GENERAL MEETINGS. 
51 
to pass through every custom-house on earth, unopened and un¬ 
questioned. 
Creditable as this special liberality is, it has not yet, unfortunately, 
been applied to the customary channels of book lore, and the quest 
for knowledge is still held by a majority of civilized nations as an 
indulgence very proper to be taxed. Our own legislators have also 
made our higher education a source of revenue; possibly with a 
view to the “incidental protection” of American science by the 
heavy tariff laid on the foreign and imported article. 
The advantage to the cause of science from this Smithsonian sys¬ 
tem of international exchange of intellectual j^roducts, free of duty, 
and with the freight expenses assumed by the Institution, can scarcely 
be too highly appreciated. In the early promotion of this benefi¬ 
cent scheme. Professor Baird became an energetic agent and sympa¬ 
thetic co-adjutor of the Smithsonian Secretary. The remarkable 
•development of this service may be sufficiently indicated by a glance 
at the amount of material transmitted through this Institution, on 
each tenth year for thirty years, showing something like a geometrical 
ratio of increase. The total weight of books, pamphlets, and charts 
distributed in 1855 was about six tons; in 1865, about nine tons; in 
1875, about twenty tons; and in 1885, about eighty-five tons. With 
the rapid growth of the exchange operations, the active and compre¬ 
hensive faculties of Professor Baird seemed but to find a better field 
•of exercise. 
At the same time, the accumulating collections of the museum— 
increased in 1858 by the transfer from the Patent Office to the Smith¬ 
sonian building of the interesting contributions from the earlier 
national exploring expeditions—demanded a large share of attention 
for their proper arrangement, exposition, and superintendence.* To 
say that this important work of organization was zealously and 
judiciously carried out, is to characterize but imperfectly the di¬ 
rective skill and energy of the museum curator. 
Of Professor Baird’s work in original biologic research,—of his 
contributions to various scientific journals and society proceedings,— 
•of his English translation of the popular “ Iconographic Encyclo- 
*This accession of the Government deposit of ethnological and natural 
history specimens was estimated hy'Professor Baird, in his report for 1858, 
as comprising not more than a fourth of the material already in the Smith¬ 
sonian Museum or a fifth of the aggregate amount. 
