REPORT OF THE SECRETARY. 
55 
The term " departmental documents " embraces all of the publica- 
tions delivered at the institution by the various governmental de- 
partments, bureaus, or commissions for distribution to their corre- 
spondents abroad, the publications received in return being deposited 
in the various departmental libraries. 
The " miscellaneous scientific and literary publications " are re- 
ceived chiefly from learned societies, universities, colleges, scientific 
institutions, and museums in the United States for transmission to 
similar establishments in all parts of the world. 
The number and weight of the packages of different classes are 
indicated in the followinsr table : 
Packages. 
Weight. 
Sent. 
Received. 
Sent. 
Received. 
United States parliamentary documents sent abroad. . . 
Publications received in return for parliamentary docu- 
151,307 
Pounds. 
83,692 
Pounds. 
1,335 
3 100 
United States departmental documents sent abroad — 
Publications received in return for departmental docu- 
65,892 
103, 295 
3,918 
2 630 
Miscellaneous scientific and literary publications sent 
40, 188 
82,267 
Miscellaneous scientific and literary pub'ications re- 
ceived from abroad for distribution in the United 
8,220 
16 934 
Total 
257,387 
13,473 
269,254 
22,664 
Grand total 
270, SfiO 
291 918 
It should be stated in this connection that the disparity indicated 
by the foregoing statistics between the number of packages sent and 
those received is accounted for, in part, by the fact that packages 
transmitted abroad contain, as a rule, only one publication, while 
those received in return often comprise many volumes. In some in- 
stances, especially in the case of publications received in exchange for 
parliamentary documents, the term " package " is applied to large 
boxes containing many separate publications. Furthermore, many 
returns for publications sent abroad reach their destinations through 
the mail and not through the exchange service. 
Under date of September 12, 1918, the Dutch Exchange Bureau 
reported that five boxes sent by the institution to that bureau in 
January, 1917, had been lost at sea when the steamship by which they 
were being forwarded was torpedoed by the enemy. So far as re- 
ported, this is the fourth instance in which consignments sent to for- 
eign countries by the institution have been lost through hostile action. 
It has not yet been possible to put the service on a prewar basis 
so far as the forwarding of consignments abroad is concerned. Ship- 
