4 REPORT OF THE SECEETARY. 



4th. To States and Territories, provided they give in return copies of 

 all documents published under their authority. 



oth. To public libraries in this country, not included in any of the 

 foregoing classes, containing 15,000 volumes, especially if no other 

 copies are given in the same place, and to smaller libraries where a large 

 district would be otherwise misupplied. 



Oth. To institutions devoted exclusively to the promotion of particular 

 branches of knowledge are given such Smithsonian publications as 

 relate to their respective objects. 



7th. The reports are presented to the meteorological observers, to con- 

 tributors of valuable material to the library or collections, and to per- , 

 sons engaged in special scientific research. 



The distribution of the publications of the Institution is a matter 

 which requires much care and a judicious selection, the great object 

 being to make known to the world the truths which may result from 

 the expenditure of the Smithson fund. For this purpose the principal 

 class of publications, namely, the Contributions, must be so distributed 

 as to be accessible to the greatest number of readers, and this will evi- 

 dently be to principal libraries. 



The volumes of Contributions are presented to institutions on the ex-' 

 press condition that, while they are carefully preserved, they shall be 

 accessible at all times to students and others who may desire to consult 

 them. These works, it must be recollected, are not of a popular char- 

 acter, but require profound stud^ to fully understand them ; they are, 

 however, of immense importance to the teacher and the popular ex- 

 pounder of science. They contain materials from which general treat- 

 ises on special subjects are elaborated. 



Full sets of the publications cannot be given to all who apply for 

 them, since this is impossible with the limited income of the Institution; 

 and, indeed, if care be not exercised in the distribution, so large a portion 

 of the income will be annually expended on the production of copies for 

 distribution of what has already been published that nothing further 

 can be done in the way of new publications. It must be recollected 

 that every addition to the list of distribution not only involves the 

 giving of the publications which have already been made, but also of 

 those which are to be made hereafter. 



At the commencement of the operations of the Institution the publi- 

 cations were not stereotyped, and consequently the earlier volumes 

 have now become scarce, especially the first, of which there are no 

 copies for distribution, although it can occasionally be obtained at a 

 second-hand book-stall in one of the larger cities. 



No copyright has ever been secured on any of the publications of 

 the Institution. They are left free to be used by compilers of* books, 

 without any restrictions except that full credit shall be given to the 

 name of Smithson for any extracts which may be made from them. 



