REPORT OF THE SECRETARY. 3 



which should be the facilitating of original research, was the organization 

 which had been directed by Congress, namely, that provision should 

 be made on a liberal scale for a museum, a libsary, a gallery of art. lec- 

 tures, and an arboretum, involving the construction of a large building, 

 whereas the plan for original research required a building of compara- 

 tively small dimensions, the cost of which need not to have exceeded 

 $■50,000; while the estimated cost of the one proposed was $250,000, aud 

 it has actually cost more than double that sum. It was in vain to urge 

 that the law of Congress might be altered, although the will of Smithson 

 could never be changed. Public opinion apparently was generally in 

 favor of the erection oi a large building, and the establishment of a 

 library, museum, gallery of art, and lectures. Still a majority of the 

 Board of Eegents were in favor of the plan of original research and 

 publication, and, after much discussion, it was finally agreed, as an 

 experiment, to divide the income into two equal parts, giving one 

 part to what has been called the "active operations," and the other to 

 the library, museum, and other local objects. In the attempt to carry 

 out this division, difficulties occurred which led to its final abandon m out, 

 and to the adoption of another arrangement, that of making such pro- 

 vision from time to time for the museum and library and gallery oi' art 

 as might be thought necessary under existing conditions. As might 

 have been anticipated, the cost of the building far exceeded the origi- 

 nal estimate, and the multiplicity of objects was far too great to be .sus- 

 tained by the comparatively small income of the establishment. The 

 increase of the library, by exchanges for the publications of the Institu- 

 tion, itself was so rapid that the care and binding of the books alone 

 absorbed a considerable part of the income. 



The collections of natural history and ethnology belonging to the Gov- 

 ernment were transferred to the care of the Institution, and an allow- 

 ance of only $4,000 annually made for their support, while, as the num- 

 ber of specimens was continually increasing, the sum allowed by Con- 

 gress finally scarcely paid more than one-fourth the actual expenses, 

 without estimating the rent and cost of repair of the building. Besides 

 this, Congress had presented to the Institution a portion of the public 

 reservation on which the building is situated. In the planting of this 

 with trees, nearly $10,000 of the Smithson income were expended. 



It is readily seen from this statement that with the increase of the 

 library and museum, the formation of a gallery of art, and the sustain- 

 ing of a public park, all theiucome would be absorbed, and the cherished 

 plan of an institution to facilitate original research, and the publication 

 of its results, must be abandoned. 



To prevent so undesirable a result, advantage was taken of the expo- 

 sure of the books after the fire, to urge the plan of uniting the library of 

 the Institution with that of Congress, and of the two to form a collec- 

 tion worthy the name of National Library. The proposition was adopted, 

 and the results have proved eminently successful. The Library of Con- 



