14 REPORT OF THE SECRETARY. 



their par value, and it may be a question whether they should not be 

 disposed of and the money otherwise invested. 



A part of the original bequest, amounting to £5,015. was left by 

 Mr. Rush in England, as the principal of an annuity to be paid to the 

 mother of the nephew of Smithson. The annuitant having died, a 

 power of attorney was sent, in November, 1862, to Messrs. Fladgate, 

 Clark & Finch to collect the money; but it has not yet been received. 

 Although the whole legacy was awarded to Mr. Rush in behalf of 

 the United States, after an amicable suit in chancery, various objections 

 have been raised to allowing the small remainder to be sent to this 

 country. These objections appear to be principally of a technical 

 character, and are scarcely compatible with an equitable interpretation 

 of the facts of the case. There should be no prejudice in England 

 in regard to the construction placed upon the terms of the bequest and 

 the policy which has been adopted, since one hundred and sixty- 

 nine institutions in Great Britain and Ireland are recipients of the 

 Smithsonian publications and specimens of natural history, and have 

 enjoyed the advantages of its system of international exchange. 



Although the financial affairs of the Institution are still in a favor- 

 able condition, its ability to produce results is materially diminished 

 on account of the advanced prices of labor and materials, and espe- 

 cially the high rate of exchange under which its foreign operations 

 are necessarily conducted. Still, all parts of the general system 

 have been carried on with less abatement than might have been 

 expected, as will be seen from the following account of the various 

 operations : 



Publications. — The publications of the Institution, as stated in pre- 

 vious reports, consist of three series : 1st, Contributions to Knowl- 

 edge ; 2d, Miscellaneous Collections ; and, 3d, Annual Reports. 



The Contributions include memoirs, embracing the records of origi- 

 nal investigations and researches, resulting in such new truths as are 

 considered interesting additions to knowledge. Twelve volumes in 

 quarto of this series have been published, and the thirteenth is nearly 

 ready for distribution. 



The Miscellaneous Collections include works intended to facilitate 

 the study of the various branches of natural history, to give instruc- 

 tion as to the method of observing phenomena, and to furnish a 

 variety of other matter connected with the progress of science. Of 

 this series four large octavo volumes have been issued, and two more 

 are nearly completed. 



