66 CENTENNIAL EXHIBITION. 



made by various gentlemen throughout the country, who were interested 

 in rendering this portion of the general exhibit complete. 



The Government building was completed and turned over to the ex- 

 ecutive board on the 1st of March, although the Smithsonian division 

 was occupied by Professor Blake prior to this with a portion of the 

 mineral display. 



The shipments to Philadelphia from Washington began on the 20th 

 of April, and a very large force was necessarily engaged for a time in 

 the Government building in putting up the cases, for the most part 

 manufactured in Washington, and in unpacking and arranging the col- 

 lections. The contents of eighteen cars were loaded in Washington , 

 forwarded to Philadelphia, and unpacked, between the 20th of April 

 and the 1st of May, several car-loads following in the latter month. 

 The total number of car-loads sent from Washington amounted to 

 twenty-two, while nearly forty full or partly full loads were sent from 

 other directions, principally containing minerals. 



In arranging the various specimens in the Government building, Pro- 

 fessor Blake, for the mineral section, was assisted by Mr. Donaldson, 

 Mr. Adams, Mr. Thompson, and, for a time, by Mr. Draper. 



The animal and fishery sections were placed in order by Mr. Goode, 

 aided by Messrs. Chester and Brown, and the ethnological by Dr. Bau, 

 assisted by Mr. Cushing ; all the departments having many laborers and 

 other assistants. 



On the 10th of May, the opening day of the International Exhibition, 

 the greater part of the Smithsonian and Fish Commission collections 

 was in place, although still requiring some subordinate arrangement; 

 and it may here be stated, generally, that the Government exhibit was 

 far more nearly ready on that day than any other in the Centennial 

 Exhibition — those of the War and Navy Departments being entirely in 

 order. By the 1st of June, all the collections of the Institution were in 

 place, the specimens labeled and everything in satisfactory condition. 



In obedience to your instructions, I left Washington on the 31st of 

 May, to take direct charge of all the branches of the Smithsonian and 

 Pish Commission divisions, assisted in their respective sections by 

 Messrs. Blake, Goode, and Kau. Mr. Goode, however, was unfortunately 

 soon obliged to leave, in consequence of the illness caused by overexer- 

 tion, and his place was not supplied. 



Numerous collections of various kinds were added throughout the 

 season of the exhibition, partly in continuation of the special researches 

 instituted by the Smithsonian Institution and the Indian Bureau, and 

 partly by individual contributions. A very attractive feature of the 

 Pish Commission section was a succession of fresh fish, supplied by Mr. 

 E. G. Blackford, the well-known fish-dealer of Fulton Market, New York, 

 who made special arrangements to secure all the varieties of Ameri- 

 can food-fishes, sending them in ice to the Government building and 

 delivering them there without any charge whatever. Here they were 



