FORTIETH CONGRESS, 1867-1869. 677 



reparation of damages caused by the fire to $450,000, the whole of 

 which has been defrayed from the annual income. Notwithstanding 

 this burden the Institution has achieved a reputation as wide as the 

 civilized world, has advanced almost every branch of knowledge, and 

 presented books and specimens to hundreds of institutions and societies 

 in this country and abroad. 



It is not a mere statical establishment, as many may suppose, sup- 

 porting a corps of individuals whose only duty is the exhibition of the 

 articles of the show museum, but a living, active organization that has 

 by its publications, researches, explorations, distribution of specimens 

 and exchanges vindicated the intelligence and good faith of the Gov- 

 ernment in administering a fund intended for the good of the whole 

 community of civilized men. It has at the same time collected a 

 library, principally of the transactions and proceedings of learned 

 societies, the most perfect one of the kind in the world, consisting of 

 50,000 works; also a collection of engravings illustrative of the prog- 

 ress and early history of the arts, both of which it has transferred to 

 the Library of Congress. It is not alone the present value of the 

 books which it has placed in the possession of the Government, but 

 also that of the perpetual continuation of the several series contained 

 therein. 



The Institution has continued to render important service to the 

 Government from its first organization until the present time by exam- 

 ining and reporting on scientific questions pertaining to the operations 

 of the different departments, and in this way, particularly during the 

 war, it is not too much to say that it has saved the United States many 

 millions of dollars. 



Let me say one word more before leaving this subject. As I have 

 shown the real purpose of the donation of Smithson, which the Board 

 of Regents have tried to promote as well as as they could, was to 

 extend and circulate means of scientific information, and the manage- 

 ment of the Institution has always resisted the tendency to keep up 

 and increase this museum at the expense of this fund. 



Recently the Institution has given over to the Library of Congress 

 a collection of 50,000 volumes, constituting probably the most perfect 

 scientific library in the world. But we are still charged as an Institu- 

 tion with the cost of this rapidly increasing museum. Now, the 

 Regents would be glad . if Congress would take this museum off their 

 hands and provide otherwise for the care of it. It is a charge imposed 

 upon the Institution by law, a charge which it never sought and is not 

 desirous to retain. At the time when this museum was first placed in 

 the custody of the Institution it cost but $4,000 a year to keep it in the 

 Patent Office. Now the care of that museum costs three times that 

 amount. I hope, therefore, that the committee will vote $10,000 instead 

 of $4,000 for this purpose. 



