1854.] 



STATISTICS OF FIBROUS MATERIALS. 



63 



"2. The objects of the Institution are two-fold: first, to increase, 

 second, to diffuse knowledge ; objects which, though often confounded 

 with each other, are logically distinct, and ought to be separately re- 

 garded. The first is the enlargement of the existing stock of 

 knowledge by the discovery of new truths, and the second is the 

 dissemination of these and other truths among men. 



"3. No particular kind of knowledge is designated, hence a liberal 

 interpretation of the bequest will exclude no part of the great domain 

 of science and literature from the degree of attention its importance 

 may demand. 



"4. Since mankind are to be benefited by the bequest, any 

 unnecessary expenditure on merely local objects would not be in ac- 

 cordance with the proper administration of the trust. 



"5. Though the funds are generally considered large, and much is 

 expected of them, they are really small in proportion to the demands 

 made upon them. The annual income of the bequest is less than half 

 the cost of the publication of a single yearly report of the Patent 

 Office. 



" 6. In order, therefore, that the limited income may effect the 

 greatest amount of good, it should be expended in doing that which 

 cannot be done as well by other means. 



This sum of 1.50,000 dollars having been subsequently added to the 

 original 51.5,109 dollars, the Smithsonian Institution has now a perma- 

 nent fund of 66.5,169 dollars, which, at the rate of interest allowed by 

 the Government, yields an annual income of about £8,000. 



The rules now adopted in reference to the distribution of the Publi- 

 cations issued by the Institution, are very liberal. 



" 1. They are to be presented to all learned Societies which 

 publish transactions and give copies of these in exchange to the 

 Institution. 



" 2. Also, to .all Foreign Libraries of the first class, provided they 

 give in exchange their catalogues, or other publications, or an 

 equivalent from their duplicate volumes. 



" 3. To all Colleges in actual operation in this country ; provided 

 they furnish in return, meterological observations, catalogues of their 

 Libraries and of their students, and all other publications issued by 

 them, relative to their organization and history. 



"4. To all States and Territories; provided they give in return 

 copies of all documents published under their authority. 



"5. To all incorporated Public Libraries in this country, not 

 included in either of the foregoing classes, now containing more than 

 seven thousand volumes, and to smaller Libraries, where a whole 

 State or large district would be otherwise left unsupplied. 



"The author of each memoir receives, as his only compens.ation, a 

 certain number of copies of it, to distribute among his friends, or to 

 present to individuals who may be occupied in the same line of 

 research. In this way single memoirs are distributed to individuals, 

 and especially to those who are most actively engaged in promoting 

 discoveries. Copies of the reports, and also in some cases, of par- 

 ticular memoirs, are sent to all meteorological observers. Besides 

 these, we have placed on the list the more prominent Academies and 

 Lyceums, as recipients of the minor publications. It is also intended, 

 in order to benefit the public more generally, to place on sale copies of 

 memoirs and reports, though on accoimt of the number required for 

 the supply of Institutions, we have not as yet been able to carry this 

 plan into effect. 



" No copyright has been taken for the Smithsonian publications ; 

 they are therefore free to be used by the compilers of books, and in 

 this way they are beginning to reach the general reader and to produce 

 a beneficial effect on the public mind." 



It is mentioned in Professor Henry's Report for 1852, that the 

 number of copies of the " Smithsonian Contributions" distributed is 

 greater than that of the transactions of any other Scientific or Literary 

 Society. 



The Regents of the Institution being of opinion that the rapid inter- 

 change of literary and scientific publications is of the utmost importance 

 for the developeraent of knowledge, have constituted themselves the 

 medium fur such intercommunications between all Public Scientific and 

 Literary Societies of the Old and New NVorld. l"or tliis jiurpose all 

 important scientific documents issued by the tjovcrnments, by the 

 Public Learned and Scientific bodies in the United States, are 



collected at Washington, and then dispatched to their agents in 

 London, Paris, and Leipsic for distribution ; and the agents at the 

 above named places forward to the United States all documents re- 

 ceived in exchange; the Smithsonian Institution taking upon itself 

 all cost of transport, so that no delay maj' be experienced in the 

 receipt of the communications in America. The extent to which this 

 system has been carried, is, I suspect, little known in this country, 

 but may be inferred from the following abstract of the number of 

 Societies in communication with the Institution, and for which parcels 

 are collected. 



.3 Public Bodies in Africa 9 Public Bodies in America (South) 

 10 " " Asia 7 " " Belgium 



4 " " Denmark 84 " " Great Britain & Ireland 

 54 " " France 69 " " Germany 



1 " " Greece 10 " " Holland 



1 " " Iceland 25 " " Italy 



4 '• " Norway 1 " " Portugal 



12 " " Russia 5 " " Sweden 



4 " " Spain 9 " " Switzerland 



1 '• " Turkey 



AVe conclude our Extracts from Mr. Dilke's Report with an account 

 of a Steam Fire Engine lately built at Cincinnati : 

 Cincinnati Steam Fire-Engine. 



This engine, which cost rather more than two thousand pounds, 

 and weighs between five and six tons, throws eighty-four thousand 

 gallons in an hour. Five hoi-ses are required, four to draw the engine, 

 and one the fuel and reel cart. Mr. Dilke and Professor Wilson went 

 to see the engine. Mr. Dilke sa^-s — " On reaching the station we 

 satisfied ourselves that there was no fire in the engine, and that the 

 water in the boiler was cold. On the order being given to proceed to 

 a particular point, the light was applied to the grate, always kept 

 ready filled with very combustible materials, the horses were harnessed, 

 and the engine left the house in 3i minutes after the supposed fire 

 was announced. It reached the spot indicated, 1,450 feet distant 

 from the engine-house, in 2| minutes, and in 6J- minutes from the 

 first announcement the horses were uncoupled and the engine placed 

 over the supply cistern. In 8J- minutes the steam-guage was at 35°, 

 and the pumps self-feeding. In 9 minutes a hose was affixed, and the 

 reel despatched in 9.V minutes to about 100 feet distant from the en- 

 gine, during which time a second hose was being fixed and laid out. 

 In 12 minutes water was issuing from one hose, and in 12.', minutes 

 from both. In 13 minutes the jet of water reached 100 feet from the 

 nozzle first applied, one of an inch diameter, and from that time a 

 large body of water was pouring forth. In 17 minutes the supply was 

 strong enough to rise about 60 feet in height. In 28 minutes it was 

 playing over a moderate-sized house. In 33 minutes all six nozzles 

 were in use. In 38 minutes the issue of water was stopped, that the 

 cap.ability of supplying steam jets might be shown. In 39 J minutes a very 

 powerful blast of steam was issuing. We were informed that the en- 

 gine had on two or three occasions played six hours continuously, and 

 once 12 hours, and we were given to understand that it had thrown 

 water 230 feet — a statement we could believe from the power exhib- 

 ited, and which was shown by directing the stream against a heavy 

 cart standing empty in the street, and which was driven bj- it nearly 

 100 feet." 



Statistics of Fibrous Hatciials. 



The quantity of fibrous substances of all kinds imported into the 

 United Kingdom last year was 014,000 tons; and deducting 72,000 

 tons exported, there remained for home consumption 542,000 tons. Of 

 this quantity 94,000 tons were flax, and 63,000 tons hemp ; and of 

 these two articles 64,000 tons of flax and 42,000 tons of hemp, together 

 106,000 tons, came from Russia. The amount of paper manufactured 

 in the five years from 1830 to 1834, both inclusive, was 3o4,940,C581bs, 

 or an average of 70,988,1311bs.; and in the five years from 1849 to 

 1853 the manufacture increased to 7o0,170,1931bs., being an average 

 of 151,234,1781bs. per annum. Last year the amount manufactured, 

 in round numbers, was 177,O0O,0OOlbs., against 154,0<10.000lbs. in the 

 previous year, showing an increase of above 23,000,0001bs. in one 

 year. 



The total quantity of flax imported in tlio whole term of fifty-threo 

 years, was 2,252,422 tons; of which Russia furnished 1,587,395 tons, 

 and the rest of the world (all foreign) 665,027 tons. Of hemp, the 



