14 REPORT OF THE SECRETARY. 



Historical reports. — The Eeport of the American Historical Associa- 

 tion for the year 1896 has been issued in two volumes, the first volume 

 containing 22 papers on various historical subjects, the second volume 

 being an exhaustive essay on the proposed amendments of the Consti- 

 tution of the United States during the first century of its existence by 

 Dr. H. V. Ames. 



The report for the year 1897 was sent to the printer early in June, 

 1898, and much of it was in type before the fiscal year closed. It con- 

 tains 20 papers relating to American history, including some of timely 

 interest on the Cuban question, the Spanish policy in Mississippi after 

 the treaty of San Lorenzo, and an exhaustive bibliography of Alabama. 



These reports are prepared by the association and transmitted to 

 Congress by the Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution, in accord- 

 ance with the act of incorporation of the association. The series began 

 with the report for 1889, but until 1894 no extra copies of the reports 

 were printed for the use of the Institution. The edition is so small 

 tbat it permits of distribution only to the most important American 

 and foreign historical societies in exchange for publications of like 

 character. 



LIBRARY. 



The number of accessions to the library has been greater than at 

 any time heretofore, the total entries of- volumes, parts of volumes, 

 pamphlets, and charts reaching 40,715, an increase of nearly 5,000 over 

 the previous year. The greater part of this has been sent to the 

 Library of Congress to be placed with the Smithsonian deposit. 



The Museum library shows a greatly increased use over last year. 

 The limited quarters assigned for library purposes in the Museum are 

 so greatly crowded that it has become necessary to provide additional 

 book room, for which purpose a gallery directly adjoining the library 

 has been erected and fitted with shelves, where space is provided for 

 18,000 volumes. This is rendered necessary by the purchase for the 

 Museum, by Congressional appropriation, of the scientific library of 

 the late Dr. G. Brown Goode. The Institution is especially fortunate 

 in being able to obtain this library and the Museum now has the benefit 

 of possessing the collections of books both of Professor Baird and Dr. 

 Goode. 



The relations between the Institution and the Library of Congress 

 have been friendly and intimate, as in the past. The entire library has 

 been transferred to the new building, and the small East stack, together 

 with the large room adjoining it on the main library floor, have been 

 assigned for the use of the Smithsonian deposit. Thus far, in the main, 

 only publications of learned societies have been placed in this stack, 

 whose supposed capacity is about 175,000 volumes. It is known that 

 the titles of the Smithsonian publications number something like 350,- 

 000, but it has not been known until lately how many volumes were 

 represented. The classification, which is now going on, and the rescue 



