4Q KEPOET OF THE SECRETARY. 



assisted ns in this respect : The North German Lloyd, between Bre- 

 men and New York ; the Hamburg and New York steamship line ; 

 the Cunard line j the Panama Railroad Company ; the Pacific Mail 

 Steamship Company ; Adams's Express Company, and the Hudson's 

 Bay Company. 



During the past year it was deemed advisable to establish a new 

 agency of exchanges for Holland and Belgium, and Mr. Fred. 

 Muller, bookseller, at Amsterdam, who was appointed the agent, 

 has entered upon the discharge of his duties with zeal and efficiency. 

 The numbers of the transactions of the societies in the countries 

 referred to necessary to complete the sets in the Smithsonian library, 

 as well as much other valuable scientific and literary material, have 

 been procured by him. The other foreign agents of the Institution 

 are still Dr. Felix Flugel, Leipsic, Mr. Wesley, London, and Gustave 

 Bossange, Paris. 



From the tabular statement given by Professor Baird, it appears 

 that during the year 1863 there have been sent to foreign countries 

 1,426 packages, each containing a number of articles, enclosed in 61 

 boxes, measuring 447 cubic feet, and weighing 10,286 pounds. The 

 number of packages received in return for societies and individuals in 

 this country was 1,522, included in which, for the Smithsonian Insti- 

 tution, were 4,589 books and pamphlets, besides specimens of natural 

 history. 



Library. — The policy in regard to the library as has frequently 

 been previously stated, is to form a collection as perfect as possible 

 of all the tranactions and proceedings of the learned societies of the 

 world. The success of the Institution in this enterprise has been fully 

 commensurate with the expectations entertained, and the collection of 

 works of this class, if the accumulation continues under the same favor- 

 able conditions, will soon rival any other of a like kind in the world. 

 The liberal distribution which the Institution has made of its own pub- 

 lications and those of government has produced a rich return in series 

 of transactions which, although existing as duplicates in some of the 

 older libraries of Europe, can scarcely be obtained by purchase. 



It was mentioned in the last report that the number of transactions 

 and proceedings of learned societies contained in the library of the 

 Institution had increased so much that a new edition of the cata- 

 logue previously published had become necessary. This work has 

 since been put to press, and will be printed as rapidly as the care 

 necessary to insure acccuracy will permit. Copies of this catalogue 



