578 REPORT- 1863. 



litics, which are placed on record in this Report, are due almost entirely to 

 the stimulus afforded to science in general, and to this branch especially, by 

 the Smithsonian Institution at Washington, D. C. The fund bequeathed by 

 Mr. Smithson, " for the increase and diffusion of knowledge among men/' 

 having been declined by the Universities to which it was offered in the Old 

 World, is held (in trust only) by the U. S. Government *. It is administered 

 by a permanent body of Regents, according to a constitution drawn-out at 

 their instance by the Secretary, Prof. J. Henry, LL.D. It may be safely 

 stated that to his unswerving consistency, cautious judgment, and catholic 

 impartiality it is mainly owing that, during various political and social 

 changes, the Institution has not only steered clear of all party bias in the 

 United States, but has distributed its advantages with equal hand on both 

 sides of the Atlantic. The Natural History department is under the special 

 superintendence of the Assistant- Secretary, Prof. Spencer Baird, M.D., whose 

 indefatigable zeal, fertility of resource, and thorough knowledge of the re- 

 quirements of the science have enabled the Institution, by a comparatively 

 small outlay, not only to amass in a few years an enormous store of accurate 

 materials, but also to eliminate from them a series of publications on various 

 important branches of American zoology. The contributions of the Smith- 

 sonian Institution to our knowledge of the West Coast fauna may be consi- 

 dered under [A] its collections and [B] its publications. 



[A] Smithsonian Collections. According to the present law, all collections 

 made in expeditions fitted out by the Government become the property of the 

 Smiths. Inst., with liberty to exchange duplicates. Its museum, therefore, 

 is rich in types ; and its liberal policy allows of all duplicates being trans- 

 mitted to public collections, to schools of science, or to individuals engaged 

 in special departments of study. Not being forced into an unalterable plan 

 of operations, like many leading museums of the Old World, permission was 

 given to send nearly the vwhole of the molluscs to this country, that they 

 might be compared with the Cumingian, the Brit. Mus., and other leading 

 collections t. The importance of thus establishing a harmony of nomencla- 

 ture for species on both sides of the Atlantic can scarcely be over-estimated. 

 The previous want of it can be abundantly seen by comparing paragraphs 

 39, 43, 54, &c., in the first and in this Report. The West Coast collections 

 belonging to the Smiths. Inst. are mainly from the following sources : 



a. The United States Exploring Expedition, under Capt. (afterwards Admiral) 



Wilkes, 1837-1840, v. par. 43. 



b. The North Pacific Exploring Expedition, under Capt. Rogers, 1853-1855. 



Collector, Dr. Stimpson. 



e. The Pacific Railroad Expedition, 49th parallel, under Governor J. J. 

 Stevens, 1853-54. Collections made in Puget Sound by Dr. Suckley, 

 and at Columbia River by Dr. J. G. Cooper. Dr. Suckley also collected 

 at Panama. 



* The war has but to a limited extent curtailed the funds and interfered with the 

 operations of the Institution. 



t The Cunard Steamship Company have most liberally conveyed these stores across 

 the Atlantic, free of cost. The British and American Governments have allowed special 

 facilities for passing the Custom Houses without derangement. Similar acts of liberality 

 and courtesy are continually afforded to the Smiths. Inst. The materials for this Keport 

 have been placed unreservedly in the hands of the writer, although he went to Washing- 

 ton as a complete stranger, and with no other introduction than his published writings. 



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