While a marked improvement appears to have taken place in the exchange service during the past few years, still further improvements are no doubt desirable and possible. The plan adopted by Dr. Kidder of following up promptly and diligently all complaints, or failures of packages to reach their destinations, has produced excellent results. The delays due to the fact that the Smithsonian Institution is dependent upon the generosity and public spirit of most of the ocean steam-ship lines for the free transportation of its exchange boxes will be provided against, if the appropriation asked for is granted by Congress. The delays which occur in some of the foreign bureaus, due to indifference or to insufficient clerical force, are at present beyond the control of the Institution. Where regularly paid agencies have been established, as in London and Leipzig, this cause of embarrassment to the service no longer exists, and all packages are transmitted with promptness. Still another difficulty arises from an inadequate or erroneous address upon the packages, rendering it necessary for the agent to hold them until the error or omission can be corrected by correspondence. Increased attention to this point on the part of those who have occasion to send publications through the exchange service will assist materially in decreasing the number of delayed transmissions. An important need of the exchange bureau is a more complete index to the early records, but with the present clerical force this additional work can not be effectually undertaken. I take pleasure in bearing witness to the faithfulness and efficiency of the employés of the bureau, and to the prompt attention to the interests of the Institution of its foreign agents, Messrs. William Wesley & Son, at London, and Dr. Felix Flügel, at Leipzig. The employés of the bureau receive much lower salaries than those established for similar grades of work by the classified lists of the Government Departments, and it is manifestly to the interest of the service to be able to retain, by reasonable expectation of promotion, men who have acquired peculiar and valuable experience in the exchange transactions. Grateful acknowledgments are due the following transportation companies and firms for their continued liberality in granting free freight on exchange parcels and boxes: Allan Steam-ship Company (A. Schumacher & Co., agents), Baltimore. Atlas Steam-ship Company (Pim, Forwood & Co., agents), New York. Bixby, Thomas E., & Co., Boston, Mass. Boulton, Bliss & Dallett, New York. Cameron, R. W., & Co., New York. Compagnie Générale Transatlantique (A. Forget, agent), New York. Cunard Royal Mail Steam-ship Line (Vernon H. Brown & Co., agents), New York. Dennison, Thomas, New York. Florio Rubattino Line, New York. Hamburg American Packet Company (Kunhardt & Co., agents), New York. Inman Steam-ship Company, New York. Merchants' Line of Steamers, New York. Muñoz y Espriella, New York. Murray, Ferris & Co., New York. Netherlands American Steam Navigation Company (W. H. Vanden Toorn, agent), New York. New York and Brazil Steam-ship Company, New York. New York and Mexico Steam-ship Company, New York. North German Lloyd (agents, Oelrichs & Co., New York; A. Schumacher & Co., Baltimore). Pacific Mail Steam-ship Company, New York. Panama Railroad Company, New York. Red Star Line (Peter Wright & Sons, agents), Philadelphia and New York. In conclusion, I beg leave to add a list of correspondents that courteously act as agents of the Institution for the transmission of exchanges, and also a copy of the rules of the exchange service, calling especial attention to the necessity of observing rules 3 and 8, which provide that all packages sent shall be carefully addressed, and that all packages received from the Smithsonian shall be promptly acknowledged upon the receipt form which will always be found inclosed therein. LIST OF THE FOREIGN CORRESPONDENTS OF THE SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION ACTING AS ITS AGENTS FOR THE INTERNATIONAL EXCHANGES.. Algeria: Bureau Français des Echanges Internationaux, Paris, France. elles. British America: McGill College, Montreal; or Geological Survey Office, Ottawa. British Colonies: Crown Agents for the Colonies, London, England. British Guiana: The Observatory, Georgetown. Cape Colony: Agent-general for Cape Colony, London, England. China: Dr. D. W. Doberck, government astronomer, Hong-Kong; for Shanghai, United States consul-general, Shanghai. Chili: Museo Nacional, Santiago. Colombia (United States of): National Library, Bogótà. Costa Rica: Biblioteca Nacional, San José. Cuba: Prof. Felipe Poëy, Calle del Principe Alfonso, No. 416 Havana, Dutch Guiana: Surinaamsche Koloniaale Bibliotheek, Paramaribo. East India: Secretary to the Government of India, Calcutta. Egypt: Institut Egyptien, Cairo. France: Bureau Français des Echanges Internationaux, Paris. Great Britain and Ireland: William Wesley & Son, 28 Essex street, Strand, London. Greece: United National and University Library, Athens. Guatemala: Instituto Nacional de Guatemala, Guatemala. Guadeloupe: (Same as France.) Haiti: Sécrétaire d'état des rélations extérieures, Port au Prince. Island: Islands Stiptisbokasafn, Reykjavík. Italy: Biblioteca Nazionale Vittorio Emanuele, Rome. Japan: Minister of Foreign Affairs, Tokio. Java: (Same as Holland.) Liberia Liberia College, Monrovia. Madeira: Director-General, Army Medical Department, London, England. Mauritius: Royal Society of Arts and Sciences, Port Louis. Mozambique: Sociedad de Geographia, Mozambique. Mexico: Sr. Ministro de Justicia e Instruccion Pública, City of Mexico. Newfoundland: Postmaster-General, St. Johns. New South Wales: Royal Society of New South Wales, Sydney. New Zealand: Colonial Museum, Wellington. Norway: Kongelige Norske Frederiks Universitet, Christiania. Peru: Biblioteca Nacionale, Lima. Philippine Islands: Royal Economical Society, Manilla. Polynesia: Department of Foreign Affairs, care of Capt. H. W. Mist, Honolulu. Portugal: Bibliotheca Nacional, Lisbon. Queensland: Government Meteorological Observatory, Brisbane. Roumania: (Same as Germany.) Russia: Commission Russe des Echanges Internationaux, Bibliothèque ImpérialePublique, St. Petersburg. St. Helena: Director General, Army Medical Department, London, England. San Salvador: Museo Nacional, San Salvador. Servia: (Same as Germany.) South Australia: Astronomical Observatory, Adelaide. Spain: R. Academia de Ciencias, Madrid. Sweden: Kongliga Sevenska Vetenskaps Akademien, Stockholm. Switzerland: Central Library, Bern. Tasmania: Royal Society of Tasmania, Hobarton. Turkey: Bibliothèque Générale Ottomane, Constantinople. Uruguay: Bureau de Statistique, Montevideo. Venezuela: University Library, Caracas. Victoria: Public Library, Museum, and National Gallery, Melbourne. RULES FOR THE TRANSMISSION OF SCIENTIFIC AND LITERARY EXCHANGES. 1. Transmissions through the Smithsonian Institution must be confined exclusively to books, pamphlets, charts, and other printed matter sent as donations or exchanges, and can not include those procured by purchase. The Institution and its agents will not knowingly receive for any address purchased books, nor apparatus and instruments, philosophical, medical, etc. (including microscopes), whether purchased or presented; nor specimens of natural history, except where special permission from the Institution has been obtained. 2. Before transmission, a list of packages, with the address on each package, is to be mailed by the sender to the Smithsonian Institution, when sent from the United States, or to the foreign agent of the Institution when sent from abroad. The Institution must be informed by mail of each sending on the day of transmission. 3. Packages must be legibly addressed and indorsed with the name of the sender. H, Mis. 224- -6 4. Packages must be enveloped in stout paper, securely closed, and tied with strong twine. 5. No package to a single address is allowed to exceed one-half of one cubic foot in bulk. 6. Packages must not contain letters, or written matter. 7. Packages must be delivered to the Smithsonian Institution or its foreign agents free of expense. 8. Packages must contain a blank acknowledgment, to be signed and returned by the party addressed. 9. If returns are desired, the fact should be explicitly stated on the package. 10. Packages received through the agency of the Smithsonian Institution must be acknowledged without delay by mail. 11. The Institution assumes no responsibility beyond that of the delivery of the packages. APPENDIX III. REPORT ON THE LIBRARY. SIR: I have the honor respectfully to submit my report on the work of the library during the year from July 1, 1888, to June 30, 1889. The work of recording and caring for accessions has been carried on as during the preceding year, the entry numbers on the accession-book running from 182,060 to 193,430. The following condensed statement shows the number and character of these accessions: PUBLICATIONS RECEIVED BETWEEN JULY 1, 1888, AND JUNE 30, 1889. Of these accessions. 4,810 (namely, 441 volumes, 3,752 parts of volumes, and 617 pamphlets) were retained for use in the Museum library, and 521 medical dissertations were deposited in the library of the Surgeon-General's Office, U. S. Army. The remainder were promptly sent to the Library of Congress on the Monday following their receipt. Among the most important additions to the list of serials during the year may be specified the following publications: |