REPORT OF THE SECRETARY. 17 



through the cooperation of various agencies, spent five months in 

 botanical collecting in El Salvador and Guatemala, bringing back 

 over 6,000 specimens. Another botanical expedition, consisting of 

 Dr. F. W. Pennell and Mr. E. P. Killip, was in western Colombia 

 at the close of the year under the auspices of various scientific or- 

 ganizations. The purpose of the exploration was to study the flora 

 and secure botanical specimens in this region, as one of a series lead- 

 ing up to a complete study of the flora of northern South America. 



The auditorium and adjacent rooms of the Museum were used by 

 numerous societies and organizations for meetings, congresses, and 

 lectures. The Museum published during the jesLV 9 volumes and 78 

 separate papers. These are described somewhat in detail in the 

 " Report on publications," Appendix 10 of this report. The number 

 of visitors to the National History Building during the year was 

 441,604; to the Arts and Industries Building, 262,151; and to the 

 Aircraft Building, 46,380. 



NATIONAL GALLERY OF ART. 



Although the number of art works accessioned by the National 

 Gallery during the year falls short of the average of recent years, 

 nevertheless progress in the gallery's activities has been satisfactory. 

 The greatest handicap to its work continues to be lack of exhibition 

 space. It is believed that the falling off in number of accessions 

 noted above is in part due to this shortage of space, as owners of 

 valuable art works very naturally desire to see them adequately 

 housed and exhibited. The urgent need of a suitable gallery for 

 the national collections, alreadj^ valued in the millions, will be readily 

 understood when it is considered that until the past year the acces- 

 sions to the collections were estimated at hundreds of thousands 

 annually. If accessions are turned elsewhere on account of the lack 

 of space to exhibit them, it is evident that in a fcAv years the loss Avill 

 amount to more than the cost of a building. 



Among the accessions received during the year was a portrait of 

 President Grant, by Thomas Le Clear, presented by Mrs. U. S. 

 Grant, jr.; an oil painting entitled "The Signing of the Treat}^ of 

 Ghent," by Sir A. Forestier, presented to the Smithsonian Institu- 

 tion by the Sulgrave Institution; a painting entitled " Tohickon," 

 by Daniel Garber. provided througli the Henry Ward Ranger be- 

 quest; and a portrait of Edwin H. Harriman, an artist's proof etch- 

 ing, one of 21 from the copper. A number of interesting art works 

 Avere loaned to the gallery during the year, among them being 71 

 portraits in pastel, in a series of 22 life-size groups of Union and Con- 

 federate veterans of the Civil Avar, painted from life by Walter 

 Beck, of Brooklyn, N. Y., 50 years after the Battle of Appomattox, 



