436 Miscellaneous Intelligence. 
3. Project of a Geographical Depariment of the Library of Con- 
gress.—The following are the principal points in a plan for a geograph- 
ical department of the Library of Congress, presented by Lieut. E. B. 
\T, Corps of Engineers, to the American Association for the 
Advancement of Science, at Cleveland, August, 1853. 
. That a Geographical department of the Congress Library be es- 
tablished, as a distinct and independently organized department, with 
its own executive officer,—the general direction being under the Joint 
Library Committee. 
Il. That special appropriations be made for this department, or that 
the Library Committee set apart a portion of the general Library ap- 
propriations for this purpose, During the period of collecting the great 
mass of existing materials, these appropriations would require to be 
proportionably large. 
Ill. That the appropriated funds be applied to the collection, arrange- 
ment, and indexing of all important geographical materials relating to the 
whole world; also, in part to the necessary expenses of administration. 
V. Among the materials thus to be collected, the following classes 
may be mentioned: 1. A first-class terrestrial globe. All m 
terials illustrating the early and recent geography of the United States, 
its sea-coast and interior, including traced copies of all valuable 
maps and charts in manuscript and not published. The materials for 
illustrating the past and present geography of each state, county, town- 
ship and city, shoyld be gathered by purchase, correspondence, and 
tracing. 3. All maps and charts on other parts of America. 4. The 
Admiralty or sea-coast chart of all the European and other foreign 
States, and the detailed topographical surveys of their interiors, where 
such have been made. 5. The most approved maps published from 
private resources, whether as atlases, nautical charts, or mural maps, 
including publications on physical geography, guide-books, railroad 
maps, and city hand-books. 6. A complete collection of all the narra- 
tives of voyages of discovery and exploration. 7. Geographical, geo- 
fetic and nautical manuals, and treatises, with all the requisite biblio- 
graphical aids to the amplest geographical investigation. 
aving an organization and appropriations for gathering such 
a mass of material, it would be of the first importance to arrange com- 
plete and systematic indexes or catalogues which would at once make 
known all the material on each locality, and to have those materials so 
arranged as best to facilitate special research. 
A room for drawing, in which materials for the collection could 
be copied either for its files, or to answer public and private calls, would 
be indispensable for the completeness of this scheme. In this room, 
compilation could be conducted in answer to Congressional calls, and 
in keeping constantly corrected and filled out, a set of State maps on 
large scales, to which map publishers should have free access. pee 
competent executive officer who would be able to maintain 
correspondence with persons having special geographical knowledge, 
and to keep a list of persons who could be addressed for additional 
information on foreign and domestic localities. Also, correspondence 
should be maintained with foreign geographical societies, and their 
publications should be secured with promptness. = 
