1062 - CONGRESSIONAL PROCEEDINGS. 
States, which, under his wise administration, has always been an important element 
in the scientific and educational progress of this country, its scale of operations becom- 
ing each year greater and more highly appreciated both in this country and abroad. 
He was also especially instrumental in organizing the system of international 
exchanges of publications, which was always under his direct charge, and which has 
been one of the most important agencies in the development of the public libraries 
of the United States, particularly in the departments of pure and applied science. 
He was, furthermore, during his entire official career, directly or indirectly concerned 
in the organization and administration of the scientific work of the numerous expe- 
ditions and surveys sent out under Government auspices, from the time of the Wilkes ° 
exploring expedition until his death. The reports upon the natural history of the 
Pacific Railroad survey, Mexican Boundary survey, and many of the other surveys 
of the West, were prepared under his direction, and the two volumes of the Report 
of the Pacific Railroad Survey devoted to mammals and birds were written by him 
and are still standard works of reference. In addition to these reports, he was the 
author of several hundred important papers upon the natural history and natural 
resources of the United States. In 1876 he was a member of the board on behalf of 
the United States Executive Departments at the International Exhibition of 1876, 
and the collections prepared under his direction were acknowledged to be among the ~ 
most instructive and impressive exhibited on that occasion. 
I have thus briefly alluded to these labors to show that his position as an officer of 
the Smithsonian Institution was not a sinecure, but that he devoted to it, to the 
Museum, and to other allied Government interests the full time and labors of an excep- 
tionally active and conscientious official. In spite of this, and in addition to it, his 
most important work, from an administrative and economic standpoint, and certainly 
the most self-sacrificing work of his life, was begun at the time of the organization of 
the United States Commission of Fish and Fisheries in 1871, when Professor Baird 
was appointed commissioner, an office which he held in addition to all the preceding, 
and to the duties of which he gave himself uninterruptedly during the remainder of 
his life. I mean to say that he served continuously in both capacities, doing, not 
figuratively but literally, more than the work of two active men, in order to do this 
working ordinarily and constantly over twelve or fourteen hours a day, on Sundays 
as well as week days. During the sixteen years in which he was constantly at his post 
he never deputed his responsibilities to another, except during the five months pre- 
ceding hisdeath. There can be no doubt that his death was hastened many years, not 
by his independent regular labors as an officer of the Smithsonian, but by the labor, 
anxieties, and responsibilities of his peculiar position as Fish Commissioner, which 
became more burdensome each year with the expansion of his work.! After this, it 
is saying little to add that out of his slender private means he gave the equivalent 
of at least $1,500 per annum, for sixteen years, to the commission, in the form of 
uncharged house and office rent. 
As Commissioner of Fisheries he rendered a twofold service. The scientific work, 
which was considered by him to be of the utmost value as a foundation for the prac- 
tical work which was to follow, has been exceedingly extensive and important, and 
the achievements of the United States Government in this direction are recognized 
throughout the world as evidence of its enlightened and liberal attitude toward sci- 
entific research. Fifteen years ago less was known in this country of the natural 
history of our waters than perhaps in any other civilized country of the world. In 
1887, however, it was generally conceded by foreign naturalists that the United 
States was further advanced than any other country in this department of science. 
' Norr.—It is, at the same time, but proper to say that this expansion was depre- 
cated rather than recommended by him, and was the result of the interest exhibited 
by the public at large in the advancement of the work of fish culture. 
