FORTY-FOURTH CONGRESS, 1875-1877. 757 



ited by the Indian Bureau, but which, in accordance with law, becomes a part of 

 the National Museum in charge of the Smithsonian Institution on its return to Wash- 

 ington, occupied at least 7,500 feet, and embraced every thing procurable connected 

 with the manners and customs of the Indians, their dress, ornaments, weapons, 

 implements, cooking and household utensils, their modes of progression, illustrations 

 of their religious rites and ceremonies, etc. 



The original assignments of space in the Government building were as follows: 



Feet. 



War Department 11, 200 



Navy Department 10, 400 



Treasury Department 3, 000 



Agricultural Department 6, 000 



Post-Office Department 3, 800 



Interior Department 20, 600 



Smithsonian Institution and Fish Commission 26, 600 



81, 600 



As a total space of about 34,000 square feet was thus required for the collections of 

 the National Museum at the Centennial, it will be seen that they occupied about 41 

 per cent of the whole contents of the -Centennial building; equivalent to a space 

 nearly double the capacity of the present Smithsonian Institution building. 



In this connection it may be mentioned that very little was taken to Philadelphia 

 of the previous exhibits of the National Museum, and that its halls are even now 

 crowded and fully occupied with the original specimens. In addition to this, the 

 basement storerooms contain collections never exhibited for want of space, and fully 

 equal in extent to those already displayed; among them many thousands of skins of 

 rare and choice quadrupeds and birds of all parts of the world, one of the largest 

 collections of the kind in existence. Other collections, similarly withdrawn from 

 the public examination, include many skeletons of animals, fishes, fossil remains, etc. 



Since the close of the exhibition on the 10th of November, and the official action 

 taken by the National Academy of Sciences on the subject of a transfer to Washing- 

 ton, a very important consideration has been added to the arguments in its favor. 

 It was thought probable that some valuable donations would be made to the several 

 departments of the Government by foreign commissions, such having been the 

 experience of previous expositions; and Congress appropriated a sum of money to 

 fit up the Armory building, under the direction of the Smithsonian Institution, for 

 the reception of foreign and domestic donations that might thus be added to the col- 

 lections of the National Museum. 



The result, however, was far beyond the anticipations, and the acquisitions thus 

 made have been such as almost to outnumber the previous collections in extent and 

 value. The special displays of the mineral wealth of entire States have been pre- 

 sented to the Government, and numerous collections from private individuals have 

 also been added, all tending to render the representation of the United States 

 extremely rich and full. 



It was, however, from foreign sources that the greater part of the new material 

 was received, consisting in many cases of nearly the entire exhibits of the countries 

 referred to, so far as they relate to the resources of the respective nations, derived 

 from the animal, vegetable, and mineral kingdoms; also many series illustrating the 

 peculiar habits and characteristics of the people, especially of China, Siam, Japan, 

 Australia, and New Zealand. 



Since the close of the exhibition, the Smithsonian Institution and the Department 

 of Agriculture have been busily engaged with a large force in transferring the collec- 

 tions referred to from the different buildings of the commission to that belonging to 

 the Government, the Smithsonian Institution alone having spent already more than 



