REPORT OF THE SECRETARY. 15 



history and ethnological collections in Celebes. In April the Museum 

 received a shipment of ethnological objects from Mr. Raven, includ- 

 ing native fish traps, baskets, cloth, rope, hats, dishes, blowguns used 

 for hunting birds, and a curious native musical instrument. 



COLLINS -GARNER CONGO EXPEDITION. 



Early in 1917 an expedition with the title of the Collins-Garner 

 Congo expedition in the interests of the Smithsonian Institution, left 

 for the French Congo and neighboring parts of west Africa. Mr. 

 C. R. W. Aschemeier, of the department of biology, National Museum, 

 is representing the Smithsonian Institution and the Museum as 

 natural history collector. All of the natural history specimens col- 

 lected by the expedition will come to the National Museum. The 

 other members of the expedition are Mr. Alfred M. Collins, of Phila- 

 delphia, chief ; Prof. Richard L. Garner, of New York, who is mak- 

 ing special studies concerning apes and monkeys, manager ; and Prof. 

 Charles W. Furlong, of Boston, scientist, artist, and explorer. 



RESEARCH CORPORATION. 



In my annual reports for several years past I have called atten- 

 tion to the Research Corporation organized in 1912 under the laws 

 of. New York State, and having as its officers and directors a group 

 of men particularly interested in the development of the industrial 

 arts. The present Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution is one 

 of the directors and a member of the executive committee. The 

 certificate of incorporation declares it to be the purposes of the cor- 

 poration to — 



Provide means for the advancement and extension of technical arid scientific 

 investigation, research, and experimentation by contributing the net earnings 

 of the corporation over and above such sum or sums as may be reserved or re- 

 tained and held as an endowment fund or working capital, and also such other 

 moneys and property belonging to the corporation as the board of directors 

 shall from time to time deem proper, to the Smithsonian Institution, and such 

 other scientific and educational institutions and societies as the board of 

 directors may from time to time select, in order to enable such institutions and 

 societies to conduct such investigation, research, and experimentation. 



The principal income of the corporation is at present derived from 

 royalties for the use of the Cottrell process for the electrical precipi- 

 tation of suspended particles. Dr. F. G. Cottrell, the inventor of this 

 process, offered his patents to the Smithsonian Institution, but since 

 it was not practicable for the Institution to administer them commer- 

 cially, the Research Corporation was organized for that purpose. 

 The process is now in successful use by a score of smelting and 

 refining companies and other industrial plants and the financial con- 

 dition of the corporation is very gratifying. 



