 

 and the Commissioners having completed the duty assigned to them, 

 the Commissioner General begs leave to submit the following report: 



By virtue of an act of Congress approved May 13, 1892, the President 

 appointed a Commission to represent the United States at the Commem 

 orative Celebration, in Spain, of the Fourth Centenary of the Discovery 

 of America. The text of the act runs as follows : 



Be it enacted, etc.. That for the expense of representation of the United States at 

 the Columbian Historical Exposition to be held in Madrid in eighteen hundred and 

 ninety-two in commemoration of the four hundredth anniversary of the discovery 

 of America, fifteen thousand dollars, or so much thereof as may be necessary, to be 

 expended under the direction and in the discretion of the Secretary of State ; and 

 the President is hereby authorized to appoint a Commissioner General and two assis 

 tant Commissioners, who may, in his discretion, be selected from the active or retired 

 list of the Army or Navy, and shall serve without other compensation than that to 

 which they are now entitled by law, to represent the United States at said Exposi 

 tion; that it shall be the duty of such Commissioners to select from the archives of 

 the United States, from the National Museum, and from the various Executive 

 Departments of the Government such pictures, books, papers, documents, and other 

 articles as may relate to the discovery and early settlement of America and the 

 aboriginal inhabitants thereof; and they shall be authorized to secure the loan of 

 similar articles from other museums and private collections, and arrange, classify, 

 and install them as the exhibit of the United States at the said exposition ; that the 

 President is authorized to cause the detail of officers from the active or retired list 

 of the Army and Navy, to serve without compensation other than that to which they 

 are now entitled by law, as assistants to said Commissioners; and the said Commis 

 sioners shall be authorized to employ such clerical and other assistance as may be 

 necessary, subject to the approval of the Secretary of State. 



This act was supplemented by the act approved August 5, 1892, 

 which appropriated the additional sum of $10,000 for the expenses of 

 the Commission. 



Under the provisions of the former act the following members were 

 appointed: S. B. Luce, rear-admiral, United States ^Navy (retired), 



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