incorporating the Institution, while it did not forbid the expenditure of a part of the income for other objects, authorized the formation of a Library, a Museum and a Gallery of Art, and the erection of a building, on a liberal scale, for their accommodation. It was, indeed, the opinion of many that the whole income ought to be expended on these objects. The Regents did not consider themselves at liberty to disregard the indications of Congress, and the opinion expressed in favor of collections; and after much discussion it was finally concluded to divide the income into two equal parts, and, after deducting the general expenses, to devote one half to the active operations set forth in the plan just described; and the other, to the formation of a Library, a Museum and a Gallery of Art.

It was evident, however, that the small income of the original bequest, though in itself sufficient to do much good in the way of active operation, was inadequate to carry out this more extended plan—to maintain the staff of attendants, and to defray other contingent expenses incidental to a large establishment of this kind. Besides the Secretary and an assistant to attend to the general operations, two principal assistants would be required, one to take charge of the Library and the other of the Museum of Natural History; and to these sufficient salaries must be given, to secure the services of men of the first reputation and talents in their respective lines. It, therefore, became absolutely necessary that the income should be increased; and in order to do this, it was proposed to save the greater part of the $242,000 of accrued interest which Congress had authorized to be expended in a building, by erecting, at a cost not to exceed $50,000, the nucleus of an edifice, which could be expanded as the wants of the Institution might require, and to add the remainder to the principal.

Unfortunately, however, for this proposition, Congress had presented to the Institution the great museum of the Exploring Expedition; and a majority of the Regents, supposing it necessary to make immediate provision for the accommodation of this gift, had taken preliminary steps, previous to my appointment, to construct a large building, and indeed a majority of the committee, to which the matter was referred, had determined to adopt the plan of the present edifice. Strenuous opposition was, however, made to this; and as a compromise, it was finally agreed to draw from the United States treasury $250,000 of accrued interest, and instead of expending this immediately in completing the plan of the proposed building, to invest it in treasury notes, then at par, and to finish the building in the course of five years, in part out of the interest of these notes, in part out of the sale of a portion of them, and also in part out of a portion of the annual interest accruing on the original bequest. It was estimated that in this way, at the end of five years, besides devoting $250,000 to the building, the annual income of the Institution would be increased from $30,000 to nearly $40,000, a sum sufficient to carry out all the provisions of the programme.

After the resolutions relative to the division of the income, between collections on the one hand and active operations on the other, had been adopted, and the plan of finance as to the building had been settled, I was requested to confer with persons of literary and scientific reputa

tion, and to digest into the form of a general programme the several resolutions of the Board. In the programme which was thus produced and afterwards adopted, it is attempted to harmonize the different propositions of the Board, and to render them all, library, collections, &c., as far as possible, subservient to a living, active organization. Though a valuable library will in time be accumulated, by donation and the exchange of the publications of the Institution, the design at first is to purchase only such books as are immediately necessary in the other operations of the Institution, or which cannot be procured in this country; and the Librarian is required to perform other duties than those which pertain to the office of an ordinary collector and curator of books. He is directed to report on plans of libraries, and the best method of managing them; to collect the statistics of the libraries of the United States; to make a general catalogue as far as possible of all the books in this country, and to procure all the information necessary for rendering the Institution a centre of bibliographical knowledge. Instead of attempting to form a miscellaneous collection of objects of nature and art, it is proposed to collect only those which will yield a harvest of new results, and to preserve principally such as are not found in other collections, or will serve to illustrate and verify the Smithsonian publications.

The tendency of an Institution in which collections form a prominent object, is constantly towards a stationary condition; with a given income, the time must inevitably come when the expenditures necessary to accommodate the articles with house room and attendance will just equal the receipts. There is indeed no plan by which the funds of an institution may be more inefficiently expended, than that of filling a costly building with an indiscriminate collection of objects of curiosity, and giving these in charge to a set of inactive curators. Happily, the programme of organization and the system of expenditure which the Regents have adopted, if rigidly adhered to, will prevent this state of things, and happily the spirit of the present directors and officers who are to give the initial form to the character of the Institution, is in accordance with as active operations as the state of the funds and requisitions, of Congress will allow.

It is to be regretted that Congress did not leave the entire choice of the plan of organization to those who were to be entrusted with the management of the bequest, and that, instead of the plan of a costly building, there had not been adopted the nucleus of a more simple edifice, which could have been modified to meet the wants which experience might indicate.

The original estimate for the building, furniture, and improvement of the grounds was $250,000; and could the actual cost have been confined to this sum, all the results anticipated from the scheme of finance which had been adopted would have been realized at the end of five years. During the past year, however, it has been found necessary, for the better protection of the collections, to order the fire-proofing of the interior of the edifice, at an increased expense of $44,000. This additional draft on the funds can only be met by extending the time for the completion of the building; and even this will require the appropriation of a portion of the income which ought to be devoted to other

purposes. The active operations will suffer most by this draft on the income, since it will be made for the better accommodation of the library and the museum.

It must not be inferred, from the foregoing account, that the affairs of the Institution are in an unfavorable condition; on the contrary, though they are not in every respect what could be wished, still, under the circumstances I have mentioned, they are much better than could have been anticipated. The funds are in a very prosperous state, and all the obstacles in the way of the usefulness of the establishment, may, by judicious management, in time be removed. The opposition which was made to the building, led to the adoption of the plan of finance to which I have heretofore adverted, and from this has been realized much more than could have been expected.

After all the expenditures which have been made on the building, grounds, publications, researches, purchase of books and apparatus, not only is the original bequest untouched, but there is now on hand upwards of $200,000 of accrued interest. This will be sufficient to finish the exterior of the building, including all the towers, the interior of the wings, ranges, and a part of the interior of the main edifice which will afford sufficient accommodation for some years to come, and leave $150,000 to be added to the principal.

This result has been produced by a rigid adherence to the determination of increasing the annual income; and in accordance with this, and in obedience to 'the direction of the Board of Regents, a petition has been presented to Congress, asking that $150,000 may be taken from the Institution and placed in the treasury of the United States, on the same terms as those of the acceptance of the original bequest, never to be expended, and yielding a perpetual interest of six per cent.

If this petition be granted, all the funds will be permanently and safely invested, and the original income will be increased from $30,000 to nearly $40,000. Out of this, beside carrying on the more important object of the plan, it is proposed to appropriate yearly a small sum for the gradual completion of the interior of the building.

The great importance of a small addition to the income will be evident, when it is recollected that a definite sum is annually required to defray the necessary expenses of the establishment, and that after this has been provided, every addition will tend to produce a greater proportional amount of useful effect. The proposed increase will be suf ficient to pay all the salaries of the officers, and leave the original income in a great measure free to be applied to the objects contemplated in the plan.

At the last meeting of the Board, Professor Baird, of Dickinson College, Pennsylvania, a gentleman distinguished for his attainments in science, was appointed an Assistant Secretary in the department of natural history. His appointment was made at this time more particularly in order that his services might be secured to take charge of the publications, and that we might avail ourselves of the ample experience which he had gained in this line. He entered on his duties in July last, and besides being actively engaged in organizing the department of natural history, he has rendered important service in conducting our foreign exchanges and attending to the business of the press.

No person, except from amount of labor required The correspondence alone.

This addition to our force was absolutely necessary to a more efficient discharge of the duties which devolve on us. actual experience, can form an idea of the for the transaction of the ordinary business is sufficient to occupy two persons continually during the usual office hours.

During the past year one half of the whole income has been appropriated to the building; and after deducting the general expenses, the remainder has been equally divided between the two great classes of objects designated in the plan. The portion of the income after these divisions, which could be devoted to any one object, has been necessarily small; for example, all that could be expended for researches, publications, and lectures, and indeed for every thing of which the public at a distance could take immediate cognizance, has not exceeded $4,500, and yet out of this sum we have been expected to produce results for which the whole income would be entirely inadequate. I trust, however, that a proper consideration of the facts presented in the remainder of this report, will show that much has been done in proportion to the means at our command.

Publication of Original Memoirs.

The important aid which can be rendered to the promotion of knowledge by the publication, and in some cases by assistance in the preparation of important memoirs, is now beyond all question. Experience has thus far abundantly shown that much more matter of the most valuable character will be presented for publication, free of all charge, than the portion of the income devoted to this object will allow us to publish. Indeed, there is now on hand, or in preparation, more material of this kind than we shall be able, with our limited income, to give to the world in two or three years. In view of this fact, I cannot repress the expression of regret which I have always felt, that the restrictions arising from the requisitions of Congress do not permit a greater expenditure for this most important object. It is chiefly by the publications of the Institution that its fame is to be spread through the world, and the monument most befitting the name of Smithson erected to his

memory.

Most of the distinguished foreign literary and scientific societies have placed the Institution on their list of exchange, and in many instances have presented not only the current volume of their transactions, but also full sets of the preceding volumes. We have reason to believe that before the expiration of another year, we shall receive in exchange. the transactions of nearly all the learned societics of the world, and that the Institution will be recognised by them as an active co-operator in the promotion of knowledge. Professor Baird has furnished a list of the literary and scientific societies to which the quarto volumes have been presented.

The following Memoirs, an account of which was given in my last report, have been printed, or are now in press:

1. Researches relative to the planet Neptune; by S. C. Walker. 2. Contributions to the Physical Geography of the United States; by Charles Ellet, Jr.

3. Memoir on the Explosiveness of Nitre; by Dr. Robert Hare. 4. On the Aboriginal Monuments of the State of New York; by E. G. Squier.

5. Memoir on the Reciprocal Action of two, Galvanic Currents; by A. Secchi, of Georgetown College.

6. On the Classification of Insects, from Embryological Data; by Professor Louis Agassiz.

7. Monograph of Mosasaurus and the allied Genera; by Dr. R. W. Gibbes.

Besides these, several other papers not described in my last report have been printed, and are ready for separate distribution. The first of these I shall mention is by Professor Lieber, of the College of South Carolina, on the vocal sounds of Laura Bridgman, the blind and deaf mute, whose mind, apparently forever consigned to darkness, has been almost miraculously enlightened, by the sagacity, ingenuity, and perseverance of Dr. Howe.

There is, perhaps, at this time, no living human being who offers to the psychologist so attractive an object of study as this individual; and hence every observation relative to her peculiar habits is of great interest. Dr. Lieber has, from year to year, during his summer vacations, been in the habit of visiting Laura Bridgman, and on one occasion spent three months in her immediate neighborhood for the purpose of studying the sounds which she utters as indicative of ideas. These sounds consist principally of such as she volutarily adopted to designate different individuals. The results of the observations given in this paper are accompanied by a series of philosophical deductions and suggestions which cannot fail to interest the psychologist and physiologist. This memoir is illustrated by an engraved fuc simile of a letter from Laura Bridgman's own hand.

The next paper is by Professor Bailey of West Point. This gentleman has rendered himself favorably known to the world of science by his researches on minute animals and plants, which, though mostly unseen by the naked eye, are found as widely distributed, and as permanent and definite in character, as the largest organized objects in nature. This paper gives the results of a series of microscopic observations which the author made during his sojourn in the southern part of the United States, whither he was ordered last winter on account of his health. It designates numerous localities of microscopic animals and plants, and furnishes lists of the species found in each. It also contains a series of tables presenting a number of species with the different localities where each was found. The species so classed include those of the Desmi diæ, Diatomaceæ, Infusoriæ, and Algæ. Following these is a description of numerous other species, most of which are represented by lithographic figures.

Among the interesting facts arrived at by the author, are the discovery of an extensive stratum of fossil infusoriæ near Tampa Bay, Florida; the existence of infusoriæ in the rice fields of the south; and the demonstration of the cosmopolite character of many microscopic objects hitherto believed to exist only in Europe.

Another paper by the same author, but presented to the Institution by Professor Bache, Superintendent of the U. S. Coast Survey, has refer