FORTY-FOURTH CONGRESS, 1875-1877. 759 



had been presented to the United States, and that application should be made to its 

 representatives for any desiderata. It has been impossible, however, to make any 

 selections with this object, as the time of those concerned has been fully occupied in 

 packing and removing the collections. It will hereafter be desirable to make up 

 from the duplicate material a considerable number of sets of these various substances 

 for distribution whenever the means are furnished for the purpose. 



It will readily be understood that the reception and care of so enormous an addi- 

 tion to the original collections already in charge of the Government board would 

 greatly increase their responsibilities and expenditures, and, so far as the Smithsonian 

 Institution \3 concerned, the balance of its appropriation is entirely inadequate to the 

 duty of caring for this material and of transferring it to Washington. After its 

 arrival, too, provision will need be made for its maintenance and exhibition. 



In view of the fact that a collection of such magnitude is now the property of the 

 United States, and in large part the spontaneous tribute of respect to it from foreign 

 governments, and that the whole furnishes ample material for an economical and 

 industrial museum of the utmost value, perhaps the finest in the world, it is quite 

 reasonable to hope that Congress will take the steps necessary to make it available 

 to the country, with all the l>enents likely to result from its display. 



The proper disposition of the collections referred to, so far as they relate to the 

 animal and mineral kingdoms, to ethnology, and to the general industries, would be 

 to place them with the other objects constituting the National Museum in the halls 

 of the Smithsonian Institution, under its charge. Not a tenth part, however, of the 

 total mass could be accommodated in that building, and it therefore becomes neces- 

 sary to make some provision for the reception and, if possible, for the suitable display 

 of the collections elsewhere, at as early a date as practicable. 



It is, of course, possible to store the specimens for a time, but the Armory Building, 

 which has already been assigned for that purpose, is scarcely sufficient to accommo- 

 date the portions in charge of the Smithsonian Institution, even if packed in Phila- 

 delphia with special reference to being kept unopened for an indefinite period of 

 time, although, of course, some additional places of deposit could be found. 



In addition, however, to the importance of presenting this collection^ to the public 

 examination at the earliest possible moment, much of the material would be seri- 

 ously deteriorated by being kept inclosed. This is especially the case with polished 

 steel and iron, and all objects likely to be injured by dampness, such as animals, furs, 

 dresses, etc. 



For the above considerations, therefore, it is greatly to be desired that Congress may 

 see fit to authorize the construction of a plain and inexpensive, but fireproof and 

 durable, building, capable of being erected within a few months and sufficiently 

 large to meet the requirements of the National Museum and the other bureaus of the 

 Government. It is believed that an edifice in general plan like that adopted for the 

 building at the Centennial would be best adapted for the purpose, except in being 

 somewhat more substantial and capable of being heated. By laying a concrete floor 

 directly on the ground, for the exclusion of moisture and vermin, making the exterior 

 of brick, using iron for the beams, joists, rafters, etc. , and by having the roof con- 

 structed of tongue-and-grooved boards, and slate or tin above it, and possibly plas- 

 tered on the underside, it is believed that these several requirements can be most 

 readily met. 



The question of a site for the building is also one requiring careful consideration. 

 But for many reasons it would seem desirable that this be placed on the Smithsonian 

 reservation, which has been set aside by Congress for such purposes, and where a 

 building may be erected without raising the inquiry as to the space being needed for 

 the use of any other Department, or of its interfering with the plan of an ornamental 

 city park. A space immediately south of the Smithsonian building will admit the 

 erection of a building 300 feet square, and connected with the present Smithsonian 



