[ 108 ] 26 



The museum of natural history, besides plants and minerals, numbers 

 eighteen hundred and fifty jars, containing specimens in spirits, of mammalia, 

 reptiles, fishes, articulata, mollusca and radiata, amounting in all to twenty- 

 five hundred species. Besides these, there are. about nine hundred specimens 

 of skulls and skeletons, and three thousand of skins of European and 

 American birds. 



Lectures. — In accordance with the suggestion contained in the act of 

 incorporation of the Institution, courses of lectures have been given during 

 the past year in the lecture-room of the Smithsonian building, and the 

 reports of these lectures are generally copied in the public papers through- 

 out the Union. Though the plan of diffusing knowledge by means of lec- 

 tures is too restricted in its influence to meet fully the liberal views of the 

 Smithsonian bequest, yet there is no place in the United States where such 

 means will have a tendency to affect more minds and do more good than in 

 the city of Washington, where persons from all parts of the country 

 assemble during the sessions of Congress. It was supposed, at first, that the 

 interest in these lectures would soon die away ; but the experience of three 

 years has indicated no tendency of this kind. This is in part owing to the 

 constant influx of strangers and change of inhabitants. Besides this, there 

 is in this city, in proportion to the whole number of inhabitants, a large 

 number of intelligent persons with moderate salaries, who gladly avail 

 themselves of the means of improvement offered by the gratuitous lectures 

 of the Institution. 



As an evidence of the high appreciation of the advantages which these 

 lectures afford the citizens of Washington, I may mention that the corpo- 

 ration of the city has ordered, since the last meeting of the board, a bridge 

 to be constructed over the canal at Tenth street, for the special accommo- 

 dation of those who attend the evening instruction given at the Institution. 

 This bridge, with a well-drained and well-lighted path across the public 

 grounds, will afford a direct and comfortable approach to the building from 

 a central point on Pennsylvania avenue. 



In my last report I mentioned the fact that much complaint had been 

 made through the public papers on account of the size of the lecture-room. 

 It was the original intention of the Regents to construct a lecture-room in 

 the main building, though, according to the plan proposed, the number of 

 persons it would hold would scarcely have been greater than that now accom- 

 modated. This plan, however, was thought to be unsafe, because it was 

 at first not proposed to fire-proof the interior ; but since, an opposite course 

 has been resolved upon, a large lecture-room may with safety be con- 

 structed in the main building, and the present lecture-room, having tempo- 

 rarily served the purpose, may be applied to other uses. 



' The proper construction of a lecture-room is, however, a problem of 

 great difficulty, which in the present instance will be much enhanced by 

 the form and peculiarities of the building. It must be well-adapted to 

 sight,* to sound, to ventilation and warming. A room might be constructed 

 which would seat five thousand persons ; but we know of none such, in every 

 part of which an ordinary speaker can be distinctly heard. Too much 

 must therefore not be expected with reference to the new lecture-room, 

 though every endeavor will be made to render it as perfect as the conditions 

 to which it is unavoidably subjected will allow. 



The selection of the lecturers, and the arrangement of the courses, have 

 been found, in some cases, an unpleasant and perplexing duty. The gen- 



