INTRODUCTORY. XV 



daily open-air concerts by military bands. The total number of visitors 

 was 2,690,000, a daily average of 18,545. 



The success of the participation of the United States was greatly 

 increased by the fact that so many experts were employed upon its staff, 

 and were constantly in attendance to explain and give significance to 

 the collections: Captain Collins in everything relating to sea fisheries, 

 vessels, and boats ; Mr. Earll in fish culture and the lake fisheries ; Dr. 

 Bean in marine zoology; Captain Chester in whaling and sealing; Mr. 

 Clark in fishery products ; Lieutenant McLellan in life-saving apparatus ; 

 Mr. Hansmann in light-house affairs ; Mr. Wood in angling and fine 

 tackle, and Sergeant Mitchell in the work of the weather bureau. No 

 such attempt was made by any of the other countries, but its success 

 was so manifest that it is hoped that it may serve as a precedent in 

 future exhibitions. 



The presence of these specialists was also important in connection 

 with the work on the official report of the Exhibition, and the present 

 state of the fisheries of Europe, which, as has been stated, is now being 

 prepared in accordance with the provisions of the act of Congress 

 directing our participation, and which I shall have the honor of sub- 

 mitting within a few months. 



An international exhibition of agriculture and the fisheries was held 

 at Aalborg, Denmark, in June. In response to an invitation from the 

 authorities, there were sent to this Exhibition a number of objects, 

 which we had no room to display in London. The result was the award 

 of a silver medal to the United States Fish Commission, and ten bronze 

 medals to special exhibitors, chiefly of fishery products. 



A detailed list of prize winners at London and Aalborg is given 

 below. 



After the formal close of the Exhibition the work of packing the 

 collections for reshipment was at once taken up by Messrs. Earll, Ches- 

 ter, and Cox, the other members of the party having returned to their 

 posts in Washington before the close of the Exhibition ; and before the 

 end of the year, the entire collection, in all between 500 and 600 tons, 

 cubic measurement, had been returned to Washington, and the work of 

 setting them up in the permanent fisheries gallery of the National Mu- 

 seum had been begun. Many important accessions to the collections 

 were received during the Exhibition, chiefly by exchange, prominent 

 among which were collective exhibits from Greece, Spain, India, Swe- 

 den, and China ; an Irish curragh from the Marquis of Hamilton, illus- 



