REPORT OF THE SECEETAHY. 21 



INTEENATIONAL EXCHANGES. 



The International Exctiange Service was inaugurated in 1849, when 

 Yohime I of the Smithsonian Contributions to Knowledge was distrib- 

 uted to 173 foreign institutions, and within a few years it became the 

 medium for the exchange of publications between the principal scien- 

 tific institutions of the world. The functions of this Service being "the 

 diffusion of knowledge" are in direct accord with one of the fundamental 

 objects for which the Smithsonian Institution was endowed, and the 

 fact that exchanges are now made with 28,000 correspondents in every 

 part of the civilized world demonstrates to some degree the far-reach- 

 ing influence of the Institution, The weight of matter handled by the 

 Service during the past fiscal year was 247,444 pounds, comprising 

 81,162 packages of publications. From 1886 to 1895 there were received 

 from foreign Governments and institutions 344,078 books or pamphlets, 

 and 601,637 books or pamphlets were shij)ped abroad. 



The entire cost of international exchanges prior to 1881 was borne by 

 the Smithsonian Institution, but for the last fifteen years apj)ropria- 

 tions have been made by Congress. The first grant, in 1881, was $3,000, 

 and for the past year it was $19,000. The exchange of Government 

 documents is a most important part of the service, and I may repeat 

 the statement made in several previous reports that for the contin- 

 uation of such exchanges the Smithsonian Institution has annually 

 advanced varying amounts in excess of the Congressional appro- 

 ]iriations, so that the aggregate amount advanced from the private 

 funds of the Institution since the Government has api)roi)riated money 

 for international exchanges is about $46,000. 



The service now provides for the distribution of the United States 

 Government publications to foreign libraries, and also for the distribu- 

 tion of books, pamj)hlets, and other printed matter sent as exchanges 

 or donations from literary and scientific societies or individuals to cor- 

 respondents abroad, without expense to senders beyond delivery at 

 the Smithsonian Institution. Publications are received at the several 

 foreign agencies of the Institution and forwarded to Washington for 

 record and are distributed under the Smithsonian frank, the entire 

 service being conducted under a careful system of registration which 

 well nigh precludes possibility of loss. Purchased books, apparatus 

 and instruments, are not received for transmission through the service, 

 which is exclusively limited to donations or exchanges. 



Through the long-extended courtesies from several ocean transpor- 

 tation companies, permitting the free transmission of exchange pack- 

 ages, it has been feasible to carry on the work in a very much more 

 comprehensive manner than would otherwise have been possible with 

 the resources available. 



I may mention that exchanges with Mexico and Japan, which were 

 temporarily interrupted at the time of my last report, have been 

 renewed. Exchanges with Turkey, Greece, and Cuba, have necessarily 



