1714 CONGRESSIONAL PROCEEDINGS.. 
every great museum. The National Museum endeavors to promote 
them all. 
It is a museum of record, in which are preserved the material foun- 
dations of an enormous amount of scientific knowledge, the types of 
numerous past investigations. This is especially the case with those 
materials that have served as a foundation for the reports upon the 
resources of the United States. 
It is a museum of research, which aims to make its contents serve in 
the highest degree as a stimulus to inquiry and a foundation for scien- 
tific investigation. Research is necessary in order to identify and 
group the objects in the most philosophical and instructive relations, 
and its officers are therefore selected for their ability as investigators, 
as wellas their trustworthiness as custodians. 
It is an educational museum, through its policy of illustrating by 
specimens every kirid of natural object and every manifestation of 
human thought and activity, of displaying descriptive labels adapted 
to the popular mind, and of distributing its publications and its —— 
series of duplicates. 
The collections are installed, in part, in the Smithsonian building 
and, in part, in the large building adjacent, covering 34 acres of 
‘ground, which was erected in 1881 to afford temporary accomodations 
for the overflow until such time as an adequate new building could be 
constructed. 
The following table shows the number of specimens in the various 
departments of the Museum June 30, 1894, and June 30, 1895: 
Department. 1894. 1895. 
Arts and industries: : 
Materia, MeGICA, «5 in iow cts cecil esinc ate nc'ene wade an coesanea soba w anes nee 6,317 6,322 
WOON s< cesasceeecsomecenenas cceccsbercccccuetences weccwemehenscceeuenaaaeemene j Pe bisl 1,114 
Teixtiles: so sfe bse es ES RR SSE Si rahe a cde cow ens eb at tece meee 3, 306 3, 308 
© SHIRHGQICN oc Sb cans Race Soins pies skate soe See etne Doce es re betate ace ee eas teens 10, 080 10, 080 
Animal PLOGUGH p< < sock wn ones sct ass see dncoctegegee tees teeta caer ee cane ee 3, 028 8, 028 
AGTEPINC ATES Diasec o8 soa ce nul scene ce Guiege als ce mamaeereaen = ee case eae eee ee 1,704 1,774 
WOLSEY. < Foe w scat aessedes ee docket ue ebb addedoun sacs Coeeeek dee 726 749 
Transportaibloniandi engineering: (ssi... schebesb2sebeece. ce eee ence anaes 1,793 1,799 
Wayal architec: sneer .ct oo. cin sos catodouppe nts pemancen see c cas Eee 802 802 
Historicd) COUeCHOHSE. = concn. oc cokes cunnccuatotuew en canto eee ten mane 29, 998 30, 296 
Mubicalinstrumenta so2c35t.. 3s ae SE. Se eee 1,219 1,300 
Modern pottery, porcelain, bronzes, SG o. s:cccncbaas | bows wesc etaceaveus -6ek 3, 583 8,597 
WAIN An WAVER see ccac- wc nce ws oc dae nema eRe ee cee soca Bite Se eee EO 197 197 
PHYSICS APPATAUUS sc c- -2 w<iccs 5s cacce eee cumeweseeP nee ree ate nae eee ‘ 366 366 
Oils and gums 
I Chemical products 
DOMENIC ABIMAIE. 5 5 5 x..<'-00,55 coche tanuge tac cp weien Saeeaeeee a eacuen seem 162 | ° 203 
GNTONG RY, ce cacccsescuce cccces te ve sc crane as vadoacneie tee senese Sena eee eee 423, 000 425, 642 
American‘aboriginal’ pottery .........20. 5 Leen eee eee Se eee 33, 298 33, 368 
Oriental antiquities and religious ceremonials ..............-.-----.------------- 4,145 4,316 
Eréhistoric SiiBTOpOlOSY ©. 2525 55. cue 3 Pas cee Oo eee ee eee ee 153, 424 203, 520 
Maming ls (SEanIs uO CONOLICS) <>. cccus sc accns senuereeeee nana tse ce eee ames 12, 948 14, 4382 
