20 REPORT OF THE SECRETARY. 



will continue to nave the benefit of bis association with it as honorary 

 curator of the division of stratigraphic paleontology. 



The Regents are aware that the Secretary, with Mr. AValcott's aid, 

 arranged a modification in the administration of the Museum, intended 

 to make it less dependent on the Secretary's immediate oversight of 

 details. This consisted in gathering the different departments under 

 three heads and placing three scientific men, who were believed to have 

 shown a capacity as administrative officers, in their charge as head 

 curators. The arrangement has worked well, but it should be given a 

 longer trial before deciding that it is a suitable plan for the permanent 

 administration of the Museum. 



Under the present method the Secretary will not be required to give 

 so much of his time to details of Museum administration as would 

 have been demanded under tbe old system in the absence of a single 

 head, and this result he is largely able to accomplish through the aid 

 of the Assistant Secretary, who, without being designated to the exclu- 

 sive charge of the Museum, will make its oversight a portion of his 

 duties, in which he will be assisted by the head curators. 



For the preservation and increase of the collections Congress appro- 

 priated $160,000 for the fiscal year now ended. From this appropria- 

 tion are paid all expenses incident to the preservation, exhibition, and 

 increase of the collections, except such as are referred to below. It 

 covers the compensation of the scientific and clerical staff, and of the 

 preparators, watchmen, and laborers; the cost of supplies required in 

 the conduct of the Museum, such as preservatives, stationery, and 

 other incidentals; the cost of transportation, the acquisition of speci- 

 mens, etc. 



This sum still left me unable to provide for additional permanent 

 curators for the care of collections now without adequate supervision, 

 and, for what is even a more urgent necessity, the means to pay for 

 proper administrative aid in carrying on the Museum's work. Most of 

 the scientific assistants are required to give much of their time to the 

 performance of administrative duties in connection with the collections. 

 A large number of divisions, moreover, are dependent for their adminis- 

 tration entirely upon honorary officers, whose services have in the past 

 been cheerfully rendered ; yet the fact that their primary obligations 

 are to other departments or bureaus of the Government has made it 

 impossible for them to give such attention to their work in the Museum 

 as the interest of the service really demanded, and has also prevented 

 the secretary from calling upon them in such a way as he might were 

 they paid officers of the Museum. Thus, while most fully recognizing 

 the value of the services which these gentlemen have rendered, and the 

 generous spirit in which they have been given, it yet does not seem 

 possible to permanently administer so large an interest with the assist- 

 ance of persons whose time can not be controlled by the chief officer 

 in charge. 



