1320 - CONGRESSIONAL PROCEEDINGS. 
Lea, of Philadelphia, which contains 20,000 specimens of shells, besides minerals and 
other objects; the Jeffries collection of fossil and recent shells of Europe, including 
40,000 specimens, the Stearns collection of mollusks, numbering 100,000 specimens; 
the Riley collection of insects, containing 50,000 specimens; the Catlin collection of 
Indian paintings, and the collection of the American Institute of Mining Engineers. 
In addition may also be mentioned the extensive collection obtained at the fish-. 
eries exhibitions at Berlin and London, at the New Orleans Cotton Centennial 
Exposition, and at the Ohio Valley and Central States Exposition. To these may be 
added. the collections received annually from the United States Fish Commission, the 
Geological Survey, the Bureau of Ethnology, and from many other Government 
departmentsand bureaus. These are very extensive and are yearly increasing in bulk 
and value. 
There is in the present Museum building no exhibition space available for the col- 
lections of reptiles, mollusks, insects, marine invertebrates, vertebrate and inverte- 
brate fossils; and the space now afforded for the exhibition of the vast collections of 
fishes, birds’ eggs, plants—fossil and recent—and the geological collections, aggregat- 
ing not less than 350,000 specimens, is entirely inadequate. 
-In a letter addressed in 1888 to the chairman of the Senate’ Committee on Public 
Buildings and Grounds I endeavored to demonstrate the remarkable increase which 
had ‘characterized the growth of the collections in the National Museum, and I there 
stated that in the five years between 1882 and 1887 the number of specimens in the 
collections had multiplied no less than sixteen times. Since 1887 the pressure for 
additional room has of course grown greater, and during the last year it has become 
necessary to decline many offers of collections for want not only of exhibition space, 
_ but even of storage room where they may be temporarily cared for. 
The Armory building, which for more than ten years had been used by the Museum 
_ for storage purposes, is now entirely occupied by the United States Fish Commission, 
_ with the exception of four rooms, used by some of the Museum taxidermists, who are 
now working in very contracted space, and whom it is impossible to accommodate 
elsewhere. 
Every space is now filled to its utmost capacity, and no more collections of any 
considerable extent can be received until additional room is provided for their 
reception. 
Ina few words it may be stated that for exhibition, storage, and laboratory space 
_ 316,400 square feet are needed instead of 100,675 square feet, which now constitute 
the available area for all of these purposes. 
In conclusion, I reaffirm without hesitation that unless additional space is paar 
it will be impossible to take any further important steps toward the improvement of 
the Government collections. 
Your obedient servant, 
8. P. Lanawry, Secretary. 
Hon. Sera L. MILiiKen, 
Chairman of the Committee on Public Buildings and Grounds, 
Howse of Representatives. 
Committed to Committee of the Whole House. 
February 9, 1891—Senate. 
Mr. J. S. Morritn, from Committee on Public Buildings and 
Grounds, reported an amendment to sundry civil bill for 1892 (H. 
13462). 
Same-as reported by Mr. S. L. Milliken in the House January 9, 1891. 
Referred to Committee on Appropriations. 
