56 REPORT OF THE SECRETARY. 



to the Smithsonian Institution, and through that institution to other institutions and 

 to individuals cultivating science in the United States." 



The sentiments thus expressed, although duly presented to Parliament, did not at 

 once meet with results entirely satisfactory, though duties were remitted on hooks 

 not foreign reprints of British copyrights. It was but a short time, however, before 

 the generous cooperation of the Royal Society and the course recommended by it to 

 the Government of Great Britain had its effect, and subsequently all packages from 

 the Smithsonian Institution were admitted to the English ports free of duty, not only 

 those bearing addresses in Great Britain, but to many places on the continent of 

 Europe and the East Indies. 



The matter of admitting exchanges free of duty having been satisfactorily ad- 

 usted with the Governments of the United States and Great Britain, and after thus 

 establishing a precedent, other Governments, recognizing the desirability of the plan, 

 soon adopted like measures, and in the Smithsonian Report for the year 1854 the 

 Secretary stated : 



" There is no port to which the Smithsonian parcels are shipped where duties are 

 charged on them, a certified invoice of contents by the Secretary being sufficient to 

 pass them through the custom-house free of duty. On the other hand, all packages 

 addressed to the Institution arriving at the ports of the United States, are admitted, 

 without detention, duty free. This system of exchange is, therefore, the most exten- 

 sive and efficient which has ever been established in any country." 



The establishment of the Smithsonian exchange system soon became so widely 

 known that the increased responsibilities and augmented expense threatened a drain 

 upon the resources of the Institution to such an extent as to be alarming, and seemed 

 to indicate a probable necessity of curtailing in some manner the expense of the task 

 it had undertaken single-handed. 



In 1855, with a view to diminishing, if possible, a part of the expense of the 

 exchange system, letters Avere written to the principal transportation companies 

 setting forth the nature of the undertaking, and, in consideration of the great ben- 

 efit derived from the service, asking that they consider the subject of a reduction of 

 rates. The replies received from nearly all the companies addressed were gratifying 

 in the extreme — some consented to charge merely a nominal rate, while others cheer- 

 fully offered to transport exchanges free of any charge whatever. 



With this generous assistance of the transportation companies, the Institution was 

 enabled to continue the work and to maintain the system for the time being, not- 

 withstanding the growing demands upon it. 



The cooperation of the Department of State has been of incalculable value in the 

 furtherance of the aims of the Institution in the diffusion of knowledge, and the 

 results attained would have been difficult to surmount had it not been for the intel- 

 ligent and courteous aid contributed by the representatives of the diplomatic and 

 consular service in all parts of the world. The same consideration is due to the dip- 

 lomatic representatives of foreign Governments residing in Washington, many of 

 whom have not only done their utmost to aid their countrymen in obtaining the 

 most advanced ideas of scientists throughout the world, but have been personally 

 interested in scientific study. 



In no field of international exchange of the products of effort is reciprocity so ener- 

 getically demonstrated as in the promulgation of scientific research and higher edu- 

 cation. The history of the Smithsonian exchanges demonstrates the far-reaching 

 influence of study to such an extent as to make it impossible to conceive of the mag- 

 nitude to which the service may attain and the results that must necessarily follow 

 to the benefit of mankind. 



Although on several occasions subsequent to 1840 special measures were adopted by 

 Congress for the foreign distribution of special Government publications in exchange 

 for similar works of other countries to be deposited in the Library of Congress, no 

 general action was taken until 1867, when the following act was passed : 



"Resolved hy the Senate and House of Representatives of the Unitid States of America 

 Congress assembled, That fifty copies of all documents hereafter printed by order 



