EEPOKT OF THE SECEETARY. 35 



McCormick, and by him presented to the Museum. The first of 

 these consists of eight sections, 22 by 27 inches in size, showing 

 when united the territory bordering the British battle front from 

 Dunkirk to Amiens. The second consists of 111 sections, each 19 

 by 25 inches, and shows the region of the French front from 

 Vermand to Courgenay, in great detail. Another relief map of 

 much importance is one received from the United States Marine 

 Corps, showing the region about Belleau Wood. The numismatic 

 collections relative to the World War have been increased by a 

 number of examples of the medals and decorations issued in the 

 United States and European countries during the war. 



The original historical collections have been increased by a sword 

 carried during the War of the Eevolution by General Washington, a 

 cane bequeathed to him by Benjamin Franklin, and a sword owned 

 by Gen. Andrew Jackson. These three objects were transferred to 

 the Museum from the Department of State by joint resolution of 

 Congress approved February 28, 1922. From the same department 

 by transfer was received the small writing desk used by Thomas 

 Jefferson when he drafted the Declaration of Independence in Phil- 

 adelphia in 1776, which bears a memorandum in his own hand at- 

 testing to its history. A single addition was made during the year 

 to the collection of costumes worn by the mistresses of the White 

 House. This was the dress worn by Mrs. Andrew Jackson, jr., on 

 the occasion of a reception given at the White House in her honor 

 in 1831, and lent to the Museum by Mrs. Rachel Jackson Lawrence, 

 of the Hermitage Association. 



Work on the collections. — The care and preservation of the collec- 

 tions require a large proportion of the energies and time of the 

 scientific staff and present many difficulties to be surmounted. In 

 ethnology, the installation of the Herbert Ward collection led to a 

 recasting of the African collection generally. The conditions ham- 

 pering the development of the biological exhibition since the later 

 years of the World War have continued, making it impossible to 

 do more than remedy special defects as opportunity presented. A 

 general overhauling of the unmounted larger cetacean material has 

 placed this series in a condition to be used for the first time in many 

 years. Commendable progress is reported in the care of the geologi- 

 cal collections, though comparatively few new exhibits were in- 

 stalled. 



The assignment of the entire east gallery of the Arts and In- 

 dustries Building for the use of the division of medicine necessi- 

 tated a complete rearrangement of all the cases and the installation 

 of a number of new exhibits. In the division of mechanical tech- 

 nology a complete inventory was made of the collections, the Museum 

 catalogues as far back as 1876 being carefully examined and checked 



