FIFTY-FIFTH CONGRESS, 1897-1899. 1831 
is at a valuation of $1.50 per square foot, a figure which the committee 
thinks very liberal. 
The committee caused the bill to be referred to the Secretary of War 
and the Commissioners of the District of Columbia. The Secretary of 
War notified the committee that the office of public buildings and 
grounds has never claimed jurisdiction of any land beyond Boundary 
street, and therefore returned the bill without comment. 
The Commissioners of the District of Columbia, in addition to giving 
the values, as hereinbefore stated, report as follows: 
The piece of land at the junction of Sixteenth street and Florida avenue is of no 
special value to the United States, enough having been retained to give full width 
to W street, and the land proposed to be exchanged for it would be a valuable acqui- 
sition to the Zoological Park authorities. 
March 22, 1898—Senate. 
Mr. J. H. GALLIncER presented a letter from Secretary S. P. Lang- 
ley relative to purchase of land for extension of the National Zoolog- 
ical Park. 
Referred to Committee on the District of Columbia. 
June 9, 1898—Senate. 
Mr. J. H. GALLINGER reported adversely on S. 3485, and it was 
postponed indefinitely, the proposed legislation having gone into the 
sundry civil bill. 
STUDIO FOR ARTISTS IN ZOOLOGICAL PARK. 
March 1, 1898—Senate. 
Mr. J. H. Gatuincer. I submit an amendment intended to be pro- 
posed by me to the bill making appropriations for sundry civil 
expenses of the Government. I wish to make a brief explanation. 
The amendment proposes to increase the appropriation for ‘the 
Zoological Park from $60,000 to $65,000 and to provide that $5,000 
of that amount shall be used for the construction of a studio for artists, 
to be built under the direction of the Secretary of the Smithsonian 
Institution and the Superintendent of the Zoological Park. I have 
here a letter from Mr. Langley, the Secretary of the Zoological Park 
[Smithsonian Institution], and 1 have likewise the verbal assurance of 
the Superintendent that this matter is approved by them, provided 
the additional appropriation of $5,000 can be secured. 
I wish to state that in this entire country there is no place where 
artists can congregate for the study of animals and for the proper paint- 
ing of animals. There is some provision made in Paris in the Jardin 
des Plantes for that purpose, and four or five hundred artists go there 
every year, taking a good deal of money to Paris as a result. There 
are artists (I myself am acquainted with some of them) who feel that 
they ought to have the privilege in the park which would be given 
by this small appropriation. It was dedicated, as Mr. Langley says, 
