50 ANNUAL KEPORT SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION, 1909. 



During the past year 228,875 packages were handled, being an increase over 

 the number for the preceding year of 25,777 —the largest annual increase in 

 the history of the service. The total weight of these packages was 476,169 

 pounds, a gain of 40,884 pounds. 



The handling and recording of these parcels has taxed to the utmost the 

 limited force engaged in conducting the service, and it has only been possible 

 to keep abreast of the work by the diligent application of each employee. 



The appropriation by Congress for the support of the service during 1909 

 was $32,200 (the same amount as was granted for the preceding year), and the 

 sum collected on account of repayments was $3,777.33, making the total avail- 

 able resources for carrying on the system of international exchanges $35,977.33. 



In the last report it was stated that the bureau had entered upon an active 

 and definite campaign to secure reciprocal returns from abroad for the ex- 

 changes sent by this Government and its departments and bureaus. Though 

 this work has added greatly to the correspondence of the office, it has been 

 pursued with unabated vigor during the past year, and the results have been 

 more than satisfactory. In some cases the returns have exceeded all expecta- 

 tions, hundreds of volumes having been received. 



While the Japanese department of foreign affairs at Tokyo has, for a number 

 of years, been good enough to distribute exchanges sent in its care for corre- 

 spondents in Japan, the department has only recently signified its willingness to 

 act in the full capacity of a bureau of exchanges — forwarding to the Smith- 

 sonian Institution consignments for distribution in the United States, as well 

 as transmitting to their addresses in Japan exchanges sent in its care. 



Reference was made in the last report to the fact that the Kingdom of 

 Servia, which was one of the signatories to the Brussels convention of 1SS6, 

 had not established a bureau of exchanges and that the good offices of the 

 Department of State had been solicited in bringing the matter to the attention 

 of the Servian officials. I am gratified to state that these efforts have resulted 

 in the establishment of a bureau under the department of foreign affairs at 

 Belgrade. Packages received for Servia in the future will therefore be sent to 

 that department for distribution instead of being forwarded through the Smith- 

 sonian agent in Germany, as formerly. In the communication from Servia 

 regarding this subject, it is stated that copies of all of the official, scientific, 

 and literary publications will henceforth be forwarded to the United States, 

 and a request is made for similar documents of this Government. Servia has 

 accordingly been added to the list of those countries receiving full sets of official 

 publications, the first shipment, consisting of 20 cases containing a collection 

 of documents published since 1901, having been made on June 22, 1909. 



In response to a request forwarded to the Library of Congress through the 

 Department of State, Alsace-Lorraine was added to the list of foreign coun- 

 tries receiving partial sets of official documents of the United States. The first 

 shipment, composed of 6 cases, was made under date of April 29, 3909. 



Just before the close of the year a communication was received from the 

 director of the Biblioteca Nacional at Buenos Aires, stating that by decree of 

 his Government the Argentine bureau of exchanges had been withdrawn from 

 the national library and connected with the comision protectora de bibliotecas 

 populares, Buenos Aires, which is under the direction of the department of 

 public instruction. Consignments intended for that country will therefore be 

 forwarded to the commission in the future. The Institution desires to record 

 here its grateful acknowledgements for the services rendered in the past by 

 the national library in the distribution of exchanges in the Argentine Republic. 



In spite of the extra efforts put forth by this bureau in making shipments to 

 all countries at least once a month — in some instances, two, three, and even 



