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REPORT OF THE SECRETARY FOR 1859.

To the Board of Regents:

GENTLEMEN: I have the honor again to present to you the history
of the transactions of the Smithsonian Institution for another year,
and I am happy to be able, at the beginning of my report, to state
that nothing has occurred since your last session to interfere with the
successful prosecution of the several objects embraced in the plan of |
organization.

The funds of the establishment are still in a good condition: the
original bequest of Smithson remains in the treasury of the United
States; the extra fund which was saved from the annual income, is
still invested in State stocks, which have since the last meeting of the
Board considerably increased in marketable value, and could now be
sold for more than was paid for them. The accumulation of half a
year’s income in the treasury at the beginning of last year has enabled
us to pay in cash for all the materials purchased and labor performed
on account of the Institution, and has thus not only been the means of
a saving by reduction in the cost of the operations, but also of pre-
venting the embarrassment and anxiety which has sometimes been felt
on account of outstanding debts, besides enabling us more readily to
adapt the expenditures to the several items of appropriation.

The Institution, during the past year, by its publications, exchanges,
researches, &c., has sustained the reputation it had previously ac-
quired, and has continued gradually to extend the sphere of its
influence and usefulness. By its persevering efforts to carry out the
will of the founder, it has succeeded in rendering familiar to the public
mind in the United States the three fundamental distinctions in regard
to knowledge, which must have an important bearing on the future
advance of science in this country: namely, the increase of knowledge,
the diffusion of knowledge, and the practical application of knowledge
to useful purposes in the arts.

It is of the highest importance to the well-being of our race that each
of these distinctions should be recognized, and that each of the pro-
cesses to which they relate should receive encouragement and support.

14 REPORT OF THE SECRETARY.

In our country, however, they have not all met with an equal share
of attention, and at the beginning of this Institution the confusion
of ideas on this subject was so great that in the interpretation of the
will, even by some of our prominent and enlightened men, the diffu-
sion of knowledge was identified with its increase; and it was con-
tended that Smithson had used the terms as synonymous, and desired
by the one merely to enforce the other. But that this was not the
case may be gathered from the meaning attached to these terms hy
the class of men to which he belonged. ‘‘ While we may truly exult,”’
says one of his eminent contemporaries,* ‘‘in the awakening of the
national intellect, we must remember that diffusion and advancement
are two very different processes, and that each may exist independent
of the other. It is very essential, therefore, when we speak of the
diffusion or extension of science, that we do not confound these stages
of development with discovery or advancement, since the latter may be
as different from the former as depth is from shallowness.’’

That the diffusion of knowledge has been an object of solicitude to
the enlightened legislatures of almost every State in the Union is
evinced by the provision which has been made for libraries, schools,
academies, and colleges. The practical application of science to the
useful arts has received direct encouragement from the general gov-
ernment by the enactment of patent laws and the establishment of the
Patent Office. The fact, however, does not appear to have been so
constantly before the public mind that the advance of science or the
discovery of new truths, irrespective of their immediate application,
is also a matter of great importance, and eminently worthy of patron-
age and support. The progress of society and the increase of the
comfort and happiness of the human family depend as a basis on the
degree of our knowledge of the laws by which Divine Wisdom con-
ducts the affairs of the universe. He has created us with rational souls,
and endowed us with faculties to comprehend in some measure the
modes in which the operations of nature are effected; and just in
proportion to the advance we make by patient and persevering study,
in the knowledge of those modes or laws, are we enabled to apply
the forces of nature to our own use, and to avert the dangers to which
we are exposed from our ignorance of their varied influences.

“Mr. Swainson. Cabinet Cyclopedia, 1834.

REPORT OF THE SECRETARY. 15

Nearly all the great inventions which distinguish the present cen-
tury are the results, immediately or remotely, of the application of
scientific principles to practical purposes, and in most cases these
applications have been suggested by the student of nature, whose
primary object was the discovery of abstract truth. The statement
cannot be too often repeated that each branch of knowledge is con-
nected with every other, and that no light can be gained in regard to
one which is not reflected upon all. ‘Thus researches which at first
sight appear the farthest removed from useful application, are in time
found to have an important bearing on the advance of art, and conse-
quently on the progress of society. To illustrate this position, I shall
take the liberty of trespassing on your time with a few instances
gleaned from the history of inventions.

Astronomy was not studied by Kepler, Galileo, or Newton for the
practical applications which might result from it, but to enlarge the
bounds of knowledge, to furnish new objects of thought and contem-
plation in regard to the universe of which we form a part; yet how
remarkable the influence which this science, apparently so far removed
from the sphere of our material interests, has exerted on the desti-
nies of the world! Without its guidance what would navigation have
remained but a timid exploration of coasts and inlets, leaving the
fairest portions of the earth to be the heritage of rude and idolatrous
tribes? The steam-engine, in its improved form, is due to the labo-
rious scientific researches of Black, Watt, and Robinson, and the new
theory of heat, which is now occupying so much of the attention of
the abstract physicist, has lately served to modify our views of this
agent, and to develop new and important facts in regard to it which
will tend to economize its power, and increase the means of rendering
it more effectually the obedient slave of intelligent man.

In the year 1739, the Rev. Dr. Clayton communicated to the Royal
Society his discovery of what he called the ‘‘spirit of coal,’’ which
he confined in a bladder, and showed its burning powers as it
issued from a puncture in the membrane. Sixty years after this Mr.
Murdock, of Manchester, applied this discovery to the purpose of
illumination; and what was at first a mere object of scientific research
has now become, from its almost universal employment, a necessity
of civilized life. |

Early in the present century Davy published an account of a dis-
covery he had made of the effect produced on the nervous system by

16 REPORT OF THE SECRETARY.

the respiration of nitrous oxide, a substance due to chemical research.
It was ascertained that the inhalation of the vapor of ether, another
chemical product, produced a similar effect, and these facts, many
years afterwards, were applied by Jackson and Morton, in our own
country, for the purpose of producing insensibility to pain, and thus
to relieve an incalculable amount of human misery, and to ameliorate
in a measure the original curse to which our race has been subjected.

Dr. Priestley, in the course of a laborious series of investigations
relative to the different kinds of air, subjected, on the 1st of August,
1774, to the heat of a burning lens (which is now, through the liber-
ality of one of his grandsons, the property of this institution) a
quantity of calcined mercury, and evolved from it a gas since known
by the name of oxygen, a discovery which led to a knowledge of the
composition of the atmosphere, and finally to the improvement of
almost the entire circle of the chemical arts.

About the middle of the last century Franklin devoted his sagacious
mind to what was deemed by some of his friends a trifling pursuit—
the study of the phenomena produced by the friction of different
substances when rubbed together. But from this investigation he
deduced his admirable theory of electrical induction, and the fact
of the action of points at a distance, on which was founded the pro-
tection of buildings from lightning, and which, with the additional
discoveries of Volta, Oersted, and others, has given to the world the
electrical telegraph.

These are instances of investigations commenced without any idea
of immediate practical utility. They exemplify discoveries made
by men who studied science for its own sake, and received no other
reward than the consciousness of enlarging the bounds of human

thought, while it was left to others to gather a rich pecuniary har-

vest from what they had so effectually sown.

‘Tt is the destiny of the sciences,’’ says Fontanelle, ‘‘ which must
necessarily be in the hands of a few, that the utility of their progress
should be invisible to the greater part of mankind, especially if those
sciences are associated with unobtrusive pursuits. Let a greater
facility in using our navigable waters and opening new lines of com-
munication but once exist, simply because at present we know vastly
better how to level the ground and construct locks and flood-gates—
what does it amount to? The workmen have had their labors lightened,
but they themselves have not the least idea of the skill of the

"REPORT OF THE SECRETARY. re

geometer who directed them; they have been put in motion nearly
as the body is by a soul of which it knows nothing; the rest of the
world has even less perception of the genius which presided over the
enterprise, and enjoys the success it has attained only with a species
of ingratitude.’’ |

But it is not alone the material advantages which the world enjoys
from the study of abstract science on which its claims are founded.
Were all further applications of its principles to practical purposes
to cease, it would still be entitled to commendation and support
on account of its more important effects upon the general mind. It
offers unbounded fields of pleasurable, healthful, and ennobling ex-
ercise to the-restless intellect of man, expanding his powers and
enlarging his conceptions of the wisdom, the energy, and the benefi-
cence of the Great Ruler of the universe.

From these considerations, then, and others of a like kind, I am fully
justified in the assertion that this Institution has done good service
in placing prominently before the country the importance of original
research, and that its directors are entitled to commendation for
having so uniformly and persistently kept in view the fact that it
was not intended for educational or immediately practical purposes,
but for the encouragement of the study of theoretical principles and
the advancement of abstract knowledge.

Smithson declares his bequest to be for the increase of knowledge
and the diffusion of this among men, being well aware that a single new
truth added to the general stock must affect man for good in all times
and all places. We doubt not that when the importance of the
abstract speculations of science is more generally and more justly
appreciated, individuals who are favored by Providence with those
peculiarities of mind which fit them for the advancement of science
will be set apart as the priests or interpreters of nature, and be
furnished liberally with the means necessary to benefit their fellow men
by the discovery of new principles. The grand philosophical vision of
the father of modern science, which has waited so long for its ful-
filment, will then be realized, ‘‘by the union and co-operation of all
in building up and perfecting’’ that House of Solomon, (as Bacon
quaintly termed it,) ‘‘the end of which is the knowledge of causes
and of the secret motions of things, and the enlarging of the bounds
of human empire to the effecting of all things possible.’’

2

1s REPORT OF THE SECRETARY.

Publications. —The publications of the Institution are now divided
into three classes: the ‘‘ Contributions to Knowledge,’’ in quarto
form; the ‘‘ Annual Reports’’ to Congress, and the ‘‘ Miscellaneous
Collections,’’ in octavo.

The eleventh volume of Smithsonian Contributions is nearly ready
for distribution, and will contain a number of original memoirs, which
are presented to the world as additions to knowledge of sufficient

importance to warrant their publication by the funds of the Institu-

tion. The fact, however, should be recollected that the Institution
does not merely publish these volumes, but, as a general rule, extends
its assistance to the original researches of which the papers published
contain the results, sometimes by furnishing the subjects or materials
of observation, and sometimes by defraying the whole or a part of
the expenses incident to such researches.

The first memoir contained in this volume is on North American
Oology, by Dr. Thomas M. Brewer, of Boston, an account of which
was given in a previous report. The text of this work was printed
in 1857, but the preparation of the plates to accompany it not being
completed, it could not be included in any volume previous to the
eleventh. Copies, however, of the paper had been presented sepa-
rately to some of the principal naturalists of this country‘and Hurope,
and the work has been received with approbation as an important.
addition to the branch of natural history on which it treats.

The second paper is on the total eclipse of the sun, September 7,
1858, as observed near Olmos, Peru, by Lieutenant Gilliss, United
States navy, illustrated by a plate of the appearance of the sun
during the total obscuration. A full account of this paper is given
in the last report of the Institution.

The third memoir in the eleventh volume has the following title:
‘Discussion of the Magnetic and Meteorological Observations made
at the Girard College Observatory, Philadelphia, from 1840 to 1845,
by A. D. Bache, LL.D.’”’ Part 1. Investigation of the eleven-
year period in the amplitude of the solar-diurnal variation, and of
the disturbances of the magnetic declination.

About twenty years ago the British Association organized a series
of cotemporaneous magnetic and meteorological observations at dif-
ferent colonial positions in the British empire, with which most of
the civilized governments of the world co-operated. No assistance,

REPORT OF THE SECRETARY. 19

however, was rendered to the enterprise in this country, except in
the mstance here referred to, in which the observations were con-
ducted by Dr. Bache, at Philadelphia, by means of funds supplied
by the members of the American Philosophical Society and the Topo-
graphical Bureau of the United States, and with instruments furnished
by Girard College. This series of observations commenced in May,
1840, and, with short interruptions, terminated in June, 1845, thus
furnishing a record extending over five years, for three or four
months of which the observations were made bi-hourly, and for the
remainder of the time hourly. <A general reduction of these observa-
tions was published in 1847, by order of Congress, in three octavo
volumes, with an atlas of diagrams. The records, however, contained
facts of great interest, which, owing to the laborious duties of Pro-
fessor Bache, could not then be deduced from them, and he has since
renewed the investigation, with the aid of Mr. Schott, and the present
paper gives an account of the first results which have thus been
obtained. '

To present the bearing of the interesting researches exhibited in
this paper on the progress of science, it may be proper to state that
the magnetic force of the earth is almost constantly disturbed, both
in direction and intensity.

1. It is subject to a change which appears to complete its cycle in
a large number of years, for the determination of which it is necessary
to know the magnetic state of various places on the globe simul-
taneously at a given epoch, and again after the lapse of several years.
2. It is subjected to a change which is completed in the course of a
year; and 3d, another which runs through its course in a single day.

Beside these regular disturbances, there is another series of varia-
tions, large in magnitude, denominated magnetic storms, which have
been, until lately, considered as fitful, appearing to observe no law,
but which were manifest over a considerable part of the earth’s
surface. These, however apparently irregular as to the individual
instances, are in all probability, as has been shown by General Sabine,
subject to a law of more frequency of occurrence in certain years.

The object of Professor Bache’s paper is to investigate from the
data furnished by the Girard observations, the law of recurrence of
‘the latter disturbances. Since this has not as yet been accurately
ascertained, and every independent series of observations when pro-
perly discussed is of great value in giving more precision to our

20 REPORT OF THE SECRETARY.

knowledge of one of the most remarkable classes of phenomena pre-
sented in the whole course of physical science, the results of this
discussion cannot but be received with much interest by the scientific
world.

As the magnetic needle, for example, may be considered as sub-
jected at the same time to different forces, each tending to produce
one of the variations we have mentioned, it becomes a subject of nice
inquiry to eliminate the several effects, and to obtain the magnitude
and period of each separately. In the case under consideration it
was necessary to separate more especially the large apparently fitful
variations from the regular daily ones. To effect this, the process
proposed by Professor Peirce, of Cambridge, and founded on the
doctrine of probabilities, was employed as a criterion in judging as
to the magnitude of a disturbance which should be considered as be-
longing to the class under consideration, and it was finally concluded
that all disturbances which exceeded 3’.64 of an arc were abnormal,
and accordingly all observations differing by that amount or more from
their mean monthly values were marked. Next, a new hourly mean
was taken, omitting the values so marked, and each observation again
examined in reference to deviations from this new mean, and so on—
the last mean thus obtained for each hour during each month gave
what was considered the normal daily curve.

From this it appears that the north end of the needle reaches its
greatest eastern position between 7 and 8 o’ clock in the forenoon, and
its greatest western deviation about 1 o'clock in the afternoon.

The author next proceeds to discuss the large disturbances, and
from these he deduces the fact that a principal maximum of disturb-
‘ances occurs in October, a smaller one in April, and the two minima,
nearly equal to each other, occur in the months of February and
June.

The diurnal variation arising from the large disturbances presents
one maximum and one minimum; its most prominent feature is the
easterly deflection, which occurs about a quarter after 8 o'clock
p. m., at which hour the maximum deflection amounts to 32” of an
arc; the great westerly deflection takes place at a quarter past 6
a.m., and en an average amounts to 14”.

These variations are compared with deductions made from similar
observations at Toronto, and are found to be the same in kind, but
less in magnitude.

REPORT OF THE SECRETARY. 21

The whole discussion clearly indicates a law of recurrence in the
frequency of the large disturbances, although the period over which
the observations extend was not sufficient to determine the interval.
The observations, however, indicate with great precision the time of
the minimum, the rate of diminution as the disturbances diminish in
approaching this period, and their increase as they recede from it.
The minimum thus found, of frequency of large disturbances, occurred
in August, 1843.

The establishment of the elements of a law of periodicity in rela-
tion to changes of the magnetic force which, from the time they were
first noticed until within a few years past, were regarded as entirely
irregular, is in its relation to terrestrial magnetism a fact of import-
ance; but the value of this is highly increased when it is found that
these disturbances are connected with changes in matter foreign to
our earth. To realize this, we must refer to a series of persevering
observations made day by day for thirty years on the spots of the
sun, by an astronomer named Schwabe, in an obscure town of Ger-
many. This devotion to an apparently unfertile field of inquiry was
finally rewarded by the discovery that the spots on the sun’s disc are
subject to a regular law of recurrence, and that they pass through the
phases of periods of greatest and least frequency in about eleven years;
but strange to say, it was afterwards announced by General Sabine that
the period of recurrence of large magnetic disturbances coincides
both in duration and its epoch of maximum with the period discovered
by Schwabe in reference to the solar spots; that is, that at the period
of greatest disturbances there occurs the maximum number of spots,
and vice versa. The investigations of Professor Bache serve to
establish this conclusion, and to furnish additional elements for amore
accurate comparison. From these results it is clear that the sun
exerts an influence on the magnetism of the earth which depends on
the existing state of its own luminous atmosphere, affording another
example to be added to other illustrations of the same truth, that
scientific researches, if skilfully and perseveringly continued, will
always lead to valuable results, and often to those which could not
have been anticipated by any previous conceptions.

The volumes of records of the Girard observations, which present
on casual examination immense series of tabulated figures in which
no law or regularity is observable, when scientifically studied and
properly interpreted, are thus found to yield truths of the highest.

22 REPORT OF THE SECRETARY.

interest. Professor Bache proposes to continue his inquiries and ex-
tend his investigation to the influence of the moon and other agents
on the magnetism of the earth. He has already finished a second
paper on these discussions, and has a third in a state of considerable
advancement. These will probably form a part of the twelfth volume
of the Contributions. —

The eleventh volume also contains a second series of the discussions
of the physical observations made by Dr. Kane during his last voyage
to the Arctic regions, the first part of which, or that relating to ter-
restrial magnetism, was published in the tenth volume of Contributions.
This second part relates to meteorology, and was prepared for publi-
cation in the intervals of his official duties by Chas. A. Schott, esq.,
assistant in the United States Coast Survey, under the direction of
Prof. Bache, and at the expense of the Smithsonian funds. This
memoir not only forms an interesting and important addition to
meteorology, which will tend to connect the name of our lamented
countryman with this branch of science, but also furnishes a model
for imitation, of the method in which observations of this character
ought to be reduced and discussed in order that they may best sub-
serve the advancement of science.

The following account of some of the points of the memoir and of
the facts developed will probably be generally interesting and serve
to illustrate its value: ;

The observations were made at Van Rensselaer harbor, on the
western coast of Greenland, and extend over a period of two winters
and a considerable part of two summers, during which the vessel was
constantly frozen in the ice.

They show in a very striking manner the constant and laborious
occupation of the little party in their lone abode, records having
been made at every hour of the day and night during the whole
period. It would be out of place in this report to give a full account
of all the subjects discussed in this memoir, and I shall therefore
only glance at a few of the most prominent points, referring to the
paper itself for a full exposition of its more valuable contents. It
consists of three parts-—_the first is on temperature, the second on
winds, the third on atmospheric pressure. The first part, viz. that
on temperature, gives the observations for every hour, from which
are deduced the diurnal and annual variations of the thermometer,
the influence of the different winds on the temperature, and an

REPORT OF THE SECRETARY. 23

4
analysis of the recurrence of cold periods during the winter; tables
deduced from the daily observations for ascertaining the corrections
required to be applied to observations made only once or twice a
day in order to obtain the mean temperature of places within the
arctic circle; and, finally, observations to determine the diminution
of temperature with an increase of elevation.

Beside the corrected records of the motion of the air, the second

part of the memoir contains the resultant direction, the average
force, the mean velocity, the quantity, the frequency, and the dura-
tion of the winds. The third part contains not only the record of
the pressure, but also a comparison of the mercurial and aneroid
barometers, the diurnal and annual variation, the regular fluctuations
of the monthly and annual extremes of pressure.
_ The expedition was supplied with thirty-six mercurial thermome-
ters, four maximum and minimum thermometers, twenty-four spirit
thermometers of different sizes, including two standards and a regis-
ter thermometer of thirty-six inches in length. A laborious series of
the different readings of these instruments, particularly at low tem-
peratures, was made, from which have been deduced corrections to
be applied to the records prepared for publication. The differences
exhibited by the spirit thermometers at low temperatures was referred
to the unequal contraction of colored alcohol not chemically pure.
This liquid, when exposed to a great degree of cold, appeared to
change its condition, the coloring matter being deposited on the sides
of the tube. The lowest temperature observed during the first
winter, 1853-54, was, February 6, —66°.4; and during the second
winter, 1854—55, occurred, January 8, —65 .5.

The highest temperature observed was July 23, 1854, +51°, giving
an absolute difference of 1179.4. The diurnal maximum or highest
temperature of the day occurred in October and November, about
one hour before noon, and in April and May, three hours after noon.

In the months of October, November, and December there are two
points of low temperature each day—one at 6 a. m., and the other at
about 9 p. m.; during the remaining months of the year there is one
minimum during the twenty-four hours, which occurs at 1 a. m.

It was a fortunate circumstance that the observations extended
over two winters, and thus gave a more exact mean for that season.
The warmest month is July, the coldest March; the temperature of
December, however, does not differ much from the latter. The

DA REPORT OF THE SECRETARY.

highest mean monthly temperature seems to occur almost exactly in
the middle of July, and the lowest point would probably have been
found in February if the series had been extended over several
winters. The mean temperature of winter, namely, of December,

January, and February, was —28°.59; of spring, —10°.59; sum-
mer, +33°.38; autumn, —4°.03. The mean temperature for the
whole year was —2°.46. The temperature was always lowest

during calms, and rose with the springing up of a wind from any
quarter.

There is also a great regularity in the elevation of temperature
during the hours of the fall of snow; on an average the sensible heat
was increased during this period 7°.7. In seventeen months it
snowed during six hundred and eighty hours, and rained during sixty
hours.

A series of recurrmg periods of cold was observed, which Dr. Kane
seemed inclined to consider as intimately connected with the phases
of the moon, and on this point a series of elaborate investigations
was made by Mr. Schott, from which it was found that in a period
of six days on an average the cycle was completed, and that the
lowest temperatures are reached about the time of full moon. Setting
aside some small deviations in the regularity of the curves of tem-
perature, there is not a single exception to the correspondence of the
greatest cold near the epoch of full moon, and of least cold near the
time of the new moon. It should be observed, however, that since,
from the observations made at this Institution, the waves, as it were,
of cold air which reduce the temperature of the United States,
frequently begin several days earlier at the extreme west, the same
coincidence as to identity of occurrence of the maximum cold with
any particular phase of the moon cannot be true of all points on the
surface of the earth, although the period of recurrence may, as in the
case of the tides at different places, be governed by that luminary.

A series of comparative observations at the level of the sea and at
the top of the mast of the brig, at eighty feet elevation, was taken
during the months of August, September, and October, from which
is deduced a diminution of temperature of 1° for two hundred and
ten feet of elevation.

The direction of the wind was noted in the original records with
reference to the magnetic points of the compass, and the mean results

REPORT OF THE SECRETARY. 25

~

determined in regard to the true north. It appears from all the
observations that the true direction of the wind is from the eastward,
varying in the several months northward and southward. There is
but one exception, namely, in June; the wind then veers round to
the westward of south. The resulting direction for the whole year
is almost exactly east; in winter it is E.N.E. and in summer S.E. by S.

The greatest quantity of air which moves over the place during
the year comes from a direction north of east.

The predominance of calms is a circumstance quite characteristic
of this region. The number of hours of winds recorded was 3,697,
and those of still weather 5,063.

The snow or rain wind is between N.N.H. and E.S.E., or from the
direction of the Spitzbergen sea, and also from the opposite direction
of 8.8. W., or that of the upper Baffin’s bay. From the northwestern
quarter there was hardly any precipitation.

During the whole period there were recorded thirteen gales, with
a duration of not less than two hours. They do not appear to be
confined to any particular season of the year, and on the average
continue about seven hours.

These records are of great interest in enabling us to ascertain
whether the great storms which pass over the United States can be
traced into the Arctic regions.

For observations on atmospheric pressure the expedition was pro-
vided with amercurial barometer and two aneroids, and from a series
of reductions of the observations of these instruments it is concluded
that the indications of the aneroid may generally be relied on to
within nearly one hundredth of an inch.

Owing to the small amplitude in the oscillations of the barometer,
and the magnitude of occasional disturbances, the law of diurnal
variation is apparently subject to considerable fluctuations. The
principal maximum is reached about one o’clock p. m.; the evening
maximum at about ten p. m., in conformity with the general law
deduced from observations in the northern hemisphere... The one
p- m. minimum seems to occur about three hours earlier than is
indicated at more southern stations.

The average maximum height of the barometer is above the mean
in the months of January, February, March, April, and May, and
descends below the mean in the remaining summerand autumn months.
The general law observed in other parts of the world, that the height

26 REPORT OF THE SECRETARY.

of the barometer is less in summer than in winter, is prominently
exhibited.

The mean height of the barometer for the whole time was 29.775
inches, which is less than that for places under the tropics; and it
should be stated that Van Rensselaer harbor is fourteen degrees
farther north than the latitude 64° in which the height of the
barometer is a minimum.

The fluctuations in the height of the barometer were greater in
winter than in summer. The greatest pressure, 30.97 inches, oc-
curred in the morning of January 22, 1855; the lowest, 28.84 inches,
occurred near noon of February 19, 1854. Little change was ob-
served in the barometer during the fall of snow.

The barometer fell during the blowing of all the winds except those
from about north by east and southeast. *y

The observations indicate that the hottest winds are from the north-
east, one-half east, and the maximum atmospheric pressure nearly
east.

This memoir was referred for critical examination to Professor
Peirce, of Cambridge, and Professor Chauvenet, of St. Louis.

The next memoir is by Dr. John Le Conte, of Philadelphia, and is
intended to give a catalogue of the Coleoptera or beetles known to
inhabit the middle and eastern portions of the great central region of
temperate North America. The province here treated of includes
Kansas, a portion of Nebraska, and the eastern part of New Mexico.
Its eastern limit is well defined, but its other boundaries are indefinite,
since it there fades imperceptibly into other provinces of the same great
zoological district. The descriptions of new species are principally
from specimens furnished through the Smithsonian Institution from
collections made by different explorers connected with the surveys of
the officers of the United States army.

Before proceeding to describe the special materials used in the
preparation of the memoir, the author gives a short sketch of the
results already obtained in regard to the geographical distribution of
coleopterous insects in this country, illustrated by a map on which
the several regions are distinguished by different colors. From this
map it appears that the whole area of the United States is divided by
nearly meridianal lines into three or perhaps four zoological districts,
distinguished each by numerous peculiar genera and species, which,
with few exceptions, do not extend into the contiguous districts.

REPORT OF THE SHCRETARY. 2h

These districts are divided into a number of provinces of unequal size,
which are limited by differences in climate, and are therefore some-
times distinctly and sometimes vaguely defined.

The mode of distribution of species in the Atlantic and Pacific
districts is entirely different. Inthe Atlantic districts a large number
of species are distributed over a great extent of country; many species
are of rare occurrence, and in passing over a distance of several hun-
dred miles but small variation will be found to exist. In the Pacific
district a small number of species are confined to a limited region of
country. Most species occur in considerable number, and in travel-
ling even one hundred miles it is found that the most abundant species
are replaced by others, but of a similar character.

The object of the memoir is to give an account of what is known
of this class of insects in ,Kansas, upper Texas, and Arizona, and to
furnish means for facilitating the further exploration of the whole
country in regard to the same animals.

This will undoubtedly be considered a valuable addition to a branch
of zoology which, however insignificant it may appear to the popular
mind, is not only connected with questions of interest in relation to
abstract science, but also with the economical resources of the
country.

The memoir, beside the colored map to which we have alluded, is
illustrated by two engraved plates.

The next paper consists of the result of magnetical and hypsomet-
rical observations in Mexico, to which is appended notes on the
volcano of Popocatepetl and its vicinity. ’

In 1856 Baron Von Muller undertook an exploration of Mexico in
reference to its natural history, and proposed to the Smithsonian
Institution to make in its behalf a magnetic survey of the same country.
This offer having been accepted, an appropriation was made from the
Smithsonian fund to pay a portion of the salary of Mr. Sonntag, the
assistant of Baron Von Muller; and the magnetic instruments which
had been previously lent to Dr. Kane, and used by Mr. Sonntag
himself, as one of the assistants of that lamented explorer in his last
Arctic exploration, were furnished to the expedition for the contem-
plated survey. Several records of the unreduced observations made
at a number of places in Mexico, were at different times transmitted to
the Institution previous to the return of Baron Von Muller to Germany,
after which nothing more was obtained; and after considerable delay

28 REPORT OF THE SECRETARY.

we were informed by him that he had been robbed in Mexico, and that
the instruments had been captured and destroyed. Not having re-
ceived a final report from Baron Von Miiller, to render the observa-
tions which had been obtained from Mexico available to science, they
were placed in the hands of Mr. Sonntag on his return to Washington,
and have beenreduced by him at the expense of the Institution. He
has also appended a series of notes relative to the volcano of Popo-
eatepetl and its vicinity, and also a series of barometrical and trigo-
nometrical measurements of heights of various places in the vicinity
of the city of Mexico. The observations included those for the
declination or variation, the inclination or dip, and, lastly, those for
the relative intensity of the magnetic force. A series of observations
for each of these elements was made at the following places, namely,
Vera Cruz, Potrero, Cocolapam, San Andres, Mirador, city of Mexico,
Chalco, and Tlamacas. The average variation of the needle from the
whole series of observations was about 83° east; at the city of Mexico
it was 8° 46’ east. The average dip for the whole region was about
423°, and for the city of Mexico 41° 26’.

_ The interesting fact is noted in the appendix that the southwestern
wall of all the recent Mexican craters observed by the author is higher
than the northeastern wall—a phenomenon probably due to the action
of the trade-winds constantly impelling the ashes and cinders from
the northeast to the southwest. The elevation of eleven different
places was determined, including the city of Mexico and the highest
peak of Popocatepetl. The former was 7,472.8 feet, and the latter
17,817.6 feet.

We regret very much the loss of the magnetic instruments, not
only on account of the use which might be made of them in deter-
mining the magnetic elements of different portions of the American
continent, but also on account of the interest which attaches to them
from having been employed in the observations by Dr. Kane.
They have, however, done good service; and although the result of
the co-operation of Baron Von Miiller has not been as fortunate as we
could have wished, still it has added something of considerable value
to our knowledge of the terrestrial magnetism of this continent.

Another memoir, which will form a part of the 11th volume of
‘* Contributions,’’ is on the American storm of December 20, 1836,
and the Huropean storm of December 25 of the same year, by Pro-
fessor Elias Loomis, of the University of New York.

REPORT OF THE SECRETARY. 29

About twenty years ago this industrious meteorologist presented
to the American Philosophical Society an investigation of the first of
the above-mentioned storms, which extended from the Gulf of Mexico
to an unknown distance to the north. The area covered by the ob-
servations, and to which consequently the investigation was confined,
included only the southern part of the storm, and therefore the au-
thor regarded the results he had obtained, though of sufficient interest
to warrant publication, as not entirely satisfactory. Having since
obtained additional information, and adopted with success in the
study of similar storms a method of investigation which consists in
representing the disturbances of the atmosphere by lines and colors
on charts, he concluded to review his former labors, and to publish
all his results illustrated by a series of colored maps, which he is now
enabled to do through the provision made for this purpose by the
Smithsonian Institution.

The author first presents a summary of the observations of the
barometer at each of the American stations from which information
in regard to the indications of this instrument was derived. The
average height of the barometer at each of the stations is given, and
the fluctuations from this height during the storm, as well as imme-
diately before and after it. With these data a series of lines is drawn
on five charts, exhibiting the progress of the storm for as many suc-
cessive periods, namely, for December 19, at 8 o’clock p. m.; Decem-
ber 20, at 8 a. m. and 8 p. m.; December 21, at 8 a. m. and 8 p. m.
On each chart is drawn a line indicating the places of mean pressure
of the atmosphere, or those where the pressure is in a normal con-
dition, also a line indicating two-tenths of an inch of mercury above
the mean, &c.

In examining these lines on each map, it is apparent that there
exists a large area over which the barometer was below its mean
height, which on the evening of the 20th of December extended 980
miles from west to east. On the morning of December 21 it extended
770 miles, and on the evening of the 21st it had become reduced to
600 miles in the same direction. It is evident, also, that toward the
north the limit of low barometer extended much beyond the map,
and, since the lowest point was found: at Quebec, it is inferred that it
extended as far north as it did south of this point, and would, there-
fore, be on the 21st of December at least 3,000 miles in length from
north to south. The area, therefore, of least pressure was in the

30 REPORT OF THE SECRETARY.

form of an oval figure, having a length of three times its breadth,
and, from the inspection of the several maps, it will appear that it
travelled constantly eastward.

A similar table of observations 1s given in reference to the ther-
mometer as observed at fifty-seven places, and lines corresponding
to the mean temperature to ten degrees above and ten degrees below,
&c., are drawn on each of the maps. From these it appears that on
the evening of the 19th the area of greatest temperature extended
from 800 to 1,100 miles in an east and west direction. The centre
of this area of high thermometer did not coincide with the centre of
low barometer, but was uniformly somewhat to the east of it.

* On the same charts the condition of the weather at different inter-

vals as to clearness, cloudiness, rain, &c., is represented by different
colors, and from these it will be seen that on the evening of the 19th
of December rain or snow was falling over the entire region west of
the Mississippi as far as the map extends, and that a cloud covered
the whole of the United States except that part bordering on the
Atlantic ocean. On the evening of the 20th the rain had reached
Washington, and on the morning of the 21st the cloud had covered
the whole of the eastern portion of the country, while the sky had
cleared off as far as Cincinnati, at the same time that rain was falling
in the whole of New England except the State of Maine. On the
evening of the 21st the storm was confined to a small portion of the
eastern part of the chart, while the sky over nearly the whole United
States, with a few exceptions of spots of limited extent, was free from
clouds.

The direction of the wind is indicated by arrows, and its intensity
shown by their length; and from these it is seen that during the en-
tire period within the area of rain and snow the direction of the wind
in the rear of the storm was from the west, northwest, or north, and
that in the southwest part of the United States the winds were some-
what more northerly than in the northwest part of the country. In
front of the storm the winds generally blew from a southerly point,
the average of which was 10° east of south, while in the south and
northern parts of the country in front of the storm the wind was
easterly. There was thus along a meridian line of at least 1,200
miles in length a violent wind from a point on an average 30° north
of west, and on the east side a strong current from a point 10° east
of south. These two contrary winds blew with great violence for at

REPORT OF THE SECRETARY. at

least forty-eight hours, indicating an ascending current of air and a
tendency to rotation contrary to the motion of the hands of a watch.

The author next proceeds to offer some suggestions as to the origin
of the storm, which in the main agree with the exposition of the phe-
nomena as given in the theory of Espy, namely, the upward motion
of the air at the point of lowest barometer, the evolution of latent
heat by the condensation ‘of the vapor which it contains, and the
transfer eastward of the whole disturbance by the flow of the upper
current in that direction. He attributes the principal cause of the
cold experienced to the upper current descending to the surface of
the earth.

The Huropean storm of the 25th of December of the same year is
investigated in the same manner, and the results illustrated by means
of eight separate maps, one for each day, commencing with Decem-
ber 21, including the beginning and ending of the disturbance. It
was at first supposed that this storm was a continuation of that of the
20th experienced in America; the rate of progress, however, of the
latter was such that it could not have reached Europe before the
27th, whereas the storm of the 25th was fully organized on the 23d,
and, indeed, its first movements can be distinctly traced in Germany
on the 22d. The European storm evidently originated in Europe,
and the American storm wasted itself in the Atlantic. It was,
however, the possible connexion of these two storms that induced
Professor Loomis to collect particularly, during a visit to Europe in
1856-57, records of meteorological observations for this period. The
whole number of stations from which he obtained data was nearly
fifty.

It was mentioned in the last report that the Institution had con-
cluded to publish in full detail several series of meteorological obser-
vations made for long periods in different parts of the United States.

The 12th volume of Contributions will ‘contain the first of these
series, by Professor A. Caswell, of Brown University. ‘The observa-
tions commence with December 1, 1831, and end with December 31,
1859,* including a period of a little more than twenty-eight years.

These observations were made three times daily, embracing the
thermometer, barometer, the direction and force of the wind, the

5 * These tables have been extended to June, 1860.

32 REPORT OF THE SECRETARY.

degree of cloudiness, the amount of precipitation, and, for a portion
of the time, the psychrometer.

In addition to these fixed and regular observations, daily and special
hotice was taken of all phenomena connected with atmospherical
changes, with storms, the aurora, &c. The barometrical observa-
tions are reduced to the level of the sea and the temperature of 32°
Fahrenheit. |

The author has given a series of general summaries deduced from
the whole period; and when a sufficient number of similar observa-
tions for long periods are collected and published, they will be sub-
mitted to the process of exhaustive investigation similar to those to
which the observations of Dr. Kane have been subjected, in order to
determine peculiar points of interest relative to the climate of the
United States.

We have found that the printing of papers of this character re-
quires much time and is very expensive, since they are composed
almost entirely of rule and figure work. We think, however, the
value which will be attached to them will fully warrant the expendi-
ture on account of their publication. They will afford the data for
answering many questions which are propounded to the meteorolo-
gist, such as the period of recurrence of storms, the connexion of the
changes of the weather with the phases of the moon, &c. The means of
ascertaining the state of the atmosphere over a considerable portion of
the United States on any day for the last quarter of a century will be
interesting in many cases, independent of scientific considerations.

The report of the Regents to Congress for 1858, besides an ex-
position of the condition and operations of the Institution for that
year, was, as usual, accompanied by an appendix containing the report
of lectures, and other matter which has proved highly acceptable to
a large number of intelligent persons in every part of the country.
These reports, copies of which are especially solicited by teachers,
besides furnishing valuable knowledge not otherwise readily attain-
able, serve to diffuse information as to the operations of the Institu-
tion which tends to increase the number of its friends and co-opera-
tors, and to elevate popular conceptions in reference to science, as
well as to increase the number of its cultivators.

The number of copies of the report ordered to be printed at the
last session was less than that of the preceding year, yet the supply

REPORT OF THE SECRETARY. 3a

‘to the Institution was the same. Indeed it is a gratifying evidence
of the public estimation in which the Institution is held, that Con-
gress has been so favorably disposed, even during the depressed con-
‘dition of the treasury, towards the distribution of this document.

It was mentioned in the last Report that the Institution had made
arrangements for the preparation of elementary treatises on the. dif-
ferent orders of insects found in North America, with a view to
identify the species and facilitate the study of their relation and
habits. Considerable progress has been made in this work, and sev-
eral parts are either in the press or ready to be given to the printer.
These treatises will afford the means of instructing the farmer in
regard to the character of the insect enemies with which he has to
contend, and will enable him by watching their habits, time of ap-
pearance, and mode of propagation, to add much valuable informa-
tion to what is already known relative to the method of guarding
against their ravages.

But before anything of this kind can be done systematically, we
must be able to recognize the insects, since the same animais are
known in different countries by different names. If, therefore, we
would avail ourselves of the facts which have already been gathered
by patient study in this branch of natural history, we must be assured
of the identity of the species; and if we would make the knowledge
which already exists in this country generally available, the insects
must be described with that scientific precision which will enable
them to be immediately recognized with certainty in every part of
‘the world.

These treatises or catalogues will be illustrated by wood-cuts, and
published as a part of the Miscellaneous Collections of the Institu-
tion. |

The last Report contains a series of instructions for collecting and
preserving specimens of insects, prepared by the following gentle-
men, viz: Dr. John L. Le Conte, of Philadelphia; Dr. B. Clemens,
of Easton, Pa.; Dr. P. Uhler, of Baltimore; and Baron R. Osten
Sacken, of the Russian Legation. These instructions have not only
directed attention to the subject, but furnished the means by which
a large number of specimens have been obtained for scientific inves-
tigation. me

‘It will be recollected that it is one of the objects of the Institution

3

34 REPORT OF THE SECRETARY.

to induce as many individuals as possible, in various parts of the
country, to devote their leisure hours to special objects of natural
history—to point out to them the pleasures derived from studies of
this kind systematically pursued, and the important results which
will flow from their labors when combined with those of other per-
sons in the same line, and also to facilitate by catalogues, descriptions,
and correspondence, the progress of the student in the elementary
part of his studies. In connexion with this object, circulars have
been distributed directing special attention to different points,
among which we may mention one on American grasshoppers, an
insect to the ravages of which a large portion of the United States
is frequently subjected, and relative to which every well authenticated
fact is of considerable interest. Another circular has been issued in
regard to the collection of nests and eggs of birds, to furnish the
material for a continuation of Dr. Brewer’s work on Oology.

The fact was stated in a previous report that materials had been
collected for a new edition of a report on the libraries of this country,
originally prepared by Professor C. C. Jewett. This work was en-
trusted to Mr. William J. Rhees, chief clerk of this Institutien, to
be done out of the usual hours of his official duties; but the materials
which were collected contained so much information relative to edu-
cational and other institutions, which was thought too important to be
omitted, that the report when completed was found to exceed the
limits assigned by the Institution; and rather than abridge it by
leaving out a part of the material which had cost so much labor,"
Mr. Rhees offered to publish it on his own account; and such an
arrangement being compatible with the general policy of the Institu-
tion, the proposition was agreed to, and the work has accordingly
been issued under his own name and responsibility. It forms a
volume of 700 octavo pages, and contains a large amount of very in-
teresting and valuable matter which has cost the author a much
greater amount of labor than can ever be repaid by even an extensive
sale of the work.

In this connexion we may mention that a list of the libraries, soc-
eties, and institutions in North America, has also been prepared by @
Mr. Rhees and printed for the use of the Institution. It forms an
octavo pamphlet of 81 pages, and is found of much value in facili-
tating the distribution of our several classes of publications and in
directing circulars, &c.

REPORT OF THE SECRETARY. 3).

Researches. —Mr. L. W. Meech has continued his mathematical re-
searches in regard to the light and heat of the sun, and, since the
date of the last Report, has succeeded in integrating some of the an-
alytical expressions which had previously appeared likely to prove
exceedingly troublesome, and the analysis is now sufficiently advanced’
for another publication. His next memoir will treat of the relative
intensity of the sun’s rays after passing through the air to the earth’s
surface. It will be recollected that his former memoir presented, in
tables and curves, the intensity of the sun’s rays at the exterior of
the atmosphere. The primary formula, to be given in this memoir,
has been demonstrated and verified, and the derived formule are
mostly made out for the range and other phases of the intensity of

the hight and heat. These depend on what are called elliptical func-)

tions, and are much more complicated than those of the former paper.
Before curves can be drawn from them, the numerical values for every
five degrees of latitude are to be computed and checked, which will

require the labor of several months. To defray the expense of this,

another small appropriation will be required. The success of the

previous labors of Mr. Meech warrants this expenditure, from funds,

intended for the increase of knowledge, since the results which can
now be obtained from his formula will, in all probability, be consid~
ered standard elements in the physical theory of heat.

Dr. Wolcott Gibbs has continued his chemical researches, and a paper
in relation to them will probably appear in the next volume of Con-.

tributions. It will present new processes for the separation of all the

platinum metals in a state of absolute purity. These are very simple,
and easy of execution, and not only apply to the separation, but to

the quantitative analysis of mixtures of the different metals of this
eroup in almost any proportion. The researches also involve the

preparation and properties of a new and remarkable series of salts, |

which, it is thought, will remove the difficulties with which the sub-
ject has hitherto been surrounded.
It was stated in the last Report that one of the most important op-

erations in which the Institution had been engaged during the previ-.

ous year was the construction of a map to present at one view the
arable, forest, and sterile portions of the United States. The design
at first was merely to exhibit the limits or boundaries of these por-
tions of the country, and this has been faithfully executed by Dr. J.
G. Cooper, to whom the work was intrusted, as far as the materials

°

36 REPORT OF THE SECRETARY.

could be gathered from all the accessible published data, the records
of the Land Office, and other sources. The facts presented at once
to the eye by this map are in striking accordance, as we have before
mentioned, with the deductions from the meteorological materials
whicn have been collected at this Institution, and serve to place in a
clear point of view the connexion of climate with the natural produc-
tions of different parts of the earth. The plan has, however, since
been enlarged, and Dr. Cooper now proposes, with the aid of the
Institution, to construct a map which shall give in detail the distribu-
tion of the several kinds of trees and shrubs found in different por-
tions of the country; and, in view of this, he has prepared an article,
which has been published and widely distributed by the Institution,
containing a list of the localities of the most important and useful
trees and shrubs, as far as known, and asking additional information.
The chief difficult, in carrying out the plan has been the want of
definite knowledge as to the locality of different plants; for example,
a plant is mentioned as occurring in Virginia, but this statement is
not sufficiently precise, since this State occupies a large surface,
on a small portion of which only the plant may be found. Facts are
also required as to the abundance of trees in a given locality.

The collection of the material for a map of this kind, in connexion
with a work on the forest trees of America, still in progress by Dr.
Asa Gray, of Cambridge, is a very important matter both in a politi-
cal and an economical point of view, and the work might be materially
aided, without much expense to the government, by appending a few
additional queries to the questions propounded by the marshals who
collect the statistics of the census. The outline map, which has al-
ready been prepared at the expense of the Institution, has excited
much interest, and the proposition to enlarge the plan of the work
has been received with commendation.

As an interesting object in regard to physical geography, and
intimately connected with meterology and various branches of natural
history, a commencement has been made, in connexion with the Coast
Survey, in collecting ‘materials for the construction of a hypso-
metrical map of the United States.

No part of the surface of the earth, of equal dimensions, has been
so extensively traversed by lines of explorations for canals, railways,
and river improvements, as the United States. The materials, how-
ever, which are afforded by these, for constructing a map of the ele-

REPORT OF THE SECRETARY. at

vations and depressions of the surface of the country are widely scat-
tered, and unless an effort be made to collect them will ultimately be
lost. Previous to the connexion of the Institution with this enterprise,
circulars were sent by the Coast Survey to engineers and directors
of public works, in answer to which replies were received giving the
elevation of a large number of points. Since this connexion another
circular has been issued, to which a large additional number of an-
swers have been received. The whole number of points heard from
is about 9,000. Many of the replies to the circulars have been ac-
companied by valuable topographical information and maps, some of
which, as testified by the contributors, were rescued from the obliv-
ion which has been the fate of the records of many of the earlier sur-
veys. For the exhibition of these points, in connexion with the to-
pography of the country, it is proposed to have them plotted on a
map consisting of two sheets, with a projection of z5g¢a79- One
sheet is to show the surface east of the Rocky mountains, the lines :
of water courses, and is to be filled up from the best existing maps; the
western sheet is to be copied from the map of the same scale, issued
from the office of the Pacific Railroad explorations. An accurate out-
line map of the United States on this scale will be of great import-
ance as a base-chart on which to delineate the result of various other
statistical inquiries which have been instituted by this establishment.
Mr. Lewis H. Morgan, of Rochester, New York, having studied for
several years the ethnological peculiarities of the Indians of the
North American continent, has discovered among them a system of
relationship which he wishes to compare with the systems of con-
sanguinity existing among the natives of other countries, and the
Institution, at his request, in order to aid in this research, has dis-
tributed circulars to our consuls, missionaries, and ethnologists in
various parts of the world. The peculiar system of relationship of
the Iroquois, one of the principal families of American Indians first
attracted the attention of Mr. Morgan. The fundamental idea of this
system, which is carried out with great logical rigor, is, that the bond
of consanguinity is never suffered to lose itself in the ever diverging
collateral lines—the degrees of relationship are never allowed to pass
beyond that of first cousins; after that the collateral lines are merged
in the lineal lines, so that the son of a cousin becomes a nephew,
and the son of this nephew becomes a grandson. This principle ex-
tends upwards as well as downwards, so that the brother of a man’s

38 REPORT OF THE SECRETARY.

father becomes his father, and the brother of his grandfather be-
comes also his grandfather. At first Mr. Morgan supposed this
peculiar system to be confined to the Iroquois, but subsequent inves-
tigation developed the fact that the same system in its complexity
and precision is common to all the Indian tribes of North America.
‘It therefore becomes an object of interest to inquire whether the
same system exists among the natives of any other country. It is
proper to remark that, at the request of the Institution, General
Cass, the Secretary of State, has given to this interesting inquiry
the official sanction of his Department, and in a letter appended to
-our circular, has commended it to all the diplomatic agents of the gov-
ernment abroad.

Laboratory.—During the last year the laboratory has been under
the direction of Dr. B. F. Craig, of this city, and, as in former years,
- a considerable number of specimens of the products of different parts
of the country have been examined. The policy adopted from the
first in regard to examinations of this kind is to furnish a report free
of cost to the parties asking for the information, provided it is
of general interest and immediately connected with the advance of
science, and can be afforded at little expense to the Institution. If,
however, the examination is required principally to promote private
interests, a charge is made suflicient to cover the expense of the in-
vestigation. By the adoption of this policy, the laboratory is kept in
operation by means of a small appropriation for chemicals and ap-
paratus.

It may be proper to mention that during the year Dr. Craig has
been engaged in investigations, on his own account, in the laboratory,
and that Mr. J. H. Lane has made a series of experiments relative
to different points connected with the Atlantic telegraph.

Magnetic Observatory.—The remaining instruments necessary to
complete the equipment of the magnetic observatory established at
the joint expense of the Institution and the Coast Survey were re-
ceived and put into operation in the early part of the year; but as it
has been found that the changes in the direction and intensity of the
elements of terrestrial magnetism at Toronto, Philadelphia, and
Washington are almost precisely the same, it has been considered
that more important service would be rendered to the inquiries now
being made in regard to this branch of physics, if the instruments were

REPORT OF THE SECRETARY. | va

placed in some more distant position, and it has been determined to
send them to the Tortugas, a group of islands within the Gulf of
Mexico, at which the United States coast survey has also a tidal
station. A single instrument, however, is still to be kept in opera-
tion at the observatory to record the changes in declination and to
exhibit the perturbations connected with the appearance of the
aurora borealis.

Hachanges.—The general system of international exchange, which has
been the subject of so much attention heretofore, continues to increase
in magnitude and importance. By reference to the special report on
this subject, it will be seen that the operations have been more exten-
sive in 1859 than during any preceding year. The facilities afforded to
the operations of the Institution in the department of exchanges and
of natural history by various transportation express companies, as
referred to in the preceding reports, have been continued throughout
the year. The steamers of the North German Lloyd have carried a
large amount of freight for the Institution, free of charge, between
Bremen and New York, as promised by their directors, at the in-
stance of Mr. Schleiden, minister from Bremen, resident in Wash-
ington. The steamer lines to California, consisting of the UNITED
States Main Co., M. O. Roberts, President; the Panama RAILROAD
Co., David Hoadley, president; and the Paciric Main Co., W. H.
Davidge, president, transported a large amount of material for the
Institution up to the expiration of their mail contract in October, when
the NortH ATLantTic STEAMSHIP Co., I. W. Raymond, president, re-
placed the United States Mail Co. in the line, which has since
continued the same favors. Mr. Bartlett, of New York, has offered
the use of his line of ships to the west coast of South America, and
the exchanges with Chili are now carried on chiefly through his ves-
sels. The steamer Isabel, Messrs. Mordecai & Co., of Charleston,
agents, has transported a number of packages for the Institution be-
tween Charleston and Key West, free of charge, and Messrs. Russell,
Major & Waddel, army contractors of transportation to Utah, have also
rendered valuable service in this line. The Adams Express Co., through
Mr. Shoemaker, the superintendent of its southern division, has also
exhibited liberality in reducing its charges greatly on heavy freights,
and in carrying small parcels free of cost. It is difficult to esti-
mate the value to the Institution of all these services. They are
interesting as exhibiting a high appreciation of the mission and
operations of the Institution, at the same time that they disclose a

40 REPORT OF THE SECRETARY.

spirit of liberality as gratifying as it is beneficial. It is believed that
an amount of at least $1,500 has been saved by these free freights dur-
ing the year, a sum which in effect may be considered as having been
added to the income of the Institution, and thereby correspondingly
increasing its means of usefulness. Acknowledgments are due to a.
number of persons in the United States who have assisted without
charge in distributing the volumes of Smithsonian Contributions, viz:
Hickling, Swan & Brewer, of Boston; D. Appleton & Co., New York;
J.B. Lippincott & Co., Philadelphia; Russell & Jones, Charleston;
Robert Clarke & Co., Cincinnati; and Bloomfield, Steele & Co., in New
Orleans. Messrs. J. W. Raymond and Mr. W. H. Wickham, of New
York, and Mr. A. B. Forbes, of San Francisco, agents of the California
lines referred to above, have rendered services of a similar character.

It is gratifying to be able to repeat the statement made in previous
reports, that all Smithsonian packages are allowed to pass free of
duty and without examination at the custom-houses of all the civil-
ized countries with which the Institution is in correspondence.

LInbrary.—During the past year the plan adopted in regard to the
increase of the library has been constantly kept in view, namely, to:
procure as perfect and extensive a series as possible of the transac-
tions and proceedings of all the learned societies which now exist or
have existed in different parts of the world. The library, in this:
respect, is now perhaps the first in the United States, and has in-
creased, since the date of the last Report, not only by the addition of
the current publications but by a number of new series and of volumes.
to complete sets hitherto imperfect.

The catalogue of the serial publications of foreign learned societies,
State governments, universities, public libraries, and private parties,
contained in the library, mentioned in the last report, has been pub-
lished. It forms a book of 259 octavo pages and includes all the
collections of the kind above mentioned, down to the middle of the:
year 1859. Copies of this have been sent to all the foreign societies,
with a request that deficient series of volumes or parts of volumes
be supplied, and that any works of the same kind which are not to
be found in the catalogue be furnished from duplicates at the disposal
of any of the establishments with which the Institution is in cor-
respondence.

The distribution of this catalogue to the principal institutions of
this country and abroad will not only facilitate the completion of the:

REPORT OF THE SECRETARY. Al

design of forming as perfect a collection as possible of transactions,
but will also render the library more generally useful to the cultiva-
tors of science in the United States. But the most important means
of facilitating the use of a special library of this class of works will
be that of the publication of the classified index of all the physical
papers contained in the transactions, now in progress at the expense
and under the direction of the Royal Society of London. This
index is confined to papers relating to astronomy, mathematics, and
general physics, and even with this restriction will include about
250,000 titles.

Professor J. Victor Carus, of Leipsic, informs us that during the
last two years he has been collecting materials towards a general
catalogue of zoological literature, from 1750 up to the present day,
including not only all the separately published works, books, and
pamphlets, but also and especially all the papers, notices, and articles
contained in periodicals, the number of which is increasing every
year. The titles and references will be arranged systematically, not
according to the alphabet of authors, but within the classes and
groups according to the alphabet of the genera, so that at a glance
the whole literature of .a particular genus may be found. The
author calls for aid in obtaining information as to American zoological
papers contained in periodicals difficult of access, and any one who
can assist in this desirable object would confer a favor by forwarding
to him, through the Institution, information bearing on this subject.

To assist in the same general plan of facilitating the acquisition of a
knowledge of what has been done in different branches of science,
the Institution has authorized the preparation of a bibliography of
American botany, by Mr. Thurber, of New York, under the direction
of Dr. Torrey.

Since the date of the last Report, the act amendatory of the law
relating to the disposition of books intended for copyright has gone
into operation. This act merely requires that one copy of every
article intended to’ be secured to the author by copyright is to be
deposited with the clerk of the district court from whom the certifi-
cate is obtained, and repeals the requirement that a copy should be
presented to the library of Congress and to that of the Smithsonian
Institution. All the books which have heretofore been deposited
with the district clerks, and those which may be obtained in future,
are to be arranged in the Patent Office, where they will form an

AQ REPORT OF THE SECRETARY.

extensive collection, the support and preservation of which, however
interesting to the bibliographer, are not in accordance with the gen-
eral objects of the Smithsonian Institution, although as the means of
securing evidence of title they are in strict conformity with the
design of the Patent Office.

Few, comparatively, of the books which were received by the In-
stitution under the operation of the copyright law were of any
scientific value, and by far the greater number, consisting of ele-
mentary school books and publications designed especially for children,
were entirely foreign to the plan of the library, and yet they have cost
the Institution for postage, certificates, entries, care, &c., several thou-
sand dollars. It now becomes a matter of consideration as to their
disposition, and petitions have been received from the Washington
Library and that of the Young Men’s Christian Association, of this
city, that they may be placed in their charge. Without expressing
any opinion as to the propriety of complying with these pees I
beg to submit these propositions to the Board.

The operation of the former law of copyright illustrates the neces-
sity of caution, on the part of the Institution, in receiving miscel-
laneous donations into a special collection without careful discrimi-
nation, particularly if the gift is coupled with the condition that
the articles are to be perpetually preserved. Without care in
this respect a large amount of trash must inevitably accumulate,
which will interfere with the extension of the collection in the
desired direction.

Among the special donations to the library are a series of expensive
illustrated works from the Duke of Northumberland, privately printed
by him as materials for the history of the county which bears his
name. They include asurvey of the Roman wall which was built across
the north of England, a description of. coins of the Roman families,
some of which were found in that locality, and an account of some
ancient castles which possess historical interest.

Another portion of the great work of Lepsius on Heypt has been
presented by the King of Prussia, and valuable donations in the way
of completing our transactions have been received from different
societies.

The purchases for the library have been principally in the way of
completing such transactions and of supplying such additional series
as we have failed to obtain through our exchanges.

REPORT OF THE SECRETARY. A3

The library now contains a very large collection of the catalogues
and reports of different public institutions in this country, which have
been classified and arranged in a separate apartment so as to be .
readily accessible for statistical inquiries; and we trust that this
collection will continually be enlarged by additions of the current
reports, particularly those of all institutions which receive the Smith-
sonian publications.

Meteorology.—The arrangement between the Patent Office and this
Institution in relation the collection of meteorological statistics still
continues. The amount appropriated, however, by the former has
been less than in previous years. The observers have very much in-
creased in number, and are now divided into three classes—the first
making records with a full set of instruments, the second with a
thermometer and rain gage, and the third without instruments; all,
however, reporting the state of the sky, the direction of the wind,
beginning and ending of storms, and casual phenomena. All the
observations which have been taken since 1854 have been reduced,
and are uow in the hands of the Commissioner of Patents to be pre-
sented to Congress as an Appendix to his Agricultural Report. It is
presumed they will be ordered to be printed since they form an in-
teresting part of the agricultural statistics called for by the Depart-
ment of the Interior.

The several systems of observations made in different parts of the
American continent have been continued and extended during the
past year. Those under the direction of the Surgeon General of the
United States have been made to include the new military posts of
the army, and a series of investigations of much interest has been
prosecuted in California by Lieut. R. 8. Wilhamson, of the topo-
graphical corps, relative to the diurnal changes, the diminution of
temperature depending upon elevation, and the extent of simultaneous
barometrical fluctuations.

Observations have also been made by the following surveying and
exploring parties, sent out under different departments of the gov-
ernment, viz: |

Under the Interior DEpaRTMENT:

_ The Wagon Road Expedition from South Pass to calito) under
command of F. W. Lander.

The survey of the boundary between Texas and New Mexico,
John H. Clark, commissioner.

44 REPORT OF THE SECRETARY.

Under the Strats DEPARTMENT:

The northwestern boundary survey, Archibald Campbell, commis-
sioner.

Under the War DEPARTMENT:

Explorations in Utah, by Captain J. H. Simpson, U.S. A.

Explorations of the head waters of the Missouri and Yellowstone,
by Captain W. F. Raynolds, U.S. A.

The Wagon Road Expedition from Walla-Walla to Fort Benton,
Lieutenant John Mullan, U.S. A.

Exploration of San Juan and Upper Colorado, te Capt. J. N. Ma-
comb, U. 8. Top. Engs.

Observations for determining the rise and fall of the lake surface,
by Capt. A. W. Whipple, U. 8. Top. Hngs.

Survey of the northern and northwestern lakes, by Capt. G. G.
Meade, U. S. Top. Engs.

State oF Texas. Geological survey of the State, B. F. Shumard,
State geologist.

In addition to the regular observations, the following were re-
ceived by the Institution during the year 1859:

rom Dr. 8. P. Hildreth, Marietta, Ohio, observations for ih ty-
two years, from 1818 to 1859, inclusive, on the barometer, thermom-
eter, and amount of rain, with remarks on the weather.

From Professor A. Caswell, Brown University, Providence, Rhode
Island, observations for twenty-eight years, from 1832 to 1859 inclusive,
on barometer, thermometer, winds, rain, and remarks on the weather.

From Dr. Nathan D. Smith, near Washington, Arkansas, observa-
tious for twenty years, from 1840 to 1859, inclusive, on thermometer,
rain, and remarks on the weather.

From Hiram A. Cutting, Lunenburg, Vermont, abstracts of ther-
mometer observations, from 1848 to 1858, inclusive.

From Henry Connelly, Rigolet, Esquimaux bay, Labrador, observa-
tions on barometer and thermometer, from November, 1857, to May,
1859, inclusive.

From Abram Van Doren, Falmouth, Virginia, psychrometrical ob-
servations at Mount Langton, Bermuda, from November, 1847, to
May, 1848, and from November, 1848, to March, 1850, inclusive.

From Dr. John F. Posey, Savannah, Georgia, hourly barometrical
and thermometrical observations during half the day for about ten
days in each month, from May, 1858, to September, 1859, inclusive.

‘

REPORT OF THE SECRETARY. 45

From Queen’s College, Kingston, Canada West, summary of ob-
servations for 1858.

The observations from Captain George G. Meade, noted on the
opposite page, consist of fifty-eight sheets, made with full sets of
instruments, on the northern and northwestern lakes, from June,
1858, to November, 1859, inclusive. The continuation of these will
be of much value in regard to the climate of this region. Those from
Captain A. W. Whipple were made at Oswego harbor, Detroit river,
St. Clair flats, and Lake George, of St. Mary’s river, for the purpose
of determining the rise and fall of the lake surface, from the year
1854 to 1859, inclusive.

Between four and five thousand newspaper notices of the weather
of 1859 have been cut out and preserved. Besides the papers re-
ceived by the Institution, a large number of exchange papers are
obtained from the office of the Evening Star. These two sources
together furnish the means, either by original or copied articles, of
obtaining popular notices of the principal changes of weather and
meteorological phenomena in nearly all parts of the country. The
method of preserving the scraps is to paste them on sheets arranged;
not by the date of the paper, but by that of the occurrence noted.
By this arrangement all notices of any storm, hot or cold terms,
aurora, earthquake, or any other phenomenon, are brought together,
no matter how widely apart may be the place of publication. It
would be an acceptable donation if all readers, when they meet with
any meteorological scrap worthy of preservation, would send the
paper containing it to the Institution, or the article cut out, with the
name, date, and place of publication of the paper plainly marked on
the slip. Without these marks it would be sometimes impossible
to identify cither time or locality. The preferable mode is to send
the entire paper.

A general distribution of blanks is made twice a year. In this
distribution twelve blanks are sent to each observer, one for each
month, to be retained for his own use, and one to be returned to the
Institution.

As the registers come from all parts of the country, and arrive at
different times, a number are received every day, sometimes as many
as thirty or forty. A book is kept containing the names of ali the
observers, with their place of observation; and when the registers
are received, an entry of each one is made in this book, so that, by
inspection, it can be seen at any time for what months registers have

46 REPORT OF THE SECRETARY.

been received from each observer. A memorandum is also made of
deficiencies, omissions, instruments used, discontinuance, change of:
address, or such other items as may be necessary for reference or to
show the character of the observations. The date of the reception
is marked in red ink on each register, and they are placed on
shelves, those for each month being kept together. With the re-
gisters, letters are often received asking for information on meteor- —
ological and other subjects. These embrace a very wide range of
inquiry, and, with the other letters received, make large demands on
the time of the secretary. When a number of registers have accu-
mulated, they are sent to Professor Coffin, at Haston, Pennsylvania,
who, with his corps of assistants, makes the reductions and prepares
them for publication.

Early in March, when a sufficient time is supposed to have elapsed
to allow all, or nearly all, the registers for the preceding year
to be received by due course of mail, an examination of the record
is made, and a notice is sent to each observer, whose register for
any month may not have reached us, informing him of the deficiency,
and requesting that, if possible, it may be supplied.

t sometimes happens that through loss in the mail or other causes
the blanks fail to reach some of the observers, and their stock, there-
fore, becomes exhausted before the time for the semi-annual distri-
bution. In such cases, as soon as the Institution is informed of the
fact, a new supply is forwarded.

Three forms of blanks are now distributed, corresponding to the
three classes of observers: First, a large blank, marked No. 1, which
contains columns for the records of the barometer, its observed
height, attached thermometer, and height reduced to the freezing
point; of the thermometer in the open air; the psychrometer, or
wet and dry bulb thermometer; the depth of each rain and snow,
with the time of beginning and ending; the direction and force of
winds; the kind, amount, and motion of clouds; and also for the force
of vapor and relative humidity of the atmosphere as deduced from
the observations with the wet and dry bulb thermometers.

Second, a blank half the size of the former, marked No. 2, and
containing all the columns which are on the first blank, except those
for the barometer and psychrometer, and the deductions from them.

Third, a blank the same size as the second, marked No, 3, and

REPORT OF THE SECRETARY. AT.
containing columns for such observations only as may be made without
any instruments, viz: the amount, kind, and motion of clouds; the
time of beginning and ending of rain and snow, the direction and
force of wind by estimation, and general remarks on the weather.
On the reverse of all the blanks is a place for remarks on casual
phenomena, as tornadoes, auroras, meteors, &c.

The importance of such meteorological records as may be kept with-
out instruments seems to be much underrated, and many persons have.
declined to make or continue observations unless supplied with full
sets of instruments, assigning as a reason that such records can be of
no value. But a little reflection will show that these observations
may furnish interesting and important information. If kept daily
and in all parts of the country and sent to the Institution, they would,
without the aid of any other record, enable an investigator to deter-
mine the direction and rate of motion of every storm, hurricane,
tornado, and thunder shower in the United States, and also the time
and place of their origin and termination when these occurred within
the limits of the observers.

They would enable him to mark out with accurate lines the districts
most subject to these atmospheric disturbances, and those free from
them or only partially visited, and also the portions of the year at
which they are most or least frequent. ‘They would enable him to
ascertain the number, extent, and principal phenomena of all the
auroras, earthquakes, and meteors; the occurrence of the first, last,
and severe frosts, the comparative duration of clear and cloudy
weather, and the prevailing winds, both surface and upper current.
If to ascertain these points in the meteorology of every part of
North America is important, then the keeping such records as may be
made without instruments ought not to be omitted. While there are
persons in every neighborhood in this country who could faith-
fully and accurately fill these blanks, the number who can obtain
instruments and properly observe them must be comparatively limited,

Frequent applications are made to the Institution offering to record
meteorological observations for a reasonable pecuniary compensation.
But the policy originally adopted, on account of the want of means,
of declining to pay observers, has been uniformly adhered to. To
depart from this policy, while it might here and there secure an addi-
tional observer, would involve difficulties of discrimination altogether
disproportionate to the advantage gained. While, however, no

4S REPORT OF THE SECRETARY.

pecuniary compensation is made to observers, the facilities exten ed
to them, besides the reports and other documents occasionally dis-
tributed, though not expected to be a remuneration for the time and
labor devoted to the subject, are still of some value. An inducement
also exists in the pleasure to be derived from the study of the changes
of the phenomena of nature, besides the consciousness of co-operating
with many others in a system intended to advance an important branch
of science.

Although the information derived from the system of observations,
under the immediate direction of the Institution, is exceedingly
valuable in many points, it 1s to be regretted that changes in the
observers are so frequent. The value in determining the great ques-
tion as to the periodicity of the weather and its average conditions
as to heat, moisture, cloudiness, occurrence of frosts, &c., other things
being the same, depend upon the length of time the series of observa-
tions have been continued, and results which may be relied upon

as the element of insurance against failure of crops and disasters by

storms are valuable strictly in proportion to the number of years
embraced in the observations. | .

The reason why meteorology is not further advanced is not on
account of the want of observations, but of extended series at a
number of properly chosen places. From observations of this kind
it is found that much of the apparent irregularity and caprice of the
weather is due to our limited vision, and that by extending the records
and properly studying them, many phenomena which are apparently
fitful and exempt from all law will be reduced to order and periodicity.

According to Mr. Glaisher’s investigations of the records made at
the Royal Observatory for a long series of years, there is a rotation
in the character of the weather at London about every fifteen years,
the seasons growing warmer and warmer until they reach a maximum
of temperature, and then gradually colder until they come to the
lowest point, when they begin a new cycle of temperature. A series
of meteorological tables may appear to the casual observer a mere
mass of dull, uninteresting figures, yet a little study will enable us,
says a popular writer of the day, to read in them the past history of
‘‘rich harvests, prosperous commerce, good health, plenty, and con-
tentment; or, perhaps, the gloomier side of the picture, scanty crops
and high prices, stagnant trade and social irritation, prevalent diseases
and busy death;’ and, it might be added, a still greater interest is

t)

REPORT OF THE SECRETARY. 4g

inspired by the prospect they afford, that in the course of time they
will not only reflect the past but foreshow the future, and enable us
by their timely monitions to avail ourselves of the benignity, or
guard against the ravage of the coming day.

During the year 1859 a remarkable exhibition of the Aurora
Borealis occurred, and special efforts have been made to collect all
the reliable observations which could be obtained in regard to this
phenomenon. The materials thus accumulated have been arranged
and will be published in order to render them generally accessible.
The occurrence of the Aurora, as is well known from the observa-
tions of Arago and others, is attended with a remarkable disturbance
of the magnetic needle; and since the latter, as has been shown in
the account of the paper of Dr. Bache, is connected with the spots
on the sun, it would follow that the Aurora, although apparently of
electrical origin, is connected with influences entirely exterior to our
planet, and hence precise information as to its appearance over so
wide an area as that in which it was exhibited about the beginning
of September last, must be specially acceptable to the student of
terrestrial physics.

Two remarkable meteors have appeared during the last year, one
of which exploded near the boundary between New York and Mas-
sachusetts, and the other apparently descended to the earth either in
Delaware bay or in the ocean in its vicinity. All the facts collected
in regard to these mysterious visitants of our atmosphere have been
referred to scientific gentlemen for critical examination, the results
of which will be published either by the Institution or in the Ameri-
can Journal of Science.

The reduction of the current observations is continued by Professor
Coffin, who is also engaged, with the assistance of the Institution, in
the investigation of the winds of the southern hemisphere and in the
extension of his previous researches in regard to those in the northern
hemisphere.

The office duties of distributing the blanks; arranging the meteoro-
logical material and returns received from observers; of superintend-
ing the observations made at the Institution, and in assisting in the
Smithsonian publications relative to meteorology, are assigned to Mr.
William Q. Force, of Washington, and to his industry, ingenuity, and
efficiency the system owes many improvements.

4

50 REPORT OF THE SECRETARY.

Musewm.—During the year 1859 the labelling and repairing the
specimens received from the Patent Office, and setting up and classi-
fying new specimens collected by the Institution, or deposited by dif-
ferent government explorations, have been uninterruptedly continued
under the immediate direction of Professor Baird.

The extensive series of corals collected during the United States.
exploring expedition have been arranged and labelled by Professor
Dana, of New Haven, by whom they were originally described, and
now constitute an interesting and attractive part of the general mu-
seum. We have also employed a distinguished conchologist, Mr. P.
P. Carpenter, of Warrington, England, to classify and label the ex-
tensive collection of shells, and have been favored in this work with
the co-operation of the principal gentlemen most distinguished in
this country for their original investigations in this branch of natural
history. Mr. Isaac Lea, of Philadelphia, assisted by Dr. Foreman,
has named the Unionide; Mr. Binney, of New Jersey, the Helicide;
Mr. Stimpson, the shells of the eastern coast of the United States;
and Dr. Gould has identified the new species of the exploring expe-
dition, and rendered aid in the classification of the collection gene-
rally. Assistance has also been rendered by Mr. J. G. Anthony, Mr.
James Lewis, Dr. Newcomb, and Mr. Lapham.

A taxidermist has been constantly engaged in going over the col-
lection. He has mounted several hundred new specimens of birds,
and set up a considerable number of large quadrupeds.

According to the statement of Professor Baird, the number of en-
tries in the record books, of additions to the museum, in the line of
zoology, during the year 1859, amounts to 11,691, and the whole
number of records in all the books is 37,197; but, as explained in
previous reports, this number is far from exhibiting the aggregate of
specimens catalogued; each entry frequently includes all the speci-
mens of any one species received at one time from one locality, and,
in some cases, embraces several hundred individual objects. It will
not be too high if we estimate five specimens on the average to each
entry, and we shall then have 185,985 as the aggregate of these ob-
jects now in the museum. In addition to the foregoing, there is a
large collection of specimens in ethnology, botany, mineralogy, and
geology.

The object of the Institution in obtaining so large a number of du-
plicates is, that they may be distributed for the advancement of

REPORT OF THE SECRETARY. 51

knowledge to persons who may be engaged in original investigations
in natural history, to museums for the completion of their lists, and’
also to colleges for the purposes of education.

As it is not a part of the policy of the Institution to form a general
collection like that of the British museum, which can only be the
work of the general government, but to assist in advancing and
diffusing a knowledge of the natural history of North America, we
have been anxious to distribute the duplicates in such a manner as
to render them subservient to the objects in view, and it is hoped
that we shall begin the work of distribution within the present year.
As usual, a number of young gentlemen have availed themselves of
the facilities offered by the library and collections of the Institution to
prosecute their researches in different branches of natural history;
and in some cases, in which such confidence seemed fully justified,
series of specimens have been intrusted for examination to indi-
viduals at a distance. Although the primary object of the Institu-
tion is not educational, yet the museum is arranged with especial
reference to the study of the elements of different branches of science;
and the distribution of the extra specimens will furnish the means of
diffusing a knowledge of natural history more generally throughout
the country.

Explorations—A number of expeditions sent out by the general
government have been furnished with instructions, and in some cases
with apparatus for the collection of objects of natural history, and
several explorations have been undertaken by individuals under the
immediate auspices of the Institution. I need only mention in this
place that conducted by Mr. Robert Kennicott in the regions of the
Hudson’s Bay territory and in Russian America. This young gentle-
man is assisted by the Smithsonian Institution, the University of
Michigan, the Audubon Club and Academy of Sciences of Chicago,
and a number of liberal-minded persons interested in natural history.
His labors have been greatly facilitated by the cordial co-operation
of Sir George Simpson, governor, and the other officers of the Hud-
son’s Bay Company, to whom we are also indebted for valuable dona-
tions of specimens and records of meteorological observations.

* For a detailed account of the explorations and the museum, I refer
to the report of Professor Baird hereto appended,

CSU

2 REPORT OF THE SECRETARY.

Lectures. —The following lectures were delivered during the winter
of 1859-60:

Six lectures by Professor SamuEL W. Jounson, of Yale College, on
Agricultural Chemistry:

1. The Plant, its Structure and Composition.

2. The Atmosphere and Water in their relation to Vegetable
Growth.

3. The Soil, as related to Agricultural Productions.

4. The Improvement of the Soil by Tillage, Drainage, Amendments,
and Fertilizers.

5. The Conversion of Vegetable into Animal Produce.

6. Systems of Farm Practice Viewed in the Light of Agricultural
Science; Rotation of Crops; Exhaustion and Maintenance of Agricul-
tural Resources.

Three lectures by Puitip P. Carpenter, esq., of England:

1. Shells of the Gulf of California.

2. The Cuttle Fish Tribe, their Forms and Habits in the Ancient
and Existing Seas; including the Paper and Pearly Nautilus, &e.

3. Crawling Shells.

One lecture by Professor Henry Coppir, of the University of
Pennsylvania, on Coincidences in the Conquests of Mexico.

Four lectures by Professor Benjamin Peirce, of Harvard College,
Cambridge, Massachusetts:

Two on The Diversities in Mathematical Powers of Different Races
and Nationalities;

Two on Comets.

Three lectures by Dr. Benyamin A. GouLp, of Cambridge, Massa-
-chusetts, on Chance, Probability, Accident.

Three lectures by Professor A. T. Buepsoz, of the University of

“Virginia, on The Social Destiny of Man.

Three lectures by the Rt. Rev. M. J. Spaunpine, Bishop of Louis-
wille, Kentucky, on The Elements and History of Modern Civilization.

Qne lecture by WiLLiam GILPIN, esq., of Missouri, on The Charac-
teristics and Physical Geography of the Western Portion of North
America.

Five lectures by T. Starry Hunt, F. R.8., of the Geological Survey
of Canada:

1. On Chemical and Physical Geology; Introduction of Geological
Agencies.

REPORT OF THE SECRETARY. 53

. Chemistry of the Earth’s Crust.

. Life in its Geological Relations.

. Geology of the Metals, Mineral Springs, Metamorphism.
. Igneous Rocks, Volcanoes, Mountain Chains.

Ov H © bO

The interest is still kept up in the lectures, although they occasion-
ally called forth criticisms on account of the character of particular
courses, which, while they are received with much interest by one
class of hearers, are not in accordance with the taste of those whose
pursuits or reading lie in an opposite direction.

While a large number of persons regularly attend the lectures for
the sake of the advantage to be derived from them, others, and par-
ticularly young persons, attend as a mere pastime, or assemble in the
lecture room as a convenient place of resort, and by their whispering
annoy those who sit near them. Frequent complaints have been
made on this account, and it has been suggested that it might be
well to try, as an experiment, a plan similar to that adopted at the
Lowell Institute, im which, as in the case of the Smithsonian Institu-
tion, free lectures are given to a promiscuous audience. To secure
proper order, and to prevent the interruption of the speaker by per-
sons arriving after the lecturer has commenced, a series of numbered
tickets may be distributed at the commencement of the season, and
the names of the persons who receive them entered in a book, oppo-
site the number of the ticket; and in addition to this, the doors may
be closed a few minutes after the lecture commences.

Respectfully submitted.
JOSEPH HENRY,
Secretary.
JANUARY, 1860.

54 REPORT OF ASSISTANT SECRETARY.

APPENDIX TO THE REPORT OF THE SECRETARY.

SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION,
: Washington, December 31, 1859.

Sir: I have the honor herewith to present a report, for 1859, of the
operations you have intrusted to my charge, namely, those which
relate to the printing, the exchanges, and to the collections of natural
history.

Very respectfully, your obedient servant,

SPENCER F. BAIRD,
Assistant Secretary Smithsonian Institution.
Prof. Joseph Henry, LL.D.
Secretary Smithsonian Institution.

PUBLICATIONS.

The publications of the Institution during the past year have been
as follows:

Annual Report of the Board of Regents of the Smithsonian Insti-
tution, showing the operations, expenditures, and condition of the
Institution for the year 1858. One volume, 8vo., pp. 448.

An account of the Total Helipse of the Sun on September 7. 1858,
as observed near Olmos, Peru. By Lieutenant J. M. Gilliss, United
States navy. 4to. pp. 24, and one plate.

Catalogue of Publications of Societies and of other Periodical
Works in the Library of the Smithsonian Institution. July 1, 1858.
Part 1. Foreign works. 8vo. pp. 260.

Appendix to the Catalogue of Described Diptera of North America.
By Baron R. Osten Sacken. 8vo. pp. 4.

Directions for Collecting, Preserving, and Transporting Specimens
of Natural History, prepared for the use of the Smithsonian Institu-
tion. Third edition. 8vo. pp. 40.

Discussion of the Magnetic and Meteorological Observations made
at the Girard College Observatory, Philadelphia, in 1840, 1841,1842,
1843, 1844, and 1845. Part 1. Investigations of the Hleven-Year
Period in the Amplitude of the Solar-diurnal Variation, and of the
Disturbances of the Magnetic Declination. By A. D. Bache, LL.D.
Pages 22. Quarto.

Meteorological Observations in the Arctic Seas. By Elisha Kent
Kane, M. D., United States navy. Made during the second Grinnell
expedition in search of Sir John Franklin, in 1853, 1854, and 1855,
at Van Rensselaer harbor, and other points on the west coast of
Greenland. Reduced and discussed by Charles A. Schott, assistant
United States Coast Survey. Pages 120. Quarto.

REPORT OF ASSISTANT SECRETARY. 55

The Coleoptera of Kansas and Hastern New Mexico. By John L.
Leconte, M. D. Pages 66, and three plates. Quarto.

Observations on Terrestrial Magnetism in Mexico, conducted under
the direction of Baron Von Miiller, with notes and illustrations of the
volcano Popocatapetl and its vicinity. By August Sonntag. Pages
92, and one plate. Quarto.

Observations on Certain Storms in Europe and America, in De-
cember, 1836. By Hlias Loomis, LL.D., professor of natural phi-
losophy in the University of the city of New York. Pages 28, and
thirteen plates. Quarto.

In addition to the preceding publications, the following are in an
advanced stage of printing, and will be ready for distribution in a
short time:

Catalogue of the Described Lepidoptera of North America. By
Rev. Dr. John G. Morris. Octavo.

Check Lists of the Shells—land, fresh water, and marine—of North
America. Octavo.

Meteorological Observations made at Providence, Rhode Island.
By Prof. A. Caswell. Quarto.

Meteorological Observations made near Washington, Arkansas. By
Dr. Nathan D. Smith. Quarto.

New Edition of the List of Foreign Institutions in Correspondence
with the Smithsonian Institution. Octavo.

Circular in reference to the collection of facts relating to the grass-
hopper tribes of North America. Octavo.

Circular in reference to the collecting of nests and eggs of North
American birds. Octavo.

Circular in reference to the collecting of North American shells.
Octavo.

EXCHANGES.

As in previous years, a continuous increase and expansion of ope-
rations has taken place in this department. The annexed tables will
give a better account of their magnitude than any general remarks
on the subject. It will be sufficient to say that the number of insti-
tutions and individuals in the United States availing themselves of
the Smithsonian facilities now embraces nearly all those publishing
works of a scientific and literary character.

The expenses of the system of exchanges conducted by the Insti-
tution have, of course, increased with the expansion of operations,
and but for the free facilities so generously accorded by various par-
ties would have arisen to such an amount as to render it necessary to
call on each of the institutions benefited for a share of the cost.
This has not yet been done, except in the case of the United States
Coast Survey, which has ereatly exceeded all the rest in the bulk of
its transmissions; but it may soon be required from other parties.

The thanks of the Smithsonian Institution for free fr eights of pack-
ages containing exchanges and specimens of natural history are espe-
cially due to the following companies:

56 REPORT OF ASSISTANT SECRETARY.

The North German Lloyd steamers, running between Bremen and
New York, of which Messrs. Gelpcke, Keutgen, and Reichelt, 84
Broadway, are agents. This line has carried 250 cubic feet for the
Institution at a single trip, without charge.

The California steamer line, consisting of the Pacific Mail Steam-
ship Company, between San Francisco and Panama, (as well as
between San Francisco and the ports of Oregon and Washington
Territory,) of which Mr. W. A. Davidge-is president; the Panama
Railroad Company, David Hoadley, president; from Aspinwall to New
York the line at first consisted of the United States Mail Steamship
Company, M. O. Roberts, president, up to the 5th of October last,
when it was replaced in the route by the North Atlantic Steamship
Company, I. W. Raymond, president. Theagents of thisline, Mr. W.
H. Wickham, at New York, and Mr. A. B. Forbes, assisted by Mr.
Samuel Hubbard, at San Francisco, have also been very zealous in
their attentions to the interests of the Institution.

Messrs. Adams & Co., through the superintendent of the southern
division, Mr. 8. M. Shoemaker, of Baltimore, and the Washington
agent, Mr. A. J. Falls, have very materially aided the Institution by
a reduction of freights on heavy goods, and their remission entirely
on small packages. This has also been done by Messrs. Wells, Fargo
& Co. in California.

The line of sailing vessels between New York and the west coast
of South America, belonging to Mr. Bartlett, 110 Wall street, has
continued to carry our Chilean exchanges free of charge.

To Mr. Edward Cunard, of New York, the Institution is indebted
for the offer to carry a specified amount of freight from New York to
Liverpool by his steamers, free of charge—a privilege which has al-
ready, in part, been made use of,

The Isabel steamer, running between Charleston, Key West, and
Havana, has also continued to carry packages free of charge, through
the liberality of the agents, Messrs. Mordecai & Co., of Charleston.

Messrs. Russell & Jones, contractors of army transportation to
Utah, and through Kansas and Nebraska, have also kindly extended
the facilities of their line to the Institution.

Considering the large amount of freight which some of the above-
mentioned lines transport annually for the Smithsonian Institution, it
will readily be understood how much they have assisted in carrying
out its objects, as, with a fixed income, the expenses of the ex-
changes and natural history operations conducted by the Institution
would be entirely beyond its present means.

A.
Receipt of books, &c., by exchange, in 1859.
Wiolninies===Oetave 20 RS, aid ele Ain He Vanes 659
QUATIO! eo a's Frets dls pubic Ipliehe Sisldte cls oie at aialete 303
BAU S58 oc EGE SPI ee eM ate AN Re 60
a | aie

Parts of volumes and pamphlets:
DANO ois eis oie ce oie oie oul caetenei aie oie latione Nae inal 1,696

‘

REPORT OF ASSISTANT SECRETARY. 57

QUAaTtO «sees e wees af shia Praubasputt piauitene oo: Melshous 156

AOU): sh-se ie esole: 6 Btetbetie tayrayfeiierielaCare Walicrialenerrelvarroine aioe maya 88
— 2,540
Maps and charts -- Shonis Si anaheh siceged oie dee aie dooce: : 40
BLASTS UAE Ae clauses viuilt SEA eNOS 3,602

Being an increase over the year 1858 of 1,062 volumes and parts
of volumes. The number of separate donations amounted to 1,252.

It will be remembered that this does not include the volumes pur-
chased for the current researches and operations of the Institution,
or for the completion of such series of transactions and periodicals as
could not otherwise be obtained.

B,
Showing the statistics of foreign exchanges of the Smithsonian Institution
in 1859.
Lo} g oO fo} & 4 =|
Agent and country. S = 2 Die og
car eH ‘Ss oD 2 Py
° = 6 a4 2 ad
S S S er OT
A, Zi A a) E
1. Dr. Fenix Fricen, Lewpsic—
S wedleriy eel ek ela one hie Malena! 4 BID 12 1 al eyes Sea | es eed a ees pt
INGEWAYy Ree as As See NAY Se 5 Zid Sefer seein reas
LADY yanrara G6 Ee ga Pe aE el a an A ee ich ae 12 SO toss eae Sao cee aes
PEDULSS Tea Pea Rai sete REN Ales UN 38 Di etn Rea aga a A ef ce
TE (COU B EST ao lip Sa Base aL UN ISIC reales 33 FON Sa See a eee eeu
Germany eysuen ees Ge ee ee a 31 RS)¢ A ean Pen ee a a ee
Switzerlam dh <5 wer see we se et oe nas eo 294 FHT ce dup | ore Seer ere He Sve vo
elem 222525556 sey ata ee aeice sa raat 12 Foo (a Une a ee

France

LEN Aes Ec ce ea ege a cg ES Rye ale RSS

Portugal

PS) EEN Pe a tgp pat ee a
3. Henry Stevens, London—

Great Britain and Ireland .......-..0- 151 GTO) fis ee ee Oe ene

Ota s See ate ee 151 670 25 346 9,200

4. Resr oF THE WoRLD..-..-----------ee-e- 68 220 10 40 1, 200

Grand ttotalyiseces ssa sso 225 825 | 2,735 82 | 1,054 | 29,480

58 REPORT OF ASSISTANT SECRETARY.

The great increase in the number and bulk of packages of books
sent abroad during the period reported on is owing to several causes.
Among these may be mentioned the fact that the table embraces the
statistics of three different transmissions, rendered necessary by the
accumulation of materials in the Smithsonian building. A large pro-
portion of the works sent consisted of such publications of the
United States government as the Pacific Railroad Report, the Mexi-
can Boundary Report, the Report on Commercial Relations, the Coast
Survey Report, &c.

Of the Pacific Railroad Report alone, over one hundred sets were
sent, in behalf of the War Department, to the principal public libra-
ries and societies in Europe, and more than three hundred copies of
the Coast Survey Report to similar institutions. The Patent Office
exchanges with parties in Europe also occupied a very large bulk.

C.

Packages received by the Smithsonian Institution from parties in America
for foreign distribution mm 1859.

Number of
packages.
Albany, N. ¥.—
Brofessors deal ee Scere coke So Salen meas Seis Cem ae eiaieemics 98
Boston—
American Academy of Arts and Sciences. -.--..--..-.-------------- US
Socieby.of Naturaleblistony =: -es2 Oe Me ee ee ee 40
Cambridge, Mass.— ‘
American Association for the Advancement of Science...--- rahi SON 64
protessor, (Gray je ae a cla ae ic see 15
Charleston, S. C.—
Hiliott Society of Natural History. sep —-- ost somes ee ese oe cee 27
Oolumbia, Mo.—
IPEOLESSOT CS WA O Wie Bh aio oe oe ee ee ceicjateid os alee Sie epperareeie as 17
Columbus, Ohio—
Pane Aon ciltiral SOcCletyace asec See ee eee oa sae see satel rei 100
Des Moines, lowa—
DiateOIglOWAas = 5 Uscao ches coe cbaw cekoe neal ce os eee 193
Georgetown, D. C.—
Collegec eis = PETS 5 ae aoe ae See eS aE fo Ain Nes EA eh eee a 6
Yew Haven, Conn.—
American Journalor Belencec2 S222 4-0 S he ce dens ceeemcekinte aba ene 12
American OnentaN SOclebye = so sicc508 W's 2 os oe esi oe eee ane coe 19
Professor J: (OAD aAN a eee oo Sete oe oe se wh a ee aa 20
Vale .Collec ep Se ee ae epee a alam cise iniaiaisine doesn a ce nenimia ans z
Tittle Rock, Ark.—
State of Arkangassbaccscece ewes ube cee cae cuca ook SoeSe eee sean 800
New York—
New York Lyceum of Natural History......<---..--.----ese aSeid Se 74
Philadelphia—
Meademvy ot Natural Sorencesteaeeee a2 cin) altinosinige atom cele aac 325
AMmerican EP Mlogophical SOClehy 2 aamiak aaaiom aS o'eln'a 6) .c) mami wiles 132
Isaac Lea_-.-- Po ino Se BNE oho te So Se wiman nian la aiding ewig ci aera eae 134
Dre, JOSEP Ber diy 2 aa esa ot eas ee crcl ia lols pe a Sil to les lalate 30
We /Sharawoodur. - stake se 53 ee ee ese ease cans see wae eee 30

Providence, R. [.—
ptate-Or Rhode Islands. set Soe eee Se eae eee 6

REPORT OF ASSISTANT SECRETARY. 59

C——Continued.
Number of
packages.
St. Lowis, Mo.—

PACAUEMYZOMSCLENCESEM Eee eae ccuweeee tae A Sey oe Roe 148
Diese SnUMATa. see et le ee ek oe oe oo. Le a 15
Dri Georreminrelmannsi ssn SL eee ee ee ee se oe ae 90
DieaVV PII ZeNUS) nce is Se ella ti shee SE A es ie a 3

Washington, D. 0.— .
WmikedgStateswRatentiOmee) <2 ee cierto op wee oles 1, 344
(WmitedsStatesi Coast Surveyeucas22 tcl esses see ee ee ee 598
DECHE ATO LWW tS cepa cae re a ei RO 245
ihieutenantsG Ke Wartenic. Joc oue ek ek eB SS Bk oS 40
Wine CAME OU er ts mee meas SON pt Galea TU abe ia Sa a ete 633
1) ee PA aC ge en UE RN OTE vee De TNR URE IRE) cast 5, 337

D.

Addressed packages received by the Smithsonian Institution from Europe
Jor distribution in America im 1859.

Number of
packages.

Albany, N. Y.—

AlbamyaInstibute 2 se ec sews eek ee aus ee 2

DudleysObservatonyysoe eee ace ee otie Sas SEL ee ee 44

New) York Statelibrary- ic ciotsede rece sediceceee select Ut oa eee 18

New York State Agricultural Society. ....--...-----.-------------- 8

New !ork State Medical Society 225.0200. 40 0 2cuee be eee th 8 2

IPLOLESSOL RU AMES Mla Neale es a itr Sci k een Siar 7
Amherst, Mass.—

Artae ist WOME NI iid Siainidin wine Sat Sere SERS Oe eles he 15
Ann Arbor, Mich.—

Obsenvatonn ioeiee lot ee ees ee ee Thea Lee ee 9
Annapolis, Md.— y

(WmuediStates@Naval Schoolesucpee vole sl eeacelc ek SARE 2
Atlanta, Ga.—

Medicali@olleres eee. seeece Sein ee ccm Se ee ee 1

Wipe YSN OL) GEOTETaA cee a eS ie Shia al a 1
Baltimore, Md.—

Maryland Historical Society -~....---.-.-----.--.+2--2--4---2--055 T
Bloomington, Ind.—

INncIMaANUMIVETsiby st oeade eee kes a ce ee i
Boston, Mass.—

American Academy of Arts and Sciences_.....--..----------------- 64

American Statistical Association.......-...---.-----------0------- / 10

Boston Society of Natural History....-.....---------------.------ 43

Be werenMelbrary — Sue Secu sk cea Lond emew tase macecunenanoee 4

LIBS ACALOOCIG LY scala k Gs ain ain am a alviaid ou ea aie eo oot see oat SI , 2

EREIPBUEN IMIG OOCIOUY 2 9 a is)a dies ole c/s dn eco teendimelan ac tae 2

BBM RMMDL ALY eee SLE UL wu wbnotiel sana u an oe cm ceoom eee ee 21

Risuamorary Or Massachusetts... 4.2.2.2 ---0cece seduces sannese% 4

Brunswick, Me.—
SR URN i oa ack la ike olla ae Wimigr etartcl wimg \ 9

60 REPORT OF ASSISTANT SECRETARY.

D—Continued.

Burlington, Vi.—

Universitysof JViermont.2 2 cee ease ea iit ae ae ets ee eee
Cambridge, Mass.—

American Association for the Advancement of Science----------.---.

Cambridge Astronomical Journals ss 222. eee eee eee eee

Cambridge Observatory j- jee ee iene see eeece eee pee eee

Library of Harvard College

Professor L. Agassiz

ProfessorAsa Gray a cssease oes Se ONC lal or Sie ae ain

Professor. B. Peirce in ccjetnccmecd eeu eng wake ols See oe is ae ee
Charlottesville, Va.—

University of Virginia
Charleston, S. C.—

Eliott Society of Natural History

Publican rary ee a ee SN cy laene eas ee te oer

Society Library
Cincinnati, Ohio—

Mercantile Library

DSC VAL OLY, ye ie te he OR A ARN EUSA a ese ce

Public Library
Columbia, Mo.—

Professor Gi. Cs Swallow .e2 eee ee sk ois ee ee
Columbia, S. C.—

Sonth Carolina€ olle geese ce rac ae wes eee eee esa ala ene ieneiiateratets
Columbus, Ohio—

OhiopState Board iotVAonicultures 22 sae cee ae cieeinee ce eee acta inet
Chapel Hill, N. C.—

Wniversityof North) Carolinas .oeoe. soos ee eee eee eee eee eee
Chicago, Ill.—

Mechanics), Institutes 2. oSciso2. heen nececeeeeewend Heese
Detroit, Mich.—

Michigan State Agricultural Society 2-222. jo-cseenccos sl ecee eo cee
Easton, Pa.—

JuafayetteCollege.-2 aoe sos ee he cpio wim au Ae at Pe
Frankfort, Ky.—

Geolocical Survey of, Kentucky, 222222 ecen een ceen ee oe ence enineomr
Gambier, Ohio—

enyomi Colleges esi society aa Sen a ar ee a Gries
Georgetown, D. C.—

Georgetown Collerey s,s. 5 ac ce 6 clk oe oan cen ee Sion crete rales
Hanover, N. H.—

Dartmouth Collese oon atsccimen se see eom een meena pelea iterate
Harrisburg, Pa.—

SRLS m NON Ny pate mipstalenlsles lent = = ]=) lm lm et etter attest et tee tt
Hartford, Ct.— ;

Woune) Mens Mastiiite eae ete ialm eimtwielntey a mlm ioeyar ne eioaie id ie ete eile ta
Jacksonville, Iil.—

EMT Os) Col] ere ee rae eae ae ere tn ll alle eee leon ieee ales alter
Madison, Wis.—

Wisconsin State Agricultural Society ..----2.----- --enee-~- mp petric)

Historical Society of Wisconsin..-... mean mt Stal pallies it la
Milledgeville, Gia.—

Oglethorpe University -..-.-. Ae aslo ios eign a aS esis
Montreal, Canada—

Natiral History Sociehy . 2 <n oc apatmmien midtimins te im mye om wien Kins af erlm'el olga
Natchez, Miss.—

PETTING DANS oa ees ol onl ses a) a ie mem mot let a sles al hee = te

ery

i

wer m mt ese Be we PM ee ee ee ew ee eee ee eB ee ee ee ee eee

pene m nme eee ee Benes nem ee eee eB ese Be ee eee eee

Number of
packages.

i)
ee oF OO FSF GF

REPORT OF ASSISTANT SECRETARY. 61

D—Continued.

Number of
packages.

New Brunswick, N. J.—
Professor George EH. Cook, jis. 2 so leecsceteed 254 le Le eee 8
New Harmony, Ind.—

Dre sIDROwen oocee secs ss cesses See utile ale oe eee 5
New Haven, Ct.—

American Journal of Science j.-2 7502 se Sol ce Oe 10

American Oriental Society... 42 2 ssc 0005 ees ot Sno cece ce eek sec clee 8

ETOLESSOTAIROs MAM alse 2 Fou Leu S Nie a ek See | yaar At

Professormouliman ose ee see ee Deke eee cea ccase os eaeEeiS 25

iialenCollegeiee Jase n8 so hoc cemasaceeulasiass mes So ee ee 17
Newark, Del.—

MelawarerWollepe ps ck Ml se oe uO eu ie eee et ene 1
New Orleans, La.—

New Orleans Academy of Natural Science .-.......-.-------------- 31

Manversitv, Of yuomsianas.. 24 .seswases oe ou ces ata cc ou See ee ee 2
Newport, R. L—

Redwood Wibtanyy oa4 ase cose eican tue wEece = ca OU ie Lee eee eile 1
New York—

American) Hbhnological, Saciety, coiccccceeciawaee ann cices SURE Hee 7

American Geographical and Statistical Society .......-- ------------ 37

Americanpinstitute, cssocee oh esoe ss Lease DORR O A SUS ul apes 8

nstonuliuimrany ye tte os Gola S eno Geeaee os eae 3

Mercamtule Library Association Joccanonwuemonuacneccumick HAMS aaa es ¢

Neve York Juyceum,-of (Natural, History Suncecc. 5. see Se ee aes 29
Oregon city, O.—

Wniversibygor, Gregson, Fe oso oe oc cia Ge oe a NE ee 1
Philadalphia, Pa.—

Acanemy, of Natural Sciences 42 os ee) ie aca ee ee 105

American, Plitlosophical:Society#<2uwis 2 tauias oes aed ee 67

Central High School of Philadelphia_..........-...---2.-.-.------ 6

Teingiicellha kd a \cy aioe an aN MNS BETSY PLE s a ee Umesh HID ey 17

Hastorical Society,of Pennsylvania... esseoeke Jos Se. See Se 1

ennsylvania Institute for the, Blind, 22 Vee 24 2 ole Bee ee ae ee

Philadelphian@olleselof Bharmacyen aaa) see aeeosteseieiaei te oe eee ona lis siete

EMlacelphial library) Company ss saasescsnsqccaes sou eeesenueue ll

OMmiversity.o1 hennsylvanias cos n oe ee ee eee 1

Wecmemiiree Winstitute. secession se eS eae 10

fbi ie alpen A Le ena a pardioe May ni yA Reno Ras 16

Aree Combe asaya miamewee dy a MR UN ed 5

Ne aaasresay i IDET GG AM MIS cad, SU RU NJ ete A 19

Rp amaihS hamwiGods Sh ciie aun Leia UA UNE or REL Doe TNR Lalo yat 2 13
Princeton, N. J.—

Br OP IMNCMURICTROY . ct selcims ee UL ee a
Providence, R. 1 —

Brom WMI CLs ty cis MES VOU aie Lit MUU SE Oe ce 8
Richmond, Va.-—

Utd TRE ee PRE ee an Ic 1S AS YIN SU oa IN I
Rochester, N. Y.—

HOSEN es BST try pre aon crete ht SRN a Te lel US 1
San Francisco, Cal.—

California Academy of Natural Sciences........------------------- 23

Seomrical Survey of Californias. c2. << 4... 2-2-4. c=-esgeee mu seus 1
Savannah, Ga.—

eget rnstOtical Society oe ook eiwe os ade te ete eet ae 1
St, Louis, Mo.—

POISE AAR CINIY WL SCIENCE. 2 |. 2 nin oe cock an oe s'steceeuae = 70

TOAST TESTS Bias EL eS ea sa ae 11

Wee SHN OH TIMARG ee ie On Se ave dele AS gn PREPS ey 5

es OT rE I aR a A 7

62 REPORT OF ASSISTANT SECRETARY.

D—Continued.
Number of
packages.

Santiago, Chile—

Umiversitiy not, Chie aes eos ee re Pais SAUL a SM eee 2 Ae 6

Observatorys Soe Se oe ars eS a) eine Srey Sra ay Ee 1
Springfield, Ill.—

iMlamois State Agricultural-society. .- 22522 45S ee ee ee 1
Tallahassee, Fla.—

Rubliegiibrany sso. no 25 ios cls eee aeh eases. 5a Reape as aE ee it
Toronto, Canada—

CanadianUinstitute 202s scetecs a ccmcaweee ee tac oes UR ee 4
Tuscaloosa, Ala.—

Wminersity: of Alabamacs oc so tN 1
Washington, D. C.—

Presidentyor the United States cass so a ese aoe seminar 1

United States Patent Office 22 3-2_ Sse asa ee oe noe ae eee 72

Ordnance Bureaus. cet Sto a tenes an weeeeeeine ae 3

bightshotise Board so. 22 ose ea Se ek eee ote aeie ae eee eee il

United: States Coast Survey -.-c--n-- seen deere se cine oe eee 3

Professor Bache.....------------ Te emmate te eee See eae ee 44

National Observatory oscoc on ecem cence cee ee be Sais see eee eee 27

Hientenant Maury. - o.,-s-- cn. Souomeln Sees Sane Sa Ce 54

Secretary, of Wiarsso..62o Sassen ct So eee eet esl Sa eeeee eee 3

Commissioner of Indian A fiairs, — <2) cjem oscine mip sialon = eee te 1

Surseon General oo cick coe cicmmine oo cin tee hee eee ene 3

Congress Library. 3255 52220 cc 27) Se GO eee eee Re 15

Meutenantyd) 4 My Gilliss. oes eee Se eee ee eS eee 31

National- Institute: cele oe ess scant SoS oes oc o SSR ae 3
Waterville, Me.— .

Waterville College suo cesses lous Ree ee ees if
Worcester, Mass. —

American Antiquanan: Society... 152 setae jaos ee bee ere eee 6
tndividualsimot mentioned above=-22 2-02.22. oes. 4o 2 eee eee 246
Miscellaneous societies, &c., not mentioned ---.--.----.------------------ 76

Total eo iecis own cn accoea Selec Seis See Re oS eee ees aren 1,933

REPORT OF ASSISTANT SECRETARY. 63

MUSEUM.
ADDITIONS TO THE MUSEUM.

Extensive as were the additions to the museum in 1858, (exclusive
of those transferred from the Patent Office,) those of 1859 have ex-
ceeded them in magnitude and extent. The number of separate do-
nations amounted to 301, (127in 1858,) embracing nearly 500 different
packages. A detailed list of these donations will be found at the end
of this report, to which I would refer, and I will proceed here to
mention more in detail such of the collections received as from their
importance appear to require it.

As heretofore, most of the large collections were received from
officers in charge of parties under different departments of the gov-
ernment. Although the number of these parties has not been as
great as in some other years, the results attained by them are in no
way inferior in importance.

EXPLORATIONS UNDER THE WAR DEPARTMENT.

1. Construction of wagon road from Walla- Walla, Oregon, to Fort
Benton, under Lieutenant John Mullan, U. S. A.—This expedition,
with Dr. Mullan as medical officer, went to California in the spring,
by steamer, and thence to Walla-Walla, the starting point. Supplies
were sent up the Missouri by the steamers of the American Fur
Company of St. Louis, one of which made the first trip through to
Fort Benton. The supplies were accompanied by Mr. John Pear-
sall, an assistant of Lieutenant Mullan, who made large collections of
nests, eggs, birds, insects, and fossils. Collections were also made
by Lieutenant Mullan, between Walla-Walla and his winter camp,
near Fort Owen, not far from the Bitter Root valley, where he was
established at the last advices. »

2. Exploration of the Upper Missouri and Yellowstone. under Cap-
tain J. W. Raynolds, U. S. A.—This expedition, accompanied by Dr.
Hayden as geologist and naturalist, went up the Missouri in the steam-
boat of the Fur Company, in June last, and disembarked at Fort
Pierre. From this starting point they proceeded across.to the Yel-
lowstone, at Fort Sarpy, and thence, after various lateral explora-
tions, to their winter quarters on Deer creek, at the crossing of the
Platte, about 100 miles west of Fort Laramie, and in the immediate
vicinity of the Upper Platte Indian agency, in charge of Major Twiss.
During the winter, excursions have been made in different directions
for the purpose of geological explorations, and large collections se-
cured in all departments of natural history. The collections received
in Washington from Captain Raynolds consist mainly of the zoolo-
gical series gathered up to the arrival of his party at Fort Sarpy, and
embrace specimens of birds, eggs, insects, &c.

64 REPORT OF ASSISTANT SECRETARY.

3. Exploration of the San Juan river and Upper Colorado, under
Captain J. N. Macomb, U. S. A.—This party, accompanied by Dr.
Newberry as geologist and naturalist, did not get into the field until
a late period in the summer, and returned before winter to the east.
The principal results of the expedition, independently of interesting
geographical discoveries, are to be found in the department of geology,
in which Dr. Newberry was enabled to extend his observations made
while on the Colorado expedition under Lieut. Ives. Among other
fossils, Dr. Newberry obtained remains of a new genus and species
of extinct lizard, larger than any formerly found in North America.

4. Hzxplorations with the army in Utah, under Captain Simpson,
U. S. A.—This party, under Captain Simpson, accompanied by Mr.
Charles 8. McCarthy as collector, left. Fort Leavenworth for Camp
Floyd, in May, 1858, reaching its destination in September. From
this time until March, 1859, the party was occupied in making roads
between Camp Floyd and Fort Bridger, and in marking reservations.
From May to August, 1859, Captain Simpson explored two wagon
road routes between Camp Floyd and Genoa, in Carson valley, which
shorten very much the distance from Salt Lake City to California.

As much of this region had never been before traversed by scien-
tific men, the results were very interesting, consisting of several new
and peculiar forms of fishes, as also of reptiles, insects, &c. Many
rare birds, with their eggs, were also procured.

The party left Camp Floyd for Leavenworth in August, by way of
the Timpanogos, the Uintah mountains and the valley of the Green
river.

In addition to large zoological collections made by Mr. McCarthy,
Mr. Engelmann, the geologist of the expedition, made some important
geological discoveries, and brought in many fossils and plants.

UNDER THE STATE DEPARTMENT.

5. Survey of the northwest boundary: Archibald Campbell, esq.. com-
missioner.— This expedition, with Dr. Kennerly as the surgeon and nat-
uralist, and Mr. George Gibbs as geologist, has already been referred
to in previous reports. These gentlemen have continued to make
large collections during the year, those received filling twelve boxes.
The specimens gathered about the Chiloweyuck depot proved parti-
cularly interesting, from including a new salmon, Anodonta, and other
species of animals. The collections also embrace skins and skulls of
the Aploceras montanus, or Rocky mountain goat, the only ones known
in American collections; also of Lagomys princeps, or little chief hare,
and skins of Lagopus leucurus, the white-tailed ptarmigan, and of the
black-throated diver, Colymbus arcticus, in adult summer dress.

UNDER THE NAVY DEPARTMENT.

6. Exploration of the Parana and its tributaries, under Captain
1’. J. Page, U. S. N.—This survey, in continuation of that prosecuted

REPORT OF ASSISTANT SECRETARY. 65

by Captain Page several years ago, is accompanied by Mr. Christopher
Wood as taxidermist, and has already sent home quite a large collec-
tion of birds, embracing several rare and perhaps new species.

UNDER THE INTERIOR DEPARTMENT.

T. Wagon road from El Paso to Fort Yuma, under Colonel Leech.—
This expedition returned to Washington in 1858, but the collections
did not arrive until early in 1859. These were made by Dr. S. Hayes,
and consisted chiefly of a large and valuable herbarium, embracing
several new species of plants.

8. Wagon road from the South Pass to California, under Colonel F’. W.
Lander.—This party passed so rapidly over the country as to be unable
to do much in the collecting of specimens of natural history. Mr.
James A. Snyder, who had charge of this department, among other
duties, succeeded in obtaining specimens, both in skin and in alcohol,
of the very rare Lagomys princeps, or ‘‘coney’’ of the Mormons.
These were captured in the Wahsatch mountains, to which, according
to Colonel Lander, they appear to be chiefly confined.

IN CONNEXION WITH THE SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION.

9. Exploration of the vicinity of Fort Tejon and of Cape St. Lucas;
by Mr. John Xantus.—Among the very important researches in the
natural history of America, the explorations of Mr. John Xantus de-
serve particular mention. In previous reports, the collections made
by Mr. Xantus at Fort Tejon have been referred to. During a resi-
dence there of about sixteen months, from the summer of 1857 to the
autumn of 1858, although constantly occupied with official duties, he
has exhausted the natural history of the vicinity of the. fort in the
most thorough manner. All departments are fully represented in his
collections, which filled thirty-five boxes ; the birds alone embracing
nearly 2,000 specimens and 144 species.

Professor Bache, the Superintendent of the United States Coast Sur-
vey, having determined to establish a tidal station at Cape St. Lucas,
Lower California, Mr. Xantus was placed in charge, and reached the
Cape in April last. He has since that time made, in the intervals of
his official duties, and forwarded to Washington, collections which vie
in thoroughness with those of Fort Tejon, and exceed them in number
of species, embracing as they do the marine as well as the fresh water
and land forms. Of 42 species of birds first received from him, 8 are
new; of crustaceans, there are over 100 species, many of them new;
while in all other departments the collections have been proportion-
ately great.

- The results obtained at Cape St. Lucas by Mr. Xantus add another
to the many benefits to hatural history as well as to physical science
rendered incidentally by the operations of the United States Coert
Survey, as shown previously in the important collections of Lieutenant
Trowbridge, Mr. Wurdemann, Mr. Cassidy, Mr. Wayne and others.
5

66 REPORT OF ASSISTANT SECRETARY.

10. Explorations of the Hudson's Bay Territory, by Mr. Robert Ken-
nicott.—Mr. Kennicott, under the patronage of the Smithsonian Insti-
tution, and by the assistance of the University of Michigan at Ann
Arbor, the Audubon Club of Chicago, the Chicago Academy of Sci-
ences, and a number of gentlemen interested in the natural history of
the Arctic regions, has ‘been during the past year engaged in an ex-
ploration of the north, which promises results of no ordinary import-
ance. His labors have been greatly facilitated by the cordial co-
operation of Sir George Simpson, governor of the territory, and the
officers of the service, especially of Mr. Barnston, of Michipicoten,
and Mr. B. R. Ross, of Fort Simpson. Mr. Kennicott left in May for
Lake Superior, via Toronto and Collingwood. From Fort William, on
Lake Superior, he was conveyed to Norway House in the Company’s
boats, and thence towards Fort Simpson, on the Mackenzie. At the
latest advices, of July 29, he had reached Methy or La Loche Portage,
and, in company with Mr. Ross, it was his expectation to proceed in a
few days to Fort Simpson, there to winter. He intends in the spring
to go to Great Slave or Bear Lake to collect eggs, and hopes to re-
main long enough in the north to spend another spring and summer
on the Youkon of Russian America, and another on the shores of the
Arctic ecean, north of Great Bear Lake.

A small portion only of the collections made by Mr. Kennicott have
yet reached Washington; those gathered between Norway House and
Portage La Loche having arrived at Pembina too late to come down
this year. Among the specimens received, however, is a fine skin of
the rare Larus Sabini, or the fork-tailed gull, shot on Lake Winnipeg.

Mr. Kennicott was accompanied to Lake Winnipeg by Mr. Charles
A. Hubbard, of Milwaukie, who returned home in the fall, by way of
Fort Garry and Pembina, from whom the Institution received a val-
uable collection of eggs, and through him, from Mr. Donald Gunn, a
number of birds and of specimens im alcohol.

11. Explorations on the Saskatchewan, by Captain Blakiston, R. A.—
The Institution has also received some interesting collections made on
the Saskatchewan, by Captain Thomas Blakiston, R. A., through the
Royal Artillery Institution at Woolwich, London. These consist of
eggs and skins of birds, several of the former of which are rare and
new to our museum.

Dr. Rae, the celebrated Arctic traveller, presented to the Institution
specimens of Spermoplilus parryi from Repulse bay, latitude 56° 30’
north, thus supplying an important addition to the collection of North
American mammals.

12. Various other points on the west coast.—Other collections of in-
terest consist of nests, eggs, and skins of birds, and of other animals
from Fort Umpqua, sent by Dr. Vollum; of skeletons of the sea otter,
by Mr. R. W. Dunbar; of specimens in alcohol, by Mr. Alexander Tay- °
lor; and of eggs, by Dr. C. A. Canfield.

13. Explorations of Fort Crook, by John Feilner, esq.—Mr. Feilner
during the past year has made large collections of birds and mam-
mals at Fort Crook, rivalling those of Mr. Xantus at Fort Tejon.

REPORT OF ASSISTANT SECRETARY. CF

Among them are good specimens of such rare birds as Picus william-
sont, albolarvatus, thyroideus, cc.

14. Exploration in the Rocky mountain region.—In addition to the
government collections of Captain Simpson and Captain Macomb, Dr.
Anderson, U.S. A., has continued to send a number of rare birds from
Cantonment Burgwin. Dr. Irwin, U.8. A., at Fort Buchanan, has also
made large collections for the Institution, none of which, however,
have yet been received except one box of birds. Dr. George Suckley,
U.S. A., while accompanying a detachment of troops from Leaven-
worth to Camp Floyd, made some interesting collections, including the
eges of the Rocky mountain plover. Several rare animals have also
been received from Colonel Vaughan, Indian agent for the Blackfeet,
near Fort Benton.

Dr. Brewer, U.S. A., presented to the collection, through Captain J.
H. Simpson, some rare reptiles and shells from southern Utah. —

15. Explorations in and near Florida.—Dr. H. Bryant and Mr. Wil-
liam Cooper spent the winter in the Bahamas chiefly in and about
Nassau, and made rich collections of animals, series of which were pre-
sented by them to the Institution.

Dr. J. G. Cooper visited Key West in March, and thence proceeded
to Cape Florida, where he spent two months, and another month on
Indian River and the St. John’s. In addition to extensive zoological
collections, Dr. Cooper paid particular attention to the trees of Florida.
and succeeded in obtaining several West Indian and tropical species:
not previously known to occur in the United States.

A large number of marine animals in alcohol, and of birds and their
eggs, were collected at the Tortugas for the Institution by Captaim
Woodbury, U.S.A., and by Dr. Whitehurst.

Dr. Bean, of Micanopy, Florida, has also furnished a collection of
the eggs, reptiles, and fishes of the State. Among-the first are the
only eggs of the glossy ibis, [bis ordii, yet. detected within our limits.

In connexion with Florida explorations, with which he was so closely
associated, itis my painful duty to mention the death, during the past
year, of Mr. Gustavus Wurdemann, a tidal observer of the United
States Coast Survey, and for many years an active correspondent of
the Smithsonian Institution. Occupied with the important scientific
duties incident to his place in the Coast Survey, Mr. Wurdemann yet.
found time for attention to natural history; and at his different stations,
of St. Joseph’s islands, Texas; Calcasieu, Louisiana; Fort Morgan,

Alabama; and Key West, Tortugas, Indian Key, Key Biscayne, Char-
lotte Harbor, &c., Florida, made collections which have proved of the
greatest service in supplying information concerning the zoology of
the Gulf region. Independently of the many new and little known
crustacea, shells, and other marine animals collected by Mr. Wurde-
mann, he succeeded in adding several species of birds to the fauna
of the United States; among others, Larus cucullatus, Certhiola fla-
veola, Quiscalus baritus, Corvus Americanus var. floridanus, Ardea
Wiirdemanni, &c. |

16. Miscellaneous localities. —A collection of eggs and birds of Il-

linois was received from Mr. Tolman; of insects and reptiles of

68 REPORT OF ASSISTANT SECRETARY.

Kansas, from Mr. H. Brandt; and of eggs, reptiles, and shells, from
St. Charles’s College, Louisiana. Mr. Theodore Gill, during a vist
to Newfoundland, obtained a collection of fishes and invertebrates for
the Institution. Mr. Willis, of Halifax, has also furnished valuable
collections of eggs and shells. For a statement of many other im-
portant additions to the Smithsonian Museum from private sources, I
beg leave to refer to the list hereunto appended.

17. Other parts of the world.—A series of skins of the tropic-birds,
and of eggs of birds breeding on the Bermudas, has proved of
much interest for comparison with North American. These were
presented by Chief Justice Darrell; a collection of fishes and reptiles
from Nicaragua, presented by Dr. H. C. Caldwell, United States
navy, embraced several species new to the Smithsonian collection.
Mr. McLeannan, of the Panama Railroad Co., has presented to the
Institution many species of birds taken on the Isthmus not before
in the museum. Captain Dow, of the same company, has also sup-
plied a pair of living curassows.

18. Miscellaneous collections.—One of the most important additions
to the museum during the year has been made by Mr. William Stimp-
son, embracing, among other specimens, the whole of his collection
of shells of the Atlantic coast, including the types of his ‘‘shells of
New England,’’ and the ‘‘marine invertebrates of Grand Manan.’’
A large portion of the collection consists of specimens in alcohol, of
many species, the animals of which are almost entirely unknown
elsewhere.

With this collection and that of the exploring expedition, and
other parties from the west coast, the Smithsonian Institution has
within its walls the best singte collection extant of the marine shells
of North America.

Dr. Jan has presented, on the part of the Museo Civico, Milan, of
which he is director, a large number of species of snakes, for the most
part types of his great work on serpents.

From the zoological: museum of the University of Copenhagen,
Dried :id: Steenstrup, director, the Institution has received types of
~various species of radiates, ‘crustacea, &c., described by C. F.
_Liitken, Dr. H. Kroyer and others.

WORK DONE IN CONNEXION WITH THE COLLECTIONS.

Much progress has been made during the year in putting the speci-
mens already exhibited in the museum in order, in adding additional
ones, and in properly labelling and arranging the whole. So much,
however, is required to be done, that it is not to be wondered at if
the amount actually accomplished is not at first fully realized by the
visitor. The taxidermist has completed the change of stands of all
the mammals and of the North American birds on the south side of
the hall, and is now engaged on the exotic birds. He has also
mounted several hundred birds, chiefly from fresh specimens, for
the purpose of exhibiting deficient species of more special interest.

A considerable number of large quadrupeds have also been

a

REPORT OF ASSISTANT SECRETARY. 69

mounted and put in place—such as two grizzly bears, a cinnamon
bear, an antelope, a pair of mule deer, several wolves, &c.

The labor of cataloguing, entering, and arranging the collections
has also been diligently continued during the year, as shown by the
accompanying table. Much assistance in this has been derived from
the voluntary services of Mr. Robert Kennicott, Mr. E. Coues, Mr.
Prentice, Mr. A. J. Falls, and others.

Table exhibiting the entries in the record books of the Smithsonian Museune

in 1859, in continuation of previous years.

' 1851, | 1852. | 1853. | 1854. | 1855. | 1856. | 1857. | 1858. | 1859.
Mammals) fic cicsewjesec ceive ccre|s sian sees 114 198 351 | 1,200 | 2,046 | 3,200 | 3,226 3, 750
SING SeietelsslaelsiatcieysWvieisle e/evefelel sleiels||/-isia(e/erainel| clcleicieie(sie||iniele vevee| 4,353 | 4,425 | 5,855 | 8,756 | 11,390] 15,913
USES eyelcia! wie ie/aieleleinie|=\e\cialelsiele.e||\elereie aicieic!| vle'c c/a cle\|isieleneiele\sillslviwelielciee seeeceee 106 239 | 4,370 4,616
TS 23 p ohar obeasace banda se ced toes oallucos bod oneeced | aaeanber Weare sinh: pao 613 | 1,136 | 1,740
Skeletons and skulls .....eee00. 911 | 1,074 | 1,190) 1,275 | 2,050 | 3,060 | 3,340} 3,413 3, 650
Eggs Of DirdS.... cece eeercccelssveccee|ecccener|eccevves|evee cues |sovascseleres clece|sscvcece| 1,032 2,525
BSAC CUR Meese redotinesa cena Sccsissoala ies acenl tute sacglasectaen lecleciataetallsmauacteule amass 939 939
MONUSKS 2.00. cecccerecscncces| sone ceer|sccsceeslereveces wweevene|scoccecs (sere car|ense tele lnane once 2, 000
Radiates....... ER Seal ea a ea Sie diaetiles | avee ehete Wrolsleaieaalhciec tela ans eee eee 1,100
BOSSHS voices cecaeces ceesvosces| cove ceies|acieteees|veseecas nooo dacollodon.cuanllosoadasblbnact c6aallodoasoce 172
Minerals ...6. 0... eacescccereriecs ahetalete) |tetetevotelelatell cisvateroretetellfstetatt slolsiel icislats poop bong Oa0s|losocaous||oo0e sees 793

Mataleeaeeasantesss tes 911] 1,188 | 1,388| 4,979 | 7,675 | 11,292'| 16,158 | 25,506 |. 37,197
EES SV SIRI SAN SE 0 ORD a(S OT cae PR it

The actual number of entries during the year amounts to 11,691,
being the difference between the aggregates of 1858 and 1859, and
2,343 more than the entries of 1858. As explained in previous re-
ports, these numbers are far from exhibiting the aggregate of speci-
mens catalogued, except.in the case of mammals, birds, and osteolo-
gical preparations. .

Hach entry generally includes all specimens of the same species re-
ceived at one time from a given locality, and may embrace hundreds
of individual objects. Thus in the oological catalogue, one number
covers 242 eggs of the white ibis, Lbis alba, received from Dr. Bean.
In a similar manner one entry of shells may embrace hundreds or
even thousands of-specimens. It will not be too high an estimate,
probably far below it, to assume 5 specimens as the average to each
number, making 185,985 as the aggregate of objects entered on
the record books.

At the present time there remain to be catalogued as many, proba-
bly, as 10,000 jars of fishes and other alcoholic specimens, independ-
ently of the entire series of the crustacea, radiates, &c., collected by the
North Pacific and Behring Straits Expedition; the fishes of the Wilkes
Exploring Expedition, in the hands of Professor Agassiz, embracing
over a thousand species; the skins of the birds of the same expedition;
and the shells, radiates, &c.; many thousand series of fossils, vegeta-
ble and animal, both vertebrate and invertebrate; all the insects,

Vv

70 REPORT OF ASSISTANT SHCRETARY.~”

worms, microscopical preparations, &c.; a large portion of the eth-
nological collections, the entire herbarium, &c., amounting, in all
probability, to 100,000 numbers.

The series of skins and eges of North American birds has been
entirely rearranged during the year to accommodate the large increase
both of the species and the specimens. This has only been done ap-
proximately in regard to the mammals, as the additions have been so
great, since their first arrangement in 1857, as to require a study of
the entire class in order properly to determine their names.

The corals have all been arranged and fully labelled by Professor
J. D. Dana during the year, and now constitute a highly interesting
and important feature of the public collection.

During the year the services of Mr. P. P. Carpenter, the well
known conchologist, having been secured, he is now at work upon the
arrangement and labelling the shells, the whole labor of which will
probably be completed in 1860. The co-operation of all the Ameri-
can conchologists, known as original investigators, has also been ob-
tained, and the objects of their especial attention submitted to them
for determination; the Unionide to Mr. Lea, assisted by Dr. H.
Foreman; the Helicide to Mr. Binney; the east-coast shells to Mr.
Stimpson; the west-coast to Mr. Carpenter himself; while DrY Gould
has identified the new species of the exploring expedition, and ren-
dered aid in-the criticism of the collection generally. Much assist-
ance has also been rendered by Mr. J. G. Anthony, Mr. James Lewis,
Dr. Newcomb, Mr. Lapham, and other gentlemen, who have made
conchology a speciality.

In the proposed method of arrangement of the shells, the types of
descriptions, and a good representative of each species in different
ages and varieties, will be cemented to square_plates of glass; the se-
ries, illustrating geographical distribution, being kept in trays.

A specimen of each species of North American shell will be ex-
hibited on the glass plates in table cases, lined on the bottom with
black paper; but of exotic shells there will only be table surface
enough for a type of each genus. The other portions of the series
will be kept in drawers below the tables. It is also proposed, for the
more ready appreciation of points connected with geographical dis-
tribution, to keep in separate series the shells of northern China,
Japan, and the North Pacific; the boreal shells of the west coast as
far south as San Diego; the marine shells from San Diego to Panama;
the marine shells of the west coast of South America; the marine shells of
the Atlantic coast to Fernandina, Florida; the marine shells of Florida,
the West Indies, and the Gulf of Mexico; and the different American
land and fresh water species. The shells of the rest of the world, with
a few exceptions, will probably be arranged in one systematic series.

As stated in the last report, a large portion of the collections in
charge of the Smithsonian Institution are in the hands of various
eminent naturalists for determination. Professor Agassiz and Mr. J.
C. Brevoort have different portions of the series of fishes; Mr. Bar-
nard, certain Echini; Professor Agassiz, the turtles; Mr. Cassin the
South American birds; Mr. Lyman, the Qphiuride; Mr. Putnam, the

REPORT ,OF ASSISTANT SECRETARY. he

Htheostomoids; Drs. Torrey and Gray, the exploring expedition plants,
&e. None of the collections, stated last year to be out of the build-
ing, have yet been returned.

Much progress has been made upon the descriptive works on North
American Diptera, by Dr. Loew and Baron Osten Sacken; on Neuroptera,
by Dr. Hagen; on Hymenoptera, by Mr. De Saussure; on Coleoptera, by
Dr. Leconte: on Hemiptera, by Mr. Ubler; and on Lepidoptera, by Dr.
Morris, based, to a greater or less extent, on specimens supplied by the
Smithsonian Institution. Itis hoped that nearly all these works will be
submitted to the Institution during 1860; and their publication can-
not fail to give an impetus to the “study of entomolog Sy, so important
in its application to the interests of agriculture. In this connexion it
may be proper to state that a circular has been drawn up by Mr.
Uhler,and published by the Institution, embodying numerous queries,
having for their object the eliciting such information respecting
the habits and history of the grasshopper tribes of North America as
may serve as a-basis of operations in restraining their ravages.

A circular intended to secure contributions of shells from different
localities in North America, and a new edition of the circular in ref-
erence to North American eggs, have also been prepared for distribu-
tion.

PRESENT CONDITION OF THE COLLECTIONS.

In the last report I presented a list of all the great collections
constituting the bulk of the museum of the Smithsonian SEN Ba
and the additions since then are enumerated in the following pages.

= For convenience of reference, it may be well to continue the enumeration here from
page 55 of the report for 1858 :

50. Collections made in Kansas, Nebraska, and Utah, by Captain J. H. Simpson, U.S. A.

51. Collections made on the South Pass wagon-road route, under EF’. W. Lander, esq.

52. Collections made on the El Paso and Fort Yuma wagon-road route, by J. B. Leech, esq.

53. Collections made on the wagon-road route from Walla-Walla to Fort Benton, by
Lieutenant John Mullan, U.S. A.

54. Collections made during an exploration of the Upper Missouri and Yellowstone, by
Captain J. W. Raynolds, U.S. FAL

55 Collections made during the exploration of the San Juan and Upper Colorado, by
Captain J. N. Macomb, U. 8. R

56. Collection made in-an exploration of Cape St. Lucas, Lower California, by John
Xantus, esq.

57. Collections made at Fort Crook, by John Feilner, esq.

58. Collections made in the Arctic regions, by Robert Kennicott, esq.

59. Collections made in Illinois, by J. W. Tolman, esq.

60. Collections made in Central Florida, by Dr. J. B. Bean.

61. Collections made in Kansas, Nebraska, and Utah, by Dr. Suckley, U. 8. A.

62. Collections made in the Bahamas, by Mr. William Cooper.

63. Collections made in the Bahamas, by Dr. H. Bryant.

64. Collections made in South Florida, by Dr. J. G. Cooper.

‘65. Collections made in the Tortugas, by Captain H. G. Wright, U.S. A.

66. Collections made in the Tortugas, by Captain D. P. Woodbury, U.S. A.

67. Collections made in the Tortugas, by Dr. Whitehurst.

68. Collections made in Louisiana, by the professors and students of St. Charles College

69. Collections made on the Isthmus of Panama, by James Snug esq.

70. Collections made in the West Indies and in Newfoundland, by Theodore Gill.

71. Collections from the Saskatchawan, by Captain John Blakiston, R, A.

72, Collections made by Commodore Perry on the Japan expedition.

72 REPORT OF ASSISTANT SECRETARY.

The more prominent results of additions to the museum during the
current year are to be seen in the approach to completion of the series
of North American mammals and birds by the reception of such rare
species as Lagomys princeps, Aploceros montanus, &c. Specimens of
the musk ox, barren ground bear, and reindeer, with other species,
collected by Mr. B. R. Ross for the Institution, were detained at Pem-
bina with Mr. Kennicott’s collections, having Teached that point too
late in the season to come through to St. Paul.

Among the species of birds added i in 1859 may be figationatl Phaeton
Hlavirostris, Puginus obscurus, Xema sabini, Rosthramus sociabilis, Vireo
altiloqguus, Sula personata, Tetrao richardsonti, Lagopus leucurus, and
adult Colymbus arcticus and Podiceps arcticus, in summer dress, with
the numerous novelties from Cape St. Lucas sent by Mr. Xantus.

The series of South American birds has been largely increased in
number of species. Many very rare North American eggs have been
added to the collection.. The other specimens received, with the
exception of Mr. Stimpson’s Atlantic coast shells, have served to fill
up slight gaps in species or localities, rather than to bring any to a
condition of completeness.

LIST OF DONATIONS TO THE MUSEUM DURING 1859.

Abbott, William.—Skins of birds from Florida.

Adams, Alvin.—Bark of giant tree of California (Sequoia gigantea. )

Adams, Alvin, Wiliam R. Patterson, Dr. Nichols, Dr. Emmerson, Dr.
Emmer ton, Dr. Thorndyke, Dr. ‘Shrady, Dr. Robinson, and. Dr.
Hells. —Stalactite from the outs Chapel’’ of the Mammoth
Cave.

Akhurst, J.—Skins of itis ef om Chita America, eggs of European

onl American birds, bats in alcohol from the West Indies.
Amherst College. —Eges of Massachusetts birds.

Anderson, Dr. W. W., United States army.—Skins of birds and mam- ~

mals from Rocky Tne.

Andrews, Professor E. B.—Fishes and reptiles i in alcohol, Ohio.

Arnold, Benj yamin.—Indian relics from Rhode Island.

Ashmead, Samuel.—Set of marine algae of United States coast.

Ashton, T. B.—Box of birds’ eggs from New York.

Audubon Naturalists Club of Chicago.—Mounted specimen of Grus
americana, or whooping crane.

Ayres, Dr.—Birds’ eggs of California.

Laird, S. F.—Skin of Arctomys monax, New York.

Burd, William M.—Lggs of birds of New Jersey.

Baker, EF. B.—Alcoholic collections, skins of birds, and egg of
Pandion ? Charlotte Harbor, Florida.

Skins of fishes, birds’ eggs, &c., specimens in al-
cohol, from Lake Superior.

Beadle, Delos W.—Fifteen bottles alcoholic collections, Canada.

Bean, Jr. J. B.—Egegs of birds; reptiles, fishes, &c., from Florida.

Bedford, Alexander.—Fossils, Michigan.

Bellman, C.—Reptiles, fishes, &c., from Mississippi.

Cy

REPORT OF ASSISTANT SECRETARY. fe

Benners, Henry.—Specimens in alcohol from Tortugas.

' Berthoud. Dr. E. L.—Fossils from Kansas and Isthmus of Panama.

Blake, W. P.—Minerals, and eggs of birds from Georgia.

Blanc, Rev. A. —Hggs of birds of Louisiana and other zoological col-
lections.

Bloomfield, Captain &. N.—Box of ‘‘coca’’ leaves.

Bossard, P.—Box of shells from Ohio.

Boston Society of Natural History.—Series of plants collected in Cali-
fornia, by E. Samuels.

Brackett, George E.—Skin of star-nosed mole.

Brandt, H.—Box of insects, reptiles, and mammals, Kansas.

Brewer, Dr. T. M.—Egegs of fifty-seven species of European birds.

Brewster, Miss L.—Nests, eggs of birds from Massachusetts.

Brown, Dr. George C.—Skins of Pityop his melanoleucus, New Jersey;
eves of birds.

Brugger, Samuel.—Nests and eggs of birds, and mammals, Centre
county, Pennsylvania.

Bryant, Dr. H.—F¥ishes, skins of birds, and eggs from the Bahamas.

Caldwell, Dr. H. C., United States navy.—Birds and alcoholic collec-
tions from Nicaragua.

Campbell, A.—Nine boxes natural history collections from northwest
boundary survey, near Puget’s Sound, collected by Dr. Kennerly,
and one collected by George Gibbs.

Canjield, Dr. C. A.—Collection of eggs of Californian birds.

Carleton, Major J. H., United States.a army.—Shells from the Colorado
desert.

Carter, B. F.—Shells from Texas.

Catley, H.—Lepidopterous insects from Oregon.

Churchill, &. C.—Eggs and birds from Maryland. |

Clark, J. H.—Coal from Rabbit-ear Creek, Texas. |

Clark, William.—Centipede; Van Buren, Arkansas.

Clark, W. P.—Box of eggs and can of fishes from Ohio.

Cope, H. D.—Type specimens of Desmognathus ochrophea, Pennsylva-
nia.

Copenhagen Zoological Museum.—Type specimens of marine inverte-
brates of North Seas and West Indies.

Cooper, W.—Fifty-nine species of shells of Bahamas, &c., collection
of Bahama fishes; shells and echinoderms of the Atlantic coast
of the United States.

Cooper, Dr. J. G.—Specimens of woods, reptiles in alcohol, and eggs
of Pipiry flycatcher from Florida.

Corey, O. W.—Box of fossil crinoids from Indiana.

Craig, Dr., United States army.—Skin of black wolf a Washington
Ter ritory.

Curley, Professor.—Gordius or hair worm in alcohol.

Danker, Henry A.—Nests and skins of birds from New York.

Davis, William A.—Fossils; Illinois.

Darrell, Chief Justice. —Skins and eggs of Bermuda birds; reptiles in
alcohol.

Dawson, Professor J. W.—Fossil Pupa vetusta from Nova Scotia.

74 REPORT OF ASSISTANT SECRETARY.

Day, Mrs. Thomas W.—Collection of eggs from California.

Diggs, Captain.—Skin of otter, Washington Territory.

Dorsey, William.—Minerals from Chile.

Dow, Captain J. M.—Alcoholic specimens, Nicaragua; and silver ore
from San Salvador; two living Curassows, Central America.

Drexler, C.—Mounted birds and fishes.

Dunbar, R. W.—Skeleton of sea otter; specimens of woods and In-
dian curiosities, coast of Oregon.

Dunham, Ed.—Mounted specimens of curlew and grayback snipe.

Duval, Alfred.cSeeds, silk cotton, minerals, &c.; Payta, Peru.

Eastman, S. C_—Egegs of birds from Labrador.

Edwards, W. A.—Eegegs of frigate pelican, echini and crustacea, Cen-
tral America.

Edwards, Amory.—Brazilian ‘‘ coal.’’

Falls, A. J.—F¥resh birds, Washington.

Fisher, Dr. G. J.—Eggs of hawks from New York.

Flint, C. L.—Nest of golden crowned thrush.

Force, Colonel P.—Hornets’ nest; Washington.

Gantt, Dr. W. H—Nests and eggs of birds from Texas.

Gardiner, Capt. J. W., United States army.—Skin and skeleton of
Fisher (Mustela pennantit;) Indian nets, Fort Crook, California.

Gary, Jacob S.—Fossil wood, Ohio.

Gerhardt, A.—Skins and eggs of birds from Georgia, with alcoholic
specimens.

Gibbs, George.—Seeds of Coniferae; Puget’s Sound.

Gidbes, Professor L. R.—Box of fresh shrips.

Gill, Theo. —Birds, reptiles, fishes, &e., of Trinidad and Newfound
land.

Gilliss, Lieutenant J. M., United States navy.—Hye of Loligo, from a
grave at Areca, Peru; EMtheostoma from Washington.

Gilpin, Dr.—Mammals and reptiles in alcohol from Nova Scotia.

Glover, T.—Living sandhill crane (Grus canadensis) with Coe
collections in alcohol, Florida.

Godfrey, Mrs. A. D. —Skin of snow goose from Puget’s Sound.

Gordon, Dr. H. N.—Skin of young cinnamon bear (Ursus America-
nus,) Illinois.

Goss, B. F. —Eeggs of birds and skins of mammals from Kansas.

Grayson, A, J.—Two boxes of skins and eggs of birds, and bottle of
reptiles from California.

Gunn, Donald.—Skins of birds and mammals from North Red River.

Hall, ‘Dr. J.—Living Anolis carolinensis, Alabama.

Hampton, W. C.—Seeds of Australian plants.

Harvey, Prof. W. H.—Collection of Australian marine algae.

Hayden, Dr. F. V.—(See Captain Raynolds.)

Hayes, Dr. S.—Mezquite gum and alcoholic collections; dried plants
Western Texas, New Mexico, and California; skins of birds;
Scalops latimanus in alcohol, &e., Fort Belknap, Texas.

Hayes, Dr. S.—(See Colonel Leech.)

Hoy, Dr. P. .—Skins of rare birds of Wisconsin.

Haymond, Dr. f.—Nests and eggs of birds of Indiana.

Ce

REPORT OF ASSISTANT SECRETARY. 75

Hepburn, J.—Skins and eggs of California birds.

Hine, D.—Cannel coal, Ohio.

Hinman, W. M.—Package of plants from Laramie Peak.

Holden, W.—Thirty-six species of Univalve shells from Ohio.

Hoopes, B. A.—Reptiles and mammals in alcohol, Lake Superior.

Hopkins, Prof. Wm.—Birds’ eggs, New York.

Hopkins, Arch.—Birds’ eggs, Massachusetts.

Hubbard, Chas. A.—Skins and eggs of birds from the Red River of
the North.

Hunter, Dr, C. L.—Arvicola pinetorum from North Carolina.

Interior Department.—(See Colonel Leech.)

Irwin, Dr., U. S. A.—Box of birds from New Mexico.

Jan, Dr. C.—Type series of exotic serpents from the Museo Civico,
Milan.

Jardine, Sir W.—Skin of Plectrophanes lapponica from Arctic America.

Jenkins, J. H.—Shells of Washington Territory.

Johns, Dr., WE 4S: A.—Fragments. of Mastodon remains from Scott's
Bluffs.

Kellogg, &.—Tertiary shells from Texas.

Kennedy, J. M.—Four specimens of birds from New Mexico.

Kennerly, Dr.—Seeds of Thuya gigantea, Washington Territory. See
also A. Campbell.

Kennicott, R.—Zoological collections made between Lake Superior
and Lake Winnipeg.

King, Dr. W. S., U. S. A.—Skin of Spermophile and Mexican weasel
from Texas.

Koller, W.—lWead ores from Union mines, Austinville, Virginia.

Krider, John.—Eges of fish hawk.

Kuhn, Dr. L. de B.—Skull of bears, shells, insects, &c., Washington
Territory.

Latchford, Thomas.—Fossil bones from Laurel Factory.

Lawrence, Geo. N.—Skins of birds from the Atlantic coast.

Leech, Colonel.—Collections of plants made by Dr. Hayes on the El

' Paso wagon road expeditionin Texas, New Mexico, and California.

LInbhart, J. J.—Box of birds’ eggs, Pennsylvania.

Loomis, Miss M.—Fossil seeds from Burlington, Vermont.

Luther, Dr. S. M.—Shells and birds’ eggs of Ohio.

McCarthy, Charles S.—See Captain J. H. Simpson.

McCown, Captain J. P., U. S. A.—Box of Kansas birds.

McCurdy, Dr. Samuel.—Skins of harlequin duck, Washington Terri-
tory.

McCurdy, 8. B.—Curiously marked wood. -

McIlwaine, J. H.—Eggs of birds.

McKee, Dr. J. Cooper, U. S. .A.—Skins of mammals and birds, Fort
Defiance.

McLain, William M.—Birds and eggs from Maryland; fish hook used
by the natives of the Sandwich Islands.

McLeannan, James.—Sixty species birds from Isthmus of Panama.

Me Williams, Dr.—Skins of blue grosbeak and yellow- A cuckoo.

Mallet, Prof. J. W.—Fossils from Alabama.

76 REPORT OF ASSISTANT SECRETARY.

Martin, T. 8.—Skins of birds of California.

Merrill, Lieut., U. S. A.—Box fossils from Green Bay, Wisconsin.

Moore, Miss J.—Living hawk moth from near Washington.

Moore, Dr. George F.—Birds’ nests and eggs from North Carolina.

Morris, Rev. Dr. John G.—Box European eggs.

Mullan, Lit. John, U. S. A.—Three boxes zoological and geological
collections made by John Pearsall on the Upper Meee

Nichols, Dr. C. H.—Armadillo from Paraguay.

Nunn, R. J.—Can of crustacea from Georgia.

dD Oca, f. Montes—Mammals; reptiles of Mexico.

Odell, B. F.—Living rattlesnake from Iowa.

Packard, A. S.—Reptiles and mammals in alcohol; eggs of birds from
Maine.

Page, Captain, T. J., U. S. N.—Sixty species of birds from Paraguay.

Paine, Charles S.—Box of birds’ eggs from Vermont.

Paine, H. M.—Egegs of birds from New York.

Poey, Prof. F.—Lucifuga subterranea, a new blind fish of Cuba.

Pearsall, John.—See Lieutenant Mullan.

Pea, Don F. de.—Box of ‘coca’? leaves.

Peters, f.—Skin of Cotton rat, (Sigmodon hispidum, ) Geor gia.

Peters, LY. Mf.—Ferns, ( Trichomanes ,) from Alabama.

Piers, ‘Dr. , Royal navy.—Skin of Thalassidroma furcata from Barclay
cound: northwest coast.

Plummer, Captain J. B., U. 8. .A.—Skins of birds, reptiles and fossils
from Texas.

Porter, Prof. T. C.—Bottle of fishes, (Rhinichthys, ) Pennsylvania.

Postell, J. P.—Specimens of Unio spinosus from Georgia.

Prentiss, D. W.—Skin of Sorex from near Washington.

Putnam, F. W.—Nest and eggs of birds, Massachusetts.

fiae, Dr.—Skins of Spermophilus parryi, Repulse bay, latitude 56°
30! N.

fiaymond, C.—Birds and other animals, Peru.

Raynolds, Captain W. F., U. §. A.—Zoological collections made in
the Upper Missouri region by Dr. F. V-Hayden.

Reid, Peter.—EKges of Hawk.

Richar d, J. H.—Mounted European birds.

Roanoke Librar, y Association.—Fossil bone from the green sand of
North Carolina.

Robinson, E. S.—Nests and eggs from Mississippi.

St. Louis Academy of Science.—Serpent in alcohol, (Celuta ver mis, )
supposed to have been found in a block of stone.

Samuels, E.—Mounted microscopical preparations.

Sclater, P. L.—Mexican and Central American birds.

Simpson, Captain J. H., U. 8. A.—Zoological collections made in ,
Utah by Charles S. McCar thy.

Simpson, Dr., U. S. A.—Mounted snow owl, Rhode Island.

Smith, A. C., M. D.—Can of fishes from Ohio.

Smith, J. W.—Boring and other shells from Puget’s Sound.

Sowthwick, Dr.—Skins of Sciwrus abertii, Fort Union, New Mexico.

Spence, Urs. David.—Collection of eggs ‘from California.

REPORT OF ASSISTANT SECRETARY. ris

Steele, Judge.—File fish in alcohol from Florida.

Stimpson, William.—Type series of marine invertebrates of Atlantic
coast.

Stockton, Natural History Society.—Nests and eggs of California
birds.

Suckley, Dr. George.—Harpoon used by Indians in catching whales on
northwest coast, with other Indian curiosities. Zoological speci-
mens from Kansas.

Swift, Dr., U. S. A.—Skin and skull of bighorn and horns of elk
from Rocky mountains.

Taylor, A. S.—Box of crustaceans and shells, with other zoological
collections from California; skull of grizzly bear.

Tolman, J. W.—Two boxes birds’ eggs from: Illinois.

Trask, Dr.—Crustaceans of California.

Trembley, Dr. J. B.—Shells and eggs from Ohio.

Tuley, Colonel James.—Fresh skin of elk.

Tully, Bernard.—Stalactites from Weir's: Cave.

Vagmer, Thomas.—Nests and eggs of birds from Indiana.

Van Bokkelen, Lieutenant J. J—Skin of puffin, Washington Territory.

Vaughan, Colonel A. J.—¥oetal beaver and fossil coral; skulls of mam-
mals and skins of birds from Upper Missouri.

Vickary, N.—Nests and skins of birds from Massachusetts.

Vialleton, Rev. F. and Rev. A. Blanc.—Collections of shells, eggs, in-
sects, and reptiles from Louisiana.

Vollum, Dr. H.—Box of zoological specimens in alcohol, skins of ani-
mals, and birds’ eggs from the coast of Oregon.

Vortisch, Rev. L.—Aboriginal stone hammer of greenstone, Germany.

Walsh, Benjqmin iD —Skin of bat and nest of humming bird from
Illinois.

Walton, Hon. EH. P., M. C.—Spawn of conch from Buzzard bay,
Massachusetts.

Warren, Lieutenant J. R., U. S. A.—Box of fone curiosities,
(deposited. )

Waugh, A. Townsend.—Box insects, Maryland.

Weeks, W.—Bottle of fishes from Connecticut river.

Welch, George.—Kges of birds of Massachusetts.

White, Lieutenant J. W., and officers of the ‘‘ Jeff. Davis.’’ —Zoological
collections, chiefly invertebrates, from Puget’s Sound.

Whitehurst, Dr. D. W.—Keggs of birds and specimens in alcohol from
Tortugas.

Williams, EL. C.—Large plank cut from redwood tree, (Sequoia sem-
pervirens,) Cape Mendocino, California.

Wills, J. R. Nests and eggs of birds from Nova Scotia.

Wilson, Dr. L. N.—Skins of carrion crow, (Cathartes atratus;) white
ibis, &c., and dried grasses from Georgia.

Wolcott, 'F. H.—Box of “vegetable eggs.”

Wood, Dr. W.—Birds’ eges from Connecticut.

Woodbury, Captain D. P., U. S. A.—Fishes and marine invertebrates
in alcohol; skins and eggs of birds, and dried corals from Tortugas.

78 REPORT OF ASSISTANT SECRETARY.

Wright, Charles.—Minerals and fossil radiates from Cuba.

Wirdemann, G.—Twelve skins of birds, Florida.

Xantus, John. —Twenty boxes of natural history collections from Fort
Tejon, California.

Unknown.—Box of coal; Indian remains from Scioto river; larvae of
Telephorus ? from the surface of snow in Oneida county, New
York; package auriferous earth from Pike’s Peak.

LIST OF METEOROLOGICAL STATIONS AND OBSERVERS

FOR THE YEAR 1859,

BRITISH AMERICA.

ao ae
3 = g
Name of observer. Station. = a es g
2 2 ie 5
5 : ce te
A = ce 4
ket: ON Feet.
DAEHN UO ain seas oe Stanbridge, Canada East,(P.O.| 45 08 13000 ae ees its
Saxe’s Mills, Vt.)
Connelly, Henry...... Rigoletwglsa brador eerste earlier ete tera | ere retee Biel.
Craigie, Dr. W..---.- Hamilton, Canada West.---. AS LS Mle LO OMe ape icerer oe Bays
Delany, Edward M. J--|Colonial Building, St. John’s,| 47 35 | 52 41 170 |B.T.R,
Newfoundland.
Gunn, Donald---..... Red River Settlement; Hud-| 50 06 | 97 00 853 |T.R
son’s Bay Territory.
Hall, Dr. Archibald. -./Montreal, Canada East _.--- -| 45 30 | 73 36 57 |A.
Hartt, Chas. Fred’k---|Acadia College, Wolfville, Nova} 45 06 64 25 95 |A.
Scotia.
Hensley, Rev. J. M....|King’s College, Windsor, Nova} 44 59 64 07 200 |A.
Scotia.
Magnetic Observatory./Toronto, Canada West -----~ 43 39 | 79 21 108 jA.
Mackenzie, J_.....--- Moose Factory, Hudson’s Bay} 5115] 80 45 |....__-- Bale
Territory.
Ross, Bernard R....-- Fort Simpson, Hudson’s Bay| 61 51 | 121 25 |......-. T.
Territory.
Royal Engineers.....- Halifax, Nova Scotia..-.----! 44 39 63 37 8 |A.
Smallwood, Dr.Charles.|St. Martin, Isle Jesus, Can. HE.) 45 32 | 73 36 118 |A.
ALABAMA.
: 2 é
s I =
\ B =| ~~ o
Name of observer. Station. County. = a 7 E
= = BED ae]
. ° o ere
Z = cs a
One OMe? Feet.
Alison, H. L., M.D....-- Carlowville --|Dallas....... 32 10 | 87 15 400 |T. R.
Cobbs, Rev. R. A. ------ Union Town-/|Perry ------- 32) 304) 80 Selo 22 N.
Foster, William L-...-- Montgomery -./Montgomery.| 32 22 | 86 31 |...-.-.. N.
Hurt, Ashley D..-.-... Moulton. .... Lawrence..-.| 34 32 | 87 25 643 ae L
PeeuR EG cle Ay Selman —\-. 86 51 200 |L.P.R.
Bose be. §. K. | aime t Dallas. ..- 9 aaa gic 6i aun TPR
Nicholson, Rev. J. J.--.|Mobile...-.. Mobile --.--- 30 30 | 88 30 188 |B. T.
Shepherd, Rev. J. Avery. |Montgomery -|Montgomery -|_------g\--------|-------- rR.
Smith, Rev. Stephen U--|Livingston---|Sumter_----- 32 308 88 16 180 |T. P.
Troy, Matthew, M. D_--|Cahaba....-.. Dallas...---. S219 Si Tee sees ae
Tutwiler, Henry. ...... Havana ---.. Greene..---- 32 50 | 87 46 500 jT. R.
Waller, Robert B, .....- Greensboro’ ..|Greene.-...- 32 40 87 34 350 |A.
* A signifies Barometer, Thermometer, Psychrometer, and Rain Gage.
B ce Barometer.
T iL Thermometer.
: ge Rain Gage.

No instrument.

80

METEOROLOGICAL OBSERVERS.

ARKANSAS.
€ 3
Name of observer. Station. County. S 2 |
a | E
zi = cS
Oo / Oo
Barlow, Dennis.-.-...- Arkadelphia -/Clark. .....- 34 08 | 93
Blackwell, W. H.....-- Perryville. ..|Perry. -....- 35 05 | 93
Coulter, B. P_...2...-- Brownsville. -|Prairie ...... 34 50 | 92
Davies, James T....... Gainesville -.|Greene_.....|----...- 90
Featherston, Geo. W..-.|Waldron ...-|Scott_........ 34 ‘53 94
Finley, P. F.....-..--.|Spring Hill -.|Hempstead --| 33 30 |- 93
Flippin, W. B.--. ----- Yellville ....|Marion._-..-| 36 30] 93
Graham, Paul....-...-- Bentonville ../Benton.....- 36 23 94 :
Martin, G. Alex., M. D..|Jacksonport--|Jackson. -..-| .35 56 | 91 4
Reynolds; J 22... 52 252 Spring Hill -.|Hempstead --| 33 30 | 93 2
Smith, Dr. N. D. .....- Washington..|Hempstead -.| 33 44 | 93 a EN
Wreast) J. Wassk lessee Yellville ...-/Marion.-.... 36 30 93 3
Younger, Armistead..../Buck Horn_-.|Independence.| 34 30] 92 ,
CALIFORNIA.
=Ayres, W.O., M. D__.-./San Francisco. San Francisco,| 37 48 | 122 27 130 |A.
*=Belcher, W. C_--...-- Marysville. ../Yuba. -....- 39 29 | 121 30 80 {T.
Boucher, Wesley K..... Mokelumne (|Calaveras_---| 38 18 | 120 28 1,502 |N.
Hill.
Canfield, Colbert A.,M.D.|Monterey....|Monterey.-.-| 36 36 | 121 54 40 |T.
Frombes, Prof. Oliver S..|Santa Clara..|Santa Clara..| 37 18 | 122 00 100 |A.
Gordon, Robert........ Auburn. ...-.|Placer...-... 38 54 | 121 12 1,176 |T.
Gould, Lewis A-......- Santa Clara..|Santa Clara..| 37 20 | 122 00 98 |N.
Logan, Thos. M., M. D. Sacramento .-|Sacramento..|° 38 35 | 121 28 41 JA.
Randall, Robert B.....- \Crescent City.|Del Norte...) 41 45 | 124 11 12 |N.
Slaven, James... ...... ‘Honcut...... Mubasucooes BM) ay | TA AD) ee ee TTR,
DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA.
Smithsonian Institution-|Washington _|Washington -| 38 53 | 77 01 60 {A.
CONNECTICUT.
Harrison, Benj. F..---- Wallingford..|New Haven..| 4127] 72 50 133 |A.
Hunt, Rev. Daniel___.-- Pomfret. -...-|Windham ...| 41 52 72 23 587 |A.
Johnston, Prof. John..-|Middletown.-|Middlesex_ .-| 41 32 72 39 175 |A.
Rankin, James..._..--- Saybrook ----|Middlesex-..| 4118 | 72 20 10 |T. R
Yeomans, William H_.-.|Columbia...-|Tolland. ...-| 41 40 P22 Ne ee at
DACOTAH.
Norvell, Freeman...... Greenwood! selsecdace ace. 42 52 98 24 1,900 |T.R.

* The names of these observers were accidentally.omitted in the list for 1858.

METEOROLOGICAL OBSERVERS.

DELAWARE.
ER le SO) ee: i a a RD | Saad (Neon nn olancanOs
x :
o E}
"S 5=
Name of observer. Station. County. = ae
eS =
. Z =
Gy On
Mauld, Dr. D. W...---- Georgetown. .|Sussex 4245.) --cieececlene-----
FLORIDA.
Abert, Thayer -...--.-- Warrington..|Escambia .--| 30 21 87 16
Bailey, James B-------- Gainesville -.|/Alachua-.-_-- 29 35 | 82 26
Baidwin, A. S., M. D__--|Jacksonville -|Duval....... 30 15 82 00
Bean, Dr. James B -.---|Micanopy.---|Alachua..-.-- 29°35 | 82 31
Dennis, Wm.C.---.-.-- Key West .--|Monroe .-.-. 24 33°} 81 28
Gibbon, Lardner.-..-.- Tallahassee --j|Leon .--.-.--. 30 2 84 07
Ives, Edward R-------- Lake City ---|Columbia....| 30 12 | 82 37
Manran, P. B, M. D_--_|St. Augustine|St. John’s---| 29 48 81 35
Steele, Judge Aug._.... tsena Otie -.|Levy - ..-... 29 08 3 04
Whitner, Benj. F --.--- Tallahassee :.-|Leon . -....- 30 24 | 84 17
GEORGIA.
Andersen, Jas., M.D .-.|/Thomaston ../Upson -.--.. 32 56 84 30
Arnold taMing: de Poses Acuuwion. fe. bikers sass 33 07 84 26
CampirBen)., Hef 225 Covington ...)Newton .-_-. 33 40 | 84 00
Doughty, Dr. Wm. H-.-|Augusta.-_-- Richmond ~..; 33 27 81 33
Haster, Prof. John D..-./Athens.._.-- Clarke*.2222- 3 58 23) ay)
(Gralla Sony eee Savannah - ../Chatham...-| 32 02 81 Ol
Grant; WT?) M’ De 2.2: Thomson ..._/Columbia....| 33 26 82 28
Pendleton, E. M., M. D_|Sparta ....-- Hancock ---.| 33 17 | 83 09
Posey, John F., M. D_..|Savannah. -_|Chatham....; 32 05 | 81 07
Stanford, Col. John R...jClarksville...|Habersham ../, 34 40 |..-.--.-
Van Buren, Jarvis.-.... Clarksville -.|Habersham ..| 34 3 85 31
Westmoreland,J.G., M.D.jAtlanta ...-. fulton . ..--| 33 45 84 31

Aldnich® Werry =...) .---
Allison, Jesse..-...----
Babcock, Andrew J--...
ADCOCK B22 52 ee Les
Bacon, KE. E
Ballou, N. E., M. D.__.-
Bassett, George R
Bowman, Dr. E. H__..-
Brendel, Fred’k, M. D..
Brookes, Samuel
Cantril, Joshua E
(CHEN TST aN EN or aia ange a a

ILLINOIS.
Tiskilwa..--- Bureau.....-
Bloomington-|McLean ~-_--
AULOra,+ 5... |Wane 2 ssl os
Nee eae McHenry - --
Willow Creck.|Lee----.----
Sandwich - --|De Kalb ._--
Woodstock ..|McHenry - --
Edgington..-|Rock Island...
Peoria .-..--- Peoria ....--
Chicago --... Cooke aso. as
Waynesville -|De Witt ----
Batavia ..--. Kane ¢. 25.2
Lebanon ....|St. Clair....-

41 15 89 66
40 30] 89 00
41 41 88 17
42 11 88 20
41 45 | 88 56
41 31 88 30
42 18 88 30
41 25 90 46
40 43 | 89 30
42 00 87 3
40 16 89 07
Al 52 88 20
38 37 89 56

ee eeenwne

RRO ASSP Pa

(oe)
paar

Instruments

-

Pe

Fo bo

N.

N.
T.R.

Dr. R.

r.

lr. R.
rR.
rR.
TP.R.
L. :
epey
BT.
B. T.R.

METBOROLOGICAL OBSERVERS.

ILLIN OIS—Continued.

* Above low

water mark at Quincy.

+ Above Lake Michigan.

3 = 2
: ao} + 3
Name of observer. Station. County. Be | op Aa g
| a 2 Sy alee
Zi E ae
Os OTN Feet.
Bell, Mrs. E. M.A_--- Via. upae
Wallecel caer Mincen! t Carthage 225 clan cocky iaia |= Sma he ee es rR.
Collier, Prof. Geo. H..--|Wheaton. ~..|Du Page..-.. 41 49 | 88 06 682 |A.
Eldredge, Rev. William V.|Newton - ..-- HEIs MiSs Sone ls Scere beast amor oes T.R.
Ellsworth, Lewis--...-- Naperville---|Du Page. ---- 4¥ 46°, 88) 1 |2224esee N.
Ellsworth, Milton S_-.-.-- Naperville ...|Du Page ---.| 41 46 | 88 11 |....---- T.
Grant-wJohne=ssscee see |Manchester --|Scott ------- 39 33 | 90 34 683 |A.
Haeuser, Emil--------- Galena ess 4 JowDaviesss alamo cease oe omen eee N.
Harris, J. O., M. D.---- Ottawa.----- La Salle.__-- 441 20 | 88 47 500 |T. BR.
James, John, M.D -.-- |Upper Alton_|Madison.-_-- 39 00 8936) |Weaeeeee A.
Little, J. Thomas-.-.-..- Dixonj-: =. eenaaee eee ANS £5) |i. 89" Silii eae eee N.
Mead, 8S. B.,M. D------ Augusta. ...- Hancock ---.| 40 12} 91 45 =203 |T.P.R
Mead, Dr. Thompson-.-|Batavia --_--- Kane seeeeas 41 52 | 88 20 636 |A.
Newcomb, John B__-.-- Bigin eee ae Mane whe ee 42 00 | 88 15 Ti7 |A.
ible eis. eee Relsinwee se 2 Tazewell ..--| 40 36 | 89 45 |..-2._-= T. R.
Rogers, 0. P. & J.8.---- Marengo ...-|McHenry- --| 42 14 | 88 38 842 |B. TR.
Smith, Chas. H .....--- Evanston - .-/Cook - -....- 42 10 | 87 30 718 |T.
Smith, Geo. O., M. D----|Ottawa.--_-- La Salle_.-.-- 40 57 | 87 55 551 |T. BR.
Swain, John, M. D.----- West Urbana.|Champaign --| 40 09 | 88 17 727 JA.
Thomas, Mrs. Win. S ---/Carbon Cliff..|Rock Island..| 41 32 90 29 688 |N.
Titze, Henry A --..-...- West Salem..|Edwards ----| 38 30 88 @0 |.---.--- aes
Tolman, James W....-- Winnebago
Depot..--- Winnebago .-| 42 17) 89 11 800 |T. R.
INDIANA.
Anderson, H. H. -....-- Inecurtie 1e Parle sae seals 36 CO 8 100) | saan ees N.
aan, \Wie \Wo Gei6soase ‘Richmond -..|Wayne-_-_-_--- 39 47 | 84 47 800 |T.
_Bartlett, Isaac .-------- ‘Logansport ..|Cass -------- 40 45 | 86 138 600 | .R.
Polo seen cook oss Shelbyville -- Shielbyneeee 39) 008 Si (00 52a ee eae 6
*Chappellsmith, John_-.-|NewHarmony|Posey ----..- 38 08 | 87 50 320 |A.
Maines, John..----..-- Richmond --.|Wayne...--- Bo) BW teh bY) Iaeesasde Bt.
‘Larabee, Wm. H...-..-- Green Castle_|Putnam-.-.- 39 30) S6y AW Weeee setae N.
Martin, Dr. Alex. ...... New Albany -|Floyd ....-- as) I iiss th) 4) eee oe T.
‘Menifield, Geo. C.------ Mishawaka -./St. Joseph..-| 41 387 | 86 02 685 |T.R.
‘Moore, Joseph_--.----- Richmond - --|Wayne...--- 39 47 | 84 47 800 |A. «
Smith, Hamilton, jr----|Cannelton ---|Perry -.--.-- 37 57 | 86 42 450 |A.
Sutton, George, M. D --|Aurora.....- Dearborn eae ee eee ial lsein ere BTR.
Turmerca. P2s san eee Patoka= = 8: Gibson 7224) Jaa eee Vee nine eh inmates INT.
Vagnier, Prof. Thos. ...-|Notre Dame .|St. Joseph -.-| 41 40 | 87 10 |.-.----- Bid lee
Webb, Miss & ......--|South Bend--|St. Joseph_.--| 41 45 | 86 20 |..------ N.

METEOROLOGICAL OBSERVERS.

83

IOWA.
) ,
3 = =
Z = 5
Name of observer. Station. Connty. & &p ne g
: ie 5 m= | &
y : ‘D a
Z = se cS
Sis Sa Feet.
Beal, Dexter -..------- Grove Hill...|/Bremer ....- AAS Wis Gi plop ts sya eae av,
Beeman, Carlisle D. -.--|Rossville --.-|Allamakee_.-| 43 10) 91 20| 1,400 |T. R.
Corse, John M. ..-..---- Burlington ~-|Des Moines.-| 40 53) 91 10 = 486 |T. R.
Doyle, L. H. ...--.---- Waterloo ...-|Black Hawk -| 42 30 | 92 31 /_.....-- N.
ipiouleyy, Jaks Shee ees oaac |Davenport...|Scott ..-..-- 41 30 | 90 38 555 |N.
Fory, John C......---- (Bellevue .---|Jackson -.--- Ar BBN OE) ay Goeceaae T. BR.
Goss, William K. .....- ‘Border Plains |Webster-.--- 42 05 | 94 00 |..------ B.T.R.
Horr, Asa, M.D. ------ Dubuque ----|Dubuque_---| 42 30} 90 52 * 666 |A.
Hudson, A. T., M. D.---/Lyons.-.---- @linton-s--- 41 50 | 90 10 401 jR.
McBeth, Miss Sue -...-- Fairfield ...-|Jefferson ...-| 41 01] 91 57 940 |N.
McConnel, Townsend .--\Pleasant Plain|Jefferson -...) 41 07 94 54 950 jT.R.
McCready, Daniel_-.--- Fort Madison|Lee..------- AD a || OI PA Wee oe ee INS Re
McKenzie, John M. ----.|Fayette ..-.-- Fayette -52- - 42 51 91 51 1,000 |T.
Odell, Rev. Benj. F. ---- (Plum Spring-|Delaware._..| 42 40 | 91 21 |.---.--- aes
Parvin, Theodore 8S. ----|Muscatine -_-|Muscatine ...| 41 25 | 92 02 586 |A.
Shaffer, J. M.,M. D. ...- Fairfield ...-|Jeiferson...-| 41 OL Ol Be 940 jA.
Sheldon, Daniel .-.----| Forestville...|Delaware.---| 42 40 | 91 50 |.......- Ty
KANSAS.
Berthoud, E, L.--- ---- Leavenworth |Leavenworth| 39 19 | 94 50 809 |R.
Brown, G. W..---- ---- Lawrence..-.-|Douglas _--_-- 38 58 | 95 12 800 |N 7.P
Clarkson, Rev. David---|Fort Riley .--)Riley -...--- 39 00 | 96 30} 1,300 IN.
Collier, D. C_-.--- ---- DenveriCity siArapahoss: 2) = ae neee ee es oeee it
Drummond, Rev. J. H..|Celestville. --|Lykins -.-... SS 40h oad Gm see N.
Ellis, Dr. Wm. T..-... Lecompton --|Douglas ----- 39 03 | 95 10 760 |T.
Fish, Lucian ...:.....- Belin even mae) nano ite © eye tetas mts seer eo a a 1h De
Goodnow, Isaac T_.---- Manhattan --|Riley ------- 39 13 96 45 1,000 |T. R.
GOSS BiH eee eee acca Neosho Falls-|Woodson----| 38 03 | 95 31 |__.-..-- T. R.
Mc@arty, H. Ds... ---- Leavenworth |Leavenworth.| 39 20} 94 33 | 1,342 |A.
Millar, John H__-_-..- Wyandot..--|Wyandot....| 59 08 | 94 31 707 \T. R.
Preston, Rev. N. O_---- Manhattan ..|Riley ---.--- BY) Ue OO 48 Noseoacee |N.
Wattles, John O-.-.-- : 4
Tol) ee t Moneka ..--- Monts 98/30 198100) 226). TOR
KENTUCKY.
BeatibynO sesso 2% aki coe Danville -.-.|/Boyle....--- 37 40
eee 6 a Bardstown.-.|Nelson.-..-- 37 52
Mattison, Andrew.....- Paducah ...-|Mt. Cracken .| 37 (C0
Raye dy Gy, Me Dios. 22: Paris, seas. Bourbon -.--|- 38 16
Savage, Rev. G.S., M. D.|Millersburg.-|Bourbon -.--| 38 40
Weaker inst: Marya Ave )) ss Sarl ee mois Bk Bat a oe
Barbage, Joshua C..-. f Hardinsburg -|Breckenridge.| 37 40
+173 Louisville ..-|Jefferson _.--| 38 03
pe esaias.| Rey, 6. R.. | Lexington _--|Fayette --... 38 06
Young, Mrs. Lawrence-.-|Louisville...-|Jefferson -...| 38 07

* Above low water in the Mississippi.

84

LOUISIANA.
° s a
Name of observer. Station. County. = ‘S as I
= S a z
= = =o <=
5 . Ca) uw

Z = es 4

Osi OR Feet.
Jackson, A. W., M. D.--|Falls River --|Point Coupee | 30 20 it) iis 3 NP Pat 2 N.
Kilpatrick, A. R., M. D.|Trinity...-.- Concordia.-.; 31 30} 91 46 108 |T.R
Swasey, Col. C. B._...- Independence |Livingston --| 30 30 | 90 3 50 |N.
Taylor, Lewes B..------ New Orleans-jOrleans ----- 743) 8) i) QO saeco ea= A.

MAINE.
Adams, John W.---..-- Portland ....|Cumberland -| 43 39 | 70 00 180 |N.
Bickford, Calvin -...... Warren --... Lincoln ..... 44 00 10:29.) seen N.
Brackett, G. Emerson_~..|Belfast. ---.. Waldo --..-- 44 23 6908s) 22 eeae ae T.R.
Brown, EH. E., and others.|Hartland.--.|Somerset ..../ 45 00] 69 30 200 IN.
Bullers HAL 22 ss4 Se Freedom ...-|/Waldo -....- 44 30 | 70 30 |..-..-.- N.
Mana AW se cose see North Perry..|Washington -| 45 00 67 06 100 |B.T.R.
Gardiner shiHea. ee ee Gardiner ....|Kennebec ...| 44 40 69 46 90 |A.
Guptill WG ww) esecseee Cornishville .|/York --..... 43 40 | 70 44 800 /T. R.
Johnson, Wartren.....-- Topsham _...-|Sagadahoc...| 44 00 70 00 100 {T.
TOU -GW)e Gis see esse Limington-..|York ......- 43 40 70 45 500 -|N.
Moore, Asa P...-----.- Lisbon --...- Androscoggin| 44 00 | 70 04 130 }P. R.
: Newcastle -..|Lincoln ..... 44 07 69 35 88 |T.
= ans, Uneasy Meo | Bangor.-..-- Penobscot ..-| 44 48 | 68 47 |....---- ie
Parkers Jd 4D cs 2. S8sa2 Steuben_..---/Washington .| 44 44 | 67 50 50 jA.
Van Blarcom, James --.|Vassalboro’..|Kennebec -..| 44 28 69) Ale cee T.
WermilliGs Wivjtyeesee Norway ..--- Oxford...... AA ONO CO) 35) Ieee N.
Wiest; iSilasé. ose ese Cornish ..... VO ee 43 40 70 44 784 |T.R.
Avail bur)Benj. Hs 2.52 Dexters22-=2 Penobscot ---| 44 55 69 32 700 |R.
Wallis Shenry 24052525 Portland __._-|Cumberland .| 43 39 70 15 87 |A.
Wyman; AwvH,.. 42252 N’th Belgrade/Kennebec ...| 44 30} 70 00 |--.----- N.
MARYLAND.
Baer, Miss H. M- .....-|Sykesville -..|Carroll. ----- Bh) 2 eB 700 |T. R.
Bell Jaco bees ress =- Leitersburg ..|Washington.-| 39 35 | 77 30 |--..---.- T. R.
Goodman, Wm. R-.----- Annapolis -../Anne Arundel] 38 59 | 76 29 20 |A.
Hanshew, Henry E----- Frederick . ..|Frederick....| 39 24 | 77 26 |.-.----.. A.
Lowndes, Benj. O------ Bladensburg ./PrinceGeorge.| 38 57 | 76 58 Oye epkve
Mayer, Prof. Alfred M --|Baltimore. -.|Baltimore.--| 39 18 | 76 37 |.------- A.
MeWilliams, Dr. Alex’r-|Leonardtown./St. Mary’s--.| 38 17 | 76 43 |-.------ B. T.
Stephenson, Rey. Jas...|/St. Inigoes.--/St. Mary’s...| 38 10 76 41 45 JA.
Sutton, Rev. A-...._..- Chestertown -|Kent.--..-. 39 12 TOMO) eee ees A.
MASSACHUSETTS.
| | ;
Adams, Edward L.....- |Boston A Suffolk. 2... AY AY) WOU WBS Weanisoc B. T.
Alcott, William P._.- |
M. iBerkshire...-| 42 43 | 73 18 725 |B.T.R.

Berger,

En eeor
Morley, John H- -- j

METEOROLOGICAL OBSERVERS.

|
| Williamstown
i

METEOROLOGICAL OBSERVERS.

MASSACHUSETTS— Continued.

85

as é
3 5 r=]
Name of observer. Station. County. 5 2) BS q
2 = oh 5
: : “3 7
Zi = ss 4
Ors OH Feet.
Bacon, William.......- Richmond ...|Berkshire....| 42 23 | 73 20 | 1,190 /T.R.
Brewer, Francis A.....- Springfield...[Hampden~-.| 42 06 | 72 36 |______.. N.
Collier, Alfred.....---- South Groton.|/Middlesex --.| 42 30 |.------- 300 |T.
Davis, Rev. Emerson -..|Westfield....|,Hampden~-.| 42 06 | 72 48 180 |A.
Fallon, John -.......-. Lawrence.-...|/Essex ......- 42 42 TOU 133} As
Felt, Charles W.....-
Hanna, George B .. }|Bridgewater -|Plymouth.-.| 42 00; 71 00 150 |A.
Parsons, Benj’n W.. |
HarvardColl.Observatory|Cambridge.--|Middlesex _-.) 42 23 | 71 07 80 |A.
Macks VAL Wess eles SS Danvers ...-. HSS@xqeeaeeree 42 3 E03: | noe nears Berle
Metcalf, Jno. G., M. D..|Mendon. ~...|Worcester ...| 42 06 (pies Paleo roce eRe
Mitchell, Hon. Wm ....|Nantucket__.|Nantucket_...| 41 17 | 70 06 30 |A.
Rodman, Samuel_-_--.-. New Bedford./Bristol -....- 41 39 70 56 90 |A.
Prentiss, Dr. Henry C..-|Worcester . --| Worcester _--| 42 16 | 71 48 537 |A.
Snell, Prof. HK. 8S. -...-- Amherst. .... |Hampshire ..| 42 22 72 34 267 |A.
Tirrell, N.Q., M. D----|Weymouth._-|Norfolk . -_.- 42 10} 71 00 150 |B.T.R.
Whitcomb, L. F.....-- Florida . ..--|Berkshire...-| 42 40] 73 10 | 2,000 IN.
MICHIGAN.
Abbe, Cleveland ---..-- Lansing .-.-- Ingham ----- 42 44 |} 80 00 850 |N.
Allen, James, jr- ----.- Port Huron-.-/St. Clair___-- 42 58 | 82 24 606 |T.
Blaker, Dr. G. H., jr- --|/Marquette. -.)Marquette.-.| 46 32 | 87 41 630 |A.
Bowlsby, Geo. W ------ Monroe -.--- Monroe. ----| 41 56] 83 30 584 |B.T.R.
Campbell, Wm. M., M.D.|Battle Creek -|Calhoun.-__.- 42 20} 85 10 825 |B.T.R.
Coffin, Matthew-------- Otsego -..-.- Allegan ----- 42 28 | 85 42 662 |N.
Crosby, J. B_---------- New Bufialo.-|Berrien _ ----| 4145 | 86 46 661 |B.T.R.
Holmes; JC - os cens- Lansing -..-- Ingham .--.-- 42 44 | 84 15 750 |B.T.R.
ee Ferre ait (Detvoibe: 6: Wayne. ...-- 42 24| 8258] 597 |A.
Streng, E> Hi ----222-.- Grand Rapids.|Kent - ..-.-- 43 00 | 86 00 680 |T. R.
Webb, Miss G_ -------- Ypsilanti ....|Washtenaw .-| 41 45 | 86 20 600 |N.
Whelpley, Miss H. [.-.-/Monree.-.__-- Monroe. ----| 41 56 | 83 23 590 |T. R.
Woodard, C. S.-------- Ypsilanti ....|Washtenaw. -| 42 15 | 83 47 751 jA.
MINNESOTA.
Clark, Thomas..-.--.-- Beaver Bay--|Lake......-- 47 12 |) 91 19 657 A.
Garrison, O. H--------- Princeton - ..|Benton-....- Ad: 50) |) a 4£5) 2522 see = T. R.
Hibbord, A. A. -.-.---- Burlington -.|Lake..-..--- 47 01) 92 30 645 |T. R.
Riggs, Rev. S. R. -..--- Pajutazee.-.--|Brown .----- 45 00 94/007 \sieciseee T. R.
martha Co 222 Forest City..-|Muker ------ 45 45 | 96 00 |.---.---- T. R.
Thickstun, T. F._..__.- Chatheld/= 222 billmore) 2222222 seceslenene see “325 |T. R.
Wieland, Henry -.-...- Beaver Bay --|Lake._.....- 47 11} 91 25 850 |T. P.

* Above La Crosse.

86

4 3 3
| S = z
Name of observer. Station, County. Be SS Rs I
2 2)
Zi E i 3
Oe Feet.
Reyne ae Westville__--_/Simpson..-.. 900007 | eeaeeeaies
De Soto --..- 90 15 =70 |A.
Hoe ee. Columbus -..|Lowndes -.-- 88 29 227 A.
McUary, Robert.....--- Natchez ..--- Adams ----~. 91 25 264 |B. T.R.
Moore, Prof. Albert. ...- Grenada-_.... Yalobusha- -. SOR 00 saaaeeee N.
- Paulding ..
Robinson, Rey. E. S. = ae eae t Jaspenee) san BO) AO |aeckaose A.
MISSOURI.
Baileyays see esac Dundee -~.--- Franklin ----| 38 30 | 91 10 536 |T.
Bowles, S. B., M. D....- Greenfield ...|/Dade....-.-- 37 22 93 41 1,800 |N.
Byins, Hobert) Mes saa inksville ev Ac arenes all epee eer | eee ee ree N.
Campbell, John_------- Carrollton ---|Carroll..---- Se) a0) | OS Bi Tecsacsse N.
Christian, John.------- Harrisonwvillle-|Cagsisa ene ee As Sas hh ee one N.
Conkling, Thos. J. ----- Trenton ----- Grundy ----. AM US 1 OF OO faoseoacae N.
Malton, OF Desse sss o22 (Greenvallleyo 2s | Waynes c ysis see eee | ea ere N.
Wodson BDissseeceee Toronto ----- Camden .---- BY eb OA SO esos cuce N.
Englemann, George -.-.|St. Louis -.--|St. Louis...) 38 37 90 16 481 |A.
Fendler, Augustus.-...-|St. Louis -...|St. Louis....| 38 37 90 16 470 |F.
minleya Wis aes Richmond ..-|Ray .--- ---- 3) LOM 94030) sae eee N.
MOLCo Nathan hee Farmington--|St. Francis.-.| 37 48 7s) |ossosaos N.
Hamaker, Marion F....- Warrenton...|Warren -._.- 38 45 21) EB) Be ee Deir
Plana Des een ae uray eee Clarkes sane AO Z Sm ONS Sil eras R.
Heaston, D. J._..------ Bethany. ---- Harrison -.-.| 40 15 | 94 00 |.-....-. N.
Horner, WOH. . 22522253 Hornersville -|Dunklin.---- 35 03) | 90°00 jp eee co N.
akerts dao e a! Carrollton ---|Carroll__..-= 39 30 93305 eae arene N.
KaigerMweb.. sca se. Emerson -..-|Marion ...... ADK OOM 92200" Eee aes N. -
Linvowe pera ss. =~ Waynesville -;Pulaski. -...| 37 45 | 92 13 |.--_.... N.
Lumpkin, Wm. M, ----- Tuscumbia. -.-|Miller.-.---- 38 30 | 91 59 600 |N.
Mallinckroot, Conrad_--|Augustus ...-/St. Charles...| 38 30 90 46 780 |T.
Maxey, WhHesteein sk < Parisieerc| ce Monroe -.--- 39 30 | 92 00 700 |T.
Myers) Je a eee sa Kirksville -.-|Adair...-.-~ 40 38 92 50 1,000 |N.
Sutherland, Norris -.-.- Boonville.-...|Cooper--...- ae OF |) G4 BO loodessce N.
Tidswell, Mary Alice ---|Warrenton...|Warren ....- 38 37 | 91 16 825 |T.
Wankarlcs We Jie eeeee)| bo livales i= |bolkw ase cee BY AO | 94 Eby teescecen N.
Wogel, Chas. 2-2 sseecer Rhineland ..-|Montgomery .| 38 42 91 41 300 /T. BR.
Weatherford, John M. --|Lancaster-_-.|Schuyler-....} 40 30 D2 MA o eee eer N.
Weber Philip =2-sse26 \Hermann ....|Gasconade.--| 38 401 91 27 598 |N.
Wells! Win... 2-82 cee Stockton ....|Cedar......- 39 36 | 93 48 800 |T.R.
Wilson, Joseph A....... Lexington ...|Lafayette....| 39 15 | 93 45 |..-.---- ;
WV TICK Mls eee ee Cassville --.-|Barry -.----- 36 41 |} 93 57} 3,000 |T.R.

METEOROLOGICAL OBSERVERS,

MISSISSIPPI.

* Above low water mark at Memphis,

METEOROLOGICAL OBSERVERS.

87

* Six miles east of summit of South Pass.

NEBRASKA.
é <
Name of observer. Station. County. & ED 3 q
3 5 5 2
iis e 3 @
A yah se a
Obit Ohare t Feet.
Bowen, Anna M. J.----- Elkhorn City-|Douglas -.--- 41 22 96 12 | 000 ie
Byers, William N --.--- Omaha - ----|Douglas.---- 41 15) 96 10 1,300 |T. RB.
Evans, John_.--------- Fontanelle --|Dodge ....-- 40 31 96)45).)) ea Wie
Hamilton, Rev. Wm....|Bellevue --.-\Sarpy. --.-- AMO Sis 1s OO )al ey yee ces T. Re
| Mason, Edgar W.------- Nebraska City|Otoe-.------ 40 40 95 44 1,050 |T. BR.
Miller) Chea 5 fe. S- S. Pass Wagon|Road Exped’n| 42 28 | 108 40 xe Berle
Rain, John G-_----.-.--- Omaha - ..--|Douglas-_---- 41 20 Wis yl 1,400 |T. R.
Smith, Charles B--...-- Brownville ~./Nemaha----- 40 30 GGnO0 Fa oer e ANS
Twiss, Major Thos. S...-|Deer Creek --|P. O. Fort La-| 42 50 | 105 50 | 5,000 |T. R.
ramie.
White, Bela_-.--.....- Kenosha ...-|Cass -----..- 40 51 95 54; 1,050 IN.
NEW HAMPSHIRE.
Bell, Samuel N-.------. Manchester .-|Hillsborough-| 42 59 71 28 300 |B.T.R.
Brown, Branch .... - --|Stratford ...-|Coos - ....-- 44 08 | 71 34 1,000 |T. R.
Chase, Arthur -.------.- Claremont ..-|Sullivan_.-.-- 43 22 72 21 syaioy Wey Uh dei
Hall, Joseph H.------- Top of Mount|Coos..-----. 44 15 CLG 6,285 |A.
Washingt’n
Hoyt, Peter L., M. D.---|Wentworth --|Grafton .---- ASA Ral Nader 0.0) hs [eerste are dB Ic
Odell, Fletcher ----.-.- Shelburne .-.-|Coos -----.-- 44 23 71 06 700 |B. T.
Smith, Rufus.-....---- N. Littleton -|Grafton ----- 44 20 (ZA aN Re N.
Wiggin, Andrew ....-.. Stratham ....|Rockingham -| 43 00 3 35 100 |N.
NEW JERSEY.
Allen, Edwin.-.-...--- New Brunsw’k)Middlesex ---| 40 30 75 31 90 IN.
Parry, William ----..-- Cinnaminson./Burlington --) 40 00 75 Ol 83 IN.
Thornton, Miss H. H.---|Moorestown -|Burlington.--| 39 58 74 13 104 |B. T. P.
Watson, George.-....-- Woodstown../Salem....... 39 39 75 20 30 |. R.
Whitehead, W. A.----- Newark _...- Hssex =--.-- 40 45 74 10 35 |B.T. RB.
AWAITS OMe eww re Se Freehold -..-|/Monmouth -.| 40 15 | 74 21 |__------ oe
NEW YORK. |
Arden, Thomas B.._..-. Garrison’s _../Putnam. -...| 41 23 | 74 02 180 |T. R.
Aubier, John........-. Fordham ..../Westchester..| 40 54 | 73 57 147 |A.
Bowman, John......... Baldwinsville |Onondaga.--- SOA ey Girly (eee eee ae
Brown, Rey. John J----|Dansville....|Livingston...| 42 38 | 77 44 672 A.
Dayton, E. A.....--..- Madrid . ...-|St. Lawrence-| 44 43 75 33 280 |B.T. P.
Denning, William H--.-|fishkill Land-| Dutchess, --- - 4l 33 74 18 42 |B.T. BR.
ing.
Dewey, Prof. Chester,
Ira C. Clark.....-. Rochester....|Monroe..---- 43 08 | 77 516 |B.T. BR.

88

Name of observer.

Elieston, Job
Frost, Col. E. C
Grush, James W.-----
Alexander, James M..

Holmes, E. §
House, John ©

Ingersoll; J. D...- 522%
Ives, William.......---
Julien, Alexis A_._..
Schauber, H. A......
Kelsey, Kathalo
Landon, Anna §
Mackie, Matthew.......
Malcom, Wm.S
Matthews, M. M., M. D_
Morris, Professor O. W--
Paine, H. M., M. D:...-
Potter, C. D., M. D.._--
Riker, Walter H-.....-
Sartwell, Dr. H. P...._-
Sias, Professor Solomon.
Spooner, Dr. Stillman...
Sylvester, Dr. E. Ware. .
Titus, Henry Wm.......
Tompkins, William.._-_-
Van Kleek, Rev. R. D--
Wadsworth, A. §......-
White, Aaron..........
Yale, Walter D
Young, Jude M.___...-
Zaep#el, Joseph

we -- eee

Zimmerman, Godfrey-.-|

METEOROLOGICAL OBSERVERS.

NEW YORK—Continued.

Carter, Thomas....-.-
Hamilton, W. H
Kerr, Professor W. C.--

McDowell, Rev. A......
Moore, Geo. F.,M. D .-

Phillips, Prof. James, D.D.
Westbrook, Samuel W-.-

S
= iS =
Station. County. 3 ‘ mS 5
3 aS) a=] 5
Z : 3s | @
Z e- ss 4
aml —
Or Gaie Feet.
Geneva...... Ontario a Cees eee See IS eee ie
Havana. ..../Schuyler ....| 42 30] 76 31 1,041 jT.
Spencertown -|Columbia-.--| 42 18 | 73 32 700 jA.
Ogdensburg..|St. Lawrence | 44 43 75 37 232 {R.
Wilson....-- Niagara. ....| 43 20 78 56 250 |T.
Waterford ...|Saratoga._.-. 42 47 73 39 70 {A.
Nichols....-- IDO oss 42 00 | 76 32 |_-_-.-.- T.
THiomi ac. ooo: Herkimer....| 43 00 CB eee Sa N.
Buffalo.....- Briewueaiesse 42 50 | 78 56 600 |jA.
Schenectady..|Schenectady..| 42 49 | 73 55 300 |T.
Great Valley.|Cattaraugus.-| 42 12 | 78 45 |.-._.--- N.
Hid enwaeuaua lakeyee yee ean 42 30 79 11 700 |T.
Cly desea. Wayne.....- 43 10 | 77 10 400 |B. T.
Oswego....-. Oswego...... 43 28 76 30 250 |B. TR.
Rochester....|Monroe. -...| 43 08 77 51 525 |A.
New York.-.|New York...| 40 43 74 05 25 |A.
Clinton. ....|Oneida ...... 43 03 75 18 500 /T. P.R.
Adams Centre|Jefferson ....| 43 48 | 75 52 632 |R.
Saratoga.....|Saratoga....-| 43 06 | 74 00 306 |A.
Penn Yan_ ..|/Yates.-...-. 42 62 77 11 740 |A.
Fort Edward-|Washington. - 3.13 Mio Asa ae A.
Wampsville..|Madison_._-- 3 04 | 75 50 500 |T.R.
yon Seen Wiaiymenet eae eee Mesa | ue B. T.
Bellport.-.-. Suffolk ..---. 40 44 | 72 54 15 |A.
Germantown-|Columbia....|..-...--|----.--- 175 |N.
Flatbush ___.|/Kings....... 40 37 74 01 54 |B. TLR.
East Henrietta|Monroe......| 43 06 77 51 600 |B. T.P.
Cazenovia. .-/Madison._... 42 55 | 75 46 1,260 |A.
Houseville.__|Lewis- ...... 43 40 UDB ANNs As Jae
West Day. ._|Saratoga. -.-- 43 20 | 75 16 1,200 |T.
West Morisa- |Westchester.-| 40 53 74 O01 190 |T.
nia.
Piney ail] 2225 |Enieseeeieee 42 45 | 79 06 680 |N.
NORTH CAROLINA.
Raleigh. ..-.|Wake ...... -.| 385 40 | 78 52 317 IN.
Davidson Col-/Mecklenburg.| 35 30 | 80 54 850 |B. T.R
lege.
Murfreesboro’ |Hertford..-.- 36 30 LAC e A Vales Poses a ae A.
Green Plains-|Northampton| 56 3 CUE Nessie 2 Je 1),
Chapel Hill--|Orange.-.--- Bes bay b Ni) Mi eee aarie B. T.R
Greensboro’../Guilford...-- 37 00 80 01 840 |N,

METEOROLOGICAL OBSERVERS.

89

OHIO.
co c
oe #
Name of observer. Station. County. = ‘tp Ais I
. ~~ fea) Ss
ac s "eo =
z E = ne
iy ORY Feet.
Atel RB wine ==" \<n< si Welshfield ...|Geauga....-| 41 23 81 12 1,205 |T.R.
ATaMIen| i hes == =) <5.2/=5)\=\- Hipleyeesee Brown -..-.- SoMa Soy SL |e B.T. R
Anthony, Newton_.---- Mount Union .|Stark -.-.-. AQROAN IE Sil: SI) |a seca ee
Atkins, Rev. L. S-....- Madison -...- Lake scseeace 41 49 80) 10) ue ae ee ike
Benner sek 26 = <n ciete New Lisbon.-./Columbiana..| 40 45 | 80 45 961 |B.T.R
Bennett, Sarah H.__---- Toledo ...._. Mucase seein. 41 49 83) 34) oes. ie
Bowen, Wm. F..---..-.- Sharonville _.|Hamilton -._} 39 19 84 3 800 |N.
Boyde Sy sess Leo. benia asses Morrow -...- 40 46 |. 82 52 1,160 |T. R.
Chasemi Seo. Mee Marion . ..../Marion-....- 40 30 Oy DAL ame ee N.
Clarke Wim. Ps) g222 oe. Medina.....- Medina..-..-| 41 07 | 8147] 1,255 |A.
Colbrunn, Edward ----- Cleveland .--|Cuyahoga ..-| 41 30} 81 40 665 |T.
Cotton, D. B., M. D...-|Portsmouth_-/Scioto...._-- 38 45 82 50 529 |B.T. R.
Crane, Geo. W..-.--.--- Bethel 222222 Clermont._-_| 39 00 84 00 ba yoyay 10 185
Davidson, H. M----..-- Freedom _...|Portage ..... 4113} 81 08 1,100 |B.T. R.
Davis, W. H_-....----- Lancaster....|Fairfield....| 39 41 | 82 37} 1,020 |B.T.R.
OMe Mestalla ase eee Newark _.... Lickin S55 = 40 07 | 82 21 825 |T.
Gamble, J. W---.....- Russell’s Sta’n|Highland....| 39 13 | 83 36 | 1,000 |N.
Hammitt, John W -....- College Hill _|Hamilton..-.)} 39 19 | 84 25 800 |N.
Hampton, W.C.....--- Mt. Victory ..|Hardin---.~. 40 35 | 83 36} 1,500 |N.
Harper, Geo. W..-...-- Cincinnati _..|Hamilton...-| 39 06} 84 27 500 |A.
Haywood, Prof John..-.|Westerville _.|Franklin ....]| 40 04] 83 00 |--..-..- A.
RI be Gr ont aene 2S Dallasburg . _|Warren ....- 39 30 | 84 3 800 |N.
Hillier, Spencer L.-...- Breckville -..|Cuyahoga -..| 41 15] 81 30 800 |A.
Huntington, Geo. C.-...|Kelley’s Isl’nd|Erie ---.___- 41 3 82 42 587 |B.T. R.
Hyde, Gustavus A_._..-- Cleveland ...|Cuyahoga ...) 41 30) 81 40 643 |B.T. R.
Ingram, John, M. D.---|Savannah._../Ashland_._-. 41 12 82 31 1,098 |A.
Johnson, Enoch D......|.-..-------- Monroe ....- 39 30 81 00 540 |T. R.
King, Mrs. Ardelia C_..|/Madison..__- alsep Seen 2. 41 52 81 00 620 |T. R.
futher, SM ss. . 25222 Eira ieee Portage ....- 41 20 | 81 08 1290).
Mathews, J. McD.. D. D.|Hillsborough |Highland..--| 39 13} 83 30 | 1,134 JA.
McClung, Charles L. ._-- rove eee Ese Miami ...... 40 03 84 06 "A04 |B.T.R
McMillan, S. B.....2.-- Hast Fairfield)Columbiana..| 40 47 | 80 44 1,152 |A.
Peck, W. R., M.D..-..- Bowl’g Green|Wood -- .--- 4115 | 83 40 700 |B.T.R
Peters, Adam___....... Ganges wallil ey pers | tas Kei na ua aes pee eel ofan ee ae ae
Phillips, R. C. and J. H.|Cincinnati...|Hamilton-...| 39 06 | 8&4 27 5406 |B.T. BR
Raffensperger, E. B_..--|Toledo --.__. Encasyae see 40 30 Be 20) ere sees N.
Rhoades, Dr. John ..... Hocking Port.|Athens--_.--- SOMO OM ollyrs On| mpeereeee N.
Shaw, Joseph........-. Bellefontaine_|Logan ~~ ___- 40 21 | 83 20} 1,040 |T.R.
Beet h kn co | Bellecentro =. [Logan <-..- 40 30] 83 45| 1,170 [BTR
Treat, Samuel W......- Windham -..|Portage ..-.. 4110 | 81 05 939 |T.
Tweedy, David H.....- Mt. Pleasant.|Jefferson ....| 40 20 3) OE se aes N.
Ward, Rev. L. F._-_--- Avion sasee ee Lorain! ese. 41 27 82 04 800 JA.
WrardervAV AL ry Cincinnati ...|Hamiiton....| 39 08 | 84 35 800 |T. R.
Williams, Prof. M. G...|Urbana.....- Champaign -.| 40 06 | 83 43 1,015 |B.T. BR
Ison, Prof. J. H..---- College Hill..|Hamilton....| 39 19 84 26 800 |B.T.R
Potty | erudson -..../Summit.... 4115 | 8124] 1,137 BTR
OREGON.
Stebbins, George H....- Portland ----)Multnomah-..| 45

* Above Qhio river at Cincinnati.

24 | 121 80

90 METEOROLOGICAL OBSERVERS.

PENNSYLVANIA.
© 3
‘ =) 2
3 = 5
Name of observer. Station. County. & 2 me |
zi E a S|
Alsop, Samuel....----- Westchester...\Chester...-.| 39 57 | 75 34 550 |A.
Baird) John Hi 22222222. Tarentum. ..-|Alleghany..-.| 40 38 | 79 46 950 /T.
Barrett, James.-_------ indenseeae— Lycoming.---| 41 14 | 77 11 514 |A.
Boyers, W. R...------- Altoona ....- Biair...----- 40 30] 78 31| 1,168 BTR.
Brewster, Wm., M. D---|Huntingdon ..|Huntingdon -| 40 35 | 78 03 734 \B.T.R.
Brugger, Samuel.....--|Fleming.-..- Centre.....-- 40 55 | 77 53 780 |T. RB.
Burrell, J. Ilgen_...-.-- (Bellefonte -..|Centre....... AQ BO MW 2) Neoodssse T.
ee ce Coes { Easton ....-- Northampton.| 40 43| 7516) 320 |A.
Cook, Thos. B. & Sons --|Bendersville. -|Adams -....-|--.-..2-}-------: Jecoo2--- N.
Darlington, Fenelon.-.-jParkersvilie-_|Chester-----| 39 54 | 75 37 218 IT. R.
Berert, Johnos sss. Berwick...--- Columbia..-.| 41 05 | 76 15 583 jA.
gen GN U1 RO Re a Shamokin ~..|Northumber’d| 40 15 76 30 700 iT. R.
Hance, Ebenezer..----- Morrisville. ..|Bucks. ....-- 40 12 74 48 30 |B.T.R.
1EbhA Ld Onsooasacace Nazareth. -.|Northampton.| 40 43 78 41 530 |B.T.R.
Heckerman, Henry-_---- Bedford --.-- Bedford _----- AM Ol Gis GW soa seas 15 Has
Heisely, Dr. John--...- Harrisburg .--|Dauphin. ---- AQ NO IO US Nessoscse B.T.R.
Heyser, William, jr.---- Chambersburg|Franklin.---- 39 58 | 77 45 618 |A.
ckOk Wr Oss =e cae Harrisburg---|Dauphin ~---| 40 20 | 76 50 320 |A.
Hoffer, Dr. Jacob R.---- Mount Joy.--|Lancaster----| 40 08 U6) S0R aes A.
Jacops Rev. Mess ses 22. Gettysburg. .-|Adams-..--- 39 49 | 77 15 624 |B.T.R.
James, Prof. Charles S-_-|Lewisburg ---|Union ------ 40 58 UO) BS Nsssascse A.
Kirkpatrick, Prof. J. A.--|Philadelphia -|Philadelphia -| 39 57 | 75 11 50 |A.
Kohler, Edward.-_----- Whitehall st’n)/Lehigh_....-. 40 40 | 75 26 250 |T.
Meehan, Thomas-.--.--- Germantown -|Philadelphia..|.2....--|/----.---|-------- N.
Moore, Mahlon.-.....-: Morrisville 22 Backs ype ca eat ceca ot eee Ws os a N.
Mowry, George. ------.- Somerset -..-|Somerset --.-| 40 00 | 79 03 | 2,195 |A.
Ralston, Rev. J. Grier---|Norristown..-|Montgomery .| 40 08 | 75 19 153 |A.
Scott, Samuel_.....---- Worthington.|Armstrong---| 41 50 79 31 1,050 |T. R.
Smedley, John H..-..-- Randa eee Delaware ----| 39 55 | 75 25 226 |T.P.R.
Smith, Wm., D.D.-.--- Canonsburg. -|Washington..| 40 17 80 10 936 |A.
Speer, Alex. M., M. D__-/Pittsburg -...|Alleghany..--| 40 32 | 80 02 850 |B.T.R.
Stewart, Thos. H....... Murrysville --|/Westmorela’d| 40 28 1Q) ws 960 |A.
Swit Dresbanln a 22% W. Haverford|Delaware.---| 40 00 US Zul 400 T.R.
Tracy, James EH..------ E. Smithfield_|Bradford .---- 41 58 UB BU 1,000 |N.
Draveliewonneiae === \Sewickleyville/|Alleghany..--| 40 38 | 80 14 |..-..--- Bullies
Wilson, Prof. W. C_---- Caplisleyais ais Cumberland -| 40 12] 77 11 500 |A.

eee

Caswell, Prof: Av. cscec

RHODE ISLAND.

'
|Providence. - -

Providence --

41

49

7fil

25

120

A.

Name of observer.

METEOROLOGICAL

OBSERVERS.

SOUTH CAROLINA.

Barton, HE. H., M. D-..--

Cornish, Rev. John H.--

Glennie, Rev. Alex’r.-.-

Johnson, Joseph, M. D
Dawson, J. L., M. D

Ravenel, Thomas P...--

Superintendent Arsenal
Academy.

Barney, Chas. R.--....-
TY 2 el See ee
Dodge, J. W. & Son..-.
Houghton. 8. W_.-----
Stewart, Prof. Wm. M..
Tuck, W. J., M.D...
Mitchell, R.W., M.D t

Allis, Melvin H
Colman, William. ......
Crockett, Jno. M -_._--.
Cunningham, J. D.-..--
De Grafienried, W. G., M.
D.

LeJernett, R., M.D -.--
D’Spain, Dr. B.L __.-

Ewing, J. M
Epperson, W.T
Freese, G
Friedrich, Otto

—-eeer=--
ener enn
wee ee ee eee eee

Gaffney, James O
Gantt, Dr. Wm. H
Gardiner, Jas..-...---.
Grif es a CU

a J.M

Rayal, Jas. T
pUCKET IB vel ets oes
Schuman, Bruno-......
Sias, Prof. Solomon __..

S

S

Station. County. &

2

Zi

oO ,
Columbia. -..-|Richland.--.- 3)
Aiken....... Barnwell..... 3a og
Georgetown--|All Saints.---} 33 29
Charleston.--.|Charleston. -.| 32 46
Black Oak. .-|Charleston....| 33 00 |
Columbia....|Richland...-. 34 00

TENNESSEE.
University Pl.|Franklin...-- 35 12
La Grange---|Fayette.....-|..-.----
Pomona... .-- Cumberland -| 36 00
Winchester...|Franklin. ...- 35 10
Clarkesville. .|Montgomery -| 36 28
Memphis-. --|Shelby-- ---- 35 08
TEXAS.
Gonzales ..-./Gonzales ...-| 29 35
Texana...... Jackson _.... 29 00
Dallas --..-- Dallasneee are 32 45
Bastrop ---.- Bastrop...-.-
Columbus ...|Colorado -..-| 29 43
Greenville..-|Hunt .....-- 33 10
Tarrant --.-- Hopkins. .--- 33 30
Jefferson ..-.|Cass--.. .--- 32 30
Boston ...... Bowie....... 33 25
New Braun- |Comal ..-... 29 41
fels.

San Patricio -/San Patricio .| 27 45
Wniony ase Washington -| 30 11
Port La Vaca.|/Calhoun....- 28 3
Huntsville_-..|Walker......
Gilmer--.--- Upshur....-- 32 46
Sisterdale....|Blanco ....-. 29 54
Wheelock -.-|/Robertson .--| 30 50
Woodboro’ ..|Grayson....- 33 47
AMR MDG) CBSE Mranvilswe ees ae 30 15
Kaufman ..../Kaufman ....| 32 30
Washington .|Washington -| 30 26
Roundtop ..-|/Fayette ----- 30 06
Bonham ..... Fannin...... 33 40

91

© 3
S a
2 q
2En 4
g 2
fe 4
E 2
oe R,
Balk
86 00 | 2,000 |T. R.
nas He |e ee B.T.R
85 00 2,200 jT.
SGu ese es IDS Jase
87 138 481 |A.
90 00 262 |A,
MELO ae rises iN.
96 38 60 |N.
SOW AG eee) ie
DN saa N.
96 36 198 |N.
QF 23) ete eles NE
DOU 4A eeee see N.
94 30 65 |N.
94 40 600 |N.
QS Loi eee B.T. Re
Si. Sc eae R.
96 31 540 |T. R.
96 37 25 |N.
Bt ate cle Laie MeN R.
94 49 1,017 |T.
98 35 1,000 |A.
96 30 450 |R.
SG o 62 jaye N.
QA Te neta aio A.
M6 OU ecco cecte N.
OGM oss Beem B. T.R.
OG BY ests oace T. R.
96 13 435 |A.

METEOROLOGICAL OBSERVERS.

TEXAS—Continued.

Name of observer. Station. County.
Turner; AAs 5582 22 - Springfield ..|Limestone ..-
Van Nostrand, J-...... Austin =...=- Mravismeer ie
Wadel PRBeS va ole Ike Cross Roads--|Williamson --
Wiest Dre Neb Sa-- ao. Burkeville...|Newton ...--
Yellowby, Prof. C. W---.|Webberville ./Travis -...--
Woakun hee ee \Larissa.....- \Cherokee ....

UTAH.

iPbelps a iWeiWeeaaseece Great Salt} Salt Lake-.-
Lake City. |

VERMONT.

Buckland, David......- Brandon _...|/Rutland_-..-
Cutting, Hiram A_..... Lunenburg --.|EHssex ......-
Fairbanks, Franklin.---/St. Johnsbury|Caledonia....
Jackman, Prof. A .....- Norwich..... Windsor ....
Paddock, James A.....- Craftsbury -.-|Orleans -.---
Parker, Joseph_.--...--- West Rapert-|/Bennington.-
Re thyawMIC Kees sewee aes Burlington --|Chittenden --

Abell, J. Ralls........-
Astrop, Col. R. F .......
Poyers, Wm. R.-.------
Dickinson, George C..--
Ellis, D. H
Hraser JamMesessses eee
Hotchkiss, Jed

Jones Silas Be 4 seer
Kendall, James E.._...-
Lockwood, George P__--
Mackie, Rey. C. B.....-
Meriwether, Chas. I -__-
Marvin, John W....-..-
Pickett, John
Purdie, John R., M. D_.-
Reynolds, Ws Cocoa see

Robey, Chas. H......-.-

Ruffin, Julian C

VIRGINIA.

Charlottesv’ le
Crichton’s
Store.
Cobham Depot
Wardensville
New England.
Stribling
Springs.
Fork Union...
KanawhaC, H
Wheeling ..--
Anna
Richmond ..-
Winchester .-
The Plains. .-
Smithfield _--
Kanawha §a-
lines.
Fredericksb’g

Albemarle -..
Brunswick ..-

Fluvanna ...
Kanawha----
Haittaxesae oe
Henrico
Frederick. ...
Fauquier .---
Isle of Wight.
Kanawha...

Spottsylvania

iGarysville -..!Prince George!

40

eevee wnwae

N, latitude.

45
28
25
42
40
15
27

W. longitude.

OOOO Oo
Haw TH O

Ill

73
71
72
72
72
73
73

Instrument.

METEOROLOGICAL OBSERVERS.

VIRGINIA—Continued.

95

* Above Lake Michigan.

: S 2
2 5 5
Name of observer. Station. County. 5 ‘Sp ies g
= 2 "e =
a . > 7a)
Zi = ss A
oa ORG Feet.
Sanders, B. D.---.-...-- Wellsbure. 32. Brookeeees saan seals Saas Soe DG JE
Slaven, James..:-...-.- Meadow Dale.|Highland.-..} 388 23 | 79 36 1,800 |T. BR.
Spence, Edward E--...- Montross ...-.|Westmoreland| 38 07 | 76 46 200 |. P.R.
Stalnaker, J. W., M. D-.-.|Lewisburg ---|Greenbrier...| 37 49 |; 80 28 | 2,000 |T.R.
Upshaw, George W.-..-- Kiovds sae SSE mre se |i ee Ee a etc oe TR:
Van Doren, Abram ._..- Falmouth _..|Stafford _....| 38 15 77 34 BUD) HID IR
Webster, Prof. N. B_---- Portsmouth~-|Norfolk ----- SOMOOM onl 12 |B.T.R.
WISCONSIN.
Armstrong, S.-.----.-- Pardeeville --;Solumbia..--) 43 44 SON TG eee = iz
Atwood, Isaac.....---- Lake Mills. -.|Jefferson -.-.| 43 00 SIMON eae ees N.
Bean, Professor 8. A.---- Waukeska ...|Waukesha...| 42 50 88 11 833 |B.T.P.
Clarke, Prof. Ambrose W.|Delafield -...|Waukesha ... 3 20 88 3 900 |B. T.
Om We Wisseocsoases Rocky Run --|Columbia--.-| 43 26 SOM ZO eeccaees ike
Wovens Hosa. Cees Otsego .....- Colum Diasec eee sO ees eset te eee N.
Ellis, Edwin, M. D.----- Whittlesey. ../La Pointe..... 46 33 | 91 00 658 |r. R.
Gordon, W. A., M. D.---|Wausau ----. Marathon -... 45 00 SOS Ol area eas D6 Ate
Gridley, rev. John.-...- Kenosha ...-/Kenosha --.-. 42 35 | 87 50 600 |B.T. R.
Haeuser, Hmil]252222.- Black River|Jackson ._.-. 44 17 SORS ON eee ee Te:
Falls
Johnson, A. K...--..-- Platteville. ..|Grant_...... Weeon OOM SOM OOM eerie) aee PR.
Kellogg, George J-..... Janesville __.|Rock..-...-- | 42 43] 89 90 780 IT.
Lapham, Increase A _._.|Milwaukie---|Milwaukie.._) 43 03 87 54 5(G)83 18,0 Jet
Larkin, Prof. EK. P.-....- Milwaukie ...|Milwaukie.... 43 02 87 55 684 |B.T.
Tipsy Vacovjeeess ee eeee |Manitowoc...|Manitowoc_...| 44 07 | 87 45 * 80 |B. T.
Aa, Vit oe seoeooae Superior. ...- Douglass. ---- 46 46 | 92 03 680 |. R
Mason, Prof. R.Z....--- Appleton--.-|Outagamie...| 44 10 88 35 800 jA.
Mattnews, D.----...-.. Burlington.../Racine -...-~ AO ARETE (SCS Sete 700 IN,
Nourse, J. Harvey -....- Bayfield_..-- La Pointe....| 47 00 SOON ears sre 1G JB
Pashley, J.S., M.D_-... Mosinee .-... Marathon ...| 44 44 | 89 35 |... _--. T.
ie arelerd plies) Niey 1) 4a nae Platteville...j/Grant.--.... Wore aeonei O.0is OO Meee eerste is Je
Ponveroy,, Hi Co. 6 0/522. Milwaukie. -.|Milwaukie_..| 43 03 | 87 57 658) | Ti
Porter, Prof. Wm_.....- Beloit......- Roca sisal | 42 30 89 04 750 |B.T.R.
Sterling, Prof. J.W.-.--. Madison... .-- Dane -....--| 43 05 89 25 1,068 |A.
* Underwood, Col. D___-- |Green Bay...|Brown _..--- | 443 88 00 584 |P. R.
Winkler, C., M.D...... \Milwaukie.-.|Milwaukie--.. 43-03 | 87 57 600 |B.T.R.

94 METEOROLOGICAL OBSERVERS.

MEXICO.
; 2
3 rs 3
Name of observer. Station. = s 3 =
Be a Se aes
4 4 Be
ines ea Feet.
Berendt, German, M. D.| Vera Cruz, Vera Cruz......- 19 12 | 96 09 26 |A.
Hieto; J. Aes soo Cordova, Vera Cruz..-..... 1854 ese ee 2,820 |B. T.R
: Minititlan, Tehuantepec --..| 17 59 | 94 07 60 jA.
ERE) OREN IS Oc 202 | Chinamaca, Tehuantepec. --- 18 02 | 94 15 100 jA.
Sartorius, Charles**...-| Mirador, Vera Cruz.......-- 19 15 96 25 | 3,600 |A.
CENTRAL AMERICA.
Canudas, Antonio 4 Guatemala, Guatemala...---| 14 37 | 90 30 |........ A.
WEST INDIES.
Haynes de besseescces Turk’s Island -....---.-.-- | Ree saia | SA ave ie | Basses e B.T.
BERMUDA.
Royal Engineers, (inthe) Centre Signal Station, St. |....----|--------|-...---- A.
Royal Gazette. ) George’s.
SOUTH AMERICA.
Dorsey, Edward B.---- Chanarcillo, Chile.-..------ 27 28S; 70 28) 38,860 |B.T.
latoninyer (OL bee eae Plantation Catharina Sophia, 5 48 | 56 47 |..------ A.
Colony of Surinam, Dutch
Guiana.
ASIA.
arclay, R. G., BM. D.. Jerusalem, Palestine -.--.-- 31 47 | 35 133i} 2,610 a

* Sent observations also for 1858.

3

METEOROLOGICAL OBSERVERS. 95

METEOROLOGICAL RECORDS RECEIVED FROM PERSONS NOT REGULAR
OBSERVERS.

From ANpDREw Scott.—Copy of journal kept at the public library,
Nassau, N. P., Bahamas, lat. 25° 05’, long. T7° 21’, by A. M. Surru,
Librarian, January, 1858, to August, 1859, observations of barometer,
thermometer, and wind.

From Dr. Epwarp P. Vouium, U. 8. A.—Twenty-four slips ozone
paper, kept at Fort Umpqua, Oregon, from June 12 to August 5, 1859.

From Captain A. W. Wuipeie, U. &. A.—Observations of ba-
rometer, thermometer, psychrometer, rain, clouds, and winds, from
May 16 to September 30, 1859, made at Lake George, Chippewa
county, Michigan. The observations for May were taken by J. H.
Foster; for July, August, and September by Epwarp PERRAULT.

From A. Mattison, Paducah, Ky.—Observations made at Bogota,
South America, on barometer, thermometer, and rain, by HEzmquieL
Uricorcuea, for June, 1857, and March, April, and May, 1859.
Printed slips.

From Lieutenant JoHN Muuuay, U. S. .A., in charge of the military
wagon road expedition from Fort Walla-Walla to Fort Benton. Ob-
servations made on barometer and thermometer at Cantoument Jordan,
in the valley of the St. Francis Borgia river, for December, 1859, by
W. W. Jonson.

From B. F. SuHumarp, Austin, Texas.—Observations en barometer,
thermometer, winds, and clouds, for the year 1859, made on the geo-
logical and agricultural survey of Texas, under his direction, by
GerorcE G. SHUMARD, M. D.

From JouHn H. Ciark, commissioner, United States and Texas
boundary survey.—Barometric record from January 15 to September
21, 1859; the record not continuous, but made from time to time at
the various astronomical stations. Received through the Interior
Department.

From 8. T. Anaier, of Columbia, Texas.—Desultory notes of
weather made in Sussex county, Virginia, during the year 18209.

From Captain Joun Pops, U.S. A.—Observations with full set of
instruments on expedition in Texas and New Mexico, made by JAMES
M. Reape, from March, 1855, to December, 1857.

Stations from which Telegraphic Reports of the weather were received at
the Smithsonian Institution in the year 1859.

New York, N. Y.
Philadelphia, Pa.
Pittsburg, Pa.
Baltimore, Md.
Frederick, Md.
Hagerstown, Md.
Cumberland, Md.
Richmond, Va.
Petersburg, Va.
Norfolk, Va.
Staunton, Va.

Charlottesville, Va.

Lynchburgh, Va.

Wytheville, Va.
Grafton, Va.
Wheeling, Va.
Parkersburg, Va.
Marietta, Ohio.
Chillicothe, Ohio.
Cincinnati, Ohio.
Bristol, Tenn.
Knoxville, Tenn,

Chatancoga, Tenn.

Raleigh, N. C.
Wilmington, N. C.
Columbia, 8. C. -

Charleston, 8. C.
Angusta, Ga.
Savannah, Ga.
Macon, Ga.
Columbus, Ga.
Atlanta, Ga.
Prairie Bluff, Ala.
Montgomery, Ala.

Lower Peach Tree, Ala.

Mobile, Ala.
Gainesville, Miss.
Jackson, Miss.
New Orleans, La.

96 METEOROLOGICAL OBSERVERS.

DEATHS OF OBSERVERS.

SamuEL Brown, Bedford, Pa., died in end of 1858 or beginning of
1859. He commenced observing before 1854. The last register re-
ceived from him was for October, 1858.

JoHN LEFFERTS, observer at Farmer, Seneca county, N. Y., died
on the 14th of January, 1859.

WiLL1aM CraNncH Bonp, an eminent American astronomer and di-
rector of the Cambridge observatory, died on the 29th of January,
1859, in the 69th year of his age.

Dr. J. W. Tuck, secretary of the Board of Health, Memphis, Tenn.,
died about the first of June, 1859. Observer since 1857.

Dr. E. H. Barton, formerly of New Orleans, died at Charleston,
S. C., in September, 1859.

Dr. JouN James, Upper Alton, Illinois, observer since 1854, died
October 11, 1859.

Dr. Joun F. Posty, Savannah, Ga., died in January, 1860. Ob-
server since previous to 1854.

REPORT OF THE SECRETARY.

To the Board of Regents :

GENTLEMEN: F'rom the facts presented in the following report of the
operations of the Institution, I trust it will be apparent to your honor-
able Board and the public that nothing has occurred since your last
session to interfere with the plan of organization, or with the trans-
actions authorized in accordance with it; on the contrary, I think it
will be evident that the labors to increase and diffuse knowledge have
been unremitting, and that the results of these labors have met the
approval and drawn forth the commendation of intelligent men in
every part of the civilized world.

It will also appear that due attention has been paid to the finances,
and although the expectation of assistance from the Patent Office on
account of meteorology has not been realized, yet the expenditures
have been kept within the receipts.

The annual income of the original bequest has been received from
the Treasury of the United States, and the interest on the extra fund
invested in State stocks has been promptly paid. From the report of
the executive committee, it will be seen that there were $15,034 11 in
the hands of the treasurer at the beginning of the year 1860; and that,
on the closing of the accounts for receipts and payments for the past
year, there is a balance on hand of $16,521 95. There are, however,
outstanding bills, on account of work already contracted for, amount-
ing to about $4,000, principally for publications which belong to the
year 1861.

From this statement, it is apparent that the Institution could wind
up its affairs at the present time with all the original fund bequeathed

by Smithson in the Treasury of the United States, with an investment —
of $140,000 in State stocks, a balance in cash in its treasury of —
upwards of $12,000, and an extensive building containing a valuable |
library and collection of apparatus; and, for the history of its opera~

oe

14 REPORT OF THE SECRETARY.

tions, could refer to twelve volumes of transactions and to other publi-
cations which have been printed, and are now to be found in all the
_ principal libraries of the world; to a system of international exchange
- which has been inaugurated and successfully prosecuted for the last
ten years; to an accumulation of a large amount of material in regard
to the meteorology and physical geography of the North American
continent, and to perhaps the largest collection which has ever been
made of the natural history of the same region; and therefore, as far
_as they are responsible, the administrators could emus: a satiatuctore
_ account of the important trust confided to their care. / We hope, how-
ever, notwithstanding the threatening aspect of our political affairs,
that the time will be far distant when this Institution will be obliged
to finally close its accounts. We trust that there is honesty, intelli-
gence, and liberality sufficient in this country, whatever may be its
political condition, to sacredly guard the bequest which was intrusted
with unhesitating faith to the people of the United States for the good
of mankind.

The policy of the AiGuihions from the beginning, has not been
_mnerely to collect and hoard up materials for local purposes, but in
every way to promote the cause of science generally, by a liberal but
prudent expenditure of its income in advancing among men the various
branches of knowledge to which its efforts have been directed. For«
example, a great amount of labor has been expended in collecting
specimens of natural history; and it will be séen, by the remarks on
the collections that active measures are now in progress for rendering
the results widely available for the purposes of science and education,
_by a general distribution of the duplicates.

The several objects to which the expenditures and labors of the

Institution have been devoted during the last year, are nearly the same
as those mentioned in previous reports; and in describing them we
shall follow the order heretofore adopted.
/ Publications.—The twelfth volume of the Smithsonian Contribution
to Knowledge has been completed, and will be ready for distribution
as soon as it comes from the hands of the binder. It consists of 537
quarto pages, and is illustrated by three plates and twelve wood cuts.
The following is a list of its contents :

I. Astronomical observations in the Arctic seas, by Elisha Kent
Kane, M. D. ;

II. On fluctuations of level in the North American lakes, by
Charles Whittlesey.

REPORT OF THE SECRETARY. 15

t

III. Meteorological observations made at Providence, Rhode Island,
for 284 years, by Prof. Alexis Caswell.

IV. Meteorological observations made near Washington, Arkansas,
for 20 years, by Dr. Nathan D. Smith.

V. Researches upon the venom of the rattlesnake, with an investi-
gation of the anatomy and physiology of the organs concerned, by
Dr. S. W. Mitchell.

1. The first of the papers mentioned above forms the third part of
the series of memoirs on the results of the observations of Dr. Kane,
during the second Grinnell expedition. An account of the first and
second numbers of the series, relating to magnetism and meteorology,
has been given in the two preceding reports. The third, or present
paper, gives the discussions and results of the astronomical ob-
servations which were made, principally at Van Rensselaer harbor,
the winter quarters of the expedition during 1853-54-55. These
observations were under the especial care of Mr. August Sonntag. The
principal instruments employed were two sextants by Gambey, divided
to ten seconds, a theodolite, a transit instrument, and five mean time
chronometers. The observatory consisted of four walls of granite
blocks cemented together with moss and frozen water. The transit
and theodolite were mounted on piers formed of an extemporaneous
conglomerate of gravel and ice, well rammed down into iron-hooped
casks, and afterwards consolidated by water. Thus constructed, they
were found to be as firm as the rocks on which they rested.

The first observations for latitude were made with the theodolite,
and later ones by means of a sextant and artificial horizon, on the
moon and moon-culminating stars. ‘The time was noted by a
pocket chronometer. The instrument was properly adjusted in posi-
tion, but in consequence of the high latitude and the extreme cold,
this was a very difficult operation. The angle of elevation was, in
many cases, observed by the reflection of the image of the object from
a mercurial horizon; the bubble of the level having been rendered
useless by the extreme reduction of temperature to which it was
subjected.

Observations were also made on occultations and eclipses, namely:
the occultation of Saturn, December 12, 1853; of the same planet,
January 8, 1854, and February 4, 1854; of Mars, February 13, 1854;
and on the solar eclipse of May 15, 1855. In the occultations of
Saturn, the disappearance and reappearance of the more prominent
points of the ring were accurately noted, and the’ results have been
elaborately discussed by Mr. Schott. From all the observations, the

16 REPORT OF THE SECRETARY.

longitude finally adopted for the observatory of Van Rensselaer
harbor was 70° 52! 45” west from Greenwich. It may be interesting
to remark that the degree of longitude in this high latitude is a little
less than twelve nautical miles, (11.88.)

__ Besides the astronomical observations at Van Rensselaer Hepa
number were made on the coast of Greenland when the expedition was
on its way to its winter quarters, and a series for determining latitudes
by travelling parties at different points in the regions explored.

From the full discussion of the whole series of observations both for
latitudes and longitudes a new map which accompanies the paper has
been protracted. This map differs from that given in Dr. Kane’s nar-
rative in shifting the position of the shore line of Kennedy Channel to
the southward about nineteen nautical miles. The highest point of the
eastern shore line traced on the corrected map is in latitude 80° 56’,
and that on the western side of the channel 82° 7’. These are the
northern limits of the exploration of the Grinnell expedition.

The fourth and last series of discussions and results of observations
made by Dr. Kane during the second expedition has also been printed,
and will form a part of the thirteenth volume of the Smithsonian
Contributions. It relates to the tides in the Arctic seas. Occasional
observations on the height of water were taken after passing Smith’s
straits, but the principal number recorded were made at Van Rens-
selaer Harbor. The series at this place commenced in September,
1853, and was continued to January, 1855. The observations during
this period are very unequal in value, owing mainly to physical diffi-
culties.. The observations, by means of a sounding line or staff, were
subject to irregularities from a slow movement of the vessel, which,
though imbedded in the ice a greater part of the year, was not entirely
stationary. The observations, by means of a string passing over a
pulley and attached to a float, were also subject to certain irregularities
due to an occasional slipping of the rope over the pulley, and another
small variation caused by the gradual rising of the deck of the vessel
above the level of the water, in consequence of her becoming lighter
by the daily consumption of provisions and fuel.

In discussing these observations it was necessary in the first place to
reduce the measurements to the same zero or level of the sea. To
effect this, two curve lines were traced on paper, the upper one including
the maximum rise of water for each day, and the other the lowest water
for the same time. An intermediate line traced equidistant from these
curves was then assumed to represent the mean elevation, and this
straightened out was adopted as the axis of the mean level of the sea.

REPORT OF THE SECRETARY. rE

The corrections for referring each observation to the standard level were
taken from this diagram—no allowance being considered necessary for
a change in the variation of the mean level of the sea. All the observa-
tions properly corrected are given in a series of tables. From these
tables, another series was deduced, exhibiting in one view the apparent

- time of high and low water, and the corresponding passages of the

moon over the meridian, its declination and comparative distance from
the earth. These latter tables were again plotted, and from the curves
thus produced it appears that the average time of the occurrence of a
series of 480 high waters at Van Rensselaer harbor was eleven hours
and forty-three minutes after the passage of the moon across the meri-
dian, corresponding to a mean declination of the sun and moon of
sixteen degrees.

In like manner from 485 observations, the average time of low water
occurred seventeen hours and forty-eight minutes after the passage of
the moon over the meridian. ‘The average interval of time between
the high and low water was six hours and five minutes.

The tide wave at Van Rensselaer Harbor may be considered as trans-
mitted from the Atlantic ocean, and only in part modified by the small
tide originated in the waters of Baffin’s Bay. This latter tide must
necessarily be small, since the direction of the long and comparatively
narrow bay is at right angles to that which would be most favorable
to the production of a disturbance of this kind. That the ocean tide
wave actually travels up along the coast of Greenland, or, in other
words, that it reaches Van Rensselaer Harbor from the south, is proved
by comparing the time of high water at different places along the west
coast of Greenland.

Having the velocity of the tide wave along Baffin’s Bay and Smith’s
Straits, the depth of the water may be approximately obtained. As-

‘suming the distance along the channel, between Holsteinborg and

Van Rensselaer Harbor, to be 770 nautical miles, the tidal wave has
a velocity of 202 feet in a second, which, according to Airy’s table,
would correspond to a depth of about 1,300 feet. In the same manner,
by comparing the co-tidal hours at Upernavik with those of Van
Rensselaer Harbor, a resultant depth of nearly 4,800 feet is obtained.
These two may be considered as the limits of the depths in Baffin’s
Bay and Smith’s Straits. :

Besides the points noticed, several others are fully discussed in this
paper. Among these is what is called the diurnal inequality, or the
difference ‘between the height of the two tides at the same phases of
the moon, depending principally on her position with reference to the

2

18 REPORT OF THE SECRETARY.

equator, as well as on her passage across the superior and inferior
meridian of the place. The moon produces high water at the same
instant of time on opposite sides of the earth, and were she constantly
to move in the plane of the equator, the highest points of these tides
would also be in the plane of the equator, and would consequently
produce a series of equal tides at any place either north or south of
this line. But it is evident that, when she ascends to the north, the
plane of the highest tide will tip in the same direction, giving the
highest point of one tide in the northern and the highest point of the
other tide in the southern hemisphere. Consequently, when the moon
has a northern declination, the tide at any place in the northern hem-
isphere which follows immediately after her passage across the me-
ridian will be higher than one which passes twelve hours later. This
variation in the height of the two tides is called the diurnal inequality.
From theoretical considerations it would not be anticipated that this
inequality should be well marked in such high northern regions; but
since the movement of the water at Van Rensselaer’s Harbor is not due
directly to the action of the sun and moon, but is the effect of an im-
mense wave propagated from the Atlantic through Baffin’s Bay and
Smith’s Straits, this inequality becomes well marked.

About the time of the moon’s maximum declination, the difference
between the day and night tide was two and a half feet. By an ex-
amination of the diagrams on which the elevations of the tides are
exhibited, it is seen that sometimes the day and sometimes the night
tides are the highest; and, furthermore, that the difference vanishes a
day or two after the moon crosses the equator, and that it reaches its
maximum a few days after the moon attains its greatest declination
north or south.

The form of the tide wave is also investigated and expressed in a
diagram, from which it appears that the spring tide wave is slightly
steeper between low and high water than between high and low water,
or, in other words, that the water rises more rapidly than it falls, and
also that the neap-tide wave is nearly symmetrical, the rise and fall
taking place in nearly equal times.

The tabulated observations were also investigated in reference to the
varying position of the sun and moon, giving rise to what is called
the half monthly inequality, and the result of this is also plainly in-
dicated by diagrams, for the high water as well as for the low. This
paper, as we have stated, completes the results of the discussions of
the series of observations made under the direction of Dr. Kane, and,
by themselves, or in connection with other researches in the Arctic.

REPORT OF THE SECRETARY. 19

regions, are valuable additions to our knowledge of the physical geog-
raphy of the earth.

I regret to be obliged to state that since the publication of the paper
on the winds at Van Rensselaer Harbor, some doubt has arisen as to
the proper interpretation of the original record. It is stated by Dr.
Kane that the observations of wind were uncorrected for magnetic
variation. In consequence of this statement a correction was applied
by Mr. A. Schott to reduce them to the true meridian. Mr. Sonntag,
one of the principal observers, after his return from Mexico, asserted
that the observations of the wind were recorded in reference to the
true meridian, and therefore required no correction. The same state-
ment was subsequently made independently by Dr. Hayes. Ah ap-
pendix has therefore been prepared for the series giving the correc-
tions to be applied to the tables, in order that the results may be in
contormity with either assumption. The weight of testimony would
appear to be in favor of the supposition that the records of the wind
at Van Rensselaer Harbor were recorded with reference to the true
north; but the question cannot be fully settled until other observations
from the same place are obtained.

The next paper in the 12th volume of Contributions is on the
fluctuations of the level of the surface of the North American lakes.
li has long been known that the great interior fresh water seas. of
North America are subject to variations of level. From the observa-
tions given in this paper and others previously published, the fluctua-
tions are of three kinds: First. A general rise and fall, extending
through a period of many years, which may be called the secular
variation of level. It evidently depends on peculiar changes in the
meteorology of the country drained, and although it may probably
have a regular period of return, this has not yet been determined.
Second. An annual rise and fall, the period of which is completed in
about twelve months, which is caused by the changes of the seasons,
can be predicted with considerable certainty, and is properly called
the annual variation. Third. An irregular movement, producing
frequently a sudden elevation, from a few inches to several feet. This
is of two kinds, one evidently due to the wind, and the other result-
ing from rapid undulations in calm water. Both classes may be
styled transient fluctuations. To these a fourth may be added, ac-
cording to a late publication by Colonel Graham, United States Army,
which is a true lunar tide. The author of this paper professes to
have condensed from all sources within his reach information respect-
ing the fluctuations of the water since the settlement of the country.

20 REPORT OF THE SECRETARY..

The whole is arranged in tables giving the dates of observation and
the authorities from which they have been obtained. Although these
tables are doubtless very incomplete, they have been accepted for pub-
lication as contributions to the subject, to be corrected and enlarged
by subsequent observations.

A series of observations accurately made with properly arranged tidal
instruments, such as are employed on the coast survey, and continued
for a number of years, would be of much interest to science, as well ag
of value to commerce in the construction of wharves and the selection
of harbors. Such a series has been established under the direction of.
Captain Meade, United States Topographical Hngineers, which, with
the observations under the direction of Colonel Graham, at Chicago,
will furnish, if continued, the data required. We think it not improb-
able that, if the series is sufficiently extended, a law of periodicity will
be discovered in the recurrence of the long intervals of rise and decline,
and that these will have some relation to a periodical variation of the
seasons in a series of years.

The most remarkable phenomena in regard to the fluctuations of the
lakes are those of the fitful oscillations in which sometimes a sudden
rise occurs of several feet at a particular place in calm weather, and
also a series of minor agitations. The simplest hypothesis for the
explanation of these phenomena is, that they are produced by the
passage of atmospheric waves, such as are caused by thunder-storms,
and perhaps in some cases by water-spouts, across distant parts of the
lake. It is well established by observation at the Smithsonian Insti-
tution, as well as at other places, that rapid oscillations of the barom-
eter accompany the passage of thunder-storms across the meridian.
The mercury suddenly descends, then rises a little, and again falls,
and after this regains its former level as the storm passes off to the
east. A thunder-storm, therefore, in crossing the lake, would cause
an elevation of water directly under it, which, in subsiding, would give
rise to undulations, and these arriving in succession from every point
of the path of the storm would produce effects similar to those which
have been noted.

Since the whole lunar tide of the ocean does not exceed five or six
feet, the effect of the moon even on such large bodies of water as those
of the upper lakes must be very small. Colonel Graham finds the
difference between high and low water at spring tides, at Chicago, on
Lake Michigan, to be about three inches and a half, and to occur at
thirty minutes after the passage of the moon over the meridian. It is
probable that the height of the tide on Lake Superior would be greater

REPORT OF THE SECRETARY. 21

than this, and might best be observed at the narrowing portion of the
extreme western end of the lake.

The twelfth volume of Contributions will also contain the records
of meteorological observations made at Providence, by Prof. Caswell,
an account of which was given in the last report. This series of
observations occupies 179 of the largest quarto pages which can be
introduced into the volumes of the Smithsonian Contributions. They
comprise a record of the barometer and thermometer made three times
a day, the direction and force of the wind, and the face of the sky for.
the same period; also, the depth of rain, together with a column of
general remarks on casual phenomena. The series is terminated by a
number of general tables—the first giving the monthly and annual
mean height of the barometer during the whole term of- years ;
the second, the monthly and annual mean height of barometer at
sunrise or 6a.m., 1 or 2p.m., and 10 p. m.; third, monthly and
annual mean temperatures, deduced from the three observations daily ;
fourth, monthly and annual mean temperatures at sunrise or 6 a. m.,
lor2p.m.,and 10 p. m.; fifth, monthly and annual maximum and
minimum temperatures and range ; sixth, the number of days in each
month in which the prevailing winds came from each of the four quar-
ters of the horizon; seventh, mean force of the wind at the different
hours of observation, and for the month and year; eighth, mean
cloudiness of the sky at the different hours of observation, and the
mean for the month and the year ; ninth, monthly and annual number
of days in which the weather was clear, variable, or cloudy—on which
rain or snow fell; the tenth, monthly and annual quantity of rain and
' snow in inches,

From the records themselves an account of the weather on any day
for twenty-eight years past may be obtained. From the general tables
we can determine the connection of the variations of the barometer
with the changes of the weather, and deduce rules of practical import-
ance as well as of scientific interest. From the tables of the records of
the thermometer, we find that the mean temperature of Providence for
the whole time is 48° 19’, and that during the twenty-eight years of
observation the oscillation on either side of this, with the exception of
four years, is within a single degree.

The coldest year was that of 1836; the warmest was 1848. The

warmest January was that of 1843, and the coldest that of 1857, which
was also the coldest single month of the whole period. Onanaverage,
the coldest month of the year is February ; the warmest month is July;
and the warmest month of any summer of the whole period was August,

22, REPORT OF THE SECRETARY.

1848; and the next warmest, July, 1838. The mean annual amount
of rain is 40.38 inches, distributed with considerable regularity. The
month in which the most rain falls, on an average, is August ; and
that in which the least falls is February.

Another paper in the twelfth volume of Contributions is a series
of meteorological observations, similar to the preceding, made at Wash-
ington, Arkansas, by Dr. Nathan D. Smith.

The place at which these observations were made is on the summit
of the dividing ridge between the waters of the Red river and those of
the Washita, fifteen miles northeast of Fulton and twenty south of
the Little Missouri. From this ridge there is no higher levei for a long
distance; but to the northwest there 1s a gradual ascent for about fifty
miles, to the foot of the mountains.

The records are of observations of the temperature at sunrise through-
out the year, and at 2 p.m.in the winter, and 3 p. m. in the summer;
amount of rain, and remarks on the weather; with the daily mean
temperature, and monthly mean, maximum, minimum, and range,
from January 1, 1840, to December 31, 1859, a period of twenty years.
Appended to these observations are tables giving the following summa-
ries for each month and year and for the whole series of twenty years:

1. Extremes oftemperature. The highest temperature at sunrise and
at 2 or 3p. m.; the mean temperature of the warmest day; the lowest
temperature at sunrise and at 2 or 3 p. m.; and the mean temperature
of the coldest day. :

2. Variations of temperature. Range of temperature at sunrise and
at 2 or 3p. m., and of the daily mean temperature; the extreme range
of temperature; the greatest rise and fall of temperature from sunrise
of one day to sunrise of the next day; the greatest rise and fall from
2 or 3p. m. of one day to 2 or 3 p. m. of the next day.

3. Mean temperatures. Means at sunrise and at 2 or 3 p. m.; of
months, years, and seasons; and of each day, as deduced from the
observations for the whole twenty years.

4. The amount of rain for each month and year, and monthly and
annual means for the whole series.

These tables, as in the case of those for Providence, furnish a series
of interesting facts. Tor example: the mean temperature of the whole
period is 61.81°; the warmest month is July, the coldest January; the
warmest year was 1854, the coldest year was 1843. The coldest New
Year’s day recorded was that of 1840, the mean temperature of which
was 22°; the warmest 1846 and 1855, the mean temperature of each
being 57°. From these tables it appears that the coldest day in the

REPORT OF THE SECRETARY. 23

year, as deduced from the average of twenty years, is the 18th of
January, and the warmest the 15th of July.

The mean annual amount of rain is 54.70 inches; the month of the
greatest rain is April; of the least rain, September.

The last paper in the twelfth volume of Contributions consists of an
account of researches upon the venom of the rattlesnake, with the
investigations of the anatomy and physiology of the organs concerned,
by 8. Weir Mitchell, M. D.

This paper gives an account of a series of investigations relative to

a subject which, from an almost instinctive aversion to venomous snakes

and the danger to which the student is exposed, has received compara-
tively little attention. With the exception of the essays of Barton
and Brainard, the literature of this subject in this country has been
confined to scattered notices and incomplete statements of cases found
in the pages of numerous medical journals, and, indeed, if we except
a few works of Hurope and India, in no part of the world has modern
science done much to further this inquiry.

The author first gives an account of his observations on the habits
of the rattlesnake when in captivity. From ten to thirty-five snakes
were kept together in the same box without exhibiting the slightest
signs of hostility to one another. Even when snakes were suddenly
dropped upon their fellows no attempt was made to annoy the new
comers, while the intrusion of a pigeon or a rabbit immediately roused
the reptiles when they were in vigorous health. The habits of this
snake in confinement are singularly inactive. In warm weather, when
least sluggish, they lie together in a knotted mass, occasionally changing
their position, and then relapsing into a state of perfect rest. This
sluggish condition is dangerously deceptive, since it gives no indication
of the rapidity of their motion when aroused. This reptile seldom
eats in captivity. The author has kept one alive for a year without
food, and though he made every effort to tempt the snakes to eat, he
has never seen them disposed to avail themselves of food when placed
within their reach. Some of them were forcibly fed by placing milk
and insects in their throats, yet when even this precaution was not
taken, provided the snakes had water, they continued healthful, and
secreted a large amount of venom.

The author’s observations add nothing towards confirming the idea
of the disputed power of fascination in the snake. Birds, guinea-pigs,
mice, and dogs, put into the cage generally exhibited no terror after
the alarm had subsided occasioned by having been dropped into the.
box. The small birds soon became singularly familiar with the snakes, ~

24 REPORT OF THE SECRETARY.

and were seldom molested even if caged with six or eight large ones.
Mice also lived on terms of confiding intimacy, sitting on the heads of
the snakes and running over their coils, apparently unconscious of
danger. Larger animals were not so safe in this, especially if they
moved rapidly. All the animals frequently manifested an evident
curiosity which prompted them to approach the snake, but this was
sometimes reproved by a blow, particularly when a dog indulged his
inquisitiveness by approaching his nose too close in the act of smelling.
In a state of rest no odor is-observed from the snake; but when it is
roughly disturbed and induced to throw itself into contortions, a thin
stream of yellow or dark brown fluid is ejected, the odor of which is
extremely disagreeable.

The author next describes, from his own dissections, the anatomy of
the parts connected with the secretion and expulsion of the venom.
He also gives a full and complete account of the part played by the
various muscles in the act of inflicting a wound. When preparing to
strike, the snake throws his body into a coil, and by a violent contrac-
tion of the muscles which lie on the convexity of the bends, a portion
of the body is immediately straightened and the head thrown forward
in a direct line to a distance not exceeding one half of its length.
The hooked fangs are made to enter the flesh of the victim and retained
there until the venom is injected by a series of muscular contractions
miautely detailed in the description. From this it appears that the
animal may sometimes fail to inflict injury when seeming to do so.
A knowledge of these facts is essential to a proper study of antidotes
for the bite of the rattlesnake.

The venom is yellow, acid, glutinous, and of a specific gravity of
104. It is devoid of taste, smell, and acridity ; begins to coagulate at
140° Fah., and is soluble in water. It consists, first, of an albuminoid
substance, which is coagulable by pure alcohol, but not by a heat of
212° Fah. This material is the poisonous element, and receives from
the author the name of crotaline; second, of an albuminoid compound,
coagulable both by heat and by alcohol, and not poisonous; third, a
yellow coloring matter and an undetermined substance, both soluble in
alcohol; fourth, a trace of fatty matter and of free acid; fifth, saline
bodies, chlorine, and phosphates.

The venom gland presents some anatomical analogy to that in which
the saliva of other animais is formed; but there is an entire want of
physiological resemblance between the venom and the saliva. It was
found that no temperature from zero to 212° Fah. destroyed the pois-
-onous property of the venom, which also remained unaltered when it

ia

REPORT OF THE SECRETARY. 25

was treated with acids and alkalies at moderate temperatures, or with
alcohol, chlorine water, iodine, &c. It prevented the germination of
seeds planted in it, but did not destroy the vitality of large plants
inoculated with it, nor did it interfere with saccharine fermentation nor
with the accompanying growth of sporules.

The effect of the venom on cold blooded animals was studied on frogs
and on the rattlesnake itself. In both the symptoms were like those
in warm blooded animals, but very much slower of development. In
the latter the effects were examined on pigeons, reed-birds, rabbits,
eninea-pigs, and dogs, in all of which careful examination of the post-
mortem lesions were made. ‘The influence of the venom on the tissues *
and fluids of the economy is given in detail, and the following are some
of the conclusions arrived at:

In all animals which die within a very short period after being
bitten, there is no other lesion than the wound, the blood and tissues
both being normal in appearance. In animals whose lives are pro-
longed, the blood is diseased and the tissues more or less altered.
The venom is not absorbed by the stomach or the skin, but when
drawn into the lungs of a pigeon it is fatal. The bite is attended
with no primary inflammation, and the local swelling is due to effu-
sion of fluid or semi-fluid blood. The muscles wounded by the fang
are affected with twitching at first, and afterwards undergo a peculiar

- softening, and become more liable to rapid putrefaction than other

x

parts. The muscular irritability ceases earler than in ordinary cases

of death, while the rigidity occurs as usual. The intestinal motions
and those of the cilia are unaltered. The heart becomes enfeebled
shortly after the bite, from direct influence of the venom on this organ,
and not from the loss of the respiratory functions. Notwithstanding
the diminution of its power, the heart is usually in motion after the
lungs cease to act, and its tissues remain for a long time locally“irri-
table. The paralysis of the heart is therefore not so complete as it is
under the influence of upas or corroval. In warm-blooded animals
artificial respiration prolongs the contractile power of the heart, but
does not sustain it as long as when the animal has died by woorara or
decapitation. In the frog, the actions of the heart continue after res-
piration has ceased, and sometimes survive until the sensory nerves
and the nerve centres are dead, the motor nerves alone remaining
irritable. In warm-blooded animals, respiration ceases, owing to
paralysis of the nerve centres. The sensory nerves, and the centres of
nerve power in the medulla spinalis and medulla oblongata, lose their
vitality before the motor nerves become affected.

26 REPORT OF THE SECRETARY.

In cold-blooded animals the muscular system retains its irritability
for a considerable time after death, so that this cannot be due to its
loss. The first effect of the venom being to depress the vital energy
of the heart and nerve centres, a resort to stimulants is clearly indi-
cated as the only rational mode, in our present state of knowledge,
of early constitutional treatment. In chronic poisoning, death is due
to the continued influence of venom on the heart and nerve centres,
and to secondary alterations of the blood and tissues. In these cases
he fibrin of the blood is more or less dissolved, and the corpuscles are
rarely and slightly altered, and not at all in animals which die soon
‘after being bitten. The venom produces changes analogous to those
in cases of yellow fever and some other maladies.

These conclusions rest on a series of apparently well-devised and
carefully-executed experiments. They are principally original results,
and the whole paper must, therefore, be considered a valuable addition
to our knowledge of this interesting subject.

Attached to the memoir is an appendix containing an enumeration
of the genera and species of rattlesnakes, with synonomy and refer-
ences by HE. D. Cope; also, a full bibliography of the subject by the
author, with critical and analytical notices of the works mentioned;
and this, with the authorities given by Mr. Cope, furnishes a complete
list of all writers either on the natural history, or on the anatomy,
physiology, and toxicology of venomous serpents in general. The
paper is illustrated with wood cuts, and the author acknowledges his
indebtedness to this Institution for aid in procuring the serpents which
were essential to his investigations.

Professor Bache has presented for publication the second of his
series of discussions of the magnetic observations made at Girard
College between the years 1840 and 1845. Part 1 of this series,
which is described in the last report, related to the investigation of the
eleven-year period, or that which is coincident with the recurrence of
frequency of the spots on the sun, and to other variations of the needle
connected with solar action. The present paper relates to the influ-
ence of the moon on the variation of the magnetic needle.

The existence of a sensible lunar effect on the magnetism of the
earth has been established by the labors of Sabine and others; it ig,
however, of much importance to confirm and extend their results by
the discussion of independent observations. In the previous paper
the method was shown by which the several influences of the sun were
eliminated from the observations, leaving residuals from which the
lunar influence could be deduced, the method being that followed by

REPORT OF THE SECRETARY. 27

General Sabine in his reduction of the results of the British observa-
tions. The records, after having been corrected for the influence of
the sun and other perturbations, were arranged in tables, correspond-
ing to the several hours of the day, commencing with the upper transit
of the moon over the meridian. To ascertain whether the different
parts of these series would give harmonious results, the whole number’
tabulated, 21,644, was divided into three groups, the first compris-
-ing nineteen months, the second, twenty-one months, and the third,
eighteen months. From these it was found that the results were
nearly proportioned to the number of observations, which indicated
that no constant error of much magnitude existed.

The three groups were next discussed by means of Bessel’s formula,
two terms of which were found sufficient to give a curve representing
the observations ; and as a constant term was not found necessary in
the construction of this curve, it was inferred that the moon exerted
no specific constant action on the needle, or, in other words, that the
magnetism of the moon is not per se, but is of that kind called
wnduciive, which is due to the action of some extraneous body. |

The curves by which the results of the discussion are represented
show two east and two west deflections in a lunar day, the maxima
east and west occurring about the time of the upper and lower transit
of the moon over the meridian, and the minima about at the interme-
diate sixth hour.

In comparison with the effects of other forces operating on the mag-
netic needle, that of the moon is exceedingly small, and could not have
been detected previous to the introduction of the more refined instru-
ments and methods of investigation which have been invented within
the last twenty years. The total range at Philadelphia scarely reaches
thirty seconds, and at Toronto it is only a little more than thirty-eight
seconds.

The principal western maximum deviation occurs six minutes after
the moon passes the lower meridian, and amounts to 13.8 seconds of
arc. The secondary maximum occurs fourteen minutes after the upper
culmination, and amounts to 10.8 seconds. The principal eastern
maximum of variation takes place six hours and seventeen minutes
after the lower culmination, the deflection being 13.2 seconds. The
secondary easterly maximum occurs at six hours three minutes after
the upper transit, and amounts to 11.4 seconds.

The effect of the moon appears to be subject to a variation depending
on the solar year, for the investigation of which the preceding results
were arranged in two groups—one containing the hourly values for

28 REPORT OF THE SECRETARY.

the summer months, and the others those for the winter months.
After being subjected to a similar process of reduction, it was found |
from these that the lunar variation is much smaller in amplitude in
winter than in summer, and also that the maxima and minima occur
earlier in the former than in the latter season, the winter curve pre-
ceding the summer curve by about an hour and three quarters. ,

Professor Bache next proceeded to ascertain whether the phases,
declination, or parallax of the moon have any sensible effect on the
magnetic variation. Dr. Kreil, from the discussion of ten years’ ob-
servation at Prague, concluded that there was no specific change in the
position of the magnet depending on the moon’s phases or parallax,
but that the variation was sensibly greater when the moon was at its
greatest northern declination. On the contrary, Mr. Brown, from a
much shorter series of observations in India, inferred that there was
a minimum of variation two days after the full moon. To investigate
these points, the lunar variation for the days of full and new moon,
and for two succeeding days, were compared with the average monthly
variation ; the results indicate that the north end of the magnet is
deflected six seconds to the westward at full moon, and as much to the
eastward on the day of new moon. This quantity is not much beyond
the probable error of observation, but a more definite result could hardly
be expected from a series extending over but five years. The period
of the observations is also too short to exhibit any definite variation —
depending on the moon’s greatest northern or southern declination,
and the same remark may be applied to the effect of the varying dis-
tance of the moon. Professor Bache proposes, in another paper, to
extend the discussion to the moon’s influence on the variation in the
intensity of the magnetic force of the earth.

I neglected to mention in the last report that, besides the magnetic
observations made by Professor Bache in codperation with the system
inaugurated by the British association, two other series were carried
on simultaneously-one in the city of Washington, by Lieutenant
Gilliss, of the United States Navy, and the other by Professor Bond,
of Harvard University. The observations of Lieutenant Gilliss were
made once in two hours with a bar eleven inches long, observed with a

‘micrometer microscope reading to seconds of arc, and were continued
from July 7, 1840, to June 30, 1842, a period of two years. Beside
the bi-hourly series, another was made on term days, viz: on the 23d
and 24th of each month, from September, 1840, to June, 1842, in’
which the position of the needle was’ recorded at intervals of every
five minutes. Professor Bond’s observations at Cambridge extended

REPORT OF THE SECRETARY. 29

from 1837 to 1845. The observations of Lieutenant Gilliss were pub-
lished by order of the Senate of the United States; but have not
been discussed in reference to the various influences to which the
needle is subjected. Those of Professor Bond are still in manuscript,
but will probably be published in due time, as a part of the labors of
the Harvard observatory.

The fact was mentioned in the last report, that a small appropriation
had been made, to assist in defraying the expense of the necessary
‘material and apparatus for an investigation undertaken by Professor
Wolcott Gibbs relative to the ores of platinum, of which the following
is an account :

Samples of the ores of platinum, according to Gmelin, were first
brought to Hurope in the year 1741. In 1748, the metal was described
by Don Antonio de Ulloa as a metallic stone, which, when present in
large quantity, prevents the working of the gold ores. Watson recog-
nized platinum as a distinct metal in 1750, and after that period very
numerous investigations were published in regard to it. In 1804,
Wollaston announced the discovery of palladium and rhodium in the
raw platinum ores, and shortly afterward Smithson Tennant showed
that the same ore contained two other metals, which he called iridium
and osmium. Finally, in 1844, Claus discovered ruthenium. The
investigation of the metals accompanying platinum has always been
regarded as one of peculiar difficulty, in consequence of the remarkable
analogies between the chemical properties of the metals themselves.
The comparatively recent discovery of ruthenium illustrates this point
in a striking manner. All previous investigations related chiefly to
mixtures of the metals in various proportions, hardly a single one
having been obtained in a state of purity. Claus’s most elaborate and
successful investigation threw a new light on the whole subject, with-
out, however, removing all the difficulties which accompany a complete
separation of the different metals. In 1859, Deville and Debray pub-
lished a detailed memoir on the working of the oresyof platinum upon
a large scale, and on the physical properties of the different metals.
In this very valuable paper, methods of fusing large quantities of
platinum are given, the processes employed being, however, ‘essen-
tially the same as those successfully used in this country by Dr. Hare
many years since.

The purely chemical question of the complete separation of the
different metals of the platinum group from each other, remained
unsolved. The investigations of Dr. Gibbs have been undertaken
partly to supply this deficiency, and partly in consequence of his dis-

30 ' REPORT OF THE SECRETARY.

covery of a very remarkable series of compounds containing osmium,
ruthenium, or iridium. These investigations have thus far been suc-
cessful, a few difficulties only remaining to be overcome. They have
not merely yielded wholly new methods of separation, but have re-
sulted in the discovery of an entirely new class of salts, possessing
much theoretical and practical interest. Itis by means of these salts
that Dr. Gibbs has succeeded in effecting a satisfactory separation of
the different metals of the group. The memoir embodying a detailed
description of the processes of Dr. Gibbs will consist of four parts.
The first will treat of the methods of bringing the ores into a soluble
condition ; the second, of the methods of separating the metals from
each other; the third, of the new salts and bases discovered ; and the
fourth, of the general relations of the metals of the group. A large
part of the work is already completed, and the author expects to have
the whole ready for the press is a few months.

Beside the papers described, a number of others have been accepted
for publication, or are in preparation, at the expense of the Smithson-
ian fund. Among’ the former we may mention an elaborate memoir
on the anatomy of the human liver, by Dr. Schmidt, of New Orleans,
of which the following are the principal points: 1. The accumulation
of additional evidence of the existence of a network of capillary vessels
previously discovered by the author, and described by him as “‘ biliary

tubules,’’ from which start the smallest hepatic ducts. This network
' is independent of that in which the smallest branches of the porta-
vein, hepatic artery, and veins arise. 2. The discovery of minute
lymphatics of the liver, and their origin in the network of biliary
tubules, by which a communication between the hepatic ducts and
lymphatics is established. 3. The discovery of lymphatic vessels,
directly joining small hepatic ducts, by which a second communication
between these vessels is established. 4. A minute description of a
system of small follicular and racemose glands, the ducts of which
form extensive plexuses throughout the liver, and their relationship to
the other constituents of the organ. These glands have been imperfectly
described by some authors, but their true relations have never been
known. 5. The discovery of a communication of the lymphatics with
the ducts of these glands. As many of the latter join the hepatic
ducts, a third communication between the lymphatics and hepatic
ducts is thus indirectly established.

The memoir also contains several other points of minor importance,
together with a minute description of the blood vessels, hepatic cells,
&c., perhaps more definite than has heretofore been given. The dis-

oo Saas
eS

REPORT OF THE SECRETARY. Bt

covery of a natural communication between the hepatic ducts and
lymphatics of the liver, according to the 2uthor, is of great import-
ance, for it explains the phenomena of jaundice as they occur in certain
diseases. It also explains why the large lymphatics on the surface of
the liver are frequently found filled with bile after death. The appen-
dix to the memoir contains a description of the best method of making
minute injections, together with the apparatus used for the purpose.

In addition to the foregoing, an original mathematical paper on the
intersection of circles and spheres, has been presented by Major Alvord,
of the United States Army.

Among the memoirs in preparation is one on Arctic meteorology,
from the original observations made under the direction of Sir I. Leo-
pold McClintock, during his late voyage in search of Sir John Frank-
lin, and presented to this Institution by the author, for discussion and
publication. A full account of this paper and the preceding will be
given in the next annual report.

Under the head of Smithsonian Miscellaneous Collections, the follow-
ing works have been published during the past year:

1. Instructions in reference to collecting nests and eggs of North
American birds ; illustrated with wood cuts.

2. Circular in reference to the history of North American grasshop-
pers; prepared by Mr. P. BR. Uhler.

3. Circular in reference to collecting North American shells.

A. Circular addressed to the officers of the Hudson’s Bay Company,
relative to the registration of meteorological phenomena, and the col-
lection of objects of natural history. This circular is accompanied by
a letter from the late Sir George Simpson, governor of the Hudson’s
Bay Company’s territory, commending the requests of the Institution
to the favorable consideration of all persons connected with the com-
pany.

5. Check lists of the shells of North America, prepared for the
Institution by Isaac Lea, P. P. Carpenter, W. Stimpson, W. G. Bin-
ney, and T. Prime. These lists were prepared for the purpose of
labeling the specimens in the Smithsonian collection, but as it was
thought they would be of general value in the indication of species
inhabiting this continent and the adjacent islands, in facilitating the
preparation of catalogues, the labeling of collections, and conducting
exchanges, it has been thought proper to print them for distribution.

6. List of duplicate shells of the Indo-Pacific Fauna, collected by
the United States exploring expedition under Copia Wilkes.

=
32 REPORT OF THE SECRETARY.

7. Catalogue of the described lepidoptera of North America, by
Dr. John G. Morris. This catalogue enumerates over 2,000 species
of butterflies, moths, &c., which occur in the United States proper.
‘¢ Yet there is reason to believe,’’ says the author, ‘‘that hundreds still |
remain to be discovered.’’ In the preparation of this catalogue, all
accessible books have been consulted, and itis believed that few descrip-
tions of American lepidoptera have been overlooked. The classifica-
tion adopted is that recommended in part by Herrich-Schaeffer and
Walker ; but in some of the families, Guénée has been followed.

The following works are in preparation for publication in the Smith-
sonian miscellaneous collections:

1. Elementary introduction to théstudy of concholog pean aya) ee:
Carpenter, of Warrington, England.

2. List of the species i shells collected by the United States ex-
ploring expedition, by the same author.

3. Descriptive catalogue of the shells of the west coast of the United
States, Mexico, and Central America, by the same author. :

4. Bibliography of North American conchology, by W. G. Binney.

5. Descriptive catalogue of the air-breathing shells of North Amer-
ica, by the same author.

6. Catalogue of North American crustacea, in the museum of the
Smithsonian Institution, by W. Stimpson, M. D. |

7. Catalogue of the described Meuroptera of North America, by
Dr, H. Hagen; edited by P. R. Uhler.

8. Classification of the Coleoptera of North America, by Dr. John
L, Le Conte.

9. Descriptive list of the diurnal lepidoptera of North America, by
Dr. J. G. Morris.

10. Descriptive catalogue of the hymenoptera of North Amenica,
by H. De Saussure.

11. Descriptive catalogue of the diptera of North America, by Dr.
Dr. H. Loew and Baron Osten Sacken.

12. Catalogue of North American orthoptera, pene and homop-
tera, by P. R. Uhler.

Most of these are nearly completed, and will be published oe |
the year 1861.

The thanks of the Institution are due to the gentlemen whose names
have been mentioned in connection with the preparation of the several
works just mentioned, since their labors have been bestowed for the
advance of science, without any other reward than that which might
flow from the repufMtion justly due to the authors of such productions.

}

REPORT OF THE SECRETARY. oo°

The works on insects have been prepared especially to facilitate the
study of this branch of natural history—a taste for which has much
increased in this country of late years, principally through the exer-

_ tions of the Smithsonian Institution ; and it is believed that, with the

erowing enthusiasm manifested for this study, specimens of nearly all

the species which inhabit North America will soon be collected and

accurately described. The practical bearing of a knowledge of ento--
mology, in its application to agriculture and the arts, as well as in its
scientific relation to general zodlogy and physical geography, have
been pointed out in previous reports. I may mention, however, as an

interesting fact exhibiting the relation of animal life to the peculiarities
of climate and soil in different parts of the world, that Baron Osten

Sacken has ascertained that the same species of insects which inhabit
the arid plains of the western portion of our continent are nearly

identical with those found on the steppes of Russia.

The next class of publications of the Institution consists of the series
of annual Leports to Congress. The first reports were in pamphlet
form, and merely gave an account of the operations of the Institution
and the proceedings of the Regents. Hach report, however, since 1853,
consists of a volume in which is given, in an appendix, some of the
lectures delivered at the Institution, extracts from correspondence, and
information of a character suited to the meteorological observers and
other persons interested in the promotion of knowledge. The first
volume of this series (that for 1853) contains a reprint of all the pre-
vious reports of the Secretary, the will of Smithson, the act of organi-
zation, and all the facts necessary to a history of the establishment
from its commencement. The report for 1859 contains the usual
amount of matter, which has thus far been restricted by the action of
Congress to 450 pages. The number of copies printed by order of
Congress was 10,000, of which only 4,500 were given to the Institu-
tion for distribution; whereas, of the report for 1858, the Institution
received 7,000 copies. On account of this reduction in the number of
copies, we have been obliged to curtail the list of distribution, and to
confine it principally to our meteorological observers and to those who
have manifested their interest in the work by making special applica-
tion for it.

In order to ascertain whether the publications of the Institution are
received by the persons to whom they are addressed, a »rinted form of
acknowledgment is sent, to be returned with the signature, post office,
and occupation of the recipient. The receipts, which have been care-
fully bound in a series of volumes as vouchers for the faithful discharge

3

a5 REPORT OF THE SECRETARY.

of this part of the operations of the establishment, furnish some inter-
esting statistics as to the occupation, and distribution in the different
parts of the country, of the readers of the Smithsonian reports.

Meteorology.—An appropriation is annually made by Congress for
‘the collection of agricultural statistics, investigations for promoting
agriculture and rural economy,” &c. Of this, Judge Mason, during
his term of office as Commissioner of Patents, devoted a small portion
to assist the Smithsonian Institution in collecting and reducing mete-
orological observations. He considered this kind of information as
one of the essential elements on which to found a system of scientific
agriculture adapted to the various local climates of the different parts of
our extended country, and in his estimates presented to Congress for an
increased appropriation, a certain sum was specified as requisite for this
important purpose. In his report for 1856, he properly remarks ‘‘ that
the degree of heat, cold, and moisture in various localities, and the
usual periods of their occurrence, together with their effects upon dif-
ferent agricultural productions, are of incalculable importance in
searching into the laws by which the growth of such products is reg-
ulated, and will enable the agriculturist to judge with some degree of
certainty whether any given article can be profitably cultivated.’’ In
accordance with these views, an increased appropriation was made by
Congress, which has been continued until the present time. The part
of the appropriation originally devoted to meteorology was also con-
tinued by the successors of Judge Mason, until last year, when it was
suddenly and unexpectedly suspended.

The sum thus furnished by the agricultural department of the Patent
Office was scarcely more than one third of that appropriated by the
Smithsonian Institution. It was, however, of essential service in
developing the system and in assisting to defray the heavy expense of
blanks and reductions.

The general results of all the observations for six years have been
presented in a report to Congress, in the joint name of the Smithsonian
Institution and the Patent Office, and are now in the hands of the
public printer. The information which is contained in this report is
such as is almost constantly called for by the public, and forms a part
of the data necessary to base the practice of agriculture upon the reliable
principles of insurance, as well as to indicate the climate especially
adapted to particular productions. The value, however, of such mate-
rials depends upon the number of years during which the observations
are continued, and I therefore regret that the late Commissioner of

REPORT OF THE SECRETARY. * 35

Patents did not see fit to continue the appropriation which had been
made by his predecessors. The system was fully organized and the
investigation was considered of too much importance to be abandoned,
particularly after so much labor had been bestowed upon it, and there-
fore it has since been maintained at the sole expense of the Institution.
We are sorry, however, that we were obliged to stop the reductions,
but hope they will be resumtd again before the observations have
accumulated to an unwieldy bulk.

The whole system of meteorology is still in a prosperous condition ;
the number of observers reporting directly to the Institution is about
500; the number of stations reporting to the Surgeon General’s office
of the War Department is 75. The returns of fourteen stations in
Canada are also accessible to the Institution. Observations have been
made for the year 1860 at 166 light-houses on the Atlantic and Lake
coasts, under the direction of the Light-House Board, copies of which
are sent through the Institution to the Board of Trade in England.

The lake system, established under the direction of Captain Meade,
of the Topographical Engineers, is still continued. It consists of eigh-
teen stations on lakes Superior, Michigan, Huron, Erie, and Ontario.
Hach station is furnished with a full set of standard instruments con-
structed on the plan adopted by the Smithsonian Institution. The
observations are regularly taken four times a day at equal intervals of
three hours, besides occasional series at certain places at every hour of
the twenty-four. The latter are of much value in determining the
corrections to be applied to the mean derived from observations taken
at afew hours in the day. This system in its extent, the precision of
its instruments, and the character of its observers, is one of the most
perfect which has ever been established, and if continued for a few
years, will give the local climate of the district, with an accuracy which
has never been attained in any other part of the continent.

The observations of Lieutenant Williamson, in California, on the
hourly fluctuations of the barometer at the level of the ocean and at
points on mountain stations, were continued until the end of the last
fiscal year, when they were stopped for the want of further appropria-
tions. It is to be hoped the Secretary of War will make provision for
renewing these important investigations, since they are not only of
great scientific interest, but also of much practical value in correcting
the observations for heights by the barometer. Indeed, with the
advance of science, a revision of the deductions from all the observa-
tions which have been made by the various exploring parties, will be

36 * REPORT OF THE SECRETARY.

required, in view of the greater accuracy attainable by the application
of corrections derived from observations of this kind.

The Institution has received during the past year a number of valu-
able meteorological records from officers of the Hudson’s Bay Company
in different parts of the territory. Among these is a series from Fort
Simpson, McKenzie’s river, for twelve years, transmitted by B. R.
Ross, Esq., chief trader ; mi another series, for three years, by J. Mc-
Kenzie, Esq., from Moose Factory, both of which will be continued
hereafter. In this connection we may mention that a number of spirit
thermometers for marking the extremes of cold have been distributed,
through the agency of Mr. Kennicott, to some of the most distant posts
of the Hudson’s Bay Company.

The daily telegraphic dispatches of the weather from different parts
of the country have been kept up with considerable regularity from the
South as far as New Orleans ; but we regret that frequent intermissions
take place in the receipt of the telegrams from places directly west of
the city of Washington, especially as we are more immediately inter-
ested in these, since they afford the means of predicting with consider-
able certainty the character of the weather sometimes a day or more
in advance.

Besides the sources we have mentioned from which meteorological
records have been obtained, an account of others from which commu-
nications on the same subject have been received, is given in the special
appendix to the Secretary’s report. The amount of climatic materials
relative to different parts of the continent of North America which has
been collected by the Institution is of great value; but it cannot be
rendered fully available for general use without a larger expenditure of
money than can be devoted to this object by the Smithsonian income.

All the accounts collected by the Institution of the remarkable
auroras of August and September, 1859, were placed in the hands of
Professor Loomis, and by him discussed and published in the ‘‘ Amer-
ican Journal of Science.”’

During the past year, meteorological instruments have been furnished
to two expeditions under the direction of the Coast Survey to observe
the great solar eclipse of the 18th of July, 1860. One of these was
sent to Labrador under the charge of Professor 8. Alexander, of the
College of New Jersey, and the other to Washington Territory under
Lieutenant Gilliss. The instruments, in both cases, have been returned
in good condition.

A full set of meteorological instruments and other apparatus has

REPORT OF THE SECRETARY. 37

been furnished to Dr. I. I. Hayes, who has undertaken a new explora-
tion in the Arctic regions for the purpose of gaining additional informa-
tion as to the existence of an open sea. It is probable that Dr. Hayes
will spend the present winter at some point on the coast of Greenland ;
and if he should do so, he has promised to make good use of the instru-
ments and to adopt measures by which the records of the observations
may be transmitted to Washington.

The summer of 1860 was rendered remarkable by the occurrence of
a number of tornadoes in different parts of the northern and western
portions of the United States. Some of these were of so peculiar a
character, and their destructive effects were so extensive, that it was
thought a matter of sufficient importance to adopt means for their
special investigation. For this purpose it was deemed advisable to
send a competent observer to make an accurate survey of the region
passed over by the meteors, and to collect all the facts which might
tend in the least degree to throw light upon the character of these
terrific visitors. The person chosen for this service was Mr. W. L.
Nicholson, of the United States Coast Survey, who undertook the inves-
tigation for the sake of science ; his actual expenses alone, exclusive of
transportation, being paid, and a free passage having been secured for
him by the Institution through the commendable liberality which
characterizes the acts of many of our railroad companies.

The most violent of these storms was that of June 3, in Iowa and
Illinois, which swept over more than 600 miles, destroying three towns
and perhaps two hundred persons, besides domestic animals and other
property to a large amount.

In regard to these remarkable disturbances of the atmosphere, Mr.
Nicholson collected a great number of interesting facts, by personal
inspection of the effects which still remained, from oral information
derived from many eye witnesses, and from actual surveys of the paths
of the tornadoes and the relative position of the more prominent objects
which remained strewed in their course. These will all be presented in
proper form to the Institution as a report of actual facts; and it is
proposed by the Secretary to discuss the phenomena in connection with
the various theories which have been advanced to explain the origin
and progress of storms of this character. Attention was not exclusively
confined to meteorological phenomena, but was extended to the physical
and other peculiarities of the regions visited ; and Mr. Nicholson en-
deavored to diffuse a taste for meteorology among the people, which
it is hoped will in the future supply some vacancies in our corps of
observers. He warmly expresses his gratification on account of the

38 REPORT OF THE SECRETARY.

liberality with which he was aided, the general appreciation of the

objects of the Institution, and the courtesy everywhere extended to him
personally.

It was mentioned in the last report that a commencement had been
made, in connection with the Coast Survey, in the preparation of a
hypsometrical map of the United States, and that the elevation of
upwards of 9,000 points had been collected. ‘This work has been
continued during the past year, and efforts have been made to obtain
materials existing in the offices of various railroads and public works,
and it has been deemed desirable still further to prosecute the research
among the archives at the State capitols. About 4,000 additional
elevations have thus been obtained, and considerable progress made
in the plotting of the material on the sheets of the hypsometrical
map.

In furtherance of the same object, a small appropriation in addition
to the previous loan of instruments has been made to Prof. Guyot, to
assist in a hypsometrical survey of the Apalachian chain of mountains.
During the last two or three years, this accomplished geographer has
spent a considerable portion of the summer in North Carolina, and
has now nearly ready for publication a map of the part of the Apala-
chian system in that region. He has extended a net work of triangles
over an area of nearly 150 miles in length, and determined within
these, by a series of contemporaneous barometric observations, the
heights of ali the more important peaks.

In the report of his labors to the Institution, Professor Guyot makes
the following remarks: ‘I only deplore the absence of points the posi-
tion of which is determined astronomically or otherwise with sufficient
accuracy to enable me to locate my survey on the right spot of the surface
of the globe. The existing maps are very deficient in every respect.”’
In connection with this subject, I may be permitted to express the hope
that Congress will in due time make provision for extending the system
of triangulation which has been established with so much labor and
precision along the sea-board to the interior of the continent. The
necessity of such a work must every year become more and more evi-
dent, as the value of land increases and the precise definition of polit-
ical boundaries becomes more important.

Lithnology.—W hatever relates to the nature of man is interesting to
the students of every branch of knowledge; and hence ethnology affords
acommon ground on which the cultivators of physical science, of
natural history, of archeology, of language, of history and literature,

REPORT OF THE SECRETARY. 39

can all harmoniously labor. Consequently, no part of the operations
of this Institution has been more generally popular than that which
relates to this subject.

From the preceding reports, it will be seen that the Institution has
endeavored especially to promote that part of the general subject of
ethnology which relates to language; and as in this an increasing
number of the intelligent public is interested, the publication of the
Dakota and Yoruba grammar and dictionary was received with much
favor, and more numerous applications have been made for copies of
these works than for almost any others which have been issued by the
Institution. Indeed, the entire edition of the Dakota grammar and
dictionary, except the copies bound up in the volumes of the series of
contributions, has been exhausted. The work has not ony been con-
sidered of value to the students of ethnology, but also to the officers
of the government, missionaries, and others who have been called upon
to hold intercourse with our western Indians.

During the past year several works of the same class have been
offered to the Institution for publication. Some of these, however, were
not in a condition to be printed without revision and philosophical
arrangement; and since the death of the lamented Professor Turner,
we have experienced difficulty in finding a person of the peculiar
skill and learning required for the undertaking of so responsible and
difficult a work. We have, however, referred several of the articles
presented to us to the American Oriental Society, and have been
favored with the advice and assistance of the officers of that association,
in enabling us to decide on the disposition of such works; and among
these, the Institution is particularly indebted to Prot. W. D. Whitney,
of Yale College, for the important service he has rendered us in this
line.

Several of the grammars and dictionaries which have been presented
were approved, and would have been published by the Institution, had
not other means been provided for giving them to the public more
expeditiously. Among these, area grammar of the Grebo language
by Bishop Payne, of Africa, which will be printed by the American
Oriental Society ; and also a Creek grammar and dictionary prepared
by Mr. Buckner, and about to be published by the Baptist Missionary
Board. |

Much interest has been manifested by the students of ethnology in
_ everything which relates to the Indians of the Pacific coast of North
America; and the Institution is accordingly desirous to collect all the
reliable information on this subject which it can possibly obtain. In

40 REPORT OF THE SECRETARY.

this labor it has been much assisted by Alexander 8. Taylor, Hsq., of
Monterey, California, through whose instrumentality we have received a
collection of original manuscripts, of which the following is a descrip-
tion :

1. A vocabulary of the Mutsun Indians of San Juan Bautista, by
Padre Felipe Arroyo, consisting of ninety-two folio pages, written in
1815, and sent to the Institution by the Rev. John Cuenelias, of
Monterey. ©

2. A grammar of the same language by Arroyo, also written in
1815, and found at the mission of Santa Yrez, in Santa Barbara
county, by the Rev. C. Rubio, principal of the college of that place,
by whom it is lent to the Institution. This grammar was cepied from
Arroyo's mgnuscripts, in a small octavo, of seventy-six pages, in a
clear beautiful hand, by one of the friars, and is a curiosity of its kind.
It had been hidden at theold mission where Father Arroyo died, for
over forty years.

3. An extensive vocabulary of the Indians of San Antonio Mission,
of about ninety quarto pages, prepared by Padre Buenaventura Sitgar,
one of the original founders of California, and Padre Miguel Pieras,
between 1771 and 1797.

4. A catechism of the Chalonese language of the mission of Sole-
dad, written out by Father Vincente Fio de Sarria about 1819, was
also found at San Antonio Mission, and forwarded, with the vocabulary
of Sitgar, by Rev. D. Ambris, curate of Monterey.

5. A catechism in the language of the San Antonio Mission, with
a Spanish translation written by Friar Pedro Cabot, in 1817. This
was copied from a wooden tablet used by the missionaries to instruct
the Indians at church, and was presented to the Institution by Mr.
Taylor, according to whom, Friar Cabot was one of the best educated
Spanish missionaries, and justly celebrated among the people of the
country for his piety and excellence of heart. He died about 1836.

We are informed by Mr. Taylor that, at his earnest request, one of
the learned professors in the college of Santa Clara has undertaken,
in behalf of the Institution, to prepare a vocabulary and grammar of
the language of the Flat Head Indians of Oregon, among whom he
labored as a missionary for many years.

The Mutsun vocabulary has been carefully copied, at the expense of
the Institution, by Mr. Cotheal, of New York, and the original re-
turned to the reverend gentleman to whom we are indebted for its use.
The other articles mentioned, which are not given to the Institution,
will also be copied, and the originals returned. In this way, these

REPORT OF THE SECRETARY. Al

valuable contributions to philology, if not printed, will be preserved
and rendered more accessible to the ethnological student.

At the suggestion of Mr. Taylor, we have prepared a circular
addressed to the Catholic clergymen, missionaries, and institutions of
California, Oregon, Washington, Vancouver’s Taken British Colum-
bia, Utah, Arizona, and New Mexico, asking for copies of all Indian
vocabularies, grammars, catechisms, and other philological materials,
made or collected by the priests who labored among the aborigines,
and which, we are informed, are still to be found in many of the
mission stations. In Alta California alone, it is said that there are
twenty-one missions, in which are preserved books of baptisms, mar-
riages, and deaths of the Indians from 1769 to 1846.

Mr. George Gibbs, formerly of New York, during a residence of
twelve years on the Pacific coast, has devoted much time to collecting
materials for the illustration of the ethnology of the country. He
has obtained over fifty vocabularies of the various languages and
dialects spoken along the coast from Behring’s straits to San Francisco,
and further south; many of which are accompanied by special
memoirs by ipllicent gentlemen residing among particular tribes or
families, and who are well acquainted with their respective idioms.
Mr. Gibbs is at present engaged in arranging his materials with a
view to present them to this Institution. By the collection and pub-
lication of all the materials of this class which can be obtained, addi-
tions may be made of importance to the ethnologist, in solving many
questions as to the general philosophy of language, and the connection
of the different families of American Indians with each other and with
different races of mankind.

A considerable number of answers have been received to the circular
addressed by the Institution to the foreign agents of the government,
missionaries, and other persons in all parts of the world, relative to
the investigation as to the system of relationship adopted by different
tribes, nations, and races of mankind, mentioned in the last report,
as undertaken by Mr. Morgan. These letters have been sent to Mr.
Morgan, who has, in turn, acknowledged his indebtedness to the Insti-
tution for the valuable aid rendered him in the prosecution of his
research.

Some years ago a memoir was submitted to the Institution, on the
physical peculiarities of the European man in America, by a gentle-
man of Cincinnati, which was found to contain a large amount of
interesting matter, but scarcely sufficient data to warrant a safe induction
as to the subject of investigation. A similar inquiry has been insti-

49, REPORT OF THE SECRETARY.

tuted by members of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia,
and in codperation with these, a circular has been issued by the Lasti-
tution, asking for statistics relative to the place of birth, country of
parentage, profession or occupation, age, height, and weight of native-
born American citizens. To this circular about one hundred answers
have been returned from our meteorological correspondents, the whole
series furnishing the facts relative to about two thousand individuals.
It is intended to present the statistics thus obtained to the author of
the memoir above mentioned, as well as to the Academy of Sciences.
It will, however, be evident, on reflection, that the value of such sta-
tistics must depend on the number of cases which they include, and
the length of time through which they arecontinued; since itis highly
probable that the changes produced by climate and other conditions of
existence, become marked only after a succession of generations have
been exposed to the modifying influences.

The Institution continues to receive from time to time, information
respecting the existence of mvunds and other remains of the original
inhabitants of this continent not previously described, and since the
proposition has been entertained of preparing a map to illustrate the
relative distribution of these remains, all information of this kind will
be very acceptable.

A paper has been some time in possession of the Institution, on
the mining operations of the ancient inhabitants of the region around
Lake Superior, but it is not yet in a sufficiently elaborate condition to
be presented to the public through the Smithsonian Contributions. We
hope, however, that in the course of the year we shall be able to have
it revised and prepared for the press. It may be proper also to men-
tion, in this connection, that a large number of crania of different
tribes of Indians, as well as of different races of men, has been collected
together at the Institution, the study of which would probably furnish
some new facts of interest to the ethnologist.

Magnetic Observatory.—It was stated in the last report that, as the
changes in the direction and intensity of the magnetic force at Toronto
were found to be almost precisely the same as at Philadelphia and
Washington, it had therefore been concluded that more important
service could be rendered science by making the observations at a
greater distance from Toronto than the grounds of the Smithsonian
Institution. In accordance with this conclusion, the instruments of
the observatory, jointly supported by the Smithsonian Institution and
the Coast Survey, have been sent to Key West, where the United
States government has a fortification, and the Coast Survey maintains

REPORT OF THE SECRETARY. 43

a tidal station. Key West is situated in latitude 24° 33’ north, lon-
gitude 81° 41’ west, and is a low coral island, rising at no point more
than ten or twelve feet above the sea. The mean temperature of the
spring is 75°, of summer 82°, of autumn 78°, and winter 69°. The
daily variation of temperature is therefore very small, and on this
account as well as from its position, the island is well adapted to mag-
netic observations,

The observatory is situated en the grounds of the government, a few
hundred yards from Fort Taylor, and near the water. A large shed
belonging to the fort was made use of, by permission of the engineer
department, as an outer protection for an inner building containing
the instruments. The inner rooms were properly inclosed in a sub-
stantial manner, leaving a clear space between their walls and those
of the outer building for the free circulation of air. The piers sup-
porting the instruments rest upon the solid rock of the island, and are
therefore subject to no other changes than those which result from the
slight annual variation of temperature. A small building to the north
of the observatory was erected for the instruments employed to determ-
ine the absolute values of the magnetic elements, to be used in con-
nection with the continuous photographic records of the variations.

The instruments were mounted at Key West in January and Febru-
ary, 1860, by Prof. W. P. Trowbridge, assistant in the United States
Coast ey and a series of observations commenced by this gentle-
man, assisted by Mr. Samuel Walker, in March, have been continued to
the present time, under the charge of Mr. George D. Allen, who is now
retained as permanent observer. The expense of the Be Gin 18
sustained jointly by the Smithsonian Institution and the Coast Survey.
In the appendix to the last report will be found a minute description
of the self-recording instruments here referred to, and of the method
of using them, prepared by Mr. J. E. Hilgard; and in the appendix
to the present report it is proposed to insert a communication from
Gen. Sabine to the Royal Society of London, giving a brief exposition
of the laws of the phenomena of the larger magnetic disturbances, as
far as they have been ascertained, and of the interesting contributions

to science which such bheeeations as are now made at Key West my
be the means of affording.

Laboratory.—During the last year the laboratory has remained
under the direction of Dr. B. F. Craig, of this city, and, as in former
years, many minerals from different parts of the country, submitted
to the Institution for examination, have been reported upon. It

44 REPORT OF THE SECRETARY.

may be proper here to repeat the statement which has previously

been made as to the policy adopted in regard to examinations of this

kind, namely: to furnish an account of the character of the mineral

free of cost to the parties asking the information, provided it is of
general interest, or immediately connected with the advance of
science, and can be afforded at little expense to the Institution. If,

however, the information required is for private interests, a charge is

made sufficient to cover the expense of the investigation. By the

adoption of this policy, the laboratory has been kept in operation by

means of a small annual appropriation for chemicals and apparatus.

Collections of Natural History, &c.—The Smithsonian Institution,
during the twelve years of its active existence, has expended a large
amount of labor and money in collecting and preserving specimens of
geology, natural history, and ethnology, and has also received the
entire charge of all the specimens collected by the various expeditions
of the general Government. The scientific material thus collected is
very valuable, and, in number and variety of specimens and duplicates
to illustrate the natural productions of the North American continent,
far excels any other collection ever made. It is not the policy of
the Institution to hoard up specimens for the exclusive study of
those immediately connected with the establishment, or to consider
the duplicates merely as articles of commercial value, only to be ex-
changed for marketable equivalents, but to render them available as
widely as possible for the advance of knowledge. In accordance with
this policy, arrangements have been commenced for a more general
distribution of the type and duplicates, and for the description of new
species, than has heretofore been practicable.

The specimens may be divided into two classes: first, those which
have been described in the reports of the Government expeditions, or
in the transactions of the Smithsonian and other institutions; and
second, those which have not yet been described, and which conse-
quently are considered of much value to the naturalists who desire to
gratify the laudable ambition of connecting their names with original
accounts of new species, or who are engaged in preparing monographs
of particular families. Of both classes the Institution possesses an
immense number of duplicates, in the disposition of which, some gen-
eral principles should be kept constantly in view. After due consulta-
tion and deliberation the following rules for the first class, and con-
siderations for the second, are proposed.

First. To advance original science, the duplicate type specimens

REPORT OF THE SECRETARY. 45

should be distributed as widely as possible to scientific institutions in
this country and abroad, in order that they may be used in identifying
the species and genera which have been described.

Second. To promote education, as full sets as possible of general
duplicates, properly labeled, should be presented to colleges and other
institutions of learning that profess to teach the principal branches of
natural history.

Third. It should be distinctly understood that due credit is to be
given to the Institution in the labeling of the specimens, and in all
accounts which may be published of them, since such credit is not only
due to the name of Smithson, but also to the directors of the establish-

- ment as vouchers to the world that they are faithfully carrying out the
intention of the bequest.

Fourth. It may be proper in the distribution to institutions abroad,

as a general rule, to require, in case type specimens to illustrate
species which have been described by foreign authors may be wanted
for comparison or other uses in this country, that they be furnished at
any time they may be required.
. Fifth. In return for specimens which may be presented to colleges
and other educational establishments, collections from localities in
their vicinity, which may be desirable, shall be furnished when re-
quired.

The disposition of the undescribed specimens in the collection of the
Institution is a matter which requires special consideration, and
involves in every case of application for the use of them the necessity
of deliberation to guard against the falling of the specimens into
improper hands, and prevent as far as possible the charge of favoritism.

It is not impossible that in some cases, hasty and imperfect descrip-
tions have been published of specimens belonging to the Institution,
through the desire of the author to connect his name with a new
species, rather than from an honest endeavor to advance knowledge.
It would, however, have been difficult to refuse any person the privilege
of examining new species, who professed to be actuated alone by the
desire of having an opportunity of laboring in a particular field of
investigation ; but it is clear that special encouragement and preference
should be given to those who undertake the more difficult and laborious
task of forming complete monographs.

It is not in accordance with the policy of the Institution to subject
a person who is engaged in a special line of research, to the expense of
residing in Washington during the period perhaps of many months
required for the investigation, but, when necessary, he is allowed to

46 REPORT OF TUE SECRETARY.

take the materials to his home to study them at his leisure, provided
the Institution is satisfied as to his competency, his integrity, and
industry. But in granting this privilege, some restriction should be
put upon the time the specimens may be retained by the investigator,
and also upon the number he may have at once-in his possession. He
should also give assurance that he will prepare a set of type specimens |
properly labeled for preservation in the Smithsonian museum, and that
all the duplicates, if required, shall be returned to the general collection.

The proper distribution of the duplicate specimens is a work of great
labor and expense. It does not consist merely in assorting and packing
them for transportation, but also in properly numbering and labeling
them for immediate use. Without these preliminaries, the specimens
themselves would -be of comparatively little value. For example, we
may send to an educational establishment a series of specimens, many
of which are to be found in its immediate vicinity, and yet be of great
value on account of having attached to them the scientific names by
which they are known to men of science in every part of the civilized
world, and without which all that may be stated in regard to them in
books would have no interest for want of certainty as to the identity,
of the objects described.

To illustrate the details of the system of distribution, | may mention
the plan adopted in regard to the shells and minerals. Of these, a
complete series, consisting of a full representation of each species, is in
the process of being accurately labeled, and when this work is com-
pleted, the whole collection of duplicates will be assorted in boxes or
bins, each apartment containing those belonging to the same species.
Each shell or mineral in the same box will then be marked with the
same number, corresponding with a number on a list of printed labels,
two copies of which will be sent to each recipient of a collection; one
to be preserved for reference and the other to be cut up into labels to
be attached to the specimeus. After this preparation and arrangement,
individual series are made up by taking a single specimen from each
box. This operation demands a critical knowledge of each particular
class of specimens, and consequently requires the codperation of a
number of experienced naturalists, each an acknowledged authority in
his special department.

From the foregoing account it must be clear that the labor and time
required even to prepare a few sets of specimens for distribution, is
much greater than at first sight might be imagined; and since the
number of suites of specimens in the Smithsonian collection amounts in
some cases to several hundred, it is evident that the expense must

REPORT OF TITE SECRETARY. AT

exceed the unaided means of the Institution, unless the time of com- |

pleting the distribution be extended over a number of years.

In accordance with the plan described, a commencement has been
made in the work, preparatory to the general distribution. The assort-
ment and labeling of an entire set of shells has been principally
intrusted to Mr. Philip Carpenter, of Warrington, England, one of
the first conchologists of the day, who has prepared a report on the
shells of the northwest coast of the United States for the British Asso-
ciation. In this work Mr. Carpenter has been assisted by the gratui-
tous labor of Mr. Isaac Lea, Dr. A. A. Gould, Dr. E. Foreman, Mr.
W.G. Binney, Dr. W. Stimpson, and Mr. Temple Prime.

The botanical collection has been placed in the hands of Dr. John
Torrey, of New York, who has generously offered, with the cooperation of
Dr. Gray, of Harvard University, to superintend the labeling of a com-
plete set of specimens to be preserved in the museum of this Institution,
of several sets of original type series, to be presented to some of the

rincipal museums of this country and of Europe, and the preparation
1S)

of the remainder for distribution to colleges and academies.

The arrangement of the specimens of the other branches of natural
history has been commenced and laboriously prosecuted under the
direction of Professor Baird, who has been assisted especially by Dr.
H. Bryant, Mr. Theodore Gill, and a number of amateur naturalists.

In accordance with the policy of rendering the collections of new
material immediately available for the advance of science, a number of
series of specimens of different genera and species have been intrusted
for study and description to different gentlemen interested in special
branches of natural history. The service which has been rendered the

cause of natural history by this liberal course is far greater than might ®

at first sight appear.

It may be safely asserted that scarcely any extended investigation
in the line of natural history has been prosecuted in this country
during the last ten years without having its material in greater or less
part furnished by the Institution.

Hxplorations.—During the past year the collections have been
increased by a number of expeditions under the direction of the
different departments of the general government, and by explorations
in part at the expense and under the direction of the Institution. Of
these a detailed history is given in the report of Professor Baird here-
with presented, and it is only necessary for me in this connection to
mention some of the latter sources of the increase of specimens.

48 REPORT OF THE SECRETARY.

Mr. Robert Kennicott, the enterprising young naturalist mentioned.
in the last report, has continued his explorations in the Hudson’s Bay
territory and Russian America, and his labors have, as in previous
years, received the cordial cooperation of all the officers and agents of
the Hudson’s Bay Company. Not only has he been permitted to visit
and reside at the different posts, but he has received free transportation
of himself and collections. Mr. Kennicott will further extend his
explorations into Russian America, and will probably remain absent
until the autumn of 1863.

Mr. John Xantus, whose name has also been mentioned in some of
the previous reports, has industriously occupied his time not devoted
to tidal observations for the Coast Survey at Cape St. Lucas, in Lower
California, in completing the collections of the natural history of that
region. The specimens he has obtained on the western coast are
greater in number and variety, according to Professor Baird, than
those ever collected in that region by any single individual.

Mr. C. Drexler, under the special direction of the Institution, during
the last year made an exploration in the region of James’ Bay, and in
this case also the Hudson’s Bay Company liberally seconded the objects
of the Institution. He was enabled to collect a large number of valu-
able specimens through the facilities afforded him, and these were sent
from Moose factory to London, at the expense of the company ; and
thence to this country by the Cunard steamers, free of charge ; acts of
liberality which deserve to be specially noticed, not only as examples
of gratifying appreciation of science, but also of the efforts of the Insti-
tution to enlarge its boundaries.

e ~fMuseum.—What has been said under the head of collections may
serve to illustrate the service which the Institution might have rendered
to natural history without having established a public museum, and
incurred the expense of the erection of a large building and the con-
tinued cost of supporting its necessary establishment of numerous
employés. The act of Congress, however, authorized the erection of a
building for the reception of objects of natural history, under the idea,
then prevalent, that such a provision was absolutely necessary for car-
rying out the will of the testator; but it must be clear to every one
who critically examines the subject that, unless restricted, the expense
of making provision for a general museum alone would absorb all the
funds, and thus confine to a single object, and that principally local in
its effects, the bequest intended for the increase and diffusion of knowl-
edge generally among men.

REPORT OF THE SECRETARY. 49

If the duplicates now in possession of the Institution were to be
distributed on the plan of demanding an equivalent of specimens in
exchange, the returns would fill far more than the unoccupied space
now in the Smithsonian building, and an additional edifice would be
required, ‘the cost of which would either diminish the original fund or
absorb for years to come the accruing interest. Itis evident, therefore,
that unless the museum be restricted within definite limits, the active
operations which have given so much reputation to the Institution, and
made the name of Smithson as familiar as a household word in every
part of the world, must ultimately cease. It has, therefore, been con—
cluded to confine the special collections of the Institution to type speci

“mens, illustrating the natural history of the American continent.
Even the cost of the preservation of these will be more than can well
be afforded from the income of the original bequest. Indeed the Insti-
tution could do much more service to the cause of natural history, were
Congress to accept as a gift the Smithsonian building and all its speci-
mens for the purpose of establishing a separate museum, and suffer the
Smithsonian income, thus freed from the expense of supporting so

- costly an establishment, to be entirely devoted to the active operations

of the programme of organization.

It is not intended by the foregoing to decline accepting foreign
Specimens in cases in which they may be required for special investi-
gation and comparison; on the contrary, it is a part of the policy of
the Institution to furnish, as far as possible, to original investigators
aid of this kind. 3

For an account of the labors connected with the collections and the
museum, in detail, I must refer to the communication, herewith ap-
pended, of Professor Baird.

Eaxchanges.—The system of exchange still continues to perform am
important part in the literary and scientific intercourse between this
country and other parts of the world. During the year 1860 it has
increased more rapidly than in any other period of the same length,
and is now the principal medium of literary and scientific communica-
‘tion between the American continent and foreign countries. It is not
confined on this side of the Atlantic to the United States, but extends
to Canada, the West Indies, and South America.

_ Asa natural consequence of the extension of this part of the opera-

tions, the cost of carrying it on has correspondingly increased, and it

will be impossible with the limited income of the Smithsonian fund to

enlarge the system, or even to continue it in its present dimensions,
i :

50 REPORT OF THE SECRETARY.

without a pro rata assessment of at least a portion of the expenses on
the different parties who avail themselves of its facilities. The expense
of the system of exchange would, however, be far greater were it not for
the many favors we receive from transportation companies, either in a
great reduction of charges or their entire omission. For conspicuous
examples of this liberality, the Institution. may refer to the Cunard
steamers between New York and Liverpool, to the North German
Lloyd between New York and Bremen, the Pacific Mail Steamship
Company, Panama Railroad Company, North Atlantic Steamship Com-
pany, the Adams Express Company, the steamship Isabel line between
Charleston and Havana, and Russell’s army transportation lines, and
also to the Hudson’s Bay Company. i

The whole number of large packages containing books, specimens,
and other articles received at the Institution from different parts of the
world during 1860, was 1,000; the number of packages of the same
character sent off was 888. When it is recoilected that each of these
packages contained a large number of articles, all of which were to be
distributed, while those intended for this Institution were to be cata-
logued and acknowledged, some idea may be formed of the labor
required to carry on this single branch of the general operations of the
establishment. For a detailed statement of the particulars relative to

this branch of the general operations, I must also refer to the report
of Professor Baird.

LIibrary.—Since the presentation of the last report, the plan adopted
in regard to the increase of the library has been steadily pursued,
namely: to obtain as perfect a series as possible of the transactions
and proceedings of all the learned societies which now exist or have
existed in different parts of the world. The distribution of the cata-
logue of the works of this kind already in the library, which was men-
tioned in the last report, with the request that our deficiencies might
be supplied, has called forth the presentation of a large number of
scarce volumes, intended to complete the sets, as well as to increase the
number of our series. During tie last year the Institution has received
from abroad, for its own library, by way of donation and exchange,
upwards of 5,000 presentations, consisting principally of volumes and
parts of volumes.

The distribution of the same catalogue through this country has
served to render more generally known the works contained in the
library of the Institution, and has consequently increased its use.
The value of this library will, however, be greatly enhanced by the —

REPORT OF THE SECRETARY. 51

publication of the classified index of all papers contained in the trans-
actions of learned societies and in scientific serials, now in process of
preparation at the expense and under the direction of the Royal Society
of London. The following extract from a letter lately received from
General Sabine gives an account of the character and present condition
of this work:

‘“Our plan comprehends natural history as well as what are usually
called the exact sciences. It is intended to form three distinct cata-
logues: first, a catalogue of all the serials included in the publication,
with the contents of each in chronological order; second, a catalogue
of all the separate memoirs in all the serials, alphabetically arranged
according to the authory’ names; third, a classified catalogue of the
separate memoirs. The two last named catalogues to contain, in
addition to serials, distinct scientific memoirs in the appendices to
voyages, travels, &c. We have written in quadruplicate the titles of
above 80,000 detached memoirs, all from works (serials) in our own
library. We have still in the library more serials, which will give us
about 80,000 more titles, which we expect will be the work of the next
fifteen or sixteen months. In the mean time we are seeking out for,
and adding to, our library, works of the same nature which we do not
possess. In this we think you could greatly assist us by lists of Amer-
ican publications—serials of course.”’

The Institution should contribute in every way in its power to this
important work, and should endeavor, when it is printed, to make
arrangements by which copies may be obtained at a small expense for
the principal libraries of the country. In the way of contributions of
some importance to this great enterprise, we hope to be able, in a short
time, to furnish the bibhography of North American mammals, birds,
several orders of insects, shells, and plants; and to complete, at no
distant period, the whole series relative to the natural history of this
continent.

The first volume of the catalogue of zodlogical literature from 1750
to the present day, by J. Victor Carus, of Leipzic, mentioned in the
last report, has been published; and we would commend it to the
patronage of naturalists as the best compilation which has yet appeared
of the titles systematically arranged of isolated papers on zodlogy pub-
lished in American as well as foreign journals.

Among the special donations since the date of the last report, are
151 volumes from the Royal Library at Munich, and 193 from the
University at Olmutz; 60 from the British Museum, 30 from the
Royal Society of Amsterdam, 25 from the Royal Society of Upsala,
28 from the University of Utrecht, and 36 from the Royal Observatory
at Vienna.

52 REPORT OF THE SECRETARY.

The donation from the Royal Library of Munich, mentioned above,
is a part of a large invoice of rare and valuable works, including many
incunabula, for presentation to different specified libraries in the
United States, after this Institution should have made its selec-
tion.

The purchases have been chiefly in the way of completing such
series of transactions as could not be obtained by exchange, and of
works necessary to the investigations connected with the Institution,
such as those on natural history, meteorology, We.

About one third of the expenditure under the head of ‘‘cost of
books,’’ given in the report of the executive committee, is for bind- —

ing—an item of expense which is every year #creasing with the num-
ber of serials received through our exchanges; the current volumes of
this kind being usually distributed in paper covers. Since the date
of the last report, all the scientific pamphlets have been classified
according to subjects, and placed in the hands of the binder.

The policy adopted in regard to the library, as we have said, is that
of rendering it a special collection, as complete as possible in transac-
tions, proceedings of learned societies, and other scientific serials; and
since the space which can be devoted—without further extension of the
building—to the increase of this and other collections is limited, it has
been thought proper to present to the American Antiquarian Society a
large accumulation of newspapers in exchange for works more imme-
diately in accordance with the design of the Institution, and with one of
the fundamental propositions of the programme of organization, viz:
that of doing nothing with its funds which can be done equally well or
better by other means. While the care of these ephemeral publica-
tions would be troublesome and expensive to the Smithsonian Institu-
tion, it forms a legitimate part of the duty of the Antiquarian Society,
which has a considerable fund expressly devoted to the purpose. This
disposition of the papers, many of which have been presented to the
Institution, is not made on account of a want of proper appreciation
of their value; on the contrary, we fully agree with the opinion ex-
pressed by Mr. Haven, the learned librarian of the Antiquarian So-
ciety, ‘‘that even partial series, when properly arranged, constitute a
geographical and historical chart of public sentiment, and of social
and political facts, in which sectional and denominational diversities,
of whatever kind, are brought under a single view for examination and
comparison.’’ ‘They have been presented to the Antiquarian Society
that they may better subserve this object, and in the spirit of codpera-
tion which characterizes the policy of the Institution.

REPORT OF THE SECRETARY. 53

Gallery of Art.—The large and valuable collection of paintings of
Indian portraits and scenes of Indian life belonging to Mr. Stanley,
and those of the Government, have continued to form an object of
attraction and interest to the numerous visitors of the Institution. The
large room in which these pictures are displayed has been furnished
with cases to contain the specimens of Indian costume, implements
of war, and other articles to illustrate Indian manners and customs,
which the Institution has received as presents from different parties.

No application of late has been made to Congress for an appropria-
tion to purchase the valuable collection of Indian portraits belonging
_ to Mr. Stanley, although it is hoped that in a more favorable condition
of the Treasury an appropriation for this purpose will be granted.

At the last session of the board a letter from Professor Secchi, of
Rome, was read, stating that he had obtained permission for the Insti-
tution to procure casts or moulds of celebrated statues in the Vatican,
but it was concluded that all operations in this line should be deferred
until the completion of the large and elegant building now in process
of construction by Mr. W. W. Corcoran, of this city, to be devoted by
him to the exhibition of works of art. In accordance with the policy
adopted by the Institution, it has been proposed to cooperate with Mr,
Corcoran in his liberal and venerous enterprise, and to lend the influ-
ence of the Institution in procuring specimens of art for his gallery.

A considerable number of valuable engravings have been added to
the collection by donations from the King of Saxony, and a series of
those previously in the possession of the Institution, have been framed
and hung up in different parts of the building. The plaster figures
received by the Institution from the Patent Office have been cleaned
and repaired, and are now exhibited in the connecting range of the
west wing. ‘The Secretary of the Interior has sent to the Institution
the large stone sarcophagus brought from Syria by Commodore Elliott.
It is an interesting relic of Roman sculpture, and has been placed in
the south entrance hall of the building. It is proper also to mention
that the relatives of the late Professor Espy have presented a half
length portrait of him, which is at present placed in the library.

Lectures.—In accordance with the programme of the Institution, the
following courses of lectures have been given to the citizens and visitors
ot Washington, during the winter of 1860-61, namely:

Five lectures by Professor Farrman Rogers, of the University of
Pennsylvania, on Civil Engineering, Roads and Bridges, and the
principles involved in their construction.

54 REPORT OF THE SECRETARY.

One lecture, by Professor P. A. CHapBournzE, of Williams College,
on Iceland.

Five lectures by Dr. F. A. P. Barnarp, President of the University
of Mississippi, on polarized light.

Outline of optical discovery ; characteristics of polarized light.
Undulatory theory of light; physical doctrine of polarization.
Chromatics of polarized hght.

4, Physical theory of double refraction, and of polarization by
double refraction.

5. Circular, elliptical, and rotary polarization.

Two lectures by Professor StepHpn ALEXANDER, of the College of New
Jersey, on solar eclipses and their attendant phenomena, with a par-
ticular account of the total eclipse of last July, and the observations
made in connection with it by the Government expeditions to Labrador,
the Pacific coast, and elsewhere.

Three lectures by S$. Wetts WILLIAMs, on China and Japan.

= The literature and government of China.

. The civilization of the Chinese.

, Rank of the Japanese among Asiatic nations.

Five lectures by Rev. Joun Lorn, of Connecticut, on the great.
representatives of modern civilization, &c.

1. Michael Angelo and art.

Bacon and philosophy.

. Cromwell and liberty.

. Madame De Stael and literature.
. Columbus and discovery.

Bere the foregoing, a series of experimental lectures on physical
science has been given by the Secretary of the Institution to the
teachers of the District, and others interested in the subject. In these
articles of apparatus presented by Dr. Hare, and those purchased for
the use of the Institution, were used. During the present lecture
season, owing perhaps, in part, to unfavorable weather and the dis-
tracted condition of the public mind, the attendance has been less
numerous than in former years. The plan suggested in the last
report, of closing the doors after the lecture had commenced, has

been adopted and found conducive of good order and more prompt
attendance.

Respectfully submitted,

CS bo ee

Leek

JOSEPH HENRY,

Secretary Smithsonian Institution.
Fepruary, 1861. |

APPENDIX TO THE REPORT OF THE SECRETARY.

SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION,
Washington, December 31, 1860.
Srr: I have the honor herewith to present a report for 1860 of the
operations you have intrusted to my charge, namely: those which
relate to the printing, the exchanges, and to the collections of natural
history.
Very respectfully, your obedient servant,
SPENCER F. BAIRD,
Assistant Secretary Smithsonian Institution.
Prof. JosepH Henry, L.L. D.,
Secretary Smithsonian Institution.

PRINTING.

The publications of the Institution printed during the year 1860
consisted of 614 quarto and 644 octavo pages, illustrated by seven plates
and sixty-six wood cuts.

EXCHANGES AND TRANSPORTATION.

During the year 1860 there has been a very great extension of all
operations connected with the department of exchanges. The receipts
by the Smithsonian Institution have been much enlarged over those of
any previous year, and an increased use has been made by other
parties of its facilities both for the transmission and return of pack-
ages.

The following tables will be found to exhibit the statistics of this
branch of operations of the Smithsonian Institution, showing how im-
portant a partit plays in aiding the scientific and literary intercourse
of different parts of the globe.

The expense of the system of exchanges, however, has been correspond-
ingly increased, and would have been greater than the Smithsonian in-
come could defray without the many favors from transportation com-
panies, in the way of material reduction or entire remission of charges .

56 REPORT OF ASSISTANT SECRETARY.

for freights. The benefits resulting from such liberality have of course
been experienced by all departments of operations, but chiefly in that
of exchanges and of the collections. The parties to which the Institu-
tion is chiefly indebted are as follows: _

The North German Lloyd, a line of steamships between New
York and Bremen, of which Messrs. Gelpcke, Keutgen, and Reichelt,
of New York, are agents. The Pacific Mail Steamship Company, be-
tween San Francisco and various ports of Oregon and Washington, to
the nerth, and Panama to the south; of which Mr. W. O. Davidge
was president for a time—succeeded by Mr. Allen McLane. Also, the
Panama Railroad Company, Mr. David Hoadley, President. The
steamer connection with California was, at the date of the last report,
formed by the North Atlantic Steamship Company, Mr. I. W. Ray-
mond, President; and the Institution had the privilege of transmitting
its exchanges both ways free of charge. Since the new arrangements,
by which the vessels of Commodore Vanderbilt replace those of the
last mentioned company, this privilege has been somewhat interrupted ;
the agent of Commodore Vanderbilt declining to continue it between
New York and Aspinwall. I am, however, happy to report that no
serious interruption beyond a little delay has resulted, as Mr. Hoadley
has authorized the free transmission of Smithsonian parcels by the brig
line of the Panama railroad between New York and Aspinwall.

To Mr. A. B. Forbes, agent of the Pacific Mail Steamship Company,
in San Francisco, aided by Mr. Samuel Hubbard, the Institution is
under many obligations, in acting as general agents for it in Cali-
fornia.

The great facilities authorized by the Adams Express Company,
through Superintendent 8. M. Shoemaker, and at present exercised by
‘the Washington agent, Mr. McLaughlin, mentioned in the last report,
have been continued the past year, greatly to the interest of the Insti-
tution.

The Cunard steamers, between New York and Liverpool, have car-
ried many packages free of charge during the year.

In addition to the parties first mentioned, assistance has been ren-
dered, as heretofore, to the exchanges and explorations conducted by
the Institution, by the steamer Isabel, running between Charleston
and Havana; by Mr. W. H. Russell, army contractor of transporta-
tion, and by other parties.

The services of the parties named above have all been gratefully
mentioned in preceding reports. To the directors and officers generally
of the honorable Hudson’s Bay Company, through the late Sir George
Simpson, governor in this country, the Smithsonian Institution has to
acknowledge its special indebtedness. In addition to the aid afforded
to the various enterprises of Hudson’s Bay explorations on the part of
the Institution, referred to elsewhere, it has carried a very large amount
of freight in its canoes, free of charge, consisting of supplies to various
points, and returns of meteorological records and specimens of natural
history. Without such assistance the expense of conducting scientific
explorations in the far north would be so great as entirely to preclude
the possibility of any such enterprises on the part of the Institution.

REPORT OF ASSISTANT SECRETARY. 57

The entire number of packages received at the Institution during
1860, by express, railroad, and steamboat, amounted to exactly 1,000;
while 888 were transmitted in the same time; making an aggregate
of 1,888. This number, of course, has no reference to the sub-pack-
ages or smaller parcels inclosed in larger ones, or in the boxes of
exchanges received from the agents of the Institution abroad. The
receipts of the same kind in 1859 were 804; the transmissions 845; an
ageregate of 1,649, showing an increase of 239, or about one seventh.

ae

Receipt of books, &c., by exchange in 1860.

Volumes :
Ocha OG les ee cove Vol aectiasi eee see etaventle sg eae 781
Oiantones de. SOP oA Go MEM Deol dc ea israel aa 419
TN) DIGG) Tacs sei Ae Pigran see Ree AP On aU ERR ME Crt 71
L278
Parts of volumes and pamphlets:
(VCE OMNES AUR I MARIN Vacs eas en eNOS At ey 2,716
(CHOIR OWE go SS MMP a et MUONS eB Ine a rete asi
TROUGH esse not Naat trait Ua hc ibe umeein ees ania 93
4,180
BVP IMC Megs) eye ain sls Ge NCA ator ag htclackiels cise sislea o's eeelelanutan sect 220
OES aa ON NE CIN SRR CARO ePIC TAS EM AS A hl 5,671

Showing the very great increase over- the aggregate (3,602) of last
year, of 2,069 volumes and parts of volumes, or nearly as great an
amount as the receipts of 1858 and 1859 combined. The number of
separate donations was 1,635, to 1,252 of last year.

As a matter of some interest I take the liberty of recapitulating the
receipts by exchange in the ten years, during which the system has
been in active operation :

Me eee codec Cuseces see's 878 volumes and parts of volumes.
HS Pee ee OA. OLA ace ote ul 609 do.
1S og sO a av eater ea 2,556 do
ee aU he nl cutee ckalaaae teed 2,828 do
SE ee uid less ae be liae sends dee 2,770 do
1 EO MORO ace MTtel ReR cin Iara ncaa rtem 3,330 do
REINER Rendall ctv essa dvewaroee 1,760 do
ES ie es ac vla Sadie asiele Gases 2,540 do
ec isle ne se cae esiweucg eae 3,602 de
oem arivcenundueidicy ere. 5,674 do

58

REPORT OF ASSISTANT SECRETARY.

ibe

r]

Table showing the statistics of the foreign exchanges of the Smithsonian

Institution in 1860.

Agent and country.

1.D

lar]

. Ferrx Fiveen, Leipsic.
SAWEBISI cascoonusaccosaonbododood
RNa deagonsan050090050080080

Switzerland
Belgium

TACO en Loe eee REL Ss

Italy

3. Henry Stevens, London.

4. Rest of the world

Great Britain and Ireland...

Grandatotaledcessecee eee

Ceerccccccveccccesces

Germaniyjencesewsouence eure

Ce cecceccrocccesscceesee

Se reccsessccsccesecseeces

Se eeevcesscccecnccccosccssese

Porneain adodounounbaouencodueG6e
SHERWIN Ge anononesaoanosecuenedeie

Number of pack-
ages.

Weight of boxes
in pounds.

eee rcccccovcces

eocessectoccera

eececoenstoseces

Ceoeccccetoecces

eoceeccctovcces

a
ry _—

1 A
© oe
. ae
Sek ae
E 4
Z a

91 974

S reeoocroralpaups ssche aa
ne 174
99 999
5 90
61 | 767

airckages received by the Smithsonian Institution from parties in America
jor foreign distribution in 1860.

Albany, N. Y.—

No. of packages.

Br Of i EVM isos sates eRe 0 Sa a oer 9
New York State Agricultural Society... /..0...sc-0csors+s0+- 16
Baltimore, Md.— :
Dr. Pt By some eaiee wars ee vas: ron Meee stares certs ‘ 50
Boston, Mass.—
American Academy of Arts and Sciences........... iGo 78
Bonet of Natural Eee ana 1 600.00 GOS 0 HOUR ENC UBCOONC t leloaat 48
iste 8 OS 110) 7 ae Re lies) aceee ae sini pielia's/s ejecta me 169
Messrs. Storer and Elliott....ccccccscssssssessesseees. ceo se as

REPORT OF ASSISTANT SECRETARY. 59

No. of packages.

Cambridge, Mass.—

American Association for Advancement of Science......... 3

QISELE ESTE NGAP IRMA SE GREE SUMMON cine cis) yt ane 8

ronavAlsa (Owe, /svtcens «5 PU Ok FAN Cc I alata alate 19
Columbus, Ohio.—

Seuer womreullbumall MOCLEUY. 0) sos. .5% dalenseucoie swale: am eerdertns 100

AW. Sin! ESIC! DET N an oe i Hryeth Gis He UAL MMRDA ignore anti Bessa 15
Danville, Ky.—

iustitutonmnon Wear amd Mimi... 65s. cessedece sacs e ence 10
Frankfort, Ky.—

SUAS Ore RG Sra AD ClO Gene An hell A ABORT COMMRMnP ANI! 0 Ucn 0: 150

Montreal, Canada.—

CTR, PS Je! LES AUT Gia AUR SENSU SUAN SV ORM ae a PRN 2 de 12

New Haven, Conn.—

TIME RCA IN OU MAle Ol SCTCMCE oo shi tcc vese ccs veneltenemiuaese 12
LAMA ern aay OMe Taba SOCIC EY) cis. ise ese ye. cerensajiae oMonea due Saud 8
Male rC ole ce eet Le oes cas uuledleaedataumelsans 5
Philadelphia, Penn.—
mcadenny: ol Natutal SClEMCeS v2.2.0. cesses seco deses Se abe 131
american Ebilosophicall Soclebiy |. eusccudess ccusccsceceeneeudes 250
nistonicalsoctetyom lemmsylvamia i) fol ebeuessueecee ss 13
Misciare Seiya WES en re cei sits a ale Re La (3)
Wie VV Matelie ay ec eye tice te cst ey Wea iaa 6

Providence, R. I.—
Stave ce Msbaileyoeat us ks Met Ny RoC a ences aha 6

San Francisco, Cal.—

CalniormearAicademiy of Science ..)./.. 228s ee al,
Toronto, Canada.—

Canna chrarmmins trates ess ss sa uele cotemaue neces eee soes 11
Washington, D. C.—

WhmitediStarcseatent Omnce coi eine sess eee Son

Winnred States) Coast Survey 4 csc cioe ee es A ea 185

POCORN GeMenal yume Mess daa. Dolan ctlcls ab La isdalelae 100

Mine IN Viera Me A es, ull, aah Menla eG 6

Longs dA OL IE CS) Ui oes Une ene eae RNR A air BE 10
Williamsburg, Va.—

Hastern State (imumatic Asylum,.........0..6c.dceneccceceeteere ee 12
mee OS ede eR Ma Teak SR Ae ur lei 94

60

REPORT OF ASSISTANT SECRETARY.

D.

Addressed packages received by the Smtthsonian Institution from Europe,
jor distribution in America, in 1860.

Albany, N. Y.

Dudley Observatory..........sccsccsesseeess
New York State Library................c008
New York State Agricultural Society...
New York State Medical Society.........
Prof. James Hall
Milbany IMStii ute lescnaseoomensscecleeseseescns:
DMB LUNMOWaressceseavetocess tesseeseseteesi ts

Poccecccovecccscesvoeecscsvcs even

Amherst, Mass.

Aran ersti © ollece sess .scaccosecssesencesecccess
PO LeM EVIL CO Chas seieos ete swecouues oneaueaeeee

‘Annapolis, Md.

NavaleAeademiyecmncscancnscessasesaccesteensss

Ann Arbor, Mich.
DSSS VELIDIRY, s0o0055060s0000090000000000L0000G0000
University of Michigan ...........c....0-++-
SELWaHe 1ST BUAINO)74b0coq0d05q5000 addonoponbobb000s

Atlanta, Ga.

Atlanta Medical and Surgical Jour-
nal

Bahia, Brazil.
Dr. Folsner, (Hann. Consul)..............
Baltimore, Md.

Maryland Historical Society..........0+
eNO Ule Gy) MIOLTIS. 2. enon se eeasacciceser

Bogota, New Granada.

Societa de Naturalistas Neo-Granadi-

Bethlehem, Penn.
Rev VirASeidelanvedsccscscetecetssccsvsess cscs

Number of
packages

eeoces®

mI OO

ers

6
2

Boston, Mass.

American Academy of Arts and Sciences.
Boston Society of Natural History
Historic-Genealogical Society
Prison Discipline Society ...........se00ee0
Dy vArcAc i Goulden ncenseaunccemteest ones

Bow diteh Aibramycenseceseceeenstereeteseeee
Geological Survey ...........--scsscorsecaseese
Philosophical Society..........s.ssseconesoers
Library of Boston Atheneum...........-
Lyceum of Natural History...............
Massachusetts Historical Society...... 300
Massachusetts State Library...............
LEUNOINKG, 1 Ui oy ¥/coogonnsconabaonbbnbabooncK80d05
TAMETAGHS) JAY IEET pooh seoocobbHbodo0K050050000000000
[Die [Si Nis ANOS sastodooascessoneoogctsaoo000"
Prot. Wis Baileys ia4cewccccregcsceanes
Edward Elabich:.....0-...c.eccsoosesseremecere

weescoe ses

Profs. W. B. and H. D. Rogers
Samuel H. Scudder

Ge eorccecsceneecce soncaseee

Brunswick, Me.

Bowdoin College..........cccccesssssoveeeesees
Historical Society of Maine..........e0+0+
Mr. Packard

Povo ecessoverscccoveteesses sesssese?

Burlington, Towa.

Iowa Historical and Geological Institute}

Burlington, Vt.

University of Vermont.......sscssccersseees
George P. Marsh .....1.-ssecesceoseeassersoecs

Cambridge, Mass.

American Association for Advancement

OF. SCLEM CO ee aaeteensuasle ore otlbsntt shsituinenete
Astronomical Journal.......scseescscsereeree
Cambridge Observatory...c.sccscsscnseneee
Prof. L. Agassiz
TPyxonit, AA\Sta), (CHEW Po podn6n0n eoocnoso0EdoGoGoUGI0°
Harvard Universit y.....cccsssssecosssccnsenss
GUAPARB GINGER asieaiachossonaessecdceecscmeveates
JIM ESVE AC OOK Caiticcsndsessceceoceserrpeecs wie

Cee oem ee em mueseseressoessoese

Number of
packages

ort
OO

EPO RR Ee HE BOD WN HEHEHE IOWew

REPORT OF ASSISTANT SECRETARY.

D—Continued.

Cambridge, Mass.—Continued.
(Chigvdlas II. IDEN dSeondecescdecc cocdoosecodoueod
iDie, 1B, AN. Growil@l seosnccéacboosoosconboosdondeu.
MIO SEMIMNOVEEINE ..cccc.ceensecnseelaqsenseeesa<
TR, JPNeme@nococaooeecegabodeouseouccouonecounces
ISio JBL. SBOE); sodencosqone suncen ucbboSCoCdbO OLED
MPEP MVVIOHCESLOI ew aees ccicsiesissistolacescssisciesiae
Prof. Jeffries Wyman........eccsecseseseees

Cave Spring, Ga.
Institution for Deaf and Dumb............
Charleston, S.C.
Society Library........scccsccssscrscesceesenes
ID yr, IBRNGIMIMENNA sosocsqdae0 seubanucontiogscoousda0n.
Dr. J. IM. Geddings.......:0........sc00-0oe0:
Prof. Francis S. Holmes...........csecseees
Prof. John BE. Holbrook................00005
IDYes, (Os Lely oyaroll Glin cooneunancceneccosnocecasondes
Rev. Thomas Smyth ..............sseseceeeees
Elliott Society of Natural History.......
Chapel Hill, N. C.
University of North Carolina.............
Charlottesville, Va.

University of Virginia......sccosscceseeceees

Chicago, Ill.

Minors WMIVELSit yi cteenaesnacasseaseesccses+ce
Chicago Medical Journal...........ss0css0e
Mechanics’ Institute........csscccecoessseeees
Col. J. D. Graham ..........0...-ceec-eees oo
MEN Ca Elierreniain diy tanssse-c-cesceesscees ces
Chuquisaca, Bolivia.
University of Chuquisaga.........sssssees
Cincinnati, Ohio.
American Medical Journal.............0000
Historical and Philos’! Society of Ohio.
Mercantile Taibrary:...cc..0-cocesseeniseracees
IO SERWALOIY, scenes teskaw speisccsvincsKuslonvcesises
Public Library of Cincinnati..............
Jolin (Gre eMail nO) i7adoneriepeee eeocser eaceceseoeee
One VintChelliie.e.-cevesesscccacrececeesnaciaes
VEEN ssonsrncce suenestusnes cers seeascs

Cleveland, Ohio.
MOOSE INC MTICLLY f..scecseerernosccansex sere

Clinton, N. Y.
Die Goble A CtEL SN tc tcsoacace cosvedaceueiecces

Number of
packages

SOR a Seo

mo 0 We

Rt et 4 G9 0 019 0

Columbus, Ohio.

Ohio State Agricultural Society...........
olin lsd iGo cia teetetseccectneemiesnececares

Columbia, S. C.
South Carolina College...........ssseeseeee

State University Geological Rooms......
Robert W. Gibbes

Concord, N. H.
New Hampshire Historical Society......
Cannellton, Ind.
Flonewballand Smithing cedessdceemerercsteaste

Davenport, Iowa.

ity Rew. blenny Wy. Weer. .ccssreascscener
Davids reldontieevandeccccscncccnastecscescees

Des Moines, Iowa.
PSHE) One, OR/I5 Geandanngoceeioadonnoonbocoouososee
Detroit, Mich.
Michigan State Agricultural Society.....
Penin.and Independent Medical Journal.
ig Oo. ILO ccocondgacoooesnnoconcoodecestiacoon
Dorchester, Mass.
1D 1 io WEIR a SladoccueoqnoudadhososocoseacQaoodotce
East Greenwich, N. Y.
A\iskey JOTHEINY sogogcoacqanobanotentdcbocoaodbaccooonc.
Easton, Pa.
Breckenridge Clemens.........sssreeseressees
Evansville, Ind.
Hermann Fliigel............scserssseceeseeoees
Frankfort, Ky.
Geological Survey of Kentucky .........
Gambier, Ohio.
Kenyon Cullese badocosddedaqcnonuetodaepoecscad
Georgetown, D. C.

Georgetown College. ..ccsecovssssrnseererses

61

Number of
packages

kt 09 GO

(ws)

se

16

62

REPORT OF ASSISTANT SECRETARY.

D—Continued.

Hartford, Conn.
Historical Society of Connecticut.........
Society of Physical Science.............+ c
Young Men’s Institute.........cccssseesseees
Hanover, N. H.
Dartmouth College......scssscoecscssseeveeees
Havana, Cuba.
Obsery. Phys. Meteorol. de la Havana.
Hudson, Ohio.

Western Reserve Observatory......c.e00e

Indianapolis, Ind.

Indiana Historical Society .....ssccsscseeeee
Institution for Deaf and Dumb............

Towa City, Towa.
State University..........c..sscccrorerecnseeers
Jefferson, Mo.

Historical and Philosophical Society of
MVS OU Glesestsaseosser cates sesceccecccdrnctee

Lansing, Mich.

Michigan Agricultural Society ............
Lebanon, Tenn.

James Mi Safford...) ccc.ccosn+-cnseserooen bs
Lexington, Ky.

Transylvania University........s+sseceee 5

Little Rock, Ark.

tatesor Arkansas... -.222.s.cccccsssosssonsues-
University of Arkansas..... SoncenanoIONdLD

Long Island, N. Y.
Wr NGOUIs BAUCE: sacs. cordeseosecbecscesceses
Lowisville, Ky.

ETISLOTICAIDOCICLy gasessacse lets ospessecoesevees
CaVmianeperrirracercsvescssacsuressessvoseess

Prof. J. Lawrence Smith ..........00 Sooke |

Number of
packages

|

WR Ww

Lat 2)

rw)

Number of
packages

Madison, Wis.

Educational Society of Wisconsin.......
Hon. Henry Barnard.............seesceeee one
AS. Cl Ingham niccassseseze scenes eee soneonese
Society for Education of Blind............
Wisconsin State Agricultural Society...| 3
Historical Society of Wisconsin

WOR Re

eecccsese

Montreal, Canada.

Natural History Society ..........sssecesene
College of Montreal..............00c¢-seceeeee
Aa Lenny ale lumitesaasecmesecenceariecermeeeeca es
IDs 1SGUTREISHOVN a Soopooopaecdson0nodeosdennDaSSao08e
Sir William E. Logan...........-.ss-cssess

Re ee

_ MeConnellsville, Ohio.

Hon. Elijah Hayward.................00.0»- I

Milledgeville, Ga.

Oglethorpe Universit y........cscccsererscnes 6
Professor James Woodrow.........ccsse0e

et

Montpelier, Vt.

Historical and Antiquarian Society of
W/@IBTIONI 5 GaoonnapaboassocoDoaD.UODOabEca003000 2

Nantucket, Mass.
IMUSSHIVintchiell eee ascascs od edasepeemscccactiese 2
Nashville, Tenn.
University of Nashville
Natchez, Miss.
Public LADraty-n..-sseecsancosacsseeiessess esse 1
Newark, N. J. °
Historical Society of New Jersey........ 3
New Brunswick, N. J.
Prot. Georcevliet© ols csescs asdecsosssceces| imma

New Harmony, Ind.

Dri DDO weeny. hs iiiedee aw cacseeeeeee 5
New Haven, Conn.

American Journal of Science........ aeacest 20

American Oriental Society..........0cce0ee 12

WEPUR BIA Ci vak sseccasescscaceseibososeerstiroes 4

Prof.)3. D: Dana........ heeeste BAAD tc

REPORT OF ASSISTANT SECRETARY.

D—Continued.

New Haven, Conn.—Continued.

Walle (COlBS@..4. kogsagncesbopnuscddpAncriocucococa
Gorge J. Brush
Wanvele Gry Baton. ticwecteveesecctese ces sscsiens
SAMUC MV ONMSOM: cc ccreccrcaieccsecnce sce
OMI OOS eeu ceieveedccuiscsudes vesceese
HGveup Olmstead we sececatdose ease sce cies
Prof. Charles U. Shephard..............00+
VOTRE eae ecenececinatcreseneee da odes cates

Pee cee eesesesseseesscecssseee

New Orleans, La.

New Orleans Academy of Natural

SIG BINGBS dom beeinonagdacdondosdnancbooreeocnebcod
Lyceum of Natural History...............
University of Louisiana.................0+--
Dr. Bennet Dowler

© Cece ee eeseseereserssssesee

Newport, R. I.

eed wi OOM TO NaG yc .csscesueconsceaaseaeesen anes

Newton Centre, Mass.

Horatio B. Hackett

Core ee eeoreecasesocesessons

New York, N. Y.

American Geographical and Statistical

SOGISIIY Bos Bardooce SucEH AEE OnE ESE PCCtnBeCe adore
New York Lyceum of Natural History.
American Ethnological Society............
American Bible Society........cccsscseseeees
MEKICAM IMSTITUTCR eemeresesedsanscassssetose
American Agricultural Intelligencer......
Astor Librar
Editor of the State’s Zeitung.....s.cccseee
Farmers’ and Mechanics’ Intelligencer..
Edistorical SOclety. .i.c.cnses-sesceee pesacoosee
Mercantile Library Association...........
Norton’s Literary Gazette ........ Sooooceese
University Library......... dasobopoadecénnodene
Enilasoplitcall SOcletyz.:.c:-cceeeececcere sen
CORO LAGI weveeenciccniatuesacdeseesveresmons tee
Pee CHACON |e asc.!seaese cee yens ce sponeces
EGR Ole ott Gibbs? ..iscescechceaces cee
Elenmy Grinnell... 3s lilsecudetsess deuce
BNA ates Se ciauecceseasecNadecdsevsks vecscs
reat iG) Tayi ei vencstisccetedensesieeeuses
Hbaenianles. AC SOY .issccosstsnevsecsstevnctoes
Charles Loosey (Consul Gzn’l, Austria)
BRC Ete Sit. vc sey wellvoadeessadevedseee
John Lothrop Motley
James Renwick
SSO Gy Ca ean npadeee
MNONMMORTE yet) iy de Miotctscesparesec
Beaten MOK ERMAN. iscccsuvcveouseniees ative

wee ees ee seeaes eas ccoseeeeseeesceses

aoe eescccsecssesecscesse

Cee reese esseweresscessesessoeses

Number of
packages.

—

(w)
GS Otek ORR Oe

Wee oO

woe
OT Se RS WR eS SS OR eS BH Oe OOO

"Neal Dow, Mayor of Portland

Oxford, Penn.
Dr whew bfeithemuacece tenance cecioceaesemceceeces
Philadelphia, Penn.

Academy of Natural Sciences
American Philosophical Society
Central High School
Historical Society of Pennsylvania.......
Philadelphia Library Company............
W. G. Binney
Isaac Lea

ee ecee weeeeee
ace eeereee

emer eres eseerasesees eons

Coe e meee ress scen esse eesseeenees
reece reer eres s sess arses emeesesenessesens

Cees cove setae sere osases

Dita Wo@steyala Lb euGhyecocoosoncocoapcooabe0scava cb:

Weliranikalinaplastitutessscecmcceroncccceseemeaceses

Geolosicaly Societyzercmcsacseseaceseeeseenncees
Geological Survey
Moranianlibrarygerecescteceesddecdscsectece
North American Medical and Surgical

Review

Pee eee eee or meeaecreeeaeeue:

DOr dees eee meer ne eae sees saaesaaeeeseees

T. A. Conrad
Ironia, WBAloyaleseii c pcdcondcoeAocogstagebosasecboccec
Pr Ota braeAC Grenithiscccilecensccenecescaenectee cee
S. S. Haldeman
J: PB. Wesley,
Ol nestieie AUG IAMS) Kossdconoecdebododsbecodaocadoare
Richards Nal anencssssesetesescee eee aceeaneces

CORP e eset ewes ee eeanesenaneees

Peer ene eee seer eseroraseesaases

Pewee see ee eset nena sesssesessseeseee

Portland, Me.
Porto Cabello, Venezuela.

Franklin Litchfield, late United States
COMES Gecssascncdaase sqdonseodsoonoontcoogponno0

Princeton, N: J.

College of New Jersey

Peeoereseeccvereeserses

Providence, R. I.

Brow MNWinuversityncncecesccceseassteeedessecs
Rhode Island Historical Society

ecevcccece

Quebec, Canada.

Legislative Library of Canada..........66

Richmond, Va.

Historical Society of Virginia....... S¢o0800
Virginia State Library.........ssccccseseeeeee

Rochester, N. Y.
University Library......... seceesnvenscseneces

63

Mumber of
packages.

RUSE eee SO DOD He PWS

=

2
1

64

REPORT OF ASSISTANT SECRETARY.

D—Continued.

Number of
packages

Rock Island, Ill.

13, LDR VAs] aires costooceccasosoeeesecandonoaGaGsKc 1
Rio Janeiro, Brazil.
Inst. Hist. Geogr. of Brazil..............00. 2
Flerns Ried enitsatcstssscrioneiesoerismenncs suite 1
Roxbury, Mass.
Drs Reimbhold Solgersacccasese>ccenseeseraw tee 1
Salem, Mass.
IBiSSexq UnStitutemeressccsecmencescncneeecoassctes 2
Broie hap Reusseliltepeccecoesoascecserecestee 1
Santiago, Chili.
Institute de Santiago .....scccceisesceescees 1
ObsenvalOnyeeracsecteceorensnscceesteeneessece 6
UII STASI cooopeosoodsasnoSonbouscaHAccOsaRDUHsGH 10
Prof. Ignacio Domeyko..........cesserecenes il
Wrpiandhecthyssrtressssscaseocaeeeccectss p)
Prof Mio beckec.cscces cvaseserco ceseseseascocaes 1
ProfedieaeAn, Ehilip pi. .cscoscctsedeneace nesses 1
Savannah, Ga.
Georgia Historical Society.........s..000+ 2
St. Paul, Minn.
Historical Society of St. Paul............4. 2
San Francisco, Cal.
California Academy of Natural Sciences.} 20
TD in Opie) oc coco poo bacon ooo sn¢en 1
St. Lowis, Mo.
St. Louis Academy of Sciences........... 85
Dr. George Engelmann............sesseeee. 9
DD re Wiizlicenusiis-cetcc- seeeuessetasruseeee ees leates 0
Deutsche Inst. fiir Bef. im Wiss. Kunst.
hit. (EON xtoemcostoadc=n. Connocantenoqeanonedee 9
Geological Survey of Missouri, (Co-
MUEIUIs \VLG:) -.2odencesrasaesescoy ceascen ores 7
St. Louis Medical and Surgical Journal.| 2
Rimipersity. Library... 0:5) sdecsecses <scaes see 2
HRC PPA NCCILOUL ootctsarosaeseceeacenossesiers ser 1
George wBemMaySe.cccoesscosesc-nsaseremecoesanes 1
DPA ATA EL AMIMCY s.r. sceson52+esoeesse corer 1
PBENONMERsceseeccssarccsteanrersdeleuecossienseos 1
PITA RIDELISINOCN I. pe ocssescncssrastsescensenes 2
Drsab ee PO UUIMALH es. ecosc-necssaccsecestereey 10
PrOpaGr OO WAU OW lo rceccescorseseecssrasees 1
Spring field, Ill.
1

ECOf ph SbjOuHiere-ssssees deeeeeneeerdscessess

Number of
packages

Springfield, Mass.

VW alllvennyeliulliyss. ceeeneecencecsesscicesees teens 2
Toronto, C. W.
Canadian Institute..........sscccccereseserenes 6
Board of Agriculture, Upper Canada.....} 1
dbrairantin COURS sooococnboosacanenccoGuSo0KaGooR 2
PLO GNeStOMPeoncmcoseseccscsecuscseccceatees 1
Tripoli.
Daniel Smith McCauley, late United
State's onsulleecnmasseccdecnesseecteceeeact 1
; Tuscaloosa, Ala.
University of Alabama ...........sseseeere 2
Utica, N. Y.
American Journal of Insanity.............. 5
Valdivia, Chili.
Drs Hucen) Vion Boeken. ..csscerssssreerestsaan 1
Vandalia, Ill.
Historical Society of Illinois............... 1
Valparaiso, Chili.
Dr. Thomas A. Reid ...........ssseeresreeees 8
Washington, D. C.
United States Patent Office.........-..s.00+ 87
Ordnance Bureau.........sssssercsserescenenees 2
United States Coast Survey ............++ 12
National Observatory......eccosccsrescoeesees 32
Secretary Of War .eccceccoersccnsveceeceesoees 2
Surgeon General......... sescececeeseeeneeeees 1
Lieutenant J. M. Gilliss, U.S. N........ 36
William Stimpson ........ scsecessereeeserecees oy)
F. B. Meek, and Dr. F. V. Hayden..... 2
Congress Library....cccccesescseseresecserencs 6
His Excellency James Buchanan......... 1
Commissioner of Indian Affairs.........-.. 1
Commissioner of Patents.......scscceceeeee 5
Secretary of State...... seegeeeeesseceeeeecerene 1
Superintendent of Statistical Office ....... 1
National Institute........csoccscersesesensvees 3
Trigonometrical SUrVey.........seeeccereeens 1
United States Agricultural Society....... 1
War! Department.......0.. sss-scesssasccossacee 1
ColonelWAbertrenescinescoss occnsonscsadeue-teeusle 2
Profais tem AUG iorsccsoeessseace daseccacie 2
Ley Wont, Aa, 1D)e, JBN AVS) Gedsancoodadaounoosndcaooode. 46
MiaVOLEEMOUY,cecossosnascenssceseNedeeederevasre 1

65:

REPORT OF ASSISTANT SECRETARY,

D—Continued.

4
i ll ‘=
On | on
a 5p | Er Sp
ae 22
Si 5s
Be ati
Washington, D. C.—Continued. Waterville, Me.
1 eynoi8, TES OF cosbenencbochoppgdouansoboeeedodauécsce OM Wiatervilley Colllemestcereecacensectevsisesdaeac 2
JN TNNSRERCISIOND) 6 boodanbooodoues desqadeontEeebesoooce 31
aoe TPtati@ie JENOTREC gpopcuacdoodoedeoeoEBoNeHoKEe 1 West Chester, Penn.
MO Pa CnirAn ee eiis soicoaeees saiestcemstence tees: 3 |
can JBL dg IB[EVAISTI@MNE scnocdonononedosoeonee BN \iiic, IDENT \ecacocsocoadecondcocononancdueoone 1
Biron cle (Creal lipcospancqodpossnocesoncedecocooce 1 |
Captain PARP AN MER ULM INIGENY Seo ceiseiceine ee sels: il West Point, N. Y.
IEVOMS So Sh Tal wllol gavel soa cen coondsooenpdopenodbe poet
Iron, \WYo Lite dO Oi ssoccesoooosonedudobode6e Del Military: Academy, .csayeeseeeerteceeeeees 1
DNCUBPMANT Se UCC) eccswcoeeccarelsrcagace= ei PE rotBantlethesescscsleassecacesctmccan Menace: 3
Lieutenant M. FY. Maury ....... ........... 48 | e
(Groomer WAY c RWIS oceocacubneoooedeopoboronoNdec 4 | Williamstown, Mass.
Baron Osten Sacken.........cscsccecseeseeeees ilo) A é
“Gilyoinlley ENG ASIA aU a iL! Observatory mvecsceracceicescsesecitc desea 1
TEL, Ie Seln@olkerNNcocaagscsoncoosobsHoodonodobo: 4 | ae \
dc Cl, Gra Taran? Seacaneooneos4asdenbocuecdes 1 | | CRESS RE
JOIN SSETANS coonscsonsetocaqndosdn6q0c00 ooodonod 1 | American Antiquarian Society............. 9
|
Woliull Cif QalGUESIOS cooocasocaacadonbe vaosanbadDo0DHUoDDOBID CHD NOnODCaqTOdOdbdaDddOCEDODANSHodCO 335
Total Olf fRERCEIS coooocnop nods ocodecpncbabsocosoocDooobNO HDS dDokODOOCACHGonGD}EdUEqe0 FoBODKoLDOOL 1,908

By a comparison with the last report, it will be seen that the, total
number of parcels received for other parties in 1860, is about the same
asin 1859. Their bulk, however, is much greater, owing to the con-
solidation by the agents of the Institution, and by societies, of several
parcels to the same address into’ one package before transmission, as
advised by the Institution. The average number of parcels to each
address is nearly six.

MUSEUM AND COLLECTIONS.

Additions to the Museum and Collections.—During the year 1860 im-
portant additions have been made to the collection of various species,
chiefly North American, and serving to render it nearly complete as
regards a large part of the fauna of the continent. Many new facts
in “regard to the geographical distribution of species over its whole ex-
tent, ‘and their habits, have been obtained, while carefully prepared
measurements, weighings, and other facts bearing on the physical
constants of animals, as called for in Mr. Babbage’s article in the
Smithsonian Report for 1856, have been accumulated in great num-
bers in the labels and catalogues accompanying the specimens.

The great bulk of material received has consisted of specimens de-
posited by the officers in charge of Government expeditions pursuant
to the act of Congress in relation to the subject. Next to these, of
collections made in equally or still more unexplored regions of North
America at the instance, or through the instr umentality, of this Insti-
tution, and involving not merely the addition of specimens, but accom-

5

66 REPORT OF ASSISTANT SECRETARY.

panied by most important results in physical science. Comparatively
nothing has been received from the more known portions of the United
States; the transmission of fishes, reptiles, &c., having almost en-
tirely ceased. This is due to the fact that no effort has been made to
secure such specimens, on account of the comparative completeness of
the series, and the expense of enlarging them. There is already a
large accumulation of such material in the Institution, which, how-
ever, the systematic arrangement for distribution of labeled duplicates
now in progress will speedily and greatly deplete.

The only departments of natural history to which additions have
been made from all parts of the United States, have been those of
conchology, entomology, and dology. Circulars were issued in 1859
and 1860 inviting contr Hae of material towards a series of works
on these subjects which the Institution had in contemplation, to be
written by the most competent authorities. The invitation has been
generally responded to by the transmission of many parcels, (many of
_ them containing types of rare species.) These have been placed j in the
hands of the collaborators of the Institution as received, and have
proved of great importance.

The following is a detailed statement of the most important collec-
tions received in 1860:

wu

FROM EXPLORATIONS UNDER THE WAR DEPARTMENT.

Construction of Wagon Road from Walla- Walla to Fort Benton, un-
der Ineutenant John Mullan, U. S. A.—The work of this expedition
was carried out to Fort Benton during the past season, so as to render
the road passable throughout. large collections, chiefly of fossils,
birds, and plants, were made by Mr. John Pearsall and Mr. Hildreth,
attachés of the party.

Exploration of the Upper Missouri and Yellowstone, under Captain
W. I. Raynolds, U. S. A.—After spending the winter at Deer Creek,
on the Platte, west of Fort Laramie, explorations were resumed by the
expedition in May. Dividing into two parties—one commanded by
Captain Raynolds, and accompanied by Dr. Hayden; the other by
Lieutenant Maynadier, with Mr. George H. Trook as collector—they
proceeded to explore the Wind River mountains, and other localities
between the Platte and the Upper Missouri, as far north as Fort Ben-
ton. Finishing their labors during the summer, both parties united
at Fort Randall, and returned to Washington in November.

Many important collections were made by the expedition, of fossils,
plants, and zodlogical specimens. In the Wind River mountains espe-
cially, specimens were obtained of great interest, among them what
is believed to be a new species of Alpine hare.

Movement of United States Troops to Oregon, via Fort Benton, under
Major G. H. Blake, U. S. A.—This party was accompanied by Dr. J
G. Cooper as one of its medical officers, who made some valuable col-
lections of specimens, serving to extend the information respecting
the species inhabiting Oregon and Washington, as recorded in the re-

REPORT OF ASSISTANT SECRETARY. 67

port on the subject made to Governor Stevens by Dr. Cooper and Dr.
Suckley.

Artesian Well Expedition, under Captain J. Pope, U. S. A.—The
remainder of the collections of this party, consisting principally of
specimens in alcohol, have been received from Captain Pope.

FROM EXPLORATIONS UNDER THE STATE DEPARTMENT.

Survey of the Northwestern Boundary, Archibald Campbell, Commis-
sioner.—This commission nearly completed its work during the year,
and is now on its return home. Large collections in geology and
natural history have been made by Dr. Kennerly and Mr. George
Gibbs, in continuation and completion of those previously reported on.

FROM EXPLORATIONS UNDER THE INTERIOR DEPARTMENT.

Survey of the Northern Boundary of Texas, J. H. Clark, Commis-
sioner.—In addition to other specimens, a very complete collection of
nests and eggs of birds was made during the past spring along the
line of this survey by Mr. Charles 8. McCarthy, including several
species previously unknown to science.

FROM EXPLORATIONS UNDER THE NAVY DEPARTMENT,

He«ploration of the Parana and its tributaries, under Capt. T’. J. Page,
Umted States Navy.—This expedition completed its important work
during the year 1860, and has returned to the United States. In
addition to its geographical and hydrographical labors, much attention
was paid to natural history ; and among the large collections brought
home are many new and rare species. ‘The birds of the country visited
are especially interesting ; the series, prepared chiefly by Mr. Chris-
topher Wood, being perhaps the largest ever made in that region.

FROM EXPLORATIONS MORE SPECIALLY CONNECTED WITH THE SMITHSONIAN
INSTITUTION.

Exploration of Cape St. Lucas, by Mr. John Xantus.—In the last
report reference was made to an exploration of Cape St. Lucas, the
southern extremity of the Peninsula of Lower California, by Mr. John
Xantus, tidal observer of the United States Coast Survey. This explor-
ation, so far as the natural history results are concerned, may be con-
sidered as completed; as, although many isolated species may yet
remain uncollected, the general peculiarities of its fauna and flora are
now well ascertained. Besides the addition of a larger number of new
animals to our fauna than has been made by one person in any single
region of North America before, Mr. Xantus has shown that the most
interesting relationship exists between the land species of the Cape and
those of the region of the Gila, Upper Rio Grande, and the southern
Rocky Mountains. On the other hand, very few of the characteristic
species of the coast of Upper California occur at the Cape; while, as
far as observed, the same may be said of the strictly Mexican types,

68 REPORT OF ASSISTANT SECRETARY.

The entire Peninsula thus proves to be as specially related to North
America in its land fauna as is Florida, although the number of peculiar
species is much greater.

The marine fauna of Cape St. Lucas proves to be quite Panamic
in its general features—much more so than the opposite coast of
Mexico.

It is out of my power, at present, to present a statement of the num-
ber of species collected by Mr. Xantus during his residence (when last
heard from) of about eighteen months. There are, however, known
to be about twenty new birds, as many reptiles, lar ge numbers of
fishes, crustaceans, and other groups in proportion. The collection of
shells is much lar ger than any ever made on the west coast, with the
exception of that by Mr. Reigen, forming the basis of the report on
Mazatlan shells, by Mr. Carpenter, and is superior to any other in
the extent of the species preserved entire in alcohol. The general
results form a fitting continuation of the labors of Mr. Xantus at Fort
Tejon, referred to in preceding reports; and the whole will form an
extraordinary monument of the ability of a single intelligent and
accomplished collector to nearly exhaust the natural history of an ex-
tensive region, under difficulties sometimes apparently almost insuper-
able.

To the Superintendent of the Coast Survey, natural science must
ever acknowledge a great indebtedness for placing Mr. Xantus in a
position to make his explorations, by authorizing and establishing a
self-registering tide-gauge station at the Cape, and placing Mr. Xantus
in charge. All his collections were made in the intervals of his duty
as observer upon the tides, meteorology, &c., for the Coast Survey.

Haplorations in the Gulf of California, by Capt. Stone.—Capt. Stone,
in charge of the survey of Sonora, caused numerous collections to be
made in the northern part of the Gulf, chiefly opposite Guayamas. Of
these a portion, consisting principally of shells, have been received
during the year, and prove to be of much interest, not only in them-
selves, but as completing the history of Cape St. Lucas and Mazatlan
species.

Exploration of the vicinity of Fort Crook, by Mr. John Feilner.-—Mr.
Feilner, sergeant of company I',, first dragoons, stationed at Fort Crook,
under command of Captain John Adams, United States Army, has
considerably extended the collections referred to in the last report. In
May last, by permission of Captain Adams, he visited the lake region
to the north of Fort Crook, with one companion, ith the view of
pursuing his researches among the breeding places of the water birds
of California. After meeting with much success, he was attacked by
hostile Indians, but succeeded in fighting his way through, killing
several of his assailants, and, unfortunately, with the loss of a consider-
able proportion of hiscollections. His gallantry, and that of his com-
panion, Private Guise, have been made the subject of especial com-
mendation in a general order from the War Department.

Dr. Vollum, United States Army, surgeon of Fort Crook, has also
made various collections for the Institution; and Hospital Steward Par-

REPORT OF ASSISTANT SECRETARY. 69

kinson has transmitted others not yet received; so that this fort bids
fair to be as well marked for an almost perfect knowledge of its natural
history as Fort Tejon through the labors of Mr. Xantus. A comparison
of collections from these two points in the same range of mountains,
dividing the Pacific and middle faunas, and about 500 miles apart,
has proved of scientific interest in determining the geographical distri-
bution and variation of the species of California animals, many of the
facts elicited being quite unexpected.

Heploration of other points on the West Coast.—Dr. C. A. Canfield, of
Monterey, has gathered additional materials for illustrating the natural
history of his vicinity. Rev. Jos. Rowell and Dr. W. O. Ayres have
furnished important collections of shells for Mr. Carpenter’s use, in
his proposed elaboration of the conchology of western America. Mr.
J. G. Swan, of Washington Territory, has also contributed largely to
the same object. Specimens of birds and eggs have been received from
Mr. Hepburn, of San Francisco, and Mr. Ferdinand Gruber; and of
Californian coniferae, from Mr. Wm. Murray.

Haploration of the Hudson’s Bay territory, by Mr. Robt. Kennicott.—
In the last report reference was made to the exploration of the Hudson’s
Bay country by Mr. Robt. Kennicott. Since that report was written,
advices have been received from him up to July, 1860. He had reached
Fort Simpson in September, and after a short excursion up the Liard
river to Fort Liard, in the Rocky Mountains, returned to Simpson,
where he spent the winter as the guest of Mr. B. R. Ross, the gentle-
‘ man in charge of the Mackenzie River district. In the spring he went
to Great Slave Lake for the purpose of collecting eggs; making Fort
Resolution his headquarters, and meeting with great success.

Hor a most generous codperation of the Hudson’s Bay Company,
through Sir George Simpson, and its officers in England and America,
the Institution is under the greatest obligations. Hvery possible facility
has been furnished to Mr. Kennicott, not only in permission to visit
the different posts, but in the way of free transportation of himself and
his collections, quarters at the posts, &c. Wherever he has gone he
has found an appreciation of his mission and a readiness to assist, grati-
fying in the highest degree. Nearly all the gentlemen in charge of
different posts have undertaken to make observations in meteorology
for the Institution, (for which purpose Mr. Kennicott carried with him
blank registers, thermometers, &c.,) as well as collections of such
objects of natural history as he might not succeed in securing himself.

The gentlemen to whom Mr. Kennicott expresses his indebtedness
most particularly, after Mr. Ross, are Mr. L. Clarke, Mr. J. Reid,
Mr. A. McKenzie, Mr. MacFarlane, and Mr. Hardisty.

To Mr. B. R. Ross, chief trader, in charge of the Mackenzie River
district, the Institution is under great obligations, not only for protec-
tection and assistance to Mr. Kennicott, which his official position so
well enabled him to furnish, but for a special contribution of his own.
In coéperation with the officers of the posts in his district, he has un-
dertaken and already, to some extent, realized a special exploration
of his district, entirely independent of that of Mr. Kennicott. Full
observations upon the climatology, periodical phenomena, and other

70 REPORT OF ASSISTANT SECRETARY.

features of the country, will be made, with collections illustrating its
natural history, ethnology, &c., and transmitted to the Institution.
A large amount of material has already been received from him and
his coadjutors in the way of meteorology and natural history. Among
the more important animals are skins of the Rocky Mountain goat,
Arctic reindeer, Barren Ground bear, Hare-Indian dog, &c.; skeletons
of goat, reindeer, wolverene, skins of various fishes, as 7hymallus,
Salmo Mackenzti, &c.; Esquimaux and Indian curiosities, with many
other objects of equal interest.

Mr. W. Mactavish, chief factor, resident at Fort Garry, has laid the
Institution under special obligations by his assistance in the transmis-
sion of supplies to and reception of collections from Mr. Kennicott, as
well as himself procuring specimens from different points and forward-
ing to Washington.

Mr. Kennicott intended to return to Fort Simpson in August, and to
proceed down the Mackenzie to Fort Good Hope; thence across the
Rocky Mountains to Fort Yukon, on the Yukon river, a post in the
interior of Russian-America. There, in a region almost entirely un-
known, not merely in its natural history, but its very geography, he
expects to remain until next summer, then to proceed to some other
desirable center of operations.

It will be remembered that while the chief expenses of Mr. Kenni- |
cott’s operations are sustained by this Institution, very important
assistance has been received from the University of Michigan, the Chi-
cago Audubon Club, and the Chicago Academy of Natural Sciences,
together with several gentlemen interested in natural history. With-
out the facilities furnished by the Hudson’s Bay Company and its officers,
however, the enterprise, in its present extent, would be entirely imprac-
ticable.

Mr. George Barnston, of Michipicoten, Lake Superior, to whom Mr.
Kennicott was much indebted for the favorable direction of his opera-
tions at the outset, has furnished many desirable additions to the collec-
tions of the Institution from the north shore of Lake Superior. Chief
among these may be mentioned a skin of the reindeer in superb condi-
tion, and now mounted in the museum; also, a nearly complete skeleton
of the same animal.

Exploration of James’ Bay by Mr. C. Drexler.—Mr. C. Drexler
visited James’ Bay, the southern extremity of Hudson’s Bay, in May
last, and remained until September. He reached Moose Factory the
end of May, and after a few days, proceeded in a canoe, with some
Indians, as far along the east coast as Fort George, where he remained
some time. He was chiefly engaged in the collection of eggs of birds,
though all other departments of natural history received his attention.

As in the case of Mr. Kennicott, the aid of the Hudson’s Bay Com-
pany has been indispensable to the success of Mr. Drexler’s enterprise.
The facilities ordered by Sir George Simpson, and carried out by Mr.
John McKenzie, at Moose Factory, with the codperation of the gentle-
men atthe posts visited, enabled him, with the small means at his
command, to accomplish results of great interest and magnitude. The
collections made by Mr. Drexler were also taken from Moose Factory

REPORT OF ASSISTANT SECRETARY. iy

to London, free of expense, in the ship belonging to the Hudson’s
Bay Company, and then transmitted to this country.

Beside the aid furnished by the Institution, it is proper to state that
the chief portion of the funds used in meeting Mr. Drexler’s expenses
were supplied by Dr. Henry Bryant, of Boston.

Haplorations on the Labrador Coast.—Mr. Elliot Coues, of Washing-
ton, visited the Labrador coast last spring, in the vessel chartered by
Mr. John W. Dodge, and spent several months there, going as tar
north as Rigolette. His collection consisted chiefly of birds and eggs,
of which several rare species were procured.

During the United States Coast Survey expedition to Cape Chad-
leigh, on the steamer Bibb, for the purpose of observing the total
eclipse of the sun of July 18, a number of specimens were obtained by
Mr. W. A. Henry, one of the party.

Explorations in the Gulf of St. Lawrence, by Dr. Henry Bryant.—Dr.
Bryant chartered a vessel at Gaspé, and in it spent several months
visiting various points in the Gulf and on the adjacent coasts. His
researches were principally in reference to the breeding of the water
birds, and important facts in regard to this point were collected by
him. Full series of his specimens have been presented by him to the
Institution.

Eaploration of the Coast of Labrador and of Greenland, by Williams
College.—This expedition, composed of students of Williams College,
under the direction of Prof. Chadbourne, spent several months along
the above-mentioned coasts, making interesting collections of natural
history, selections from which have generously been supplied to the
Smithsonian Institution.

Haplorations on the Southern Coast of the United States.—Interesting
collections from the vicinity of Micanopy have been received from Dr.
Bean, and others from Dr. Bryant. Dr. J. B. Holder, now medical
officer at Fort Jefferson, Tortugas, has made valuable contributions,
chiefly of birds and eges, serving to extend and complete those of Cap-
tains Wright and Woodbury, and Dr. Whitehurst. Specimens of
several rare birds were also received from Captain Woodbury, From
Mr. Maslin and Mr. Keyser, tidal observers of the United States Coast
Survey, collections were also received, made in the vicinity of Char-
lotte harbor and Cedar Keys. Sergeant Alexander, at Fort Macon,
North Carolina, has also transmitted numerous specimens.

Dr. Stimpson and Mr. Gill spent some weeks in the vicinity of Beau-
fort, North Carolina, during the past spring, and occupied themselves
principally in an investigation of the marine fauna of that region.
Many species of shells were collected, some of very remarkable char-
acter, as being previously known only as fossils of our coast deposits.
Specimens of an Amphioxus were obtained, not recorded before as be-
longing to the American fauna.

Haplorations in the interior of the United States.—Reference has.
already been made to the results of various Government expeditions 1n
the Rocky Mountains and elsewhere. In addition to these, valuable.

72

REPORT OF ASSISTANT SECRETARY.

collections of animals from the vicinity of Cantonment Burgwyn, New
- Mexico, have been received from Dr. Anderson, United States Army,
in completion of previous transmissions. These are of especial interest
as showing an arctic type of the fauna in the high mountain regions
of New Mexico, previously quite unexpected. The pine grosbeak,
evening grosbeak, the crossbill, and similar species, appear to be con-
stant residents. Dr. Anderson also collected many specimens in his
march eastward through Texas; among them, the first skin of Hypo-
triorchis femoralis received by the Institution.

Dr. Irwin, United States Army, has also furnished important con-
tributions from the vicinity of Fort Buchanan, in Arizona, embracing
new species of reptiles and insects, and many rare birds and eggs.

An interesting collection of birds, plants, and other specimens of
natural history was made in the vicinity of Fort Stockton, Texas, by
Mr. Patrick Duffy, and is of value as illustrating the natural history
of the high plains. Collections were also made in western Texas by
Mr. F. Kellogg and Mr. F. 8. Wade.

Important collections of nests and eggs of birds were made for the
Institution by Dr. Hay, at Racine, Dr. Hammond, in Indiana, Mr.
Tolman, at Winnebago, and others.

From Explorations in other parts of the World.—Captain Dow, of the
Panama railroad service, has transmitted several collections during the
year. The most important of these consist of shells, embracing several
new rare species, and considered by Mr. Carpenter as of much value in
determining the fauna of the west coast. A new species of Anableps,
and other fishes, new genera and species of crustacea, &c., are also
among his collections.

Dr. C. Sartorius, of Vera Cruz, has supplied desirable specimens of
Mexican animals, illustrating the distribution of North American spe-
cies. Mr. I. A. Nieto has contributed specimens of woods of many spe-
cies of Mexican trees, and a series of coleoptera. Shells of the coast of
Chili have been received from Mr. Flint, of Caldera; a very full col-
lection of eggs of birds of Chili, prepared by Mr. F. Germain, from >
Don Jacinto R. Pefia, of Santiago, &c. A series of birds of Guate-
mala, received from Mr. Osbert Salvin, will be of much service to°
American ornithologists, as embracing many species not otherwise ac-
cessible in this country to them. :

Valuable specimens of birds and eggs of Greenland, and of northern
Enrope, have been received from the Royal Museum and the University
Museum of Copenhagen. :

Further indications of more or less important additions to our knowl-
edge of the natural history of particular regions will be found in the
list of donations subsequently presented.

WORK DONE IN CONNECTION WITH THE COLLECTIONS.

In accordance with your wish, the preliminaries to a distribution
of the duplicates of the collection in the museum have been pushed
forward as fast as possible during the year. The assorting of the
large mass of shells belonging to the Institution, by Mr. Carpenter,

REPORT OF ASSISTANT SECRETARY. 73

has progressed to such an extent that all the duplicate specimens of
each kind belonging to the general Indo-Pacific fauna are now in sepa-
rate boxes, which are arranged systematically and numbered, to cor-
respond with the numbers of a printed list, so that sets can be picked
out and distributed with but little trouble. In the labor of assorting
and naming the collection, he has had the codperation of Mr. Isaac
Lea and Dr. EK. Foreman, with the Unionidae; of Mr. Lea, with the
water breathing univalves; of Mr. Binney, wit the air breathing
univalves; of Mr. Stimpson, with the east coast species; of Mr. Temple
Prime, with the Cycladidae; and of Dr. A. A. Gould, with the species
generally. All the type shells of the exploring expedition, and many
of those of the North Pacific expedition, with large numbers of other
shells, have been mounted by Mr. Carpenter, or under his direction,
upon many thousand glass tablets, as referred to in the last report,
page 70.

The systematic arrangement and determination of the other branches
of natural history, their careful catalogue and operations necessary to
the separation of duplicates and their distribution so as to be of most
use, in nearly all the different departments of natural history has been
earried forward very laboriously. In this, I have been much aided
by the voluntary services of several gentlemen, especially by Mr.
H]liot Coues and Mr. W. Prentice. The following table will show the
amount of work of the kind done:

Table exhibiting the entries in the record books of the Smithsonian collec-
tion in 1860, in continuation of previous years.

Skeletons and skulls...

VED UUs cetetatstelclenelersicteiiete
WISHES- tees
Eggs of birds..
Crustacea ......

Mollusks .........
Radiates .........
Fossils... o900
Minerals..........

The actual number of entries during the year amounts to 18,192, or
not far from twice as many asin 1859. The aggregate of 55,389 is,
however, far from representing the entire number of specimens already
recorded, some numbers covering tens and often hundreds each.
Thus, of fishes there are at least 15,000 specimens recorded, and nearly
as many of reptiles. Under the 4,425 entries of eggs, there are in-
cluded 17,182 eggs and 1,294 nests, and other classes are in proportion.

With but trivial exceptions, the osteological specimens—the eggs
and the mammals, birds and reptiles—are catalogued, though not all
determined. The greater portion of. the fishes, and of most of the
other classes, excepting perhaps the shells, still remain to be done.

74 REPORT OF ASSISTANT SECRETARY.

With the view of carrying out the arrangement between yourself
and Drs. Torrey and Gray, in reference to the selection of a single
series of all the botanical collections made and deposited by the vari-
ous government exploring expeditions and received from other sources,
the entire herbarium has been placed in their hands for the purpose.

Nearly all the mammals, the North American birds, and the exotic
water birds exhibited in the museum, have been labeled with both
scientific and vernacular names as far as these could be ascertained.
The remaining specimens will be similarly treated as fast as they can
be properly identified. The entire osteological collection has been
placed on exhibition, as also the geological collections of the Pacific
railroad and some other Government parties, in the northeast and
southeast galleries of the museum hall, first opened to the public
during the year.

A large number of skins of North American mammals and birds,
not previously exhibited, have been mounted and placed in the cases.
All the old stands of mounted specimens have been replaced by new
ones, and the entire series is believed to be in a good condition,
although much remains to be done for its perfection by adding defi-
ciencies of North American species, and replacing old, faded, badly-
prepared, and otherwise discreditable specimens, by fresher and better
ones.

Of the collections mentioned in the last report as in the hands of
collaborators residing out of Washington, the Ophiuridae have been
returned, labeled, and identified by Mr. Theodore Lyman, of Brooklyn.
Many new species were found among the Smithsonian specimens, which
have been characterized in the proceedings of the Boston Society of
Natural History, and will be described in detailina monograph. The
Echint of the North Pacific expedition have been worked up and
returned by Mr. Barnard, and much progress made in the determina-
tion of the Crustacea and sea glars of the same expedition by Mr.
Stimpson, and of its fishes by Mr. Gill. Mr. Cassin has completed
his investigations upon the birds of Lieutenant Michler’s expedition
to the Atrato, and of the North Pacific expedition, and returned the
specimens. The herpetology of the North Pacific expedition, originally
prepared by Dr. Hallowell, has been revised and brought up to date
by Mr. Cope, who has also made some important examinations of
serpents in the collection of the Institution.

No reports of return of specimens have been made during the
year by the gentlemen mentioned in the last report as having Smith-
sonian material in charge, as follows: Turtles by Professor Agassiz,
Etheostomoids by Mr. F. W. Putnam, Siluridae by Dr. Wheatland, all
of the Cambridge Zoological museum ; fossil vertebrata collected by
Dr. Hayden during the expedition of Lieutenant Warren, in the hands
of Dr. Joseph Leidy, of the Philadelphia Academy. Of other series
not yet mentioned in the present report, the coleoptera are in the hands
of Dr. Le Conte, the neuroptera of Dr. Hagen, the diptera of Dr. Loew,
the lepidoptera of Dr. Morris and Mr. Edwards, the water breathing
univalves of North America of Mr. W. G. Binney, the west coast and
exploring expedition shells of Mr. P. P. Carpenter. The birds of
Captain Page’s Paraguay expedition and of Lieutenant Herndon’s

REPORT OF ASSISTANT SECRETARY. ne 3

Amazon exploration are in course of examination by Mr. Cassin.
Mr. Meek has completed the labeling of the fossils of Captain Simpson’s
expedition, collected by Dr. Engelmann.

Although so much labor has been expended in the examinations
and investigation of the Smithsonian collection, a vast amount yet re-
mains to be done before it can be considered as entirely exhausted of its
novelties. Probably no collection of its size in the world contains so
many types of published species, and so many yet new ones yet unde-
scribed. This is especially the case in regard to North America, as
well as to many other parts of the world. Much desire is therefore
manifested by persons, about entering upon the preparation of mono-
graphs to secure the privilege of using Smithsonian specimens.

PRESENT CONDITION OF THE MUSEUM.

In the report for 1858 will be found an account of the most import-
ant collections forming the bulk of the museum of the Smithsonian
Institution. It was continued in the report of 1859, and I beg leave
to present at the end of the report a hst of all the donations received
in 1860.*

Numerous specimens were received during the year from expeditions
referred to in the last report, as from Captain Simpson, Captain Ray-
nolds, Lieutenant Mullan, Mr. John Xantus, Mr. John Feilner, Robert
Kennicott, Dr. Bean, and others.

These additions to the museum have resulted in the filling up of
many important gaps, and in replacing many defective specimens by
better ones. By the arrangements in progress for distribution of du-
plicates, and the removal from the building of what is neither worth

* For convenience of reference, I continue the enumeration of collections, made chiefly
during certain explorations, from page 71 of the report for 1859:

73. Collections made during the march of troops to Oregon, via Fort Benton, under Major
G. H. Blake, by Dr. Cooper.

74.- Collections made in the Gulf of California, by the party of Captain C. P. Stone.

75. Collections made on the coast of California, by Dr. C. 8. Canfield.

76. Collections made in the Mackenzie river district, by Mr. B. R. Ross, with the codpera-
tion of other officers of the Hudson Bay Company.

77. Collections made on the north shore of Lake Superior, by Mr. George Barnston.

78. Collections made at Moose Factory, by Mr. J. McKenzie.

79. Collections made in James bay, by Mr. C. Drexler.

80. Collections made on the coast of Labrador, by Mr. Elliot Coues.

81. Collections made in Greenland and Labrador, by the Williams College Lyceum of
Natural History.

82. Collections made on the coast of North Carolina, by Dr. Stimpson and Mr. Gill.
3 83. Collections made at Cantonment Burgwyn, N. M., on the Pecos, by Dr. W. W. An-

erson.

84. Collections made on the Texas boundary survey, by Mr. J. H. Clark.

85. Collections made in Puget Sound, by J. G. Swan, Esq.

86. Collections made at the Tortugas, by Dr. J. B. Holder.

87. Collections made in Cuba, by Mr. Charles Wright.

88. Collections made in Minnesota, by Mr. J. M. Woodworth.

89. Collections made in New Mexico, by Patrick Duffy, Esq.

90. Collections made on the Labrador Eclipse Expedition, by W. A. Henry.

91. Collections made on the Atlantic coast of the United States, by Lieutenant J. D. Kurtz

92. Collections made in Chili, by Mr. F. Germain, through Don J. R. Pefia.

93. Collections from Sable Island, by P. S. Dodd, Esq.

94. Collections from Nova Scotia, by J. R. Willis and W. G. Winton.

ae

Vv

76 REPORT OF ASSISTANT SECRETARY. - |

keeping nor giving away, it is confidently believed that instead of an
unmanageable accumulation of material in the store-rooms its bulk
will be reduced to at least one fourth, or more, of the present amount.

In accordance with the policy adopted by you, the efforts of the In-
stitution have been directed mainly to the completion of its series of
specimens illustrating the natural history of North America. At the
present time it is believed, upon the whole, to have accomplished this
aim to an extent greater than any other museum in the world. As
far as regards mammals and their skulls and skeletons, birds and their
eges, reptiles, fishes, shells, crustaceans, and invertebrates generally,
except certain orders of insects, (vertebrate fossils, and plants,) from the
regions west of the Mississippi; it-is probably not exceeded by any mu-
seum in the number of species and extent of the series, few additions
remaining to be made to the list. At the same time, as successive
groups are elaborated and labeled, and the duplicates distributed, the
bulk of the whole becomes less and less, so that it is quite reasonable
to assume that the present number of specimens will be reduced in a
few years to less than half their present amount.

In addition to its American collection, derived from all the different
sources, and including specimens from adjacent regions, necessary
properly to illustrate it, the bulk of the Smithsonian museum consists
of materials gathered by various Government expeditions in different
parts of the world, and deposited here in compliance with the act of
Congress. Other than as derived from this source, the exotic collec-
tions not relating to American natural history, are very small in
amount, although usually of much interest from embracing numbers of
new species. Among the exotic collections, the series of South Amer-
ican birds is believed to be among the first extant, while that of crus-
tacea, annalids, corals, and certain families of radiata and mollusca,
generally, are perhaps surpassed by very few.

As distributions of duplicates for the exotic collections are made, it is
believed that the mass at present within the building will be so much
reduced that the present accommodations will always be found ample
for whatever may hereafter be added, as long as the present scope of
the collections is adhered to. Of course, should Congress at any future
time authorize an extension of the plan, the addition of exotic mounted
mammals, birds, &c., would require much more space, and must be
provided for by additional accommodations; these, however, would
otherwise not be needed.

The great value of the museum of the Institution at the present
time consists in its being the depository of so many type specimens, or
those upon which the first description of species has been established.
These constitute the great attraction to the scientific investigators, as,
however carefully prepared the published description or figures of any
species may be, there is almost always some doubtful point to be set-
tled alone by an examination of the types. For this reason these are
always guarded with jealous care, and considered of much more value
than new and undescribed materials.

There are few collections embracing more original type specimens,
or specimens relating to a large number of important works, than that
of the Smithsonian Institution. / Besides the reports of the United

REPORT OF ASSISTANT SECRETARY. Tt

States exploring expeditions of the Pacific railroad and Mexican bound-
ary surveys, and of many other Government works, few monographs
have been prepared in the United States for some years past without
deriving many, or even most, of their novelties from the Smithsonian
museum. The proceedings and transactions of most of the scientific
journals of the country contain frequent and constant reference to its
materials as the types. By the distribution of duplicates of these,
therefore, and their judicious deposit at proper places in different
parts of the world, a vast amount of good may be done, and the
reputation of the Institution greatly enhanced.

LIST OF DONATIONS TO THE MUSEUM DURING 1860.

Abel, J. Ralls.—Seventeen-year locust, Albemarle, Va.

Alexander, Sergeant W., U. S. A.—Nests and eggs from Fort Macon,
near Beaufort, N. C.

Allen, W. T.—Birds, nests, and eggs from Rippon, Va.

Ambrose, Lev. J.—liges of birds from Green Island, N.S.

Anderson, Chas. £.—Harths and minerals from Red River’ country.

Anderson, Dr. W. W.—Birds, eggs, and fossils from Pecos river and
the Rocky Mountains.

Anthon, Henry, Jr.—Fourteen specimens of native timber from the
Island of Borneo.

Anthony, J. G.—Collection of melanian shells; four species of gyro-
toma from Ohio.

Angus, Jas.—Seventeen-year locust.

Arny, Wm. M. F.—Insects in alcohol from Kansas.

Ayres, Dr. W. O.—Shells, skulls of seals, and cetaceaus (deposited)
from California coast.

Baker, Chas. £.—Tusk of boar from Washington.

Bar nston, Geo.—Skin and skeleton of caribou, “nests and eges of bir ds,
and specimens in alcohol, from Lake Superior.

Beadle, D. W.—Kiges of birds and alcoholic specimens from Canada.

Bean, Dp oh B.—Nests, eggs, and reptiles from Micanopy, Fla.

Beesley, Thos.—Birds’ eggs from New Jersey.

Benson, President.—Lignite coal from Cape Palmas.

Bickmore, A. S.—Nests and egos from Hanover, N. H.

Bishop, N. H.—Nests and eges of birds and living Pine snakes an
New Jersey.

Blakiston, Capt. T., &. A.—Birds and eggs from Saskatchewan
Plains.

Blassom, W. W.—Petrified wood from Prince William county, Va.

Boardman, G. A.—Five skins of Pinicola canadensis and eggs of
birds from New Brunswick.

Bode, J. L.—Mounted Larus marinus from New York harbor.

Bowman, Capt. A. W.—Birds from Fort Massachusetts, N. H.

Brackett, Geo. H.—Insects and skins of birds from Maine. ,

Bradford, Geo.—Collections of zoélogical specimens from Cuba, made
by C. Wright.

Brendel, Dr. F’.—Nests and eggs from Peoria, Ill.

Brewer, Dr.—Skin of Turdus fuscesens.

78 REPORT OF ASSISTANT SECRETARY.

- Bridger, J. L.—Two boxes eggs, nests, &c., from Tarboro, N. C.

Brooks, Capt. J. M., U. S. N.—Specimen of Hyalonema mirabilis from
Japan.

Bryant, Dr. H.—Nests, eggs, and skins of birds from Labrador ;
Sternum of Zachypetes aquila, Bahamas.

Boyling, Capt.—Birds from Washington Territory.

Buckland, Rev. Mr.—Shells from Sing Sing.

California Academy of Natural Sciences.—Shells from California.

Campbell, A., Com. N. W. Boundary Survey.Skins of bear and goat,
alcoholic and other specimens, collected by Dr. Kennerly and
Mr. Geo. Gibbs.

Campbell, Mr. R., per B. Rk. Ross.—Skins of marmot from Athabaska
lake, EB:

Canseco, Don Valero, through J. Xantus.—Fossil shells, &c., from
Cape St. Lucas.

Carleton, Major J. S., U. S. A.—Collections of natural history from
near Fort Tejon, California.

Carpenter, P. P.—-Sets of Mazatlan shells.

Catley, H.—Birds’ nests from Oregon.

Cesena, Donna Rosaria, through J. Xantus.—Nests and eggs from
Cape St. Lucas.

Cassin, J.—Skin of Cyanocorax coronatus trom Mexico.

Chicago Academy of Sciences and Agricultural Department, University
of Chicago.—Kggs, nests, and skins of birds from Minnesota.

Clark, Dr.—Auriferous sand from Laramie Hills; gold from Cherry
Creek.

Clark, Dr. John A.—Birds, nests, and eggs, and skin of diodon from
Texas.

Clark, J. H., Texas Boundary Survey.—Nests, eggs, and skins of
birds from Arkansas, and the line of Texas Boundary Survey,
collected chiefly by C. 8. McCarthy.

Clark, Wm. P.—Kegegs from Medina, Ohio.

Clarke, L., through &. Kennicott.—Skins of birds,-eggs, &c., from
Great Slave Lake, H. B. T.

Clapp, Mr.—Skins of birds from Florida.

Clary, Capt.—Ammonite from Benicia.

Cleveland, J. T.—Dried hippocampus, or sea horse, from Florida.

Collier, D. C.—Centipede and skin of Neotoma cinerea from Denver
City, Jefferson Territory.

Conradsen, k.—Skins and eggs of Huropean and Greenland birds.

Cooper, Dr.—Nest and ege of Trochilus evelynae from Nassau, N. P.

Copenhagen Royal Museum.—Skins and eggs of birds from Greenland
and Northern Europe.

Copenhagen University Musewm.—Skins and eggs of birds from Green-
land, star fishes, &c.

Corston, Wm.—Kiggs of snipe, &c., from Big River, H. B. T.

Couper, Wm.—Nests and eggs, skin of Nyctale richardsonit, and other
birds from near Quebec.

Coves, Hiliott.—Skins and eggs of birds and alcoholic specimens from
the coast of Labrador.

Crawford, Dr. S. W., U. S. A.—Set of elk horns from Fort Laramie.

REPORT OF ASSISTANT SECRETARY. 79

Crossoman, A. J.—Piece of root from Roger Williams tree.

Ourtis, M: A.—Skin of mole from Hillsboro’, N. C.

Davis, C. P.—Mounted head of female deer, with horns; also rare
eggs of American and Huropean birds.

Davis, H.—Nests and eggs from Iowa.

Dawson, Prof. J. W.—Pleistocene fossils from Canada.

DeLeon, Dr., U. S, A.—Silver ores from Heintzelman vein, Cerro
Colorado mine, Tubac, N. M.

DeSaussure, H.—Skins of mammals from Labrador and Mexico.

Diehl, J. S.—Minerals from California.

Dimmick, C'.—Insects from Brockport, N. Y.

Dodd, P. N.—Skull of walrus, skins of seals, eggs of birds, shells,
&c., from Sable Island, N.S.

Dodge, John W.—Skin of guillemot from Labrador.

Dodero, Donnas Juana and Pachita, through J. Xantus.—Nests, eggs
of birds, and insects from Cape St. Lucas.

Dow, Capt. J. M.—Collections in alcohol from Central America.

Drexler, C.—Collections of natural history from Hudson’s Bay.

Drouet, Mad. Helene.—Skins and eggs of rare Huropean and American
birds ; prepared skins of carp.

Duffy, Patrick.—Zoological collections from Fort Stockton, Texas.

Dunlop, J. V., through B. &. Ross.—Skin of marmot and skins of
birds from Fort Halkett.

Emery, Chas. A.—Package of small shells from Stratham, N. H.;
microscopic earths from New Hampshire.

Fitheridge, A. H.—Black squirrel from Tabasco, Mexico.

Ferrill, #.—HKeegs from Savannah.

Feiner, John.—Birds, mammals, nests, eggs, &c., from California.

Fisher, Dr.—liges of owl and shells from Sing Sing.

Mitch, I.—See Stone.

Fiint, C. L.—Shells from Chili.

Gabb, W. M.—Package of fossils.

Garnet, B.—Duck’s eggs, with colored epidermis, from Fairfax Co., Va.

Garrison, O. H.—Skins of ducks, eggs, and plants from Minnesota.

Garton, John.—Fish from Abitibi.

Gerhardt, A.—Shells, insects, eggs of birds, &c., Georgia.

Gibbs—See Campbell.

— Gill, Th.—Marine animals from Newfoundland, the West Indies,
and the coast of North Carolina.

Gilliss, J. R.—Shells and fossils from Payta, Panama, and Aspinwall;
also living grasshopper from Panama.

Gladmon, Mr.—Skins of mice from Rupert House, | Hudson’s Bay Ter-
ritory.

Glasco, J. M.—Snakes from Gilmer, Texas.

Goodbow, Captain.—Skin of a hawk from White river.

Goodwin, H. M.—Can of fishes from N. Montpelier, Vermont.

Goss, B. F’.—Nests, eggs, shells, &c., Kansas.

Gornley, James.—Mineralogical specimens from Pike’s Peak.

Graeff’, Hd. L.—Wepidoptera from New York.

Grayson, A, J.—Scalp of Curassow, and contents of its stomach, (nails,
coins, gravel, &c.,) Mexico.

80 REPORT OF ASSISTANT SECRETARY.

Griu, Donna Juana, through J. Xantus.—Coleoptera from Cape St.
Lucas.

Gruber, /.—Skins and eggs of birds from California.

Guest, W. A —Jar, with sturgeon, from Ogdensburg, N. Y.

Gunn, Donald.—Nests, eggs, and skins, from Selkirk settlement.

Hale, Dr.—Skins of mammals from Essex county, N. Y.

Halifax, Boys of National School.—Marine shells from Halifax.

Hanks, Capt. Julian.—Vishes and shells from Socorro Island.

Hardisty, W. L., through &. Kennicott.—FYossil bones, skins of birds,
and plants from the upper waters of the Yukon.

Hardisty, Mrs. W. £., through Rk. Kennicott—Mammals and eggs
from Great Slave Lake.

Harrington, Capt.—Star-fishes from Mt. Desert.

Haszlinsky, Prof. &.—Dried plants from Hperies, Hungary.

Hayes, Dr. S.—Alhgator’s eggs, insects in alcohol, from Aspinwall,
and shells from Navy Bay.

Haymond, Dr. h.—Nests and eggs from Brookville, Indiana.

Henry, W. A.—¥ishes in Alcohol, from Labrador.

Hepburn, Jas.—Hgegs from San Francisco.

Miawassee College.—Hymenoptera, from Tennessee.

Fiildreth.—See Lt. Mullan.

filler, S. L.—Indian pipe, Fort Carver, Minnesota.

Hinman, W. M.—Skin of Vespertilio pruinosus, Platte river.

Hitz, John.—Series of minerals from United States and Switzerland.

Holder, Dr. J. B.—Birds and alcoholic specimens from Tortugas, and
eggs of terns and pelicans from Florida.

Holman, Dr.—Skin of sea eel, from coast of Lower California.

Hopkins, A.—Kges from Massachusetts.

Hoy, Dr. P. k.—Nests, eggs, and birds, from Wisconsin.

Hubbard, Samuel.—JSapanese seeds and tea; silver ore from Washoe
mine,

Hulsner, Gustav.—tinsects from vicinity of New York.

Irwin, Dr., U. S. A.—Minerals, skins, reptiles, and fishes in alcohol,
from New Mexico; skins of birds, including male and female
Mexican wild turkey, with nests and eggs of birds.

Janney, N.—Neotoma floridana, and skin of Connecticut warbler, Lou-
doun county, Virginia. :

Jewett, Col. H.—Jaws ot killer whale, off coast of Payta, and fossils
from Mt. Lebanon and near Beyrout.

Jones, Dr. W. L.—Alcoholic specimens of fishes, reptiles, shells, &c.,
Georgia.

Jung, C. F’.—Neuroptera, diptera, &c., from vicinity of New York.

Kellogg, Hon. Mr.—Polished gypsum, from Michigan.

Kellogg, ’.—Nests, eggs, birds, and insects from Wheelock, Texas.

Kennicott, .—Bird skins and alcoholic specimens, Fort William,
Lake Superior; skins of birds, mammals, shells, insects, fish,
&c., from Fort Simpson, H. B. T.

Kennerly—See Campbell.

Kurtz, Capt. J. D.—Shells of United States coast.

Kirby, Rev. Mr., through &. Kennicott.—Eggs and birds from Lake
Winnepeg.

REPORT OF ASSISTANT SECRETARY. Si VF

Keyser, Charles.—Can of alcoholic specimens from Egmont Key,
Florida.

Kite, Wm.—LUarva, and perfect insect of Clytus from Pennsylvania.

Krieghoff, C.—Egegs from near Quebec.

Krider, J.—¥orty specimens Arvicola, Philadelphia, and Bassaris from
Mexico.

Laszlo, C.—Alcoholic specimens from Mexico.

Latimer, Dr. J. T.—Cast of arca, Virginia.

Lander, Col. #’. W.—Reptiles and mammals, collected by J. 8S. Snyder,
Gncluding Lagomys princeps. )

Lapham, Dr. J. A.—Uand shells from Wisconsin.

Lauer, .—Borings of an artesian well at Reading, Vermont.

Lazar, Count Coloman.—Y¥ossil land shells from Laswaro, and recent
land shells from Transylvania.

Le Conte, Dr. J. L.—Mammals, reptiles, and astaci, types of oe
Le Conte’s species.

Lewis, James.—Shells from Mohawk, New York.

Inbhart, Messrs. A. C. & S. 8. H.—Nests and eggs from Marietta, Pa.

Lincoln, Charles D.—Birds’ eges from Massachusetts.

Lindhoelm, Capt.—Shells from ‘Magdalena bay.

Lindheimer, F—Salamanders from Texas.

Lockhart, Jas.—Skin of Rocky Mountain goat, robe of musk-ox, and
fossils from Mackenzie’s river district.

London Zodlogical Society.—Hee of summer duck from garden of the

~ LZodlogical Society.

McCarthy, C. S.—See J. H. Clark.

Macomb, Capt. J. M.—Collections of geology and natural history,
from New Mexico, chiefly collected by Dr. J. S. Newberry.

Mactavish, George F'.—Skins of weasels and birds from Hudson’s bay.

Mactavish, Wm.—Ptarmigans, small mammals, fishes, &c., from Fort
Chimehwl ES By a

McAllister, W.—Skin of evening grosbeak, from Racine.

McCown, Capt. J. P., U. S. A.—Skins of birds, &c., from Fort Ran-
dall

McCurdy, L. R. S.—Pentremites florealis, &c., from Indiana.

McDonald, M.—Fossils from Lexington, Va.

MeFarlane, Jie VE S05, Ite) LOKORS: arren ground bear, Hsqui-
maux dress, and other ierieles from Lower Mackenzie’s river.

McKenzie, Alecander, per B. R, Ross—Mammals and birds from Fort
Liard.

McKenzie, J.—Skins of birds, and eggs from James’ bay.

McLean, W. M.—Two hawk’s eggs trom Virginia.

Mallet, Prof. J. W.—Shells from near Mobile.

Mallory, Hon. Robert.—Tooth of fossil horse, Big Bone Lick, Ky.

Marsh, Geo. P.—Native sulphur from Sicily,

Mayr ston, Rev. S. W.—Insects and eggs of birds from Iowa.

Maslin, "Geo. W.—Hees, shells, and alcoholic specimens, from St.
Geor ge Island.

Michell, Rev. F. A.—Bear skull and fossil invertebr ates, from Phantom
Hill, Towa.

Morgan, Mr.—Eees from Fairmount, Va.

6 :

82 REPORT OF ASSISTANT SECRETARY.

Mullan, Lieut.—Fish, birds, eggs, and nests, and alcoholic specimens,
from Rocky Mountains, collected by J. Pearsall.

Mullan, Lieut. —Zodlogical, mineralogical, and botanical collections
from Rocky Mountains, between Coeur d’ Alene and Fort Benton,
made by Mr. Hildreth.

Murray, W.—Cones, leaves, and wood of coniferae, from California.

Navarro, Don Ramon, per J. Xantus.—Living jays and Bassaris from
Cape St. Lucas.

Newberry, Dr. J. Si—See Macomb.

Newberry, Dr. J. S.—Shells from various localities.

Newton, Alfred.—Skins of lemming and hare, collected on voyage of
ship Enterprise, Arctic America.

Mason, W. A.—¥F luviatile shells from western New York.

Ojeda, Don Marcetlino, per J. Xantus.—Dried plants from Cape St.
Lucas.

Osio, Don Juan, through J. Xantus.—Shells from Cape St. Lucas.

Osio, Donna Beatrice, through J. Xantus.—Coleoptera from Cape Bt.
Lucas.

Packard, A. S.—Nests and eggs from New Brunswick.

Page, Capt. T. J., U. S. N.—Zodlogical, botanical, and geological
collections from La Plata expedition.

Paine, C. S.—iggs and birds from Vermont.

Parker, S. M.—Insects, &c., from Massachusetts.

Patent Ofice.—Ancient Roman sarcophagus, brought from Beyrout by —
Com. J. D. Hlhott; marble slab from the plains of Marathon,
brought by Com. Elliott; also, two picture frames made of
hickory and live oak, a part of the latter from the old frigate
Constitution. (These frames inclose accounts of the two pre-
ceding articles.)

Peale, T. h.—Plaster mold for making casts of a stone tablet from

he ruins of Palenque, in Central America.

Pearsall, J.—See Lieut. Mullan.

Pedrin, Don Antonio, through J. Xantus.—Insects and birds from
Cape St. Lucas.

Pena, Don J. .—Seventy species eggs of birds from Chil, South
America.

Peters, Dr. Thos, M.—Skin of blackbird.

Philadelphia Academy Natural Sciences.—Duplicates of Mexican rep-
tiles from Xalapa; skeletons and skulls of mammals in exchange.

Pickering, Capt., U. S. N.—Diptera from Cape Florida; shells and
other marine animals from Key West.

Poey, Prof. F.—¥ishes and birds from Cuba.

Poole, H.—Specimens of nitro-boro-calcite, Productus lyelli, fossil
plants, shells, &c., from Windsor, N. 8

Pope, Capt. J., U.S. A.—Alcoholic specimens from New Mexico.

Porter, Com., U. S. N.—F¥ishes from west coast of Central America.

Potts, John.—Reptiles and birds from Chihuahua.

Pourtales, L. F’.—Fishes and crustaceans from Florida.

Purchased.—Cast of gorilla skull, Gaboon.

ftankin, James.—Shells from Long Island.

fLiavenedl, Dr.—Fungi of South Carolina, (Fasciculus V.)

+

REPORT OF ASSISTANT SECRETARY. 83

Raynolds, Capt. W. F., U. S. A.—Specimens of natural history from
upper Missouri, ‘collected by Dr. Hayden; and of zodlogy, by
G. H. Trook, Jas. Stevepson, and Wm. Vincent.

teed, Peter. —Lower jaw of Ursus americanus, from a peat bog in
Washington county, New York; Larus arcticus, from Wash-
ington county, New York,

feed, Wm. M.—Skins and eggs of birds from Racine, Wisconsin.

Reid, J.—Skins of birds, eggs, mammals, &c., Great Slave Lake.

Remond, Mr.—Yossils from Cache le Poudre.

Richards, Frank.—Eges of Pyranga aestiva, Fairfax county, Va.

Roberts, J. H.—Shells, &c., from Illinois.

ftoss, B. h.—Very complete collections of animals, plants, eggs, &c.
from the Mackenzie River District.

Rousseau, W. A.—Birds nests from Troy, New York.

Rowell, Rev. Jos.—Shells from California.

Rise, A. H.—Conurus xantholaemus, from St. Thomas; and ophiurans,
reptiles, &c., from West Indies.

St. Charles College, La.—Coleopterous insects, ee and reptiles, from
Louisiana.

Samuels, H.—Microscopic slides.

Sartorius, Dr. C.—Crustaceans, insects, and vertebrates, from near
Vera Cruz.

Salvin, O.—One hundred and thirty species Guatemala birds.

Schafhirt, F.—Skeleton of Cistudo carolinensis, from the District of
Columbia.

Schneider, £.—Skins of birds.

Schoonover, Major.—Robe of grizzly bear skin from Yellow Stone river..

Schott, A. — Shells from Humboldt Bay, New Granada.

Schultz, Wm.—Living alligator, from Georgia.

Sclater, P. £.—Skins of birds from Mexico and Jamaica.

Sherman, Capt.—Shells from Magdalena Bay.

Shumard, Dr. B. F’.—Insects from Texas.

Stmonds, H.—Skins of mammals, birds, skeletons, &c., from Essex
county, New York.

Simpson, Capt. J. H.—Minerals and rocks from Utah, collected by
H. Engelmann.

Skilton, J. Avery.—Heptiles, fishes, shells, and two living Sirens, from
Georgia.

Slack, Dr. J. H.—\iggs of grebe and tern, from Minnesota.

Slagle, Mr.—ligegs and tertiary fossils from Virginia.

Smith, Dr. J. Bryant.—Birds, reptiles, insects, crustaceans, and seeds,
from Jamaica.

Somers, Dr., through Dr. Bohrer.—Quartz crystal from Virginia,
inclosing a drop of water.

Snyder, J. S.—See Lander.

Stagg, T. J. —Seventeen-year locust, from Pennsylvania.

Stair, D. F.—Old cup, coin, and beetle, from Hanover, Pennsylvania.

Stanley, J. 8. A.—Fossils from Los Angeles, California.

Stearne, Mrs. J. S.—Portion of Stump of a tree which stood in front
of Washington’s marquee, at Valley Forge, Pa., in the’ winter

Onlin (= 18.

84 REPORT OF ASSISTANT SECRETARY.

Sternbergh, S.—Alcoholic specimens from Panama.
Stewart, George.—Skins of reptiles, nests, eggs, insects, &c., from

Alabama. 2
Stimpson, Wm.—Alcoholic specimens and shrew, from the coast of
Maine.

Stone, Capt. C. P.—Shells from Gulf of California, collected in part
by F. Fitch, Esq.

Swan, Jas. S.—Shells, sponges, and other specimens of natural history,
from Ne-ah Bay, W. T.

Swanston, Thos., per R. Kennicott.—Skins of Arvicola, birds, &c.,
from Great Slave Lake.

Suckley, Dr. George.—Birds, eggs, mammals, and alcoholic specimens,
from Fort Kearny and Fort Laramie.

Taylor, N., per B. &. Ross.—Skin of young muskox, from Fort
Norman.

Tolman, J. W.—Eges from Winnebago, Illinois.

Totten, Gen. Jos. G., U. S. A.—Minerals from California,

Tracy, Henry.—Kigegs, skin of night-heron, and fish, from coast of
Maine.

Travers, Capt. D. B.—Duck eggs with black shells, from Virginia.

Purner, Mr.—Skins of squirrels from Hanno Bay.

Thler, P. &.—Neuroptera for Dr. Hegan.

Unknown.—Shells from Monroe county, Mo.

Unknown.—lLiving green snake, Letophis aestivus.

Unknown.—Huamming birds’ nests.

Unknown.—Living Carolina rail.

Vanskiver, Jas.—Remora from Blackstone Island, Potomac river.

Veatch, Dr. J. A.—Shells from California.

Venable, T. P.—Bones of the head of a Delphinus, from the Pacific.

Villaescusa, Donna Francisca, per J. Xantus.—Large shells from Cape
St. Lucas.

Villasana, Donna Jesus, per J. Xantus.—Shells from Cape St. Lucas.

Vogel, C.—Box of coleoptera, from Rhineland, Mo.

Wallace, J. W.—Serpents and dried Amphiuma, from Louisiana. —

Walsh, D. B.—Diptera, hymenoptera, and neuroptera, from Illinois.

War Depariment.—Mass of native copper, from Ontonagon, Michigan.

Warren, Geo. B.—Eiges from New York.

Welch, Geo. W.—Mounted skunk, red-necked grebe, nests, and eggs,
from Massachusetts.

West, Silas. —Orthopterous insects from Maine.

Wharton, Jos.—Specimens of zine and spelter.

White, Lieut. J. W.—Marine invertebrates, radiata, &c., from Puget
Sound.

Wilcox, H. B.—Nests, eggs, shells, and alcoholic specimens from

Michigan.

Willis, J. It.—Skins of birds, eggs, shells, &c., from Halifax.

Wilhamstown College Lyceum.—Nests and eggs from Labrador and
Greenland.

Windle, J. H.—EKgegs of coopers hawk and skin of snow bird.

Winston, W.G.—Lepidoptera and skins and eggs of birds from Hali-
fax.

- REPORT OF ASSISTANT SECRETARY. 85

Winslow, R. K.—Skin of duck and eges of birds from Ohio.
Wood, Le S.—Nests and eggs of Geothlypis macgillivrayi from Pike’s
eak.

Wood, John C.—Dead alligator from Georgia.

Wood, Dr. Wm.—Skin of Accipiter fuscus, shrew, and nests and eggs,
from H. Windsor Hill, Conn.

Worthen, Prof. A. H.—Types of fossils from Illinois.

Woodbury, U. S. A., Capt. D. P.—Birds from Tortugas.

Wright, J. J.—Portion of an Indian ax from Williamstown, N. C.

Wyman, Prof. J.—Rana sinuata from Adirondac Mountains ; casts
of head of Flat-Head Indian, and skull of Gorilla.

Wright, C._—See Bradford.

Aantus, J.—Very large collections of animals, eggs, plants, &c., of
Cape St. Lucas.

LIST OF SMITHSONIAN PUBLICATIONS DURING 1860.

Astronomical Observations in the Arctic Seas. By Hlisha Kent
Kane, M. D.,U.S. N. Made during the second Grinnell Expedition
in search of Sir John Franklin, in 1853, 1854, and 1855, at Van Rens-
selaer Harbor and other points in the vicinity of the northwest coast
of Greenland. Reduced and discussed by Charles A. Schott, Assistant
United States Coast Survey; quarto, pp. 56, and one plate. (Pub-
lished May, 1860.)

On Fluctuations of Level in the North American Lakes. By Chas.
Whittlesey ; quarto, pp. 28, and two plates. (Published July, 1860.)

Meteorological Observations, made at Providence, R. I., extending
over a period of twenty-eight years and a half, from December, 1831,
to May, 1860. By Alexis Caswell, Professor of Natural Philosophy
and Theology in Brown University, Providence, R. I.; quarto, pp. 188.
(Published October, 1860.)

Meteorological Observations, made near Washington, Ark., extend-
ing over a period of twenty years from 1840 to 1859, inclusive. By
Nathan D. Smith, M. D.; quarto, pp. 96. (Published October, 1860.)

Researches upon the Venom of the Rattlesnake, with an investiga-
tion of the anatomy and physiology of the organs concerned. By 8.
Weir Mitchell, M. D., Lecturer on Physiology in the American Medi-
cal Association; quarto, pp. 156, and twelve wood cuts. (Published
December, 1860.)

The preceding compose vol. XII of Smithsonian Contributions to
Knowledge.

Tidal Observations in the Arctic Seas. By Elisha Kent Kane, M.
D., U.S. N. Made during the second Grinnell Expedition in search
of Sir John Franklin, in 1853, 1854, and 1855, at Van Rensselaer
harbor. Reduced and discussed by Charles A. Schott, Assistant United

86 REPORT OF ASSISTANT SECRETARY.

States Coast Survey; quarto, pp. 90, and four plates. (Published
October, 1860.)

Annual Report of the Board of Regents of the Smithsonian Institu-
tion, showing the operations, expenditures, and condition of the Insti-
tution for the year 1859. 1 volume, 8vo., pp. 450; fifty-five wood
cuts.

Instructions in reference to collecting nests and eggs of North
American birds. 8vo., pp. 22; eighteen wood cuts.

Circular in reference to the history of North American grasshoppers.
8vo., pp. 4.

Circular in reference to collecting North American shells. 8vo.,

JA, :

Circular in reference to the degrees of relationship among different
nations. S8vo., pp. 34.

Circular to officers of the Hudson’s Bay Company. 8vo., pp. 6.

Check Lists of the Shells of North America, prepared for the Smith-
sonian Institution by Isaac Lea, P. P. Carpenter, W. Stimpson, W.
G. Binney, and Temple Prime. 8vo., pp. 44.

List of duplicate shells collected by the United States Exploring
Expedition under Capt. C. Wilkes, U. 8. N. Indo-Pacific Fauna.
Svo., pp. 4.

Catalogue of the described Lepidoptera of North America. Prepared
for the Smithsonian Institution by John G. Morris. 8vo., pp. 76.

‘J

REPORT OF THE SECRETARY.

~
Ch

To the Board of Regents:

GENTLEMEN : In the discharge of my official duty as the principal ex-

ecutive officer of the Smithsonian Institution, I have the honor to pre-
sent to you a report of the operations of the establishment for another
Wear,
It could scarcely be expected that during the existence of an in-
testine war, and almost in the presence of two contending armies,
the Institution should be able to conduct its affairs with the same per-
sistence and success as in the tranquil years of its previous history.
The interruptions and embarrassments, however, although frequent,
and in some cases perplexing, have not prevented the continuance of
the general operations of the Institution, or the prosecution of most
of the special objects which had previously been determined upon as
falling within the scope of the plan of its organization.

At an early period of the war it was for a time proposed by the
government to occupy the building of the Institution as temporary
quarters of some of the troops which were suddenly collected in de-
fence of the capital. In relation to this proposition, it was repre-
sented to the War Department that there was no authority from the
Board of Regents to grant the use of the building for the purpose
intended, but that if the Secretary of War thought proper to take
possession of the premises on his own responsibility, the best arrange-
ments possible to secure the property from injury and at the same
time to accommodate the soldiers, would cheerfully be made. It was,
however, suggested that if an appropriation for such a purpose were
found to be necessary, it would be more in accordance with the spirit
of the Institution to employ the building as an infirmary. Fortunately,
there was judged to be no absolute necessity for the contemplated
occupation, and neither the building nor the grounds around it have
been occupied for military purposes. In this, as in other instances,
the government has evinced a considerate desire to protect the prop-
erty of the Institution and to foster its operations.

Tt has been lately stated in a foreign journal, and the statement has

14 REPORT OF THE SECRETARY.

been widely copied in this country and in Europe, that the bequest of
Smithson had been lost by improper investment; but those who are
acquainted with the history of the establishment know that this state-
ment is without the shghtest foundation in fact. The government of
the United States in accepting the bequest upon the stipulated terms
of the will, became, by an act of Congress, approved by the Presi-
dent, the trustee of the fund and guardian of the Institution. The
agent appointed to receive the money brought it to this country in
British gold, and deposited it in the United States mint in Philadel-
phia, where it was recoined into American eagles. The government —
thus became, by express enactment as well as by the highest equita-
ble considerations, responsible for the security of the funds as well as
for the faithful administration of the trust. It is true that the Secre-
tary of the Treasury, before the money had been permanently in-
vested by Congress, lent it to several of the western States to assist.
in carrying on their works of internal improvement; but it would
have been alike inconsistent with strict justice and the liberal policy of
our government, to devolve on the Smithsonian fund any risk or loss
which might result from this financial operation. Congress, there-
fore, declared, by a joint resolution, that the money of the bequest
vas to be considered as a fund lent to the Treasury of the United
States, the interest of which, at the rate of six per cent. per annum,
is to be applied to the perpetual support and maintenance of the In-
stitution. It is proper to state in this connexion that the government
itself will in time, probably, be reimbursed for the money advanced
to the States, since, in accordance with a rule established by the Hon.
Robert J. Walker, when Secretary of the Treasury, all money re-
ceived in the Treasury on account of the States to which the loan was
made is to be retained until the debt of each is fully satisfied. In
this way nearly four hundred thousand dollars have already been re-
ceived.

Not only does the original fund of Smithson thus remain safe and
unimpaired in the treasury of the United States, but, after paying
for the building, collecting a library and museum, and conducting all
the operations which have given character to the establishment, out
of the income; an extra fund has been accumulated from the interest
itself, which, at the date of the last report, yielded seven thousand
seven hundred and sixteen dollars.

Unfortunately, a part of this fund has been unproductive during
the past year. A petition from the Board of Regents was presented

.

REPORT OF THE SECRETARY. 15

to Congress at two successive sessions requesting that the extra
fund which had been thus economised might be received into the
treasury of the United States, and form a permanent addition to the
original deposit. The proposition was favorably commended to Con-
gress by a report of the committees to which it was referred, but
from the pressure of business the recommendation was not acted on,
and the directors of the establishment were obliged to seek some
other investment of the money. State stocks naturally presented
themselves as apparently offering the safest means of accomplishing
the desired object, and accordingly a committee of the Board decided
upon the purchase of bonds of the States of Indiana, Virginia, and
Tennessee. About $63,000 were expended in the purchase of the
State stocks of Indiana, $50,000 in those of Virginia, and $11,000 in
those of Tennessee. It is scarcely necessary to state that no interest
has been received from Virginia and Tennessee since the date of the
last report, and it is not probable that anything will be obtained
from them for some years to come. The other sums invested in
State stocks have yielded the usual amount of interest. The Virginia
stock is still rated at’'50 per cent. of its par value, and we trust that
the State will, in time, be again able to discharge her obligations to
this Institution; but in the interim there will be on this account a
diminution in the annual income of nearly four thousand dollars.

As an offset to this effect of the unforeseen condition of the States
above-mentioned, information has been received from London of the
death, at an advanced age, of Madame De la Batut, the mother of
the nephew of James Smithson, to whom an annuity was conceded
as a compromise by the Hon. Richard Rush, with a view to the more
expeditious realization of the Smithsonian legacy. The principal of
this annuity, amounting to five thousand and fifteen pounds (about
$25,000) will now be added to the bequest of Smithson, of which it
originally formed a part.

It has been considered advisable, in view of the distracted state of
the country and the failure of the States before-mentioned to pay
their interest, to curtail the expenditures of the Institution, as far as
- practicable, without suspending what have been denominated the
active operations. Yet, while this cautious policy has been closely
observed, it is believed that the Institution has sustained its charac-
ter for efficiency, and that, although it has been exposed to the dis-
turbing incidents of a theatre of war, it has still accomplished much
during the year, and steadily advanced in the career prescribed by

16 REPORT OF THE SECRETARY. ;

its enlightened founder—the increase and diffusion of knowledge
among men.

Publications.—The thirteenth volume of the Smithsonian Contribu-
tions is partly completed, but, on account of the unsettled condition
of the times, it was thought prudent to delay the printing of several
expensive papers until the beginning of the present year. It will be
seen, however, in the course of this report, that the whole number of
pages of printed matter which has been issued, or is now ready to be

issued by the Institution, equals that of any previous year.

The first paper which has been printed for the thirteenth volume
is the concluding part of the results of the discussion of the observa-
tions of Dr. Kane, fully described in the last report. On the com-
pletion of this series of papers, a number of full sets of the several
parts have been bound, with a general title page, into a separate
volume, which is intended for distribution to astronomical and
meteorological societies to which the contributions in full are not
presented.

Another series of papers, partly printed, gives a full discussion of
all the meteorological observations made during the voyage of Sir
F. L. McClintock, in search of Sir John Franklin, in the English
steamer Fox, from the Ist of July, 1857, to September, 1859.

The records of these observations were presented by the com-
mander of the expedition to the Institution for discussion and publi-

cation, in accordance with the plan adopted for those of Dr. Kane;
and since they relate to the meteorology of this continent, and are
the results of a private expedition, it was thought entirely consistent
with the policy of the Institution to discuss and publish them at
the expense of the Smithsonian fund. It would be of great in-
terest to science, and particularly to the meteorology of this country,
if all the observations which have been made in the Arctic regions
were reduced and discussed on a uniform plan, like that adopted in
regard to the observations of Dr. Kane. A correspondence has been
commenced with the proper authorities in England in regard to the
importance of such a work, offering the’co-operation of the Institution
in carrying it into execution.

In regard to the history of the observations made during the voyage
of the ‘‘Fox,’’ the following facts may be stated:

The last expedition of the British government in search of Sir John
Franklin returned in 1854, without doing more than confirming what

REPORT OF THE SECRETARY. ie

had previously been ascertained—that the missing ships had spent
their first winter at Beechy island. Later in the same year the cele-
brated traveller of the Hudson’s Bay Company, Dr. Rae, ascertained
that the missing voyagers had been seen on the west coast of King
William’s land in the spring of 1850, and that it was supposed they
had all died on an estuary of the Great Fish river.

The attempts, in 1855, of the Hudson’s Bay Company to explore
this river resulted in obtaining but little additional information and
a few relics from the Hsquimaux. It was at this time that Lady
Franklin, who had previously sent out three expeditions, again urged
the renewal of the search, that the fate of her husband and his com-
panions might not be left in uncertainty. She, therefore, undertook
once more the responsibility and expense of a final effort to ‘‘ follow
their footsteps in their last journey upon earth,’’ and if possible to
give to the world the scientifie results of the expedition for which
these gallant men had probably sacrificed their lives. In the spring
of 1857 Lady Franklin commenced the preparations for the contem-
plated expedition, and intrusted the command of it to Captain Mc-
Clintock. The small steamer ‘‘Fox,’’of 180 tons register, was pur-
chased for the service, and was put in readiness by the end of June.
The expedition sailed from Aberdeen July 1, 1857, and after a favor-
able run across the Atlantic, passed Cape Farewell, the southern
point of Greenland, on the 13th of July, and arrived at Fredericshaab
on the 19th of the same month. After taking in coal at Waigat,
they arrived at Upernavik, and then bore away on the 6th of August
directly westward, for the purpose of crossing Baffin’s bay, but on
the evening of the 8th their progress in that direction was stopped by
impenetrable ice in latitude 72° 40’ and longitude 59° 50’. They
then steered to the northward, in the hope of finding a passage west-
ward, but in this they were disappointed, and, on the 19th of August,
became entangled in the ice, and thus remained 242 days, until April,
1858. During this period the ‘‘ Fox’’ drifted from latitude 75° north
and longitude 62° west, to latitude 63° 40’ north and longitude 59°
west, or 1,385 statute miles in a southeasterly direction, almost to
the lower extremity of Greenland.

On the 26th of April the ice suddenly and almost entirely disap-
peared, and the ship was again headed northward for another attempt,
and arrived on the 19th of June in Melville bay, and thence again
steered westward across Baffin’s bay, and finally entered Lancaster
sound in the beginning of August. They thence sailed westwardly

2

v

18 REPORT OF THE SECRETARY.

and southerly until they reached the longitude of 96° west; thence
returned along Barrow’s strait to the east, and southerly down Prince
Regent’s inlet to the mouth of Bellot strait, where, at a place named
Port Kennedy, the vessel remained from the 27th of September, 1858,
till August 9, 1859. From this point various excursions, with sleds,
were made in different directions. The expedition returned to Eng-
land in September, 1859.

During the whole continuance of the expedition a series of meteor-
ological and other observations was made. Those of the first year
were taken while the vessel was in a constant state of motion either
sailing through the water, or drifting down Baffin’s bay with the im-
mense field of ice. Those of a considerable part of the second year
were made while the ship was stationary at Port Kennedy.

The observations have all been arranged in four parts: the first
relating to temperature; second, to winds; third, to atmospheric
pressure; fourth, to miscellaneous phenomena, such as auroras,
weather, specific gravity of sea-water, ozone, &.

In the discussion of the records, the whole series has been divided
into two groups, one of which is referred to a point in Baflin’s bay,
and the other to Port Kennedy.

The discussion of the temperatures of each group embraces—

1st. Diurnal variation.
2d. Annual variation.
3d. Relation of temperature to the phases of the moon.
4th. Temperature of different winds.
5th. Temperature of sea-water.
The discussion of the winds includes—
1st. Resultant direction for each month, season, and year.
2d. Velocity for each of these periods.
3d. Frequency of winds from different quarters.
4th. Quantity of air which passed over the station.
5th. Rotation of the winds.
6th. Investigation of particular storms.

A similar series of discussions is also given with regard to the barom-
eter. These discussions have all been made at the expense of the
Institution by Charles A. Schott, of the Coast Survey, according to the
methods adopted by Sir John Herschel, in his admirable article on
meteorology in the last edition of the Encyclopedia Britannica. They
bring out a number of interesting results, particularly in regard to the
rotation of the wind, the effect of the moon on the temperature, and the

REPORT OF THE SECRETARY. 19

connexion of changes of the weather in the arctic regions with those
in the more southern latitudes of the continent of North America.

The observations for temperature were made at equal intervals day
and night; in winter they were generally taken every two hours, in
the summer every four hours. The register extends over twenty-
seven months, and comprises a total number of 7,113 observations.

The highest monthly mean temperature occurred in July. In the first
year, 1857, in latitude 62°, it was 45°.53. In the second year, (1858,)
in latitude 74°.4, it was 36°.60. In 1859, latitude 72°, it was 40°.12.
The lowest monthly mean temperatures were in January. That in
1858, in latitude 73°.2, was —24°.87. The second, that in 1859, in
latitude 72°, was —33°.57.

The mean annual temperature of the year, as deduced from all the
observations at Port Kennedy, in latitude 72°, was 1°.85. The
highest temperature observed at the same place was 55°, which oc-
curred July 29, 1859, and the lowest —49°.8, January 21 and Feb-
ruary 15 of the same year.

The extreme range, therefore, was 104°.8.

The highest temperature observed by Kane at Van Rensselaer
harbor, in latitude 78°.37, was 51°, and the minimum —66°.4, giving
a range of 117°.4

The greatest daily range of temperature was in June, amounting
to 9°.60; the least in December, when it was 09.84. At Van Rens-
selaer harbor, the greatest range occurred in April, and was 9°.09 ; and
the least in November, amounting to 1°, showing a correspondence
in amount of variation, but not in time.

On an average, the maximum temperature is reached between noon
and 1p. m., and the minimum between 2 and 3 a. m.; whereas at
Van Rensselaer harbor, as observed by Dr. Kane, these hours were
respectively 2 p. m. and 1 a. m.

One of the most interesting points of the discussion of the obser-
vations is that of the connexion of the phases of the moon with the
low winter temperatures. This connexion was early suggested by
arctic explorers, and was independently deduced from the observa.
tions by Kane. In order to investigate the question of this connexion
the mean daily temperatures were divided into periods of five days,
thus forming a table in which the dates of the occurrence of full and
new moon are given with the corresponding mean temperatures. By
taking the differences of the mean temperatures it is seen that the
mean temperature is lower at full moon than at new moon by about

20 REPORT OF THE SECRETARY.

7i degrees. This difference is less than that deduced from the ob-
servations of Kane at Van Rensselaer harbor, but of the same kind,
and serves to establish the fact of the occurrence of maximum cold at
the period of full moon. Mr. Schott, in his paper on the discussions
of Kane’s observations, has referred this cold to a secondary action.
The moon, as is now established by direct experiment, radiates and
reflects a considerable amount of heat to the earth, which is of the
kind called dark heat, or that of such low intensity as to be readily
absorbed by the vapor of our atmosphere, and particularly by clouds.
The effect, therefore, of the full moon is to dissolve the clouds, and
thus to give freer passage to the radiated heat from the earth into
celestial space.

In order, however, that this explanation should be true, it is
necessary that the heat from the moon should be more penetrating
and have more effect upon the clouds than that from the earth; and
that this is the case is not improbable, as a part of the heat from the
moon is that reflected from the full meridian sun, while that given off
from the earth is merely due to its own nocturnal radiation.

It is not probable, as we have stated in a previous report, that an
equal difference of temperature at the time of new and full moon will
be observed in middle latitudes, for, from the observations made at
this Institution, the waves, as it were, of cold which reduce the tem-
perature of the United States, frequently begin several days earlier
at the extreme west; and hence while the full moon occurs nearly at
the same moment of absolute time at all places on the surface of the
earth, the maximum cold might occur in one place at the new, and in
another at the full moon. In the arctic regions, on the other hand,
where the moon is at the same moment visible from every meridian,
the effects of its heat must be more perceptible and less masked by
the operation of other causes. In the observations of a long series
of years, however, the difference may, perhaps, be rendered manifest,
even in the latitude of Washington.

Professor Dove, of Berlin, has called attention to the remarkable
recurrence of cold about the 11th of May of each year, but nothing
of this kind can be deduced from the observations during the voyage
of the ‘‘Fox,’’ although from the observations by Kane at Van Rens-
selaer harbor on the 13th of May, 1854, the temperature was 9°.3
lower than that computed for the mean of the same day at the same
place.

The diminution of temperature at this period is evident from the

REPORT OF THE SECRETARY. 21

observations for long series in this country as well as in Europe,
and has been attributed to some cosmical influence affecting the ab-
solute amount of heat received by the earth at this time.

The deductions relative to the elevating and depressing influence
of the wind upon temperature, show that in Baffin’s bay the south-
east winds are the warmest, and the southwest the coldest, and that
the temperature is lowest during calms.

They show, also, that at Port Kennedy the east winds are the
warmest, and the north winds the coldest; there, also, calms are at-
tended with a depression of temperature.

Observations were made upon the temperature of the soil, by sink-
ing a brass tube two feet two inches vertically into the ground. A
padded thermometer was inserted in the tube, and the whole was
covered with snow. The temperature in the external air was lowest
about the 19th of January, and that in the tube about the 10th of
March, when it reached + 5°. Hence the greatest cold in the ground
at a depth of a little more than two feet occurred fifty-seven days
later than at the surface.

In discussing the observations relative to the winds, the whole
period, as in the case of the discussions of temperature, is divided
into two parts—the first when the Fox was in Baffin’s bay, and the
second when she was at Port Kennedy. The number of daily obser-
vations varied from six to twelve; in all cases, however, at regular
intervals.’ The method of reduction is that of Lambert, improved by
Herschel and others, so as to include the velocity of the wind, and
not merely the relative frequency.

. The amount of wind, as estimated by the continuance and velocity
from all directions, was resolved, plus and minus, into two direc-
tions—one, that of the meridian, and the other at right angles to it;
and from these two components a resultant was deduced for each
month, giving the average direction from which the wind came. In
this discussion Mr. Schott assumes the south point of the horizon as
the zero point, because azimuths in astronomy are read in this way,
and he prefers reckoning from the south to the west, rather than from
the south to the east, because the wind-vane is found to rotate more
frequently in the former direction.

The great variation in the direction and force of the atmospheric
currents renders the calculation of resulting values for shorter in-
tervals than a month unnecessary. At Port Kennedy the resulting
direction of the wind is remarkably constant for different seasons.

22 REPORT OF THE SECRETARY.

In winter it is northwest by north; in summer north $ths of a point
west; for the whole year, NNNW%W. The corresponding directions
for Baffin’s bay are nearly the same, and the final resultant direction
for the year at the two localities are practically identical.

In the first year, while in Baffin’s bay, the velocity of the wind
was greatest in February and March, and least in June and July.
In the second year, at Port Kennedy, it was greatest in October and
November, and least in March and April.

The greatest amount of wind, both at Port Kennedy and Baffin’s
bay, was from the northwest, in accordance with the theory of the de-
scent or sinking down of the heavier air in the colder regions, and its
flowing thence to warmer portions of the earth. For the purpose of
ascertaining the law of the rotation of the winds, the records were
examined in reference to the number of times the vane arrived at
each of the eight principal points, and also in reference to the sum
total of angular movement in a direct and retrograde direction.

From this investigation it appears that the direction of the shift-
ing of the wind in spring was direct; at other seasons retrogade, and
that the tote’ amount of angular motion in the course of a year was
very nearly balanced.

At Rensselaer harbor the resultant rotation of the wind was found
to be direct, and this was also the case in Baffin’s bay, although it
would appear from these discussions, that the law of the rotation of
the wind which has been found to prevail in lower latitudes, does not
hold with the same constancy in the arctic regions.

In the year 1857-58, in Baffin’s bay, there were 26 storms of an
average duration of 19 hours; in these storms the prevailing winds
were, almost to the exclusion of all others, from the northwest and
southeast. At Rensselaer harbor, according to Kane, the winds
during the prevailing storms were from the same points of the hori-
zon. At Port Kennedy during the year 1858—’59 there were 22
storms recorded, in which the wind was from the northwest; in a
few cases it was from the northeast; but in not one from the north-
west or southeast.

The third part of the McClintock observations relate to the pres-
sure of the atmosphere. These observations were recorded at equal
intervals of two hours at one period, and of four hours at others.
They were made with a mercurial barometer, and also with an
aneroid.

The records of the readings of the two instruments were compared,

REPORT OF THE SECRETARY. 23

and from them a correction obtained to be applied to the aneroid.
The differences appear remarkably regular, and show that the mean
monthly readings of the aneroid may be relied on to the hundredth of
an inch. The average correction was found to be .022 of an inch, a
quantity which, strictly speaking, is composed of two parts, namely:
of the true index error of the aneroid, and the specific differences of
the two instruments in different latitudes. In the mercurial barometer
a mass of metal is balanced against a mass of air, and, therefore, the
indications are independent of a change of gravity, for the same reason
that a pound weight in an ordinary scale balance is in equilibrium
with the same amount of the material weighed, in whatever latitude
the experiment may be made. Not so, however, with the aneroid
barometer; as this instrument, like the spring balance, indicates the
pressure by the reaction of an elastic material, it must be affected by
a change in gravity, and consequently varies in its indications with a
change of latitude.

The diurnal variation in the pressure of the atmosphere in the
higher latitudes of the arctic regions is very small, and can only be
satisfactorily traced by means of the combination of a great number
of observations, while the fitful variations in the atmospheric pressure
are frequently very large. |

The minimum pressure both at Baffin’s bay and at Port Keunedy
occurred at about half after four o'clock a. m., and the maximum at
about half-past seven o’clock p. m. The range of the diurnal fluctua-
tion in Baffin’s bay is .028, at Port Kennedy .048, and at Rensselaer
harbor .010. There is, therefore, a diminution in the range as we go
northward, and at the same rate diurnal variations would become in-
sensible at about 80° of latitude.

The average height of the barometer varies in different months of
the year; it is greatest in April and May.

The occurrence of the minimum is not simultaneous at the different
stations; at Baffin’s bay it was in January, at Port Kennedy in July,
and at Rensselaer harbor in September, presenting results which
clearly indicate that more observations are required to fix with pre-
cision the time at which it really takes place. The annual range of
the barometer at Baffin’s bay was .44, at Port Kennedy .41, and at
Rensselaer harbor .21.

The relative pressure connected with different winds is also given.
In Baffin’s bay the north wind gave a maximum pressure; at Port
Kennedy, and also at Rensselaer harbor, the south wind produced

24 REPORT OF THE SECRETARY.

this effect. In Baflin’s bay the minimum pressure accompanied the
southeast wind, while at Port Kennedy the same effect was produced
by the northeast wind, and at Rensselaer harbor by the west and
northwest. The lowest reading of the barometer occurred just be-
fore the commencement of violent storms.

Among the miscellaneous observations, perhaps the most import-
ant is one which relates to the aurora borealis. Captain McClintock
observed that the streamers in all cases of the exhibition of this
meteor appeared to come from the surface of open water, and not in
any case from the fields of ice. This observation would go far to
establish the truth of the hypothesis that auroral displays are due to
electrical discharges between the air and the earth, and that these
are interrupted by the interposed stratum of non-conducting ice.

On the occasion of a visit of Lady Franklin last summer to the
Smithsonian Institution, I had the satisfaction’ of receiving, on behalf
of the Regents, her expressiouas of thanks for the discussion and publi-
cation of these observations, connected as they are with the memory
of her lamented husband.

Another paper which has been accepted for publication is entitled
‘¢ Ancient Mining on the Shores of Lake Superior.’’ This paper was
received in July, 1856, but, owing to imperfections in the manuscript,
its publication was indefinitely postponed. The subject, however, of
which it treats has lately received so much additional interest from
the investigations of the archeologists of different parts of Europe
that we were induced to submit it again to the author for correction,
and to have a more accurate map of the mining region prepared, as
well as corrected drawings of the implements made, under the imme-
diate superintendence of the Institution. 'The wood-cuts are now in
the hands of the engraver, and the memoir will be prepared for dis-
tribution without unnecessary delay.

On reference to the first volume of ‘‘ Smithsonian Contributions’’
it will be seen that among the contents of the mounds of the Missis-
sippi valley, as figured by Squier and Davis, are implements and
ornaments of copper, such as axes, chisels, knives, spear heads,
rings, bracelets, &c. The copper of these articles frequently contains
small portions of pure silver—perhaps originally in the form of crys-
tals—which serve in a measure to identify the source from which
the material came. Pure copper is comparatively a rare mineral, and
nowhere on the surface of the earth has it been found in greater
quantity and in larger masses than in that remarkable projection from

REPORT OF THE SECRETARY. 2A

the southern shore of Lake Superior, called Keweenaw Point. Through
the whole of this peninsula a band of metalliferous deposit extends
more than a hundred miles in length, and from one to six miles in
width. Within this band pure copper is found in immense masses,
also in thinner veins and small boulders.

The Jesuit missionaries as early as 1636 mentioned the existence
of copper in this region; their knowledge, however, was probably re-
stricted to small pieces of copper found in the streams. The first
actual attempts at mining in this region within historic times were
made in 1791, by Alexander Henry, but it was not until about 1842
that active and successful operations were undertaken.

Previous to this period pits and small mounds of earth had been
observed in the metalliferous region; but it was only in 1848 that
these were discovered to be remains of ancient excavations con-
nected with the mining of copper. After this fact was clearly ascer-
tained, it was turned to a profitable account by modern explorers,
who found that their predecessors had industriously ferreted out the
rich lodes, and that copper was always to be found by the indications
of the ancient ‘‘diggins,’’ as these excavations are popularly called.
The ground is mostly covered with a dense forest, and, in many
cases, with fallen trees of a preceding growth, indicating a great
lapse of time since the excavations were made. The present Indians
of the region have no knowledge of the origin of these remains, or of
the purpose with which they were connected. The implements em-
ployed by the ancient miners were those which European archeolo-
gists refer to what they call the stone age, and to the transition period
denominated by them the bronze age. They consist of mauls and
adzes of trap rock, and chisels of flint and of copper. Fire was not
employed to melt the metal, but apparently to assist in disintegrating
the rock. Levers of wood were used for elevating large masses, but
with the implements mentioned the earth could only be penetrated
to a short distance. For cutting wood, copper chisels and probably
adzes and axes of the same metal were employed. ‘The copper was
hardened by hammering when cold, and not in any case by admixture
with other metals. The primitive miners were unable to manage
large masses, and consequently sought for lumps which could be
readily beaten into the required shape.

The Lake Superior mining region does not appear to have been
the place of permanent residence of a large number of tribes, for no

26 ; REPORT OF THE SECRETARY.

human remains or sepulchral mounds have been discovered, nor any
evidence of the cultivation of the soil. From the extent of the works,
and the difference in their apparent antiquity, it is probable that a
large number of individuals were engaged, and during a long succes-
sion of years.

Miscellaneous Collections—The Miscellaneous Collections include
works intended to facilitate the study of the various branches of
natural history, to give instruction as to the method of observing
natural phenomena, and a variety of other matter connected with the
progress of science. Although the object of the Institution is not
educational, yet in carrying out the general plan it has been thought
important in some cases to publish elementary treatises, which will
not only furnish an introduction to special subjects to those who have
not access to expensive libraries, but also serve to point out the way
in which individuals by special studies can not only promote their
own enjoyment, but also co-operate with all others engaged in the
same pursuit in extending the domain of knowledge. The objects of
nature, like the specimens of high art, are the luxuries of the culti-
vated mind, and the awakening of a taste for their study affords an
inexhaustible source of pleasure and contentment to the most nume-
rous and the most important classes of the community.

In accordance with this view it was stated in the last report that
the following works were in preparation to introduce and facilitate
the study of conchology, a branch of natural history not only inter-
esting in itself, but also indispensable in the study of geology, as the
ages and relative position of rocks are principally determined by the
remains of this class of animals, which are found imbedded in their
strata:

1st. Elementary introduction to the study of conchology, by P. P.
Carpenter, of England.

2d. List of the species of shells collected by the United States
exploring expedition, by the same author.

3d. Descriptive catalogue of the shells of the west coast of the
United States, Mexico, and Central America, by the same author,

4th. Bibliography of North American conchology, by W. G. Binney.

5th. Descriptive catalogue of the air-breathing shells of North
America, by the same author. |

The first of these works was published as a part of the appendix

to the report of the Regents for 1860, and, in order to meet the

REPORT OF THE SECRETARY. 27

special demand for the article, 1,000 extra copies were struck off
in pamphlet form for separate distribution. To illustrate this work
we have been promised by Dr. Gray, of London, a series of stereo-
type casts from the wood-cuts used in the British Museum catalogues.
They were not received in time to be inserted in the report. We
shall, however, distribute copies of them to all persons who have
received the work in a separate form.

Mr. Carpenter, the author of these lectures, who is well known to
the students in this branch of natural history, has presented in this
work an account of the present condition of our knowledge of the
molluscous animals, and completed a task which will go far to supply
a want which has been experienced by all who have commenced the
study of these objects. The only other popular introductory work
on shells in the English language of a reliable and representative
character, is Woodward’s Manual of the Mollusca, from which it differs
in some essential particulars, which better adapt it to the object in-
tended. It includes an account of the extinct as well as the recent
forms. The families and higher groups as well as the genera are
necessarily very briefly characterized, but sufficiently so to enable the
student, with perseverance and study, to identify the species and
recognize their affinities. One of the best features of the work, and
which will interest the accomplished naturalist as well as the ele-
mentary student, is a table of apparently similar shells belonging to
different families or genera; or of shells whose general appearance
is similar, but which, on account of more important characters, are
separated into widely different genera. It is also proper to remark
that the work is not confined to a description of the external covering
of the animals, but also includes that of their soft parts.

The other numbers of the above-mentioned series of works on con-
chology are still in course of preparation, and will be published as
soon as they are completed.

It was also mentioned in the last report that a series of articles was
in preparation to facilitate and promote the study of the entomology
of North America. This branch of general zoology is perhaps larger
than that of all the other branches taken together. In order to illus-
trate this statement we may mention, on the authority of Baron Osten
Sacken, to whom we are specially indebted for advice and direction
in regard to the best means of promoting this object, that according
to the most recent computations, the number of species of insects in
all parts of the world, is believed to be rather above than below one

28 REPORT OF THE SECRETARY.

million five hundred thousand, a considerable portion of which there
is reason to suppose may be found in North America. To collect,
arrange, and study such a vast number of objects requires a cor-
responding number of co-laborers; but fortunately for the advance of
entomology, wherever a taste for it has been awakened, its votaries
outnumber those of almost any other branch of natural history.
There is scarcely one, says Osten Sacken, which offers equal facilities
to the student who prosecutes its study—scarcely one which is so apt
to become a favorite with every class of persons; and there is none,
even botany not excepted, in which the mere gratification of taste
can be so well combined with real scientific usefulness. It is adapted
to every condition of life, because the specimens take up very little
space, and require but trifling expense in collecting them; to every
degree of education, for the number of insects being inexhaustible,
any schoolboy may make collections or observations of great value to
the more scientific investigator; it can be combined with almost any
other pursuit, and can at any time be laid aside to be resumed at a
more favorable moment.

Advancement of knowledge, however, naturally precedes its diffu-
sion; therefore, before attempting to awaken a taste for the pursuits
of entomological studies, it was necessary to bring this branch of
natural history, as far as it relates to this continent, to a greater de-
gree of perfection than that to which it had attained. American en-
tomology is in this respect, as we are informed, far behind American
botany. The systematical knowledge of the plants indigenous to the
settled parts of North America is almost brought to perfection, and
excellent manuals have been prepared, making it comparatively easy,
even for a beginner, to identify most of the plants he may find. Not
so with entomology; by far the greater number of our insects
are still undescribed. The publications on American entomology
are scattered through a great number of scientific transactions, most
of which are in foreign languages, and therefore inaccessible to the
many who would otherwise be interested in the study.

The first object of the Institution was, therefore, to collect and
present in a compact and condensed form the existing knowledge;
next, to increase this knowledge by encouraging further research by
scientific men, so as to bring this branch of science to a certain degree
of completeness and of symmetry in its different parts, and not until
after this was accomplished to attempt its general diffusion. This

REPORT OF THE SECRETARY. 29

plan has been strictly pursued in the successive entomological works
undertaken for the Institution, as will appear from the following
account.

1. Among all the orders of insects which are found on the conti-
nent of North America, the Coleoptera (beetles) were the best known,
owing principally to the exertions of Dr. Le Conte, of Philadelphia.
What was wanted as regards this order for popular purposes was less
the increase of knowledge than the condensation above alluded to.
This has been aimed at in two publications by the Institution, namely,
Melsheimer’s Catalogue of the Coleoptera of the United States, revised
by Haldeman and Le Conte, and published in 1853, and the Classifica-
tion of the Coleoptera of North America, by Dr. Le Conte. The
first part of the latter appeared in 1861, and the second will be issued
soon. The first of these works facilitated research by furnishing a
list of all the described species, with references to the works or sci-
entific transactions containing them. The second will give a thorough
and detailed account of the systematical distribution of the Coleop-
tera of this country, and thus offer to the student a faithful delineation
of the present state of the science, and to the beginner a welcome
hand-book for its acquisition.

2. The Lepidoptera, (butterflies, moths, &c.,) have always been,
like the Coleoptera, a favorite order of insects, and a considerable num-
ber of descriptions of North American species was scattered through
various works, transactions, &c. It was decided, therefore, to issue
first, a list of these species, with references, on the plan of Melshei-
mer’s catalogue of Coleoptera; next, a republication in a compact
form of all these descriptions in English. Both these works were
prepared, at the suggestion of the Institution, by Dr. Morris, of Bal-
timore, and published, the one as a catalogue, in 1860, the other as a
synopsis of the described Lepidoptera of North America, in 1861. The
latter will save to the lepidopterist much trouble and expense, by
giving him in one volume what he would have had to look for in
more than fifty different publications.

3. The order of Neuroptera (dragon flies, may flies, lace-wings, °
&c.,) contains, comparatively, a small number of species, and for this
reason it was possible to produce at once a more perfect and thorough
work on this order than has yet been prepared on any other. The
synopsis of the Neuroptera of North America, with a list of the South
American species, published in 1861, was prepared, at the requést of
the Institution, by Dr. Hermann Hagen, of Kénigsberg, one of the

f

30 REPORT OF THE SECRETARY.

first contemporary authorities in this branch, and principally from
materials furnished by or through the medium of the Institution. It
contains the description of 716 North American and a list of 507
South American species. The plan of this publication is essentially
different from that of the synopsis of Lepidoptera, the latter being a
mere compilation of existing descriptions, whereas the greater part
of the descriptions contained in the former were drawn by Dr. Hagen
from specimens in his possession, and thus the necessary uniformity
and accuracy have been secured. The original manuscript in Latin
was translated into English and prepared for publication by Mr. Ph.
R. Uhler, of Baltimore.

4, The order of Diptera, (flies, mosquitoes, &c.,) is known to be
exceedingly numerous and of rather difficult study, as much on account
of the minuteness and great fragility of most of the species as of
a peculiar inconstancy and comparative slightness of the characters
used for classification. In this case, asin preceding ones, the first work
directed by the Institution was one of condensation, namely, the Cata-
logue of the described Diptera of North America, by Baron Osten
Sacken. It was published in 1858, and includes a list of about 1,700
species, with references to ninety-five‘works and papers containing
their descriptions, principally in foreign languages.

The next thing to be done was either to furnish a sopublidaeidy
of all these descriptions, like that of the synopsis of Lepidoptera,
or to attempt at once to prepare a monograph of the order. Owing
to the large collections formed by Baron Osten Sacken during his res-
idence in this country, the latter was possible. It was deemed ad-
visable to put these collections into the hands of Dr. H. Loew, of
Meseritz, Prussia, one of the most eminent dipterologists now living,
who will prepare a series of monographs on the different families of
this large order, to be published by the Smithsonian Institution.
The first volume of this series is now in the press.

It may be proper here to call attention to the great importance of
having the first foundation of a study laid by the most eminent
authority. This is especially necessary in regard to the Diptera,
since, as we are informed, this class of American insects contains a
great number of species, closely allied to Kuropean species, and con-
sequently requires an intimate knowledge of the latter to identify the
former. Besides this, there are many insects of the same class in
this*country altogether different from those of Europe, which will
require the formation of new genera, a work which can only be prop-

REPORT OF THE SECRETARY. 31

erly done by one intimately acquainted with the entire subject.
Dr. Loew has found, for instance, that a genus (Paralimna Fab.
Hydromysidae) occurring in North America, and foreign to Europe,
had been also discovered in Africa, and previously described. Al-
most any one but Dr. Loew would have formed a new genus of this
insect, and the interesting fact of the occurrence of the same
genus in Africa and America, and not in HKurope, would have been,
for a time at least, unknown to science. Some other curious re-
sults have been obtained by this naturalist from the study of Baron
Osten Sacken’s collections. A species of borborus, from Cuba, has
been found identical with an African species, and from the matter on
which this fly occurs (alvine dejections) it is probable that it has been
accidentally imported into that island by a slave ship. A still more
interesting result is the discovery of the striking analogy between
the present American and the fossil tertiary fauna, coinciding with
the analogy of the corresponding floras. Dr. Loew having mono-
graphed the fossil Diptera preserved in Prussian amber, and having
described no fewer than 656 of such species, was better able than
any one else to trace this analogy. The remarkable fact appears
from his investigation that insects, some of them very singular, which
are absolutely extinct in Europe, are now found living in America.

Such have been, up to the present time, the entomological publi-
cations of the Smithsonian Institution. They do not as yet embrace
the three orders of Hemiptera, Orthoptera, and Hymenoptera. Mr.
Ph. R. Uhler, of Baltimore, who has for several years made the North
American Hemiptera (tree bugs, plant lice, &c.,) the special subject of
his study, is preparing for the Institution a work in regard to these
insects on the same plan as that of Hagen’s Neuroptera, which it is
expected will be soon ready for publication.

Little has yet been done for the Orthoptera, (grasshoppers, rear
horses, crickets, &c.,) although, owing to the small extent of this
order, it would be a comparatively easy task to produce a work similar
to the synopsis of Neuroptera, if a sufficient collection of specimens
were in existence. The Institution has adopted measures to have |
this desideratum supplied. The study of North American Hy-
menoptera (bees, wasps, &c.,) was undertaken several years ago by
Mr. H. de Saussure in Geneva, and large collections have been fur-
nished to him by the Institution. It is expected that his manuscript
will soon be furnished for publication.

a2 REPORT OF THE SECRETARY.

In order to complete the series of the entomological publications of
the Institution, a want of the intelligent public remains to be sup-
plied, that of a popular work on Entomology in general, designed to
serve as an introduction to this department of zoology, and to facili-
tate its acquisition by presenting its elements in an attractive form,
while at the same time infusing the true philosophical spirit of the
science. Such a work is in contemplation, and will promote more
than any other the diffusion of this branch of knowledge.

Reports.—The next class of publications consists of the annual Re-
ports to Congress. These reports, which are printed at the expense
of the Government, consist each of an octavo volume, limited to 450
pages. They contain the report of the Secretary, the acts of the Re-
gents, and an appendix, consisting of a synopsis of lectures delivered
at the Institution, extracts from correspondence, and information of a
character suited to the meteorological observers, teachers, and other
persons especially interested in the promotion of knowledge. The ap-
pendix to the report for 1860 contained three lectures of a course on
Roads and Bridges, by Prof. Fairman Rogers, the remainder of which
will be given in the report for 1861 ; an extended series of lectures
on Mollusca or Shell-fish, and their allies, by Philip P. Carpenter ;
general views on Archeology, by A. Morlot, translated from the
French ; a series of articles translated from foreign journals; and ex-
tracts from correspondence, principally on meteorology and natural
history.

Of this report 10,000 extra copies were ordered by Congress, of
which 4,000 were presented to the Institution for distribution among
its special correspondents. The requests for this work have been
constantly increasing, and the demand for back numbers to complete
sets has been greater than the Institution could supply.

The following general rules for the distribution of these reports
have been adopted : '

Ist. They are presented to all the meteorological observers who
send records of the weather to the Institution.

2d. To the collaborators of the Institution.

3d. To donors to the museum or library.

4th. To colleges and educational establishments.

5th. To public libraries and literary and scientific societies.

6th. To teachers, or individuals who are engaged in special studies,
and who make direct application for the volumes.

REPORT OF THE SECRETARY. ae

The additional distribution of copies of these reports by Congress
serves still more widely to make known the character and operations
of the Institution, and to diffuse a species of useful knowledge which
cannot otherwise be readily obtained.

Ethnology.—From the previous reports it will have been seen that
the Institution has endeavored to promote various branches of the
science of ethnology. Besides the works on Indian Archeology, it has
presented to the world several papers which relate to language. Inthe
report for 1860 a list of original manuscripts was given, relating
to the languages of the western coast of North America, which had
been received through the assistance of Mr. Alexander S. Taylor, of
Monterey, California. Several of these have been carefully copied,
at the expense of the Institution, with the intention of insuring their
preservation and their subsequent publication. It has been suggested
that the publication of a grammar and dictionary of one at least of
each of the representative languages of North America would much
facilitate the investigation of the general relations of the several parts
of this branch of ethnology. With a view to carrying out this sug-
gestion, means have been adopted to obtain information as to all the
manuscripts which may possibly exist; and we have been so fortunate
as to enlist the co-operation, in this important work, of a number of
valuable collaborators. Among these are Mr. Alexander S. Taylor,
of California; the Catholic clergymen of the western coast of North
America; Mr. George Gibbs, of Washington Territory; Mr. Buck-
ingham Smith, late Secretary of Legation to Spain, and Mr. J. G.
Shea, of New York.

Mr. Shea, who has devoted much attention to the subject of com-
parative philology, has commenced the publication at his own expense
of a ‘‘ Library of American Linguistics,’’ which he is desirous of con-
tinuing as a labor of love; and since it would not be in accordance
with the policy of this Institution to interfere with so praiseworthy
- an undertaking, but on the contrary to facilitate it by all the means
in its power, it has been thought proper to present to Mr. Shea copies
of all the collections which the Institution has yet made relative to
this subject, and to purchase from him for distribution to learned
societies a certain number of copies of all the works which he may
publish. By adopting this course, which has been warmly recom-

mended by some of the principal ethnologists of this country, more
3

34 REPORT OF THE SECRETARY.

service can be done in the way of advancing knowledge with the
small appropriation which could be devoted to this purpose than by
publishing the manuscripts, as was first intended, as a part of the
Smithsonian Miscellaneous Collections. In accordance with this view,
the grammar of the Mutsun language, mentioned in the last report,
has been presented to Mr. Shea, and has been published by him as
one of his series, full credit being given to the Institution in the title
page, and in a separate advertisement.

The Mutsun Indians inhabited the country northwest of Monterey,
California, comprising a district, according to Mr. Taylor, of 170 miles
long by 80 broad, and are the most northerly tribe known of whose
language the Spanish missionaries compiled a grammar. Their village
lay in the centre of a valley which abounded in rich land, and as late
as 1831 numbered twelve hundred souls. For the purpose of com-
parison this work therefore possesses great value. The late W. W.
Turner says that this language is clearly the same as the Rumsen or
Rumsien, one of the two spoken at the mission of San Carlos, and at
the mission of La Soledad, further to the south. It also bears a con-
siderable degree of resemblance to the language of the Costanos on
the bay of San Francisco, and also a fainter one to other languages
further north. The grammar is printed in superior style, on excellent
paper, by J. Munsell, of Albany, and forms Part IV of the linguistic
series above mentioned, the following being the titles of the three
previous parts, viz:

1. A French Onondaga dictionary, from a manuscript of the 17th
century.

2. A Selish or Flathead grammar, by Rey. Gregory Mengarini.

3. A grammatical sketch of the Hévé language, spoken in the mid-
dle of the last century in Sonora; translated from an unpublished
manuscript by Buckingham Smith.

Besides the fourth number, the other works which have been placed
in the hands of Mr. Shea for publication are the Mutsun vocabulary,
the Yakama grammar, and the Sextapay vocabulary. The paper
on the languages of the western coast mentioned in the last report as
in preparation by Mr. George Gibbs is still in progress. He has
received several valuable additions of materials for comparison of
the different languages under investigation.

The publication in the last report of the general views on arche-
ology, by Morlot, of Switzerland, has awakened a new interest in the
remains of Indian art found in all parts of the United States, and

{

REPORT OF THE SECRETARY. 35

various collections are now being formed, which will be of great in-
terest in comparing analogous stages of the mental development of
the primitive inhabitants of this country and those of Europe. For
the purpose of assisting this comparison it is proposed to make pho-
tographic impressions of all type specimens which have been found
in this country, to be distributed to the most distinguished archeolo-
gists in Europe, and to invite a general exchange of illustrations and
articles of this character. Mr. Franklin Peale, of Philadelphia, has
arranged with artistic skill, in thirty tablets, nearly a thousand speci-
mens of arrow heads, hatchets, knives, chisels, and other instruments
belonging to the stone period, and has ascertained by actual experi-
ment that a photographic picture can be taken of each tablet of full
size, which presents the form and peculiarities of each article with
such distinctness that the impressions may serve almost as well as the
specimens themselves for comparative study.

Meteorology.—The system of meteorological observations, organized
and carried on successfully for several years past, has suffered more
from the disturbed condition of the country than any other part of
the operations of the Smithsonian establishment. But few records
have been received since the commencement of the war from Vir-
ginia, Kentucky, and Missouri, and, with two or three exceptions,
none from the States further south.

The withdrawal of the troops from the numerous stations along the
coast of the Pacific and from the interior of the continent has mate-
rially diminished the number of observers reporting to the office of
the Surgeon General.

The popular system of daily telegraphic reports of the condition of
the weather from distant parts of the United States has been dis-
continued ; the continuity of the lines to the south having been inter-
rupted, and the wires from the north and west being so entirely
occupied by public business that no use of them could be obtained for
scientific purposes.

We may mention in this connexion that a daily bulletin of tele-
grams relative to the weather in different parts of Europe, similar to
that established by this Institution, 1s published at the Imperial Ob-
servatory at Paris, copies of which are regularly transmitted to us,
through the kindness of the director, M. Le Verrier. From an ex-
amination of these records we find that the meteorological phenomena

36 REPORT OF THE SECRETARY.

of the temperate zone in the eastern hemisphere travel eastwardly,
or in the same direction that they are observed to follow in the
United States. The meteorologists, however, of London and Paris, |
are by no means as favorably situated for predicting the coming
weather as those of Washington, New York, or Boston, since the
storm which approaches the former comes from the ocean and admits
of but very limited telegraphic announcement, while those which are
coming toward the latter can be heralded over thousands of miles of
wire. :

We have continued to receive records of observations from the
northern and western States, Canada, the Hudson’s Bay Territory, .
Mexico, and Central America.

It was stated in the last report that on account of the suspension
of the annual appropriation from the Patent Office for meteorological
statistics the process of reduction had been discontinued, and we re-
gret to say that we have not been able to resume this work during
the past year. The reductions, however, prepared by Professor
Coffin, under the direction and at the joint expense of the Smith-
sonian Institution and the Patent Office, for the years 1854~ 59, in-
clusive, are still in the hands of the public printer. The work can-
not be hurried through the press, since much labor and care are
required for proper correction of the proof sheets ; the delay, how-
ever, has been mainly caused by the interruptions incidental to the
entire change of system of Congressional printing, and the estab-
lishment of a government printing office. The work will form two
large quarto volumes, the first of which is completed, with the ex-
ception of some introductory matter, and contains 1,270 pages. It
exhibits the monthly and annual reductions for the barometer, ther-
mometer, psychrometer, and rain guage, the observations on winds,
clouds, &c.

The following statement from this volume of the number of ob-
servers for the several years, shows the growth of the system:

1854, embraces 234 stations.

S55. ith. puinpelel weet
185 Gsch iste, +, 2M eaaains
LSB yL, isa! oi 1 SmaI
WS5S: 4 acto we BOO eae:
rT EO me seer is TORT ae

The second volume, which is also partly printed, will probably
contain as many pages as the first, and will give the observations on

REPORT OF THE SECRETARY, oe

periodical phenomena, such as the appearance and disappearance of
birds and animals, first and last frosts, dates of the opening and clos-
ing of rivers, lakes, harbors, &c.; also, detailed observations for the
investigation of the principal storms of 1859; general tables of tem-
peratures of several hundred places in North America, deduced from
a series of years from all the reliable sources which could be com-
manded; also, a series of tables of rain at different places, deduced
from observations for a series of years. The special object of the
extended table of temperature is to furnish the materials for a more
accurate isothermal map of the United States than has as yet been
‘ projected; and that of the rain tables, to present the data for a more
reliable map of the average precipitation in the different parts of the
country.

The volume will also contain special thermometric observations at
stations distributed over the area extending from the Arctic regions
to the northern States of South America, and from the Pacific to the
Atlantic coast, for the purpose of showing the progress of cold periods
across the continent, from the Rocky mountains to Bermuda. The
same volume will also contain daily notices of the weather for the
year 1859, gathered from published accounts, presenting items of in-
formation in a general and popular form, which may assist in the in-
vestigation of the movement of storms, and be of more interest to
the general reader than the tabular statements of the principal part of
the work.

The offigee work of the system of meteorology has continued in
charge of William Q. Force, esq., of this city, to whom has also been
intrusted the laborious duty of correcting the proof sheets of the
volumes above mentioned. :

Magnetic Observatory.—It was stated in the last report that as the
changes in the direction and intensity of the magnetic force at Toronto
were almost precisely the same as at Washington, it was concluded
that more important service could be rendered to science by sepa-
rating the points of observation to a greater distance. In accordance
with this view, the instruments of the observatory on the Smithso-
nian grounds were sent to Key West, one of the Tortugas, where the
United States has a military post, and the Coast Survey a tidal sta-
tion. This location has been found well adapted to the purpose, and
notwithstanding its proximity to the seat of active war, the photo-
graphic registration has been uninterruptedly kept up during the

38 REPORT OF THE SECRETARY.

past year, at the joint expense of the Coast Survey and the Smith-
sonian Institution.

Laboratory.—The operations of the laboratory during the past year
have been principally confined to the examination and classification
of the minerals which have been collected at the Institution from
the various exploring expeditions, preparatory to a general distribu-
tion of the duplicates. This work has been intrusted to Mr. Thomas
Egleston, of New York.

Facilities have been given to Professor Way, of London, for the
exhibition of his improved method of producing an intense light for
signals by means of the electrical deflagration of a stream of mer-
cury, and the Institution is indebted to this gentleman for the present
of a set of apparatus for exhibiting this light, and also of a powerful
galvanic battery. The apparatus of the laboratory has been increased
‘by a large Daniell’s battery, consisting of fifty cylindrical copper
cells, each six inches in diameter and fourteen inches high, with
appropriate zinc elements of pure metal, procured expressly for the
purpose from Mr. Wharton, of Pennsylvania.

Among the experiments which have been made, may be mentioned
a series by Dr. Craig, on the effects of the explosion of gunpowder
under pressure ; and another by the Secretary, on the burning of the
same substance in a vacuum, and in different gases.

A series of researches was also commenced to determine more ac-
curately than has yet been done the expansion produced in a bar of
iron at the moment of magnetization of the metal by means of a gal-
vanic current. The opportunity was taken, with the consent of Pro-
fessor Bache, of making these experiments with the delicate instru-
ments which had previously been employed in determining the vary-
ing length under different temperatures of the measuring apparatus
of the base lines of the United States Coast Survey.

It may also be stated that the Secretary was requested by the War
Department to report upon the practicability of employing balloons
for military purposes, and in accordance with this request the sev-
eral plans proposed by Mr. Lowe, of Philadelphia, and Mr. Helme,
of Providence, were examined and practically illustrated on the
Smithsonian grounds.

It may not be improper in this connexion to state that a consider-
able portion of the time of the Secretary, during almost every year
since the beginning of the Institution, has been devoted to investiga-

REPORT OF THE SECRETARY. 39

tions pertaining to the operations of the general government. For
these services no compensation has been asked or received.

It is believed that the Institution, through its Secretary and other
officers, has been the instrument of important services to the govern-
ment, which have repaid in some degree the fostering care which the
latter has bestowed on the former.

Explorations.—For the purpose of obtaining a large number of
duplicate specimens of the Zoology, Botany, and Mineralogy of North
America, the Institution has not only furnished instructions and ren-
dered assistance, in the way of making collections, to the various
government expeditions undertaken during the last twelve years,
but it has also engaged the services of persons of the requisite
acquirements to make independent explorations. An account of
these explorations has been given in the several reports for previ-
ous years, and it is therefore only necessary to mention at this time
those which have been completed during the past year, or are still
in progress.

The exploration in Lower California, near Cape St. Lucas, the
southeru extremity of the peninsula, by Mr. John Xantus, has been
completed. The labors expended in this field have been truly re-
markable. According to the statement of Professor Baird, Mr. Xan-
tus has sent to the Institution sixty large boxes filled with specimens
illustrating almost every branch of natural history. His explorations
were not confined to the southern extremity of the peninsula, but ex-
tended many leagues up the coast on both the ocean and gulf sides.
He also visited Mazatlan, on the Mexican coast, and made a valuable
collection of birds. The specimens which he collected contain a
large number of species never before described. These have been
submitted for study and examination to some of the principal natu-
ralists in this country and Europe. In closing the accounts of the
explorations in Lower California it is necessary to acknowledge the
services rendered to the natural history of this country by the Coast
Survey, under the direction of Professor Bache, in affording Mr.
Xantus, while discharging the duty of tidal observer, the opportu-
nity of making these valuable collections at points which would other-
wise be almost inaccessible to the naturalist.

The explorations by Mr. Robert Kennicott, in the northwestern
part of this continent, are still going on, the Hudson’s Bay Company
having extended the time and afforded additional means for the prose-
cution of the work. From the latest advices from Mr. Kennicott,

40 REPORT OF THE SECRETARY.

he had reached Fort Yukon, on the Yukon river, a post in Russian
America, and in a region almost entirely unknown, not only in regard
to its natural history but also as to its geography. From this point
he intended to continue his explorations to the mouth of Anderson
river, on the coast of the Arctic ocean, and to return home about the
end of the year 1863. It is proper to remark that in defraying the
expense of this exploration the Institution has been assisted by the
University of Michigan, the Chicago Audubon Club, the Chicago
Academy of Natural Sciences, and by several gentlemen interested in
natural history, and that without the facilities afforded by the Hud-
son’s Bay Company and its officers the enterprise, as at present ex-
tended, could not have been accomplished. Not only has Mr. Kenni-
cott been received as a guest at the different posts, but free transport-
ation has been afforded for himself and his collections. It is gratify-
ing to the friends of this zealous and accomplished young naturalist
to learn that he has everywhere succeeded in exciting the sympathy
and awakening the interest of the officers and employés of the foreign
governments through whose territories his explorations have extended.
And, thus, while actively engaged himself in extending our knowl-
edge of these remote regions, he has diffused a taste for natural his-
tory, and enlisted the services of a number of active collaborators.

The officers of the Hudson’s Bay Company have instituted local
explorations at the principal stations, which, taken in connexion with
what Mr. Kennicott is doing, bid fair to make the natural history of
Western Arctic America as well known as that of any part of the
continent. Among the most active of those who have become volun-
tary collaborators of the Institution is Mr. Bernard R. Ross, chief
factor of the Mackenzie river district. From that gentleman we are
receiving, from time to time, valuable collections of specimens to
illustrate the natural history and ethnology of the region in which he
resides.

Another gentleman, Mr. Lawrence Clark, jr., of Fort Rae, has
contributed largely to our collection of specimens from the vicinity
of Slave lake. Besides these, I must refer to the report of Professor
Baird for the names of a number of other gentlemen who have made
similar contributions from different parts of the Hudson’s Bay terri-
tory, and other districts of North America.

Collections of Natural History, &c.—In the last report of the Insti-
tution, a distinction was made between the collections of natural his-

REPORT OF THE SECRETARY. 41

tory and the museum of the Institution; the object of the former
being more essentially in accordance with the primary idea of the
establishment, namely, the advance of science, and that of the latter a
public exhibition of the natural history, principally of the North
American continent, for popular as well as scientific study.

While it has not been contemplated to employ any large portion
of the Smithsonian income in the support of a general museum, which,
under the most favorable circumstances, must be, in a considerable
degree, local in its influence, and can only produce its best effects
when connected with an educational establishment, as in the case of
the great museum now in process of being formed by Professor
Agassiz at Cambridge, yet much labor and money have been ex-
pended in making the collections, with a view principally to obtain
new materials for the investigation and illustration of the natural his-
tory, mineralogy, and geology of this country. As the primary ob-
ject of the Institution is the advance of science, such a disposition of
the specimens is sought to be made as will best secure this end.

The specimens may be divided into two classes—Ist, those which
have been described in the reports of government expeditions or the
transactions of the Smithsonian and other Institutions; and 2d, those
which have not been described, and which consequently are con-
sidered of much value by the naturalists who are interested in ex-
tending the several branches of natural history. Of both classes the
Institution possesses a large number of duplicates, in the disposition
of which some general principles should be kept constantly in view.
After due consultation with naturalists, the following rules, which were
presented in the last report, have been adopted relative to the de-
scribed specimens : ;

First. To advance original science, the duplicate type specimens
are to be distributed as widely as possible to scientific institutions in
this country and abroad, in order that they may be used in identifying
the species and genera which have been described.

Second. To promote education, as full sets as possible of general
duplicates, properly labelled, are to be presented to colleges and other
institutions of learning that profess to teach the principal branches of
natural history.

Third. It must be distinctly understood that due credit is to be
given to the Institution in the labelling of the specimens, and in all
accounts which may be published of them, since such credit is not only

4? REPORT OF THE SECRETARY.

due to the name of Smithson, but also to the directors of the establish-
ment, as vouchers to the world that they are faithfully carrying out
the intention of the bequest.

Fourth. It may be proper, in the distribution to institutions abroad,
as a general rule, to require, in case type specimens to illustrate
species which have been described by foreign authors may be wanted
for comparison or other uses in this country, that they be furnished at
any time they may be required.

Fifth. In return for specimens which may be presented to colleges
and other educational establishments, collections from localities in
their vicinity, which may be desirable, shall be furnished when re-
quired.

In the disposition of the wndescribed specimens of the collection,
it is impossible to be governed by rules quite as definite as those
which relate to the previous class, but the following considerations
have been adopted as governing principles :

1. The original specimens ought not to be intrusted to inexperi-
enced persons, or to those who have not given evidence of their
ability properly to accomplish the task they have undertaken.

2. Preference should be given to those who are engaged in the la-
borious and difficult task of preparing complete monographs.

3. As it would be illiberal to restrict the use of the specimens, and
confine the study of them to persons who can visit Washington, the
investigator should be allowed to take them to his place of residence,
and to retain them for a reasonable time.

4. The investigator must give assurance that he will prepare a set
of type specimens for the Smithsonian museum, and will return all
the duplicates, if required. ;

5. In any publication which may be made of the results of the inves-
tigation, full credit must be accorded to the Institution for the facili-
ties which have been afforded.

At the last session of Congress an appropriation was made to assist
in the general distribution of duplicate specimens, and this distribu-
tion has been carried on as efficiently as the laborious character of
the work would allow. The mere distribution of the specimens among
colleges and educational establishments in this country, without labels
or descriptions, would be little better than scattering them to the
winds; but to present them correctly named and described renders
them important auxiliaries in the study of natural history, and indi-
rectly in the advance of this branch of knowledge itself. But this

REPORT OF THE SECRETARY. 43

work requires a critical knowledge of each particular class of speci-
mens, and consequently the co-operation of a number of experienced
naturalists, each of acknowledged authority in his special department.

The assortment and labelling of the larger part of the shells is still
in progress under Mr. Philip P. Carpenter, of Warrington, England,
assisted by Dr. Alcock. Certain marine families have been sent to
Professor Agassiz; a part of the fresh water shells has been named
by Mr. Isaac Lea, of Philadelphia; another part by Mr. W. G. Bin-
ney, of New Jersey; another class of mollusks has been consigned to
Mr. Busk, of England; and a third has been sent to Dr. Steenstrup,
of Copenhagen.

The botanical collection is still in charge of Dr. Torrey, of New
York, and Dr. Gray, of Cambridge.

The rocks and minerals have been partially labelled by Mr. Thomas
Hgleston, late a pupil of the School of Mines, Paris, who will probably
finish the work during the present year.

The insects have been referred to Baron Osten Sacken, Dr.
LeConte, Dr. Loew, Dr. Hagen, Dr. Morris, Dr. Clemens, Mr. Ulke,
Mr. Uhler, and Mr. Edwards.

Certain classes of the mammalia have been examined by Dr. J. H.
Slack and H. Allen, of Philadelphia; the birds by Mr. John Cassin,
Mr. Elliott Coues, Dr. Bryant, and Mr. George N. Lawrence; the rep-
tiles by Mr. E. D. Cope; the fishes by Mr. Alexander Agassiz, Mr.
F. W. Putnam, Mr. Theodore Gill, and students of Professor Agassiz;
the crustacea by Mr. Ordway and Mr. W. Stimpson; the radiata by
Mr. Verrill and Mr. Stimpson; the fossils by Dr. Newberry, Mr.
Meek, Dr. Hayden, and Dr. Gabb.

The whole of this part of the general business of the Institution
has been, as heretofore, under the special charge of Professor Baird,
to whose detailed report I would refer for a more particular account
of these operations. From his report it will also be seen that the
Institution has already distributed upwards of 80,000 specimens of
natural history, and when it is recollected that each of these has been
properly labelled and referred to printed lists, some idea of the
amount of labor and time which has been expended on this work may
be formed.

Type series of these specimens have been presented to the prin-
cipal museums of Hurope, and to the different societies for the pro-
motion of natural history in this country. In every part, therefore,

44 REPORT OF THE SECRETARY.

of the civilized world, wherever natural history is cultivated, the
name of the Institution has become familiar as a household word.

The distribution will be continued during the present year, pro-
vided no unforeseen event should occur to interrupt the operations
now in progress.

Museum.—Considerable advance has been made during the year
in improving the condition of the specimens for public exhibition in
the museum. It is intended to label each article distinctly and ac-
curately; but, although much labor has been expended on this work,
it cannot be fully accomplished until all the specimens shall be
thoroughly examined and properly described. A large number of
additions has been made to the museum, and many imperfect speci-
mens replaced by those of a better character.

During the past year Washington has been visited by a greater
number of strangers than ever before since the commencement of its
history. The museum has consequently been continually thronged
with visitors, and has been a never-failing source of pleasure and in-
struction to the soldiers of the:army of the United States quartered
in this city or its vicinity. Encouragement has been given them to
visit it as often as their duties would permit them to devote the time
_ for this purpose.

Laxchanges.—The system of exchanges has continued during the
past year to be the principal means of communication between the
scientific societies of the Old World and those of the New. As might
have been expected, however, the number of copies of works sent
abroad in 1861 was less than that of the previous year. The whole
number of packages containing books, pamphlets, &c., sent abroad
during the year was 1,099, containing, at least, 10,000 separate arti-
cles. The number of packages received in return, for societies in this
country, exclusive of those for the Institution, was 1,406, which, on
an average, would amount to upwards of 7,000 separate articles.
During the same period there have been received by the Institution
for its own library 2,886 books and other publications.

In return for the generous assistance the Institution has received
in carrying on this system of exchange, it is proper to repeat what
we have stated in previous reports, that the Cunard steamers be-
tween New York and Liverpool, the North German Lloyd between
New York and Bremen, the Hudson’s Bay Company, the Pacific Mail
Steamship Company, and Panama Railroad Company, have carried

REPORT OF THE SECRETARY. 45

our packages free of cost on account of freight, and that the New
York and Hamburg line has also generously rendered us a similar
service. Adams’ Express Company has transmitted our packages to
and from different parts of the country at reduced rates. This ap-
preciation of the objects of the Institution is as creditable to these
companies as it is gratifying to the friends of the Institution.

Library.—Since the date of the last report the plan adopted in
regard to the library has been steadily acted upon, namely: to obtain
as perfect a series as possible of the transactions and proceedings of
the learned societies which have existed, or now exist, in every part
of the world. During the past year nearly 3,000 articles from societies
abroad, and copies of nearly everything which has been published by
societies in this country, in Canada, and South America, have been
added to the list of scientific works previously in the library.

We have received no definite information since the date of the last
report as to the progress which has been made, under the direction
of the Royal Society, in the preparation of the classified index of
all the papers contained in the transactions of learned societies, and
in the scientific serials of different parts of the world. The work,
however, is still going on, and will, without doubt, be completed as
soon as so extensive an undertaking can be properly accomplished.

The second and concluding volume of the catalogue of zoological
literature from 1750 to the present day, by J. Victor Carus, of Leip-
sic, which was mentioned in the last two reports, has been published;
and we would again commend it to the patronage of naturalists as the
best compilation which has yet appeared of the titles systematically
arranged of isolated papers on zoology published in American as well
as foreign journals.

Among the more important donations since the date of the last
report are the following :

130 volumes from T. Einhorn, of Leipsic;

18 from the Institut de France;
27 from the Academy de Stanislas, Nancy;
13 from the Agronomical Society, of Poland;
21 from the Royal Swedish Society of Sciences;
11 from the Koniglich Preussische Technische Bau-Deputation;
10 from Oberlausitzische Gesellschaft at Gorlitz;
30 from the University of Chile;
8 from the Imperial Printing Office, Vienna;

46 REPORT OF THE SECRETARY.

25 from the Royal Observatory, Greenwich;

33 from the Academy of Sciences, St. Petersburg;
and a valuable collection of works on natural history from one of
the regents, General Joseph G. Totten, of the United States army.

Gallery of Art.—The Stanley collection of Indian portraits and
scenes of Indian life, together with the Indian portraits received
from the museum of the Patent Office, still continue to form an
ethnological gallery of much interest to the numerous visitors of
the Institution. The small appropriation which was previously
made to repay Mr. Stanley for incidental expenses connected with
this gallery has been continued during the past year. The appli-
cation which Mr. Stanley has, for several years, made to Congress
for the purchase of his gallery cannot be expected at this time
to receive attention, although we hope that in a more favorable
condition of the treasury an appropriation for the purpose will be
granted.

The following are the additions which have been made to the col-
lection of objects of art during the past year: A large marble bust
of Pulaski on deposit; a colossal bust in plaster of Dr. Robert Hare.
Another, of the same size, of Hon. George M. Dallas; also a bust of
Thomas Jefferson, and another of Dr. HE. K. Kane, all by purchase.
They are original works of art, of considerable merit, by Henry D.
Saunders.

Besides these, a series of busts in plaster, several valuable pieces
of sculpture in marble, and a number of pictures, have been received
from the museum at the Patent Office. Among the busts are the fol-
lowing: An excellent likeness of John Vaughan, for a long time lbra-
rian of the American Philosophical Society ; one of Cuvier, the French
naturalist; of Hon. Dixon H. Lewis, late member of Congress, re-
markable for his immense bodily size; and of the Hon. Peter Force, of
this city. Among the articles in marble are a full-sized medallion of
Minerva from Pompeii, a half-size copy of the Apollo Belvidere, and
two other half-size ancient statues, all of elaborate finish. Among
the pictures is an original portrait of Washington by the elder Peale,
painted immediately after the battle of Princeton. In additien to the
foregoing, the collection has been increased by one hundred large
engravings presented by Charles B. King, a well-known artist, who
has resided many years in this city. These engravings are copies of
celebrated pictures, and are illustrations of the style of some of the
best masters of the art of engraving. They were to have been be-

REPORT OF THE SECRETARY. AT

queathed to the Institution, as Mr. King himself informed me, but |
he has lately concluded to present them before his death. A list of
the engravings will be found in the appendix to the report of the
present year, from which it will be seen that they form an interesting
addition to the valuable collection of engravings already belonging
to the Institution.

It was stated in the last report that, in accordance with the policy
adopted by the institution, it would be proper to co-operate with Mr.
Corcoran in the liberal and generous enterprise he had undertaken
of establishing a free gallery of art in the city of Washington, and
to deposit in his collection the specimens which might belong to this
establishment, due credit being given to the name of Smithson for
all additions of this kind to the gallery in question. The condition
of the country has, however, for the present interfered with the prose-
cution of the original design of Mr. Corcoran, and the large and ele-
gant building which he has erected for carrying out his ideas is now
occupied by the government as a depot for military stores.

Lectures.—On account of the uncertainty as to the amount of in-
come of the Institution, and the distraction of the public mind in
regard to the war, it has been thought advisable not to make any
definite arrangements for the usual course of popular lectures during
the season of 1861—’62. A few lecturers, however, have lately been
engaged, and at least a partial course will be given.

As stated in previous reports, the lecture-room of the Institution
is the most commodious apartment in the District of Columbia for
public meetings, and frequent applications are made for its use for
lectures and public assemblages not connected with the operations of
the Institution. The use of the room has been freely allowed under
the following conditions: First. That the object for which it was
required should be of a benevolent character, or in some respects in
accordance with the general operations of the establishment. Second.
That subjects connected with sectarianism in religion, discussions in
Congress, and partisan politics should be excluded. Third. That the
actual expense of the gas and attendance should be defrayed by the
parties who used the room.

The privileges granted with these restrictions, although, perhaps,
of advantage to the city, have been found to be attended with
‘unfavorable results to the Institution. At first the number of appli-
cants was small, and principally confined to cases in which the

48 REPORT OF THE SECRETARY.

privilege could be granted without hesitation; the number has,
however, been constantly increasing, and during the past half year
there has scarcely been a day in which the favor has not been urgently
solicited by some of those who flock to this city with plans and in-
ventions by which, as it is asserted, the government and the public
are to be greatly benefited. These applications are prompted not
only by the consideration that the use of the room may be obtained
without charge, but also by the desire to connect the name of the
Institution with the schemes or doctrines with which the public are
to be impressed.

Since the custom was first introduced of granting the use of the
room for the purposes before mentioned, a large amount of valuable
property has been accumulated in the building, which is especially
exposed at night to injury and loss from fire and other causes. On
this account, as well as that of the insulated and exposed position of
the grounds, an extra corps of watchmen is required for the protec-
tion of the property every time the building is open at night for
public purposes.

Again, it has been found a disagreeable matter to allow, even for
benevolent purposes, a charge to be made by other parties for en-
trance to the building while, in accordance with the policy of the
Institution, admittance is free to every one.

_ But the greatest difficulty which has been met with in regard to

granting the use of the lecture room for other purposes than those
of the Institution, is that of strictly enforcing the rules relative to
the discussion of political and sectarian subjects, and the conse-
quent impossibility of preventing the name of the Institution from
being associated in the mind of the public with topics alike foreign
to its peaceful character and its scientificreputation. It isin vain to
disclaim the connexion of the institution with the discussion of these
subjects. The popular mind, particularly ata distance, cannot dis-
criminate between the lectures given under the sanction of the Insti-
tution and those which are simply permitted to be delivered within
its building.

In view of these facts it becomes a matter of grave deliberation
whether or not the use of the lecture room ought to be granted for
purposes not connected with the operations of the Institution; but,
under existing circumstances, perhaps the subject had better be post-
poned for future consideration. |

Respectfully submitted,
JOSEPH HENRY, Secretary.

APPENDIX TO THE REPORT OF THE SECRETARY.

‘Smirasonian Institution,
v Washington, December 31, 1861.
Sir: I have the honor herewith to present a report for 1861 of the
operations intrusted to my charge, namely: those which relate to the
printing, the exchanges, and the collections of natural history.
Very respectfully, your obedient servant,
SPENCER F. BAIRD,
Assistant Secretary Smithsonian Institution.
Prof. JosppH Henry, L.L. D.,
Secretary Smithsonian Institution.

PRINTING.

The publications of the past year have consisted principally of
works belonging to the octavo series of Smithsonian miscellaneous
collections and reports, and they amount to about 1,400 pages.

EXCHANGES AND TRANSPORTATION.

As might have been expected, the operations in this department
show a decrease in magnitude as compared with 1860. That year,
however, was an exceptional one, and the receipts of 1861, though
inferior to those of 1860, are yet equal to the average of preceding
years. Many works of great value have been added to the library
of ‘the Institution, and numerous series of foreign transactions com-
pleted to date. The transmissions of books and pamphlets on behalf
of American institutions has been very large, and the returns of cor-
responding magnitude.

It will be observed by the annexed table that the Smithsonian In-
stitution is not only the medium of literary and scientific communi-
cation between the Old World and parties in the United States, but
performs the same office for all the principal institutions in the re-
maining countries of America, as Canada, Cuba, Mexico, Chile, Bra-
ail, New Granada, &c.

In 1861, as in previous years, very important services have been

‘B rendered by various transportation companies in the reduction or re-
mission of freights. Among these may be mentioned from previous
years the Pacific Mail Steamship Company, the Panama Railroad
Company, the Cunard steamers, the Bremen or North German Lloyd,
the Hudson’s Bay Company, the Adams Express Company, &c.
During the past year the directors of the New York and Hamburg

A

50 REPORT OF ASSISTANT SECRETARY.

line have also authorized their agents to forward packages to or from
the Institution free of charge.

The Institution is under many obligations to Mr. A. B. Forbes and
Mr. Samuel Hubbard, of the Pacific Mail Steamship Company, in San
Francisco, for important services in facilitating and conducting its.
general business of exchanges, shipments, &c., on the Pacific coast.

The domestic agents of exchange, consisting of Messrs. Swan,
Brewer & Tileston, Boston; D. Appleton & Co., New York; J. B.
Lippincott & Co., Philadelphia, and Robert Clarke & Co., Cincinnati,
have, as heretofore, received and distributed without charge the
copies of Smithsonian contributions to knowledge addressed to insti-
tutions within their reach.

A.
fieceipt of books, dc., by exchange in 1861.
Volumes :
Octave ose. BE ROHR GOR St Os Anata Alia aR ENT a eNO SUM aeiecderc as Soltero fe 572
QU NRiOa ge HSH BOO Goo aw Boog gd noogoolée ope os dol 196
LNG UG RE en Oy FS Ee MIO Se ea Sis daitei oes warlocbun Venetl ction euanas 53
821
Parts of volumes and pamphlets :
CE VETIE OTe CUR ee ast IDI EN MD tua aaa NS iA ree Na gc. ie 955 '
QUPBIEKO)s o6 ota cao die 6 OCOD Oh ioc ao Hone. eo 2 583
HHS eo, Fe: SADE OUR RATS ALOR EGO 107
1,945
Maps PANG CIDATES eros eer ate Mioncaitabeaie: UI Oe) crete cick at ae eis Sais 120
Ee ee ake oo se cic ee ena ae eae be 2, 886
B. |
Table showing the statistics of the foreign ecachanges of the Smithsonian
: Institution in 1861.
y 1 ’ qd wn
se i 3 fe | 2g
oD Ss ca © & Gy
Agent and country. _ B Ze S ae ae
Be BLS OH) BERG See | eee
q | | 45 0
Ss =] i=] = )
Z A A 6a =
1. Dr. Fenix FriceEn, Leipsic.
Sweden) 225 =e Se Lhe 13 DGS eo ta tain ee lel sim ieee | ee
Norway ls lt oi. Ue ee 6 PS | ae cree elses = saree eerie
Wenmavles 225 2.2 = oie SSS 10 Le Aor eer esed NSS cic yreyance
(RUSSIA eee en 2 iain A aon seen 29 AOS ete a crainto;s\| emia ee | Seperate
PIOUAM Ge sats aia acicjocie s Seemann 25 H: 9 (pan ib | apes
RCMMAU Vinee sa see! a re ale estes 232 DLE.) I aasia sa =a a aaa te roe
Switzerlandes 7. sso 55). be eee 21 Ben RE ere ia | Shere EN ede el yrs
IDOI OANI esas = s/o o,0— «01> iste crepe il DUM iy |e tote a ume ib | smasher Pel ane

REPORT OF ASSISTANT SECRETARY. 5l

B.— Table showing the statistics of the foreign exchanges, &c.—Continued.

; &, 3 D 43 Sa
Siu llqet a i eens
Agent and country. _# : S S i r) 3
Ae We aad Oe uve Ger
EI EI g iS) oS
S = 5 3 iS
a A A a) =
2. Hecror Bossance & Sons, Paris.
TAN Ce ete wees NU eo Se Lewes 69 29 ace SNe sat lee See ee ee
AN Gea Deyyereeaye ete nN Rh UT a IS 3 iy: Fg ees eercde (yes Rey PD arterial
Spam ews we see Lae 5 Ge Nie yee cee sticiece (So naemas
Once alee Hey ery ge eae 2 a eh fe es [PaaS =e | ae uf
ils 206 7 94 2,588
3. Royat Socrery, London. ;
Great Britain and Ireland-.-----.- 151 205 6 73 2,030
Aa ReStIOPM the WOT ae sone See acacia ate ate 52 147 30 180 4,500
BN tie a a Ue aah ot eed 665 | 1,099 73 625 16, 958

"N. B.—The total number of volumes in these 1,099 packages amounts to about 10,000.

C.

Addressed packages received by the Smithsonian Institution from parties
in America for foreign distribution in 1861.

Number of packages,
Albany, N. Y.—

New York State Agricultural Society. .----- -- vetoes 10
_ Boston, Mass.—
American Academy of Arts and Sciences------+--+-+: 118
Boston Society of ee al Poston ee eee eee eee 64
Prof. Jules Marcou--.-.--- (aahay ote celeat cove vei RR OSU Re Nd 20
Cambridge, Mass.—
American Association for Advancement of Science---. 53
Prof. A. Grays esse ceeeee es BR ORT secre Te Nate RO Ma AT ARIES QF
Chicago, 1il.—
‘Lieut. Col. James D. Graham, U.S. A------ +--+ -2- 907
Pcatiabics Ohio. —
Ohio State Board of Agriculture-------> Dene e ene ee 100
Leo Lesquereaux: ++++ ++ eee et cree ee eee eet eee nes 50

Dorchester, Mass.—
Dr AVI he Gi Schiis.e so 2 Darra iatretbiatta,ietfarts LHe Dy GE ir

“52 REPORT OF ASSISTANT SECRETARY.

Indianapolis, Ind.—

Institution for Deaf and Dumb.....-..........

New Haven, Conn.—

American Journal of Science. ----......+.--
Provera. icine nie eur sscuckeectehe: sha eysimphereteielerakabe

Tattle Rock, Ark.—

ent AOE Mo ACE KIN GAG cite tens ciel Sioa Moa Race heke Micoualledee emacs

New York.—

New York Lyceum of Natural History...-...-.
Astor Library Laie Mel sttaita lalla VeMis) avai Eaw a Wemealen eewelelemauents
Cliarlss tee Norton re tek eee aes eee

Philadelphia, Pa.—

Academy of Natural Sciences-----+-.-..+-+-

American Philosophical Society - -
Entomological Society of iElbflatle ries

Princeton, N. J.—
Prof. Arnold Guyot. -
Providence, Rk. [.—

Shavieroie Miivaels lisibnivils 6se\b eis ocoesibado Hos 44-

St. Louis, Mo.—

St. Louis Academy of Sciences---.-++++..+.-.

San Francisco, Cal.—
California Academy of Natural Sciences
Toronto, Canada.—
Canadian Institute
Washington, D. C.—

U.S: Patent Officer’... wie holes sear a see elns
U. S. Coast Survey «ial aria Mahe he Namah Ste Rae ed han, | GaN ge Wien
Secretary 701 Hah >) acter SPO cRMAUE mmarated Ls aoe
Captain A. A. Humphreys..-..............-

see ee ee eee ee eo fe ss oe ee Co ew

Number of packages.

nN 18

Re 800

airoar tenet 6

eee wees

REPORT OF ASSISTANT SECRETARY.

D.

53=

Addressed packages received by the Smithsonian Institution from Europe, for
distribution in America, in 1861.

Albany, N. ¥.
Albany Institute.....-..---..------
Dudley Observatory...----..---.----
New York State Agricultural Society - -
New York State Library---.---.----
New York State Medical Society._..--
Dre TOMNM OW Mos = eis \se meee ee ale
Amherst, Mass.
Amherst Collegesesus sees eee.
Annapolis, Md.
Statewlibranyes sen yonece ace

Ann Arbor, Mich.

Number of

Obsenvatory eee eae ue
Professor Brunnow..---------.-----
Augusta, Me.

State Library. 222252205. csce Seen

Austin, Texas. ‘
State Walbranyecesoe eee eee neces
Baltimore, Md.
Maryland Historical Society-...-----
Snowdon Piggot ............-.-----

Baton Rouge, La.
Sidhe CUIDTAryicdciec wacaace = = wases

Bogota, New Granada.

Sociedad de Naturalistas Neo Granadi-.
TOPS pate AY SS OIE Oa a US De OE

SERA gE TR Uy EA Bea ge
Boston, Mass.

American Academy of Artsand Sciences

American Statistical Association -_---

American Unitarian Association..-...
Boston Society of Natural History ..--

packages.

CO me bo 7 Co bo

bo

co

Boston, Mass.—Continued.

Bowditch? Library <2 25.2.5 dsaces
Geolopical Sarveyscess.- j2seeeeees
Massachusetts Historical Society--~-..
New England Historic-Genealogical
Nocletyu2 ss. shseee vena kee
Prison Discipline Society.....----.-
PubliciUibrany. sees dees
State Libraryeose Seesaw seseeecct
James Barnard) alo See abies ais cael

Professor Moreland and F. Minot... .-
Professor W. B. Rogers....--.-----
Geo IGk Or ieee ee et

Brooklyn, N. Y.

Dr Lewis Bavuelieses!| see see eee eee
Hay NUSent eee eee. SECC wate

Brunswick, Me.
Bowdoin College... 22-2. --- s2---1=-
Historical Society of Maine ...-.-..
ASS se Packard li ose ee ie cn rare

Burlington, Iowa.

Iowa Historical and Geological Insti-

Burlington, Vi.
University of Vermont -.....------
Cambridge, Mass.

American Association for Advance-
ment of Science _...-.-.-.------
Astronomical Journal.....---------
Astronomical Observatory ----------
Harvard College ..----------------
Nautical Almanac Office .----------
Professor L. Agassiz------~---------

Number of
packages

bo bo eS

EP NEF NN WH NH DOH eH

a

bo co

54

¢

REPORT OF ASSISTANT SECRETARY.

D.— Addressed packages received by the Smithsonian Institution, §c—Continued.

Cambridge, Mass.—Continued.

Gor Bond saeco wesnece neste arate

Professor Asa Gray.----.---.- Anes
ProlessOrselercessec ec me es Se ses oe ee
RWis Putian shes! see a eee
J.D Runkless a Sae sree 2 oe eso
Ernest Schubert-_..... Suse Ame ae
irs; Sullivan eye ee eae ee rae

Charleston, S. C.

Elliott Society of Natural History ----
Societys ibranyaass soe see eee ees
Dri Catlappoldtase sae ee ee
Professor J. E. Holbrook--....-.....
Wilmot De Saussure._--..-.--.-----

Charlottesville, Va.
University of Virginiadss2ss5222--¢
Chicago, Lil.

Acagemy ot Chicasoee aes erase esse
Chicago Historical Society....-......
Mechanics’ Institute..-.-...........
Messrs. N. 8. David and Byford......
Colonel J. D. Graham ~.-02 022-2022.

Cincinnati, Ohio.

American Medical College..-........
Historical and Philosophical Society of

Qhio 2 s2 2 soe hae obs ee ae ee
Mercantile) fabrany2 2 see eee 2 See
Observatory.Sasjccten cee cee ae
Professor Mitchell ...... EPpy ee
Dr, Newton 222222 s2eh2s.eee5 5223

Columbia, Penn.
S78. Haldeman 2 - oc yosemite ne eee

Columbia, S. C.

South Carolina College ..........-..
Hiaterinbraryssses'se sae eo. Nee

Columbus, Ohio.

Ohio State Agricultural Society ......
State TAD VAary se ane b oi sin in lnlie aime cial

deo Lesqueren kc oe met eaaycin cami

Number of
packages

ae

a oC CN eo ot)

a |

—

mre Co > bo

bo

Concord, N. HZ.

New Hampshire Historical Society - --
State Mibrary, co. nc o0 ce cee

Des Moines, Lowa.

State Libraty--ceces) eeeeeeeee eee

Detroit, Mich.
Michigan State Agricultural Society - -

Messrs. Palmer, Gunn & Stearns-----
Dr. Zena Pitcher and A. B. Palmer..

Dorchester, Mass.

Dr We Jarvises Ges 4. se ee

Hast Greenwich, N. Y.

DANSE TAG) Nps i aL a

Frankfort, Ky.

Geological Survey of Kentucky--.--
Statediibranyoeeee ese ae eae eee

Gambier, Ohio.
Kenyon Collese a2. San eee ae
Georgetown, D. C.

Georgetown College.._----.---...-
Arthur Schottseseeeesee semen eee

Hanover, N. #.

Dartmouth College...-...----.--.-
Professor Young..----- peer e renee

Harrisburg, Penn.
SHES) MOEA yan roc beerodemodCas
Hartford, Conn.
Historical Society of Connecticut..-..
State Library > ene heinitignteeee oaee
Young Men’s Institute....-..--...-

Havana, Cuba.

Meteorological Observatory -......-

Number of
packages,

rt 1 6

mt or

co GO bo

REPORT OF ASSISTANT

SECRETARY.

55

D.— Addressed packages received by the Smithsonian Institution, §c.—Continued.

Hudson, Ohio.
Western Reserve College---...---.--
Indianapolis, Ind.

Indiana Historical Society......--.--
Statevuibranyee oo 26 eset esas s

Lowa City, Lowa.
tare Wmiversitya sees ae ee oo eee
Jackson, Miss.
babe Mal brary sete era eN ee art Oe
Janesville, Wis.
State Institution for the Blind-.....-
Jefferson City, Mo.
HACE IDIATY eso sala oon Sree le
Lansing, Mich.

Michigan State Agricultural Society -..
State Library soe a2 Seca cs eo

Lecompton, Kansas.

State Tabeany PS ot Eee ae OE
Little Rock, Ark.
SlaberOmATKANSASE = ee jalsa cies cia
Statembibrary =o Sekt ee lbs

University of Arkansas_---.....----

Louisville, Ky.

Madison, Wis.

Historical Society of Wisconsin.-.-.-- |

mbale Pabraryase. se Se ee

Wisconsin State Agricultural Society ..
McMinnville, Warren county, Tenn.

CH vHalconnetie sche oh soso dktes

Mexico, Mexico.

Sociedad Mexicana de Geografia y Es-
ACIS Gane seers ee OE! oe oul

Number of
packages

oo

29 ||

qo to

a

100 9

Milledgeville, Gia.

| State library... 254 sssse eee eee
Montgomery, Ala.

| State Mibranyse cs oe esse ope 3
Montpelier, Vt.

Historical and Antiquarian Society of
Vermont ~ i355 eeaee ee awac ete ee

Montreal, C. E.

Natural History Society _-.--....-.
Professor le Sy elunities sees ea
DITA Wi wWuO Pale ee meee ee eleeteae

Nashville, Tenn.

State Library
IBROLESSOL DlACKI Crea ete meee sees see

New Brunswick, N. ; J.
Professor George H. Cook-.-......-

New Haven, Conn.

American Journal of Science
American Oriental Society
Walei@olleme nea sears tas arias
Proftessomu= Da Dandeeeseseseeaeoe
Brofessor 1); oomisesces esse eee.

New Orleans, La.

New Orleans Academy of Natural
Sciences fesse et eee eee ee

New York, N. Y.

American Ethnological Society
American Geographical and Statisti-
CaliSociety sess eee see aa ale=
American Institute _..- -----.-..--
Astor Wiibraty ee se seeeie ea ===
Board of Education....-.----------
Historical Society_....------------
Mercantile Library Association --- - -~
New York Journal of Pharmacy ----
New York Lyceum of Natural History
Norton’s Literary Gazette .---.----

Number of
packages

m Oo

or

(St)
bo

bo OH Oo HO nr 00

Co

56

REPORT OF ASSISTANT

SECRETARY.

D—Addressed packages received by the Smithsonian Institution, &c.—Continued.

New York, N. ¥.—Continued.

Wniversity Mibrary s+ 52s 5.5225 = 2. |
J. Russell Bradford
W. Dornbach

ee eee

David Dudley-iiteld s2sss554 25205222
Messrs. Frank & Norton......--....
Henny, Grinnell see eeee se eee Seen
Bu (8g Ee Eo a re Ae ee oe

Dr. E. Hageieon Rae n a et I WS
E. G. Squier
Drivohnwlorreyacn eo sense eee

Olympia, Washington.
Territorial Mibranyecac ose eS |
Omaha, Nebraska.
Merritorialibrarye eee. mesa aise
Philadelphia, Penn.

Academy of Natural Sciences.-..----
American Philosophical Society.-----
Central High School
Franklin Institute
GPOLOnical SUL elms Seas
Historical Society of Pennsylvania... -
Philadelphia Library Company
Wagner Free Institute .--...--..--.
WIG. Binney oe as Sere te tee
Mr) Ope See ie te ee re tes

Dr. Robley Dunglison --.------------
Messrs. Gross & Richardson..-...-.--
Professor Haldeman......-.--------
Isaac I. Hayes
Isaac Lea

Dr; Joseph, Leidy san. caer eee eee
William Sharswood
Professor Wagner

ee ee

Portland, Me.

Neal Dow, Mayor of Portland

Princcion, N. J.

College of New Jersey..----....-.--
ProfessorvAlexanders oo cnc cee ses

Professor A, Guyopn eae pp iniewint ci a'nimimie

Number of
packages.

DD BD Rt be bt eS Ot et bt

—
MOON OHH eH eee oto Pb

|| Dr. Adam Hammer

| Dr. B. FH. Shumard

Providence, R. J.

|| Brown University..-...-.---------

Rhode Island Historical Society... ..
State Mibrany ) 2325 SNe a Seo
John Carter Brown

Quebec, C. B.
Observatory 2 Sesh ska e ee
Quincy, Ill.
Dr. John Ritter

a)

Raleigh, N.C.

|| State Ihibranyeee see eeee eee

Richmond, Va.

|| Historical Society of Virginia-..-.--

barbell Taye er eee eae
Rio Janeiro, Brazil.

Inst. Hist. Geogr. of Brazil.-.--..--
Nautical Observatory...-----------

Rock Island, Ill.
Benjamin D. Walsh....-..-.---- as
Sacramento, Cal.
State iibrany ese sees ee eee
St. Augustine, Fla.
Historical Society of Florida..-.-..-

St. John’s, N. B.
King’s College

ee

St. Louis, Mo.

|| Geological Survey of Missouri, (Co-

lumbia, Mo)
St. Louis Academy of Sciences.....-
University Library.----.--.---.-.-
Dr. George Bemays....--.--------
Dr. George Engelmann.....-.-.---
Messrs. Eginton & McPheeters-.----

wee eee ewe

Mr. Leslie
Dr. $. Pollak

nw ew ee eee

ee ee

Number of
packages

rt b>

CO et be eH RO Oo

REPORT OF ASSISTANT SECRETARY.

57

D.— Addressed packages received by the Smithsonian Institution, &c.—Continued.

S F Ca
g2 Be
ES 25
ee Ee
St. Paul, Minn. Utica, N. Y.
Historical Society of St. Paul....---- 1 || American Journal of Insanity .-.--- oa
Siatewlibrany seen er se ahs Oe 1
Valdivia, Chile.
Salem, Mass.
Drew Eigen On bOCCk =a ai ease eae Ll
Wessex Institutes U2 loch 2b k. SL 2
Reotessor (ane) is oe). 8 agin ee 1 Valparaiso, Chile.
TRAY ONES S{0) ofl 84 Tolstoy eae Sear en eee a ap i
Dry ihomas Ase dee maie se eats 2
San Francisco, Cal.
‘ Washington, D. C.
California Academy of Natural Sciences.| 10
Congress) Mibrany: {See eee aaa 6
Santiago, Chile. National Institute _.-.....-.-.---- 2
National Observatory -.-..----.--- 45
Observatorio Nacional de Santiago --- 2\\\ Ordnance: Burears soe se sue see 3
Diniversity Library .23n20 022s 4) Secretary (On War a osc a sewed 2 2
Professor Wobeck (on erence oe oe 1 || U. S. Boundary Commission. ------- 1
Dr Moestas. 82 uo g2 cease es Zu hey SuCoast SURVeyaee co eeaeee eee 10
Wyss Patent Oticesse eee ee see 67
Savannah, Gia. ColoneliJe S: Alberti) 2. see eee 1
BrofessorsAn Dy baches pene eee saat 25
Georgia Historical Society.......---- 2) Wee PeMBrorwr ia) hae oO aie yA Ee 1
1) dis MOT SMSO SAS Se sii Bie a ty ne 1
Springfield, Lit. || Lieutenant Gilliss ..-.-..---. ==-< 6
Dr Charles): Girardise. see 2
Stavemeibrany ees hae ak eaten 20) Captain EL Je Hartstene/s2222 522552 4
Reva enon Hsbjorm 25s. os eee oe 1s | ProfessorsWe Ee willson se eaeese esas 1
Rewiibachtmanmys 0200 Lae. Ly. Lied iO.) Gia emmed iyi)... ame ae 4
Lieutenant M. F. Maury....-.--.-. 9
Springfield, Mass. | Baron Osten) Sackeneee= = sen seas 1
GeorgenWiephicos | see see eee 3
AW ouliiearaa Darl ye cl ie on TDN yo DMI eA vo TREVOR 2) a Ta 1
JolnyyAcwRockwellt Seana aa aaa 1
Toronto, C. W. Ketel, Ik. felonies stk ke 8
WT SL cel 0)st0) olayae es mw 8 Gc 1
Canadian Institute..-.......--.-... he) Ekemry; Wilke eis te sa 1
Magnetical and Meteorological Obser-
T/L ON EY pS 2 BS le 2 West Point, N. Y.
nniby Collere tess vsse ss ue 1
Professor Kingston... 224.00) oo. 1 || U.S. Military Academy ---.------- 1
ll Brofessor) Ball eyresie Saas ee ee enee 1
Trenton ai Wi MitjoriBowmam. ec eee enue oe ce 1
Worcester, Mass.
Geological Survey of New Jersey. ---- 1
RRC WTO T ALY a) 2's mniel= 2 2s cian wi 2 || American Antiquarian Society--.-.. 7
MGtalWOmaddresces smectic smi SINE MENU) Mas he a es eke hk Wie 274
Wotalrop parcels... Jas 0o ito Hr el ane RANley Reg Apa ec Ee Sty La ee 1, 406

7

58 REPORT OF ASSISTANT SECRETARY.

MUSEUM AND COLLECTIONS.

Additions. —The receipts of specimens during 1861, as might have
been expected, were decidedly inferior to anaes of 1860, although
much of great interest to science has been added to the collection
since the date of the last report. Several explorations which had
been planned were, of necessity, abandoned, owing to various impedi-
ments and difficulties. Among these may be mentioned an explora-
tion of the region about Devil’s river, Texas, by Patrick Duffy, hos-
pital steward, United States army ; of Fort Churchill, by Lieutenant
John Feilner, United States army; and of Lake Winnepeg, by Donald
Gunn. These, it is hoped, however, are only deferred to be hereafter
resumed and carried out under better auspices.

No government expeditions have furnished any collections during
1861, excepting the Northwestern Boundary Commission, and their.
collections were all made in 1860, only arriving in 1861. All the rest
were derived from resident correspondents of the Institution, or from
gentlemen making explorations in the field in its behalf. A full list
of all such receipts is given herewith, to which I would refer for par-
ticulars.

In addition to the operations of Mr. Xantus, Mr. Kennicott, and
officers of the Hudson’s Bay Company, mentioned specially her eafter,
I may state that important contributions to our knowledge of the re-
gions adjacent to the United States have been furnished by Mr.
Charles Wright, from Cuba; Mr. W. Thomas March, of Jamaica, and
Dr. Sartorius, of Mexico.

Very valuable collections of type specimens have been received
from Dr. Hartlaub, of the Bremen museum; Drs. Reinhardt and
Steenstrup, of the Copenhagen museum; Mr. P. L. Sclater, of Lon-
don; the Messrs. Verreaux, of Paris; and Professor Agassiz, of the
Cambridge museum.

The following are the explorations during the year from wie the
largest results have been received:

EXPLORATIONS. %

Exploration of Cape St. Lucas and the Gulf of Oaliforma, by Mr.
John Xantus.—In the two last reports reference was made to that ex-
ploration following one of the region about Fort Tejon, California, by
the same gentleman. Ihave now to report that the series of tidal
and other observations made for the Coast Survey having been com-
pleted by Mr. Xantus, he has left Cape St. Lucas and returned to the
east. The whole of the collections made by him have not yet arrived,
but enough has been received during 1861, in continuation of pre-
vious years, to exhibit the ability and industry of Mr. Xantus as a
naturalist. Over sixty boxes, some of large size, with contents em-
bracing (and almost exhausting) every department of natural history,
prepared and packed in a perfect manner, accompanied by numerous
measurements, notes, and biographies, and all made in the intervals

REPORT OF ASSISTANT SECRETARY. 59

of regular scientific dutyy abundantly verify this estimate of Mr.
Xantus’s abilities.

In addition to the thorough exploration of the region immediately
round Cape St. Lucas and the mountains in the vicinity, Mr. Xantus,
since his residence there, has pushed his examinations many leagues
up the coast, both on the ocean and gulf sides, and directly or indi-
rectly extended them to a number of the islands, as Socorro, Tres
Marias, &c. He also made a visit to Mazatlan during the past spring,
and secured a valuable collection of birds.

The many new species collected by Mr. Xantus are in process of
elaboration and will shortly be published. Partial reports have
already been made on the birds by Mr. Xantus himself; on the rep-
tiles by Mr. Cope; on the fishes by Mr. Gill; on the insects by Dr.
Le Conte ; on the crustacea and asteriade by Mr. Stimpson ; on the
ophiuride by Mr. Lyman; on the myriapoda by Mr. Wood; on the
bats by Dr. Allen; on the plants by Dr. Gray, &c. The rich con-
chological materials are in the hands of Mr. P. P. Carpenter. It is
proposed when all these examinations are completed to combine them
in one general memoir, on the natural history of the cape, which will
then be as well or even better known than the extremity of the cor-
_ responding peninsula of Florida, equally included in the limits of the
North American fauna and flora.

Exploration of the Hudson's Bay territory by Mr. Kennicott.—At the
date of the last advices from Mr. Kennicott, when the Smithsonian
Report for 1860 was presented, he was at Fort Resolution, on Slave
lake, where he had spent the preceding spring and summer, princi-
pally in collecting eggs of birds. He left Fort Resolution in August,
1860, and returned to Fort Simpson and proceeded immediately down
the Mackenzie to Peels river. From Peels river he crossed the
Rocky mountains to La Pierre’s house, occupying four days in the
transit,and arriving September 18th; left the next day for Fort Yukon,
at the junction of Porcupine or Rat river and the Yukon or Pelly
river, in about latitude 65° and longitude 146°. Fort Yukon, the
terminus of his journey, was reached on the 28th of September, 1860.

The latest advices now on file from Mr. Kennicott were written
January 2, 1861, up to which time he had made some interesting col-:
lections; but these, of course, were limited by the season. He had
great expectations of success during the following spring, (of 1861,)
which have no doubt been abundantly realized.

No collections were received from Mr. Kennicott in 1861, with the
exception of a few specimens gathered in July and August, 1860, on
Slave lake. Those made at the Yukon will, however, in all proba-
bility come to hand in October or November of 1862.

Mr. Kennicott expected to remain at the Yukon until August, 1861,
then to start for La Pierre House and Fort Good Hope, possibly to
Fort Simpson, to spend some months, and endeavor by early spring to
reach Fort Anderson, near the mouth of Anderson river, (a stream
between the Mackenzie and Coppermine rivers,) and in the barren
grounds close to the Arctic ocean. At Fort Anderson he expected to

60 REPORT OF ASSISTANT SECRETARY.

collect largely of the skins and eggs of birds, rare mammals, &., and
to return to Fort Simpson in the autumn, (of 1862,) then to arrive at
Fort Chipewyan, on Lake Athabasca, by the spring of 1863, so as to
eet back to the United States by the winter of the same year.

For a notice of the continued aid to Mr. Kennicott, rendered by
the gentlemen of the Hudson’s Bay Company, I have to refer to the
next division of my report.

Exploration of the Hudson’ s Bay territory by officers of the Hudson’ s
Bay Company.—The gentlemen of many of the Hudson Bay Com-
pany’s posts have largely extended their important contributions to
science, referred to in the preceding report. A large proportion of the
principal stations have thus furnished collections of specimens and
meteorological observations of the highest value, which, taken in con-
nexion with what Mr. Kennicott is doing, bid fair to make the Arctic
natural history and physical geography of America as well known as
that of the United States.

Pre-eminent among these valued collaborators of the Institution is
Mr. Bernard R. Ross, chief factor of the Mackenzie River district,
and resident at Fort Simpson. Reference was made in former reports
to his contributions in previous years; those sent in 1861 are in no
way behind the others, embracing numbers of skins of birds and
mammals, some of great variety, insects, &c., besides very large
series of specimens illustrating the manners and customs of the Hs-
quimaux and various Indian tribes. Mr. Ross has also deposited
some relics of Sir John Franklin, consisting of a gun used by him in
his first expedition, and a sword belonging to the last one, and ob-
tained from the Esquimaux. Mr. Ross is at present engaged in a
series of investigations upon the tribes of the north, to be published
whenever sufficiently complete, and illustrated by numerous photo-
graphic drawings.

In making up his transmissions to the Institution Mr. Ross has had
the co-operation of nearly all the gentlemen resident at the different
posts in his district, their contributions being of great value. Among
them may be mentioned Mr. James Lockhart, Mr. William Hardisty,
Mr. J. S. Onion, Mr. John Reed, Mr. N. Taylor, Mr. C. P. Gaudet,
Mr. James Flett, Mr. A. McKenzie, Mr. A. Beaulieu, &c.

Second in magnitude only to those of Mr. Ross are the contribu-
tions of Mr. Lawrence Clarke, jr., of Fort Rae, on Slave lake, con-
sisting of many mammals, nearly complete sets of the water fowl,
and other birds of the north side of the lake, with the eggs of many
of them, such as the black-throated diver, the trumpeter swan, &c.

Other contributions have been received from Mr. R. Campbell, of
Athabasca; Mr. James McKenzie, of Moose Factory; Mr. Gladmon,
of Rupert House; Mr. James Anderson, (a) of Mingan; Mr. George
Barnston, of Lake Superior; and Mr. Connolly, of Rigolette. Mr.
McKenzie furnished a large box of birds of Hudson’s Bay, while from
Mr. Barnston were received several collections of skins, and eggs of
birds, new and rare mammals, insects, fish, &c., of Lake Superior.

It may be proper to state in this connexion that the labors of Mr.

REPORT OF ASSISTANT SECRETARY. 61

Kennicott have been facilitated to the highest degree by the liber-
ality of the Hudson’s Bay Company, as exercised by the directors in
London, the executive officers in Montreal, (especially Mr. Hdward
Hopkins,) and all the gentlemen of the company, in particular by
Governor Mactavish, of Fort Garry, and Mr. Ross. In fact, without
this aid the expense of Mr. Kennicott’s exploration would be far be-
yond what the Institution could afford, even with the assistance re-
ceived from others. Wherever the rules of the company would ad-
mit, no charge has been made for transportation of Mr. Kennicott and
his supplies and collections, and he has been entertained as a guest
wherever he has gone. No charge also was made on the collection
sent from Moose Factory to London by the company’s ship, and in
every possible way this time-honored company has shown itself
friendly and co-operative in the highest degree to the scientific ob-
jects of the Institution.

Northwest Boundary Survey, under Mr. Archibald Campbell.—This
expedition has finally completed its labors in the field and returned
to Washington, bringing rich results in physical science, as well as
important collections in natural history. These, with what were pre-
viously sent hither from time to time, are in progress of elaboration,
and reports are in preparation to be presented to Congress when
completed.

It is with deep regret that I have to announce the death at sea, on
his homeward voyage in February last, of Dr. C. B. Kennerly, the
surgeon and naturalist of the Boundary Survey. Connected with this
expedition from its beginning, in 1857, and, in conjunction with Mr.
Gibbs, making the principal portion of its collections, his report on

them would have been one of great value. For many years prior to

1857, however, he had been in intimate relations with the Institution
as a collaborator, first while resident at his home, at White Post,
Clark county, Virginia, then in 1853, as surgeon and naturalist to the
Pacific Railroad Survey of Captain Whipple along the 35th parallel,
then in the same relationship to the Mexican Boundary Survey, under

Colonel Emory, in 1855. No one of the gentlemen who have labored

so zealously to extend a knowledge of the natural history of the west
within the last ten or twelve years has been more successful than
Dr. Kennerly. Many new species have been first described by him-
self or from his collections, while his contributions to the biography
of American animals have been of the highest interest.

IDENTIFICATION OF SPECIMENS.

The identification of the unnamed species in the Smithsonian collec-
tion has been carried on as rapidly as possible, with the co-operation
of many naturalists of distinction. Some of it has been prosecuted
within the building; most of it, however, by gentlemen who either
came to Washington and made their selections or had specimens sent
to them. The following persons may be specially mentioned in con-
nexion with the several portions of the collection:

| 62 REPORT OF ASSISTANT SECRETARY.

* Mammals.——The monkeys and South American mammals generally
have been studied by Dr. J. H. Slack, and the bats by Dr. H. Allen,
both of Philadelphia. Several species not previously described. have
been found among them by these gentlemen.

Birds.—Mr. Cassin has continued his examinations of the South
American birds. Mr. Elliot Coues has monographed the North Ameri-
can Tringee, or sandpipers; the Laride, or gulls; the Colymbide, or
divers, and the Aegiotht, or pine finches. Several of these have
already been published. Dr. Bryant has examined the Guillemots
and large hawks, and Mr. Lawrence has identified the humming-birds.

Reptiles—Mr. EH. D. Cope has studied the exotic reptiles generally,
and has had special reference to those from South America, Mexico,
and the West Indies. Many new species have been described ‘by
him from the Smithsonian specimens. Professor Agassiz has not yet
returned the Smithsonian collection of turtles.

Fishes. —Professor Agassiz has still in hand the Exploring Hxpedi-
tion fishes, a collection of nearly one thousand species. Mr. Alexan-
der Agassiz has examined the Smithsonian Hmbiotocoids, or vivipa-
rous fishes of California. Mr. F. W. Putnam has completed the study
of the Etheostomoids, and entered on that of the Cottoids. Several
other important families have been sent to the Museum of Compara-
tive Zoology, for investigation by students of Professor Agassiz. Mr.
Gill has made particular study of the west coast fishes, and those col-
lected at Cape St. Lucas by Mr. Xantus.

Crustacea.—Mr. Ordway has examined several groups of the crus-
tacea, and others have been studied by Mr. Stimpson.

fiadiates.—Mr. Stimpson has finished the study of the Asteriades,
and Professor Agassiz has had in hand other of the star fishes. Mr.
Verrill has made a detailed examination of all the corals.

Mollusks—Mr. P. P. Carpenter has had in his hands for investiga-
tion, aided by Dr. Alcock, all the shells of the west coast of America,
and many of the exotic ‘collections. Certain marine families have
been sent to Professor Agassiz. Mr. Isaac Lea has named all the —
Unionide. Mr. Binney has taken charge of the land and fresh-water
Univalves ; Mr. Bush has the Polyzoa. The Cephalopods have all been
sent to Dr. Steenstrup, of Copenhagen, for a report.

Insects. —Dr. Le Conte and Mr. Ulke have examined the North
American Coleoptera ; Baron Osten Sacken and Dr. Loew the Diptera ;
Dr. Hagen the Neuroptera ; Mr. Edwards and Drs. Morris and Clem-
ens the Lepidoptera, and Mr. Uhler the Hemiptera.

Fossils.—Dr. Newberry has studied many of the fossil plants. Mr.
Meek, aided by Dr. Hayden, has identified all the fossils collected by
the latter gentleman. Dr. Gabb, of Philadelphia, has investigated a. ~
number of the tertiary and cretaceous shells.

Rocks and Minerals. —Mr. Thomas Egleston, jr., has been engaged

‘

y)

REPORT OF ASSISTANT SECRETARY. 63.

for several months in the determining and arranging of the minerals
and rocks of the collection, aided in a portion of the labor relating to
the latter work by Dr. Newberry and Mr. Gibbs.

Plants.—The plants have been in the hands of Drs. Torrey and
Gray and Mr. Haton, who are making much progress in the labor of

selecting and labelling a complete series.

Results of many of the above investigations have already been pub-
lished, others are nearly completed, while some will require a con-
siderable time to complete. All, however, when presented to the
world, are announced as being based upon the Smithsonian material,
while the greater portion either have been or will be published by
the Smithsonian Institution, as detailed in your report.

All the specimens thus submitted to examination are carefully
labelled, and the duplicates set aside to be distributed as types to the
institutions having strongest claims to them. As the work progresses
the amount of material available for such distribution increases, and
new collections are more readily used to a similar end.

The labor of cataloguing and registering the specimens has been
continued as rapidly as other duties would allow, the result at the end
of the year being stated in the annexed table. In this I have been
much assisted by the gentlemen named above, as well as in addition
by Mr. John M. Woodworth, Mire Wi Prentiss, Mr. R. B. Hitz, and
Mr. Fitzgerald.

DISTRIBUTION OF SPECIMENS.

The distribution of specimens has been carried on very largely
during the year. About fifty sets of duplicate shells of ‘the United
States Exploring Expedition have been sent to as many institutions,
while large numbers of species in all classes of the animal kingdom
have also been supplied. A rough estimate gives 40,000 species and
80,000 specimens of natural history as thus distributed up to date,
while many more are nearly in readiness. When it is considered that

. all these have been named and labelled by naturalists admitted to be

of the highest authority in their respective departments, and that: all

. have thereby the character and value .»f types, many of them be-

longing to species first described from Smithsonian specimens, or
serving as the materials of elaborate monographs, it will be readily
understood how much their systematic and judicious distribution by
the Institution all over the world must conduce to the advancement
of science.

linet DONE IN THE MUSEUM.

Good progress has been made during the year in the proper arrange-
ment and labelling of the specimens in the museum hall. Many of
the shelves have been edged with black strips, and many stands
whitened and renewed. Additional cases have been erected at the

east end of the hall for the accommodation of the large birds which

crowded inconveniently those already filled. A number of floor cases
have been constructed to receive the large collection of shells.

pay REPORT OF ASSISTANT SECRETARY.

Much labor has been expended on the identification and labelling
of the exotic birds, but this work is now nearly finished. When, in
accordance with the plan, these, as well as all the other specimens
in the hall, are accurately and legibly labelled, with both their scien-
tific and vernacular names, the gratification of the public in exam-
ining the rich treasures of the museum will be greatly enhanced.

Table exhibiting the total number of entries on the record books of the Smith-
sonian collection at the end of each year from 1851 to 1861, inclusive.

; ;

1851. | 1852. | 1853. | 1854. | 1855.| 1856. 1857. 1858.

| Sane |

Skeletons and skulls....} 911 | 1,074 | 1,190 | 1,275 | 2,050 3,060} 3,340 3,413
Mammals, ...cccsecnence| cence. 114) 198] 351/1,200) 2,046; 3,200 3,226
i 4,353 | 4,425 5,855 8,766 | 11,390
odadoolloosuae 106 239} 4,370
so0d0n|lsocoan||sounos 155 613 1,136
Baggs Of DIrds .... ceeeeee| seeees|eesnee|secses|eoeces|escses|eees ees [esse ones 1,032
(OPTS GEE Sodno0c0 cDocdl}od6 Sanlloacsoo|!capsdallocddoa|fodsana}lods’ ddos|loooo.daée 939
NHS pga, sabaods abl eccode ||esoooulleccood foabounllopaduaglloode sadaliscaddaudiasoo quod
IRA ATENYES S506 docdoogonao)ndodae||Sdadan||bonosoll4adddsll podooolpnse cabo nddd cadallacas dane
IDGESE 4 556 6668.9565500 Hllooondallcodags|[Gnn009] bodd0s|lcoag6nllanoocaccttocoe none}: canoe
WB Sdsco5 4 soun cane so5noslloaoo0e||daccSoloG000s lonnooslluagsa nodbl|lusdanconlidoao ape
Hthnolopicalispeei mens sje leis \ermil ele/elelerellisje/ein's/a|(alele)sle/« fjs\c/eleie\all [ole alalels/ecel| sla} hi =)e/a/sillsinlsinl viele
PATTI Seapine eri wisiciatciavalliereisintols)|(aleisieleie sgncdolloaogsallssb4s5 ob00 oo callouda opoallgous Bielele
Total..... gegnogane 911 | 1,188 | 1,388 | 5,979 | 7,675] 11,222] 16,158} 25,506

Entries during 1861, 10,686.

LIST OF DONATIONS TO THE MUSEUM IN 1861.

Akhurst, J.—Mammals from Bogota.

Allen, W. T.—Eeggs of birds from Virginia.

Ambrose, Rev. J.—Skin of Mergulus alle.

Anderson, (a) James.—W olf-fish from the Gulf of St. Lawrence.

Austin, J. B.—Menobranchus, from Chicago.

Backus, Miss Julia E.—Australian boomerang.

Baird, S. F.—¥our boxes minerals and rocks, of Essex county, New
York, and one bottle Coregonus of Lake Champlain.

Baird, W. M.—Sigillaria, from Schuylkill county, Pennsylvania.
Barnston, George.—Horns of caribou, skins of mammals and birds,
skeletons, nests and eggs, insects, &c. Lake Superior.

Beadle, D. W.—¥ishes from Canada West.

Beaulieu, A.—Skins of birds, aC McKenzie river. (Through B. R.
Ross. )

Bishop, F. A.—Soils and earths collected in Utah. (Through De-
partment of Interior.)

Boardman, G. A.—Skins and eggs of birds of New Brunswick.

Boetiner, Gustav A.—Insects, &c., of Kansas.

Boyle, P. &.—Chicken with four legs. €

Brandt, Henry.—Marnmals, birds and eggs of Kansas.

Bremen Museum.—¥ive mounted Arctic birds, and skull of European
brown bear.

Brevoort, J. C—Mammals from Central America.

Brewer, Dr. T. M.—Nest of eggs of Helminthophaga rujicapilla.

¥
—

REPORT OF ASSISTANT SECRETARY. 65

British Government.—Fragment of meteorite from India.

Bryant, Dr. H.—Skins and eggs of birds.

Buckner, Rev. H.—Bitumen from the Cherokee nation.

Burling, Wiliam.—Skin canoe or cayak, and skin dress of Indians of
N. W. America, (through J. W. Raymond.)

Cambridge, Museum of Comparative Zoology.—Hight species embioto-
coids of California, and seven of ophiurans.

Campbell, Archibald.—Collections of animals, plants, rocks, &c.,
made by Dr. C. B. Kennerly and Mr. George Gibbs, naturalists
and geologists of the northwest boundary survey.

Campbell, &.—Skins of mammals from the Hudson's Bay Territory.

Canfield, Dr. C. S.—Shells of the coast of California.

Chambliss, S. O.—Crystallized quartz from North Carolina.

Clarke, jr., Lawrence——Very large collections of mammals, birds,
eges, &e., of Slave lake.

Conradsen, k.—Eges of Fulix marila, Iceland.

Cooper, Dr. J. G.—Birds’ eggs from Rocky mountains.

Copenhagen, Royal Musewm.—Skins of Arctic birds: Hchinoderms, &c.

Couper, W.—Skins of ducks and of Saaicola cenanthe from Quebec.

Dawson, Professor J. W.—Pleistocene and Devonian fossils of Canada.

Dodd, P. W.—Skins and eggs of birds, &c., of Sable island.

Fileti, Jas.—Birds, &c., from La Pierre House, H. B. T. (through
b, R. Ross.)

Foreman, Dr. E.—Minerals, rocks, animal tracks, &c., from near Hm-
metsburg, Maryland.

Fuller, Mr.—Shells of the coast of Maine.

Gaudet, C. P.—Birds, &c., from Peel’s river, H. B. T., (through
B. R. Ross.)

Gibbs, George.—See Archibald Campbell.

Gilliss, Captain J. M.—Hight bottles alcoholic specimens from Atlan-
tic ocean.

Gilpin, Dr. J. B.—Skins of mammals of Nova Scotia.

Gladmon, Mr.—Nests and eggs from Hudson’s Bay.

Gould, C. I.—Sea birds in the flesh, and in skins, from the coast of
Maine.

Gove, Captain.—Heggs of birds from Utah.

Greenwood, Mrs.—Specimens of algae from the coast of Massachu-
setts.

Greenwood, Thomas L.—Nests and eggs of birds.

Gruber, #.—Skins and eggs of birds of California.

Hardisty, W. L.—Mammals, birds, &c., from Fort Liard on the Yu-
kon, (through B. R. Ross.)

Haymond, Dr. .—Nest and eggs of Mniotilta.

Heerman, Dr. A. £.—Skins and eggs of North American birds.

Hewett, Dr. Thomas.—Two mounted ducks.

Hitz, Rk. B.—Nests and eggs of birds of Pennsylvania.

Holder, Dr. J. B.—Kges of birds from the Tortugas.

Holt, Hon. Jos.—Chameleon, centipede, &c., from Jerusalem.

Kautz, Captain A. V.—Skins of salmon of Puget Sound.

Kellogg, #.—Hgegs of birds from Texas.

5

66 REPORT OF ASSISTANT SECRETARY.

Kennerly, Dr. C. B. R.—See Archibald Campbell.

Kennicott, Robert.—Zoological specimens, plants, &c., from Great Slave
lake.

Kirtland, Prof. J. P.—Living Nerodia erythrogaster, or red bellied
water snake, from Ohio.

Krider, J—Mounted tanager, egg of Nauclerus furcatus, or swallow-
tailed hawk, skins of birds.

Laszlo, Ch.—Nest, eggs, and bird of Saurophagus derbyanus, Mexico.

Lazar, Count Coloman.—Skins and eggs of birds of Hungary.

Lincoln, EF. D.—Box of eggs from Massachusetts.

Lockhart, James——Mammals, &c., from the Yukon, (through B. R.
Ross.)

Loweree, &. G.—Reptiles from Gaudalaxara, Mexico.

MacFarlane, &.—Birds, &c., from Fort Good Hope, H. B. T., (through
B. R. Ross.)

McKenzie, A.—Birds, mammals, &c., from Liard river, H. B. T.,
(through B. R. Ross.)

Major, J. J—Reptiles from Gaudalaxara, Mexico.

March, W. Thos.—125 skins of birds of Jamaica.

Maximilian, Prince of Wied.—Skins of European mammals.

Mowry, Ineut. Sylvester.—Skeleton of camel died in California.

Newberry, Dr. J. S.—Mammals from Lake Superior.

Onion, J. S.—Plants from the Mackenzie river, (through B. R. Ross.)

Otis, G. N.—Specimens of Helix pulchella. —

Page, Capt. T. J.—Fossil wood from Buenos Ayres, and specimens of
the materia medica of Paraguay.

Parkinson, D. F.—Box of birds of North California.

Poey, Prof. F'.—Types of new species of Cuban fishes.

Prentiss, Wesley.—Skins of birds.

Prince, Miss S.—Annelid from the coast of Maine.

fraymond, J. W.—See Burling.

Reid, J—Skins of mammals and birds, &c., from Great Slave lake.

ftepetti, A.—Fossil fishes from Monte Bolca.

Reynolds, Henry.—Minerals, shells, &c., of Maine. .

ftoss, B. f.—Very full collections of the animals, plants, eggs,
ethnological curiosities, &c., of the Mackenzie’s river region
of Arctic America.

toss, Mrs. Christina.—Insects, curiosities, &c., from Mackenzie’s
river, (through B. R. Ross.)

St. Charles College, La.—Reptiles, eggs, &c., of Louisiana.

Samuels, E.—Microscopic slides.

Sartorius, Dr. C.—Birds, mammals, reptiles, and insects, from near
Vera Cruz.

Savage, Dr. Thos. L.—Reptiles of Mississippi.

Scott, Mrs. Dr.— Hippocampus, or sea-horse, from Rappahannock river. €

Smith, Mrs.—Skin and nest of Lmipidonax acadicus.
Smith, Jas. H.—Two serpents, Rhinostoma.

Smith, Dr. N. H.—Skin of Albino blackbird.
Starbuck, Alea.—Shells, &c., of Massachusetts.
Starkey, J. S.—Silver ores from Oregon.

10,

REPORT OF ASSISTANT SECRETARY. 67

Sternbergh, J. H.—Alcoholic specimens from Panama.

Stone, H.—Hegegs of birds.

Taylor, A. S.—Insects, shells, &c., of coast of California.

Taylor, N.—Birds, &c., from Fort Norman, H. B. T., (through B. R.
Ross.)

Vanderweyck, P. H.—Minerals from Manhattan island, N. Y.

Vuille. Wm.—Skins and eggs of birds, Siskyon county, California.

Ward, Prof.—Cast of skull of Ursus spelaews from the Cavern of
Iserlohn, Germany.

Willis, J. &.—Mounted ptarmigan from Newfoundland, and specimens:
of natural history of Nova Scotia.

Winston, W. G.—Skins and eggs of birds of Nova Scotia.

Wood, W. S.—Higegs of birds.

Worthen, Prof. A. H.—Tertiary fossils of Mississippi.

Wright, Chas.—Birds, shells, reptiles, &c., of Cuba.

Aantus, J.—Large collections of animals, plants, fossils, minerals,
eggs of birds, &c., of Cape St. Lucas; and skins of birds, &c.,
from the Three Maria’s islands and the vicinity of Mazatlan;
skins and eggs of birds from the Farralone islands.

68 PUBLICATIONS AND LECTURES.

LIST OF SMITHSONIAN PUBLICATIONS DURING 1861.

Classification of the Coleoptera of North America. Prepared for
the Smithsonian Institution by John L. Le Conte, M. D. 8vo. ‘
302, and 47 wood cuts. Pp. 1-208; published May, 1861; 209-278,
March, 1862.

Synopsis of the described Neuroptera of North America, with a list
of the South American species. Prepared for the Smithsoniaiy In-
stitution by Hermann Hagen. July, 1861. 8vo. pp. 368.

Extracts from the proceedings of the Board of Regents of the
Smithsonian Institution in relation to the electro-magnetic telegraph.
(Reprinted from proceedings of the Board of Regents for 1857.) 8vo.

40.
Tpsiinl Report of the Board of Regents of the Smithsonian Insti-
tution, showing the operations, expenditures, and condition of the In-
stitution for the year 1860. 1 volume, 8vo., pp. 448; seventy-two
wood cuts.

2S

LIST OF LECT URES.

The following lectures have been delivered during the months of
January, February, March, and April, 1862:

Two lectures by Rev. H. W. Pierson, president of Cumberland
College, Kentucky, on ‘‘ The private life of Thomas Jefferson.”’

One lecture by Professor A. Ten Brook, late United States consul
at Munich, on the celebrated religious exhibition in the Bavarian
Highlands, called the ‘‘Drama of the Passion,’’ the only relic of the
kind which has reached us from the middle ages.

Four lectures by Dr. I. I. Hayes, of Philadelphia, on ‘‘ Arctic Ex-
plorations,’’ with an account of his recent expedition.

One lecture by Rev. J. C. Richmond, of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, on
“The origin and Saxon strength of the English tongue.’’

One lecture by Rev. W. A. P. Martin, a missionary, on ‘‘ China
and the Chinese.’

ers lecture by Rev. A. Cleveland Coxe, of Baltimore, Maryland,

n ‘‘ Popular taste in art and literature.’’

eee lectures by Professor Fairman Rogers, of Philadelphia, on
‘‘The Glaciers.’’

Three lectures by Rev. Francis Vinton, of New York, on “The
Gentleman,’’ ‘‘ The Philosophy of War,’’ and ‘“Ttaly and Dante.?’

REPORT OF THE SECRETARY.

To the Board of Regents :

_ GentTLemeEn : I have the honor again, at the commencement of your
annual session, to present the report for another year of the opera-
tions of the Institution intrusted by the General Government of the
United States to your special care.

So much public attention has been absorbed during the last year
by the exciting events of the war that we might at first suppose
that little or no thought could be bestowed upon purely scientific
subjects, such as fall within the province of this Institution to culti-
vate, or indeed upon any kind of knowledge which has not an im-
mediate bearing on the special requirements of the times. But even
in the most sanguinary and gigantic warfare the responsibility for
the important plans which are to determine the result of the conflict
devolves upon the few, and leaves the many to fall into a condition
of comparative mental inactivity.

As a relief from the tedium of this condition, or a prevention from
falling into it, a large number of subordinate officers, and even pri-
vates, of the army have devoted themselves to pursuits connected
with natural history, or to the solution of problems of a theoretical
or practical character.

Although the immediate object of war is the destruction of life
and property, yet astate of modern warfare is not a condition of
evil unmingled with good. Independent of the political results
which may flow from it, scientific truths are frequently developed
during its existence of much theoretical as well as of practical im-
portance. The art of destroying life, as well as that of preserving it,
calls for the application of scientific principles, and the institution of
scientific experiments on a scale of magnitude which would never be
attempted in time of peace. New investigations as to the strength
of materials, the laws of projectiles, the resistance of fluids, the ap-
plications of electricity, light, heat, and chemical action, as well as of
aerostation, are all required.

The collection of immense armies of individuals of different ages

14 REPORT OF THE SECRETARY.

and nations affords the means of obtaining data of much interest to
the ethnologist, while the facts which are gathered from the unusual
experience of the battle-field and hospital afford materials for the
advance of physiology, surgery, and medicine, which a century of
ordinary observation would fail to furnish.

In illustration of what has been done in the line we have mentioned,
I would refer to the extended labors of the Sanitary Commission and
of the department under the direction of the Surgeon General.
The one, besides aiding in the improvement of the health and com-
fort of the soldiers, has collected a large number of interesting facts
relative to the moral and economical condition of the army; while the
other, in addition to its immense labors in the care of the sick and the
wounded, has recorded the statistics of every part of its varied
operations, and formed a collection of illustrations of surgical anatomy
which is perhaps unrivalled in any part of the world.

In reference to all the inquiries to which I have alluded, the Smith-
sonian Institution has been called upon for aid and counsel, and has
continually rendered active co-operation and assistance. Its labors,
however, in this line, as well as in several other branches of its ordi-
nary operations, are not attended with results which can be given to
the world through its publications. .

During the continuance of the war we must expect to find that
more attention is given to the collection of facts than to the deduction
from them of general principles ; the latter must be deferred to a
period of more tranquillity, when the mind is in a better condition
for continued application to the development of a single idea; con-
sequently the number of papers which have been presented to the
Institution since the date of the last report is less than that of any
previous year.

The meteorological system which had been established, and was in
successful operation for several years before the commencement of
the war, has been much deranged, few records of observations having
been received from the middle States and none from the southern;
still, as I have before intimated, the labors of the Institution have
been industriously pursued in lines more in accordance with the
peculiar condition of the country. <A large portion of all the time of
the Secretary has been devoted to inquiries referred to the Institu-
tion by the different departments of government. The work of pre-
paring the duplicate specimens of the Institution for distribution
has been continued. The library has been thoroughly overhauled,

4

REPORT OF THE SECRETARY. 15

partially rearranged, and a new catalogue of the transactions and
proceedings of learned societies prepared for publication. Ex-
tensive repairs and improvements have been made in the build-
ing, by which several rooms, previously occupied by tanks for receiv-
ing rain water, now rendered useless by the introduction of Potomac
water, have been reclaimed for other uses.

The efficient income of the Institution has been very essentially
impaired during the past year. Ist. By the increased price of
all the materials of printing and other articles used in the opera-
tions of the establishment. 2d. On account of the high premium
on gold required to pay the agents of the Institution in Europe and
to meet the incidental expenses of exchanges, and the cost of serials
and other works necessary for the use of the collaborators and other
persons engaged in researches for the Institution. 3d. In conse-
quence of the non-payment. of the interest on the southern State
stocks forming part of the extra fund. —

Still it will be seen by the report of the Executive Committee that
the expenditures of the Institution during the past year have been
kept within the receipts, and a large balance retained in the treasury
to meet the contingencies which may arise, particularly in the present
unstable condition of public affairs.

The interest on the Indiana stock for the first half of the year was
paid in specie, which was deposited with Messrs. Riggs & Co., with
the understanding that it could be withdrawn in the same currency
at any time it might be required. In the settlement of the accounts
for the year this specie was sold and the premium added to the re-
ceipts.

A power of attorney has been forwarded from the President of the
United States to Messrs. Fladgate, Clarke & Finch, of London, author-
izing them to collect the remainder of the Smithsonian fund, which
was left, by the Honorable Mr. Rush, as the principal of an annuity to
the mother of the nephewof Smithson. The power of attorney was
forwarded to the care of Honorable Charles F. Adams, American
minister to England, and the money, when collected, will be de-
posited with George Peabody & Co., bankers, London, subject to the
order of the Institution.

As a fact connected with the history of this establishment, I may
mention that the charter of a society in this city known as the National
Institute expired in July last, and that in accordance with the law of

16 REPORT OF THE SECRETARY.

Congress incorporating that society, the Secretary of the Interior de-
livered the remainder of its library and museum to this Institution.

The National Institute was founded twenty years ago, for the culti-
vation of science, by a number of gentlemen of the city of Washing-
ton, most of them connected with the government. It at first found
favor with the public, and the hope was entertained that an
enduwment, in the form of a donation of land, or otherwise, would be
granted by Congress, by which it would be enabled to support a
museum and a library, and publish a series of transactions ; but this
hope was not realized, and as the field it proposed to occupy fell
within the province of the Smithsonian Institution, the society grad-
ually declined in activity, and finally allowed its charter to expire by
its own limitation. Before the organization-of the Smithsonian Institu-
tion, the personal effects of Smithson, and the large collection of speci-
_ mens procured by the exploring expedition, were placed in charge of
the National Institute, and from the similarity of names the two estab-
lishments were at first frequently confounded with one another.

A large number of valuable books and specimens were presented
to the Institute by various societies and individuals; but as there was
not sufficient means to constantly employ a curator, or even to supply
appropriate rooms for their preservation, these collections have been
rendered comparatively of little importance. The specimens in
ornithology and entomology were almost entirely destroyed by in-
sects, and the library reduced principally to broken sets of periodicals
and transactions of learned societies, duplicates of those already
in the library of the Institution. In some cases, however, we have
been enabled to supply deficiencies, and the books so incorporated
into the Smithsonian collection have been properly designated by an
appropriate mark in the manuscript catalogue of the library. The
most valuable part of these collections was that which related to
mineralogy and ethnology.

Publications. The publications of the Institution, as stated in previ-
ous reports, consist of three series: 1st. The Contributions to Knowl-
edge. 2d. The Miscellaneous Collections. 3d. The Annual Reports.

The Contributions include memoirs embracing the records of origi-
nal investigations and researches, resulting in new truths, such as are
considered interesting additions to the sum of human knowledge.
Twelve volumes in quarto of this series have been published—the
thirteenth is still in the press.

REPORT OF THE SECRETARY. 17

The Miscellaneous Collections include works intended to facilitate
the study of the various branches of natural history, to give instruc-
tion as to the method of observing natural phenomena, and to furnish
a variety of other matter connected with the progress of science. Of
this series four large octavo volumes have been issued, and a fifth
has been commenced.

The Annual Reports to Congress consist, each, of an octavo volume
of 450 pages. They contain the report of the Secretary as to the
operations and condition of the Institution, the acts of the Regents,
and an appendix, giving a synopsis of the lectures delivered at the
Institution, extracts from correspondence, and articles of a character
suited to meteorological observers, to teachers, and other persons
especially interested in the promotion of knowledge.

Contributions to knowledge.-—The following papers have been ac-
cepted for publication in the 15th volume of Contributions:

1. The concluding paper of Dr. Kane’s Series of Observations in
the Arctic Regions.

2. The reductions of the observations of McClintock while in search
of Sir John Franklin.

3. Parts II to VI of the Reduction of the Girard College Observa-
tions, by Professor Bache.

4. Ancient Mining on the Shores of Lake Superior, by Charles
Whittlesey.

5. On Respiration in the Chelonia, by Drs. Mitchell and Morehouse.

6. On Magnetic Observations in Pennsylvania and adjacent States,
by Professor Bache.

In the reports for 1859 and 1860 accounts are given of two parts
(which were subsequently divided into three parts) of a series of
redactions of the magnetic observations made at Girard College,
Philadelphia, from 1840 to 1845, inclusive, by Professor Bache. The
first two of these papers relate to the investigation of what is called
the eleven-year period of the variations of the needle, which coin-
cides with the recurrence in frequency of the spots on the sun. The
third paper relates to the influence of the moon on the variation of
the magnetic needle as shown by the Girard observations.

Of the same series there have been accepted and printed parts 4,
5, and 6. The fourth refers to the change of horizontal force com-
ciding with the eleven-year period of the spots on the sun. In ex-
planation of this it may be stated that the whole magnetic force of

the earth upon a needle freely suspended causes it to take a direction
H. Mis. Doc. 25——-2

18 REPORT OF THE SECRETARY.

inclined to the horizon, at all places north and south of the magnetic
equator, which direction is called the magnetic dip or inclination.
The force with which the needle is drawn into this position may be
resolved into two forces—one in the plane of the horizon, and the
other perpendicular to this plane. By knowing the horizontal com-
ponent, and the angle of the dip, the total force may be readily cal-
culated, and as this element can be much more accurately determined
than that in the line of the dip, it is the one which is generally made
the object of observation.

In the case of the observations made by Professor Bache, the in-
strument employed was one of Gauss’s large bifilar magnetometers,
which consisted of a magnetic bar weighing twenty-five pounds,
upwards of thirty-six inches long, and suspended horizontally by two
long fine wires slightly diverging from parallelism. This magnetic
bar instead of being allowed to take a north and south position, or’ to
settle in the direction of the magnetic meridian, was forced to turn
nearly at right angles to this position by twisting the pair of suspen-
sion wires so as to overcome the directive force of the magnetism of
the earth. In this position the bar was in a state of equilibrium
between two forces, viz: the torsion of the wires tending to
turn the north end of the needle round towards the west, and the
horizontal magnetic force of the earth which tended to draw it back
intc the meridian. In this condition, if the magnetism of the earth
diminishes, the force of torsion will prevail, and the bar will move
from the meridian. If the magnetism of the earth increases, the
torsion will be relatively weaker,and the bar will move in an opposite
direction. Attached to this bar was a mirror which, reflecting the
image of the divisions of a scale into the object glass of a telescope,
enabled the observer to perceive a variation in the intensity of the
force, equivalent to a ten-thousandth part of the whole force.

The indications of this instrument were corrected for variations in
magnetism produced by changes of temperature, and for a constant
small diminution in the intensity of the bar, from an actual loss of its
magnetic force. But besides these changes in the magnetism of the
bar itself, there is a progressive change in the horizontal. component
of the earth’s magnetism, which may be due either to a change in the’
direction of the force, or to a change of its intensity. After allowing
for these, from observations made in various parts of the earth on
changes of direction and intensity, the next step was to separate the
large disturbances, which have been called magnetic storms, from the

REPORT OF THE SECRETARY. 19

series of ordinary records. For this purpose deviations from the nor-
mal position of the bar amounting to thirty-three scale divisions were
considered as due to abnormal disturbances of this kind. This num-
ber was ascertained by a theorem founded on the doctrine of proba-
bilities, for which we are indebted to Professor Pierce, of Cambridge.
Out of 24,231 observations, 1,698, according to this criterion, were
considered asabnormal disturbances. Afterall the larger disturbances
were excluded, new monthly means were taken, and all deviations
from these of thirty-three divisions were again set apart.

The result of this elaborate investigation is, that the yariation in
intensity of the horizontal component of the earth’s force is subject
to a change coincident with that found from observations in other
parts of the world, which has been called the eleven-year period, or
that corresponding with the frequency of the appearance of the spots
on the sun. The observations extended only through five years,
which was less than half the whole period; the data were not there-
fore sufficient to determine the movement through its complete cycle,
although they served to mark the minimum point and the ascending
and descending parts of the curves of illustration between two
maxima.

The fifth part relates to investigations on the’effect of the sun in
producing daily and annual variations of the horizontal component
of the magnetic force. These investigations were made upon the
quantities which remained after removing from the tables the larger
or fitful disturbances previously described, leaving the normal effect
due to the sun from a change in its distance from the earth, and per-
haps from a change in the relative position of its magnetic poles on
account of the revolution of the earth in its orbit. Blanks in the
tables of observations were filled by interpolation. From these in-
vestigations it appears that the horizontal magnetic force of the earth,
or the intensity with which a deflected magnetic needle is drawn
back toward the north, varies with the different hours of the day.
The variation is greatest in summer and least in winter; the force is
most intense at a little after 6 o’ clock in the morning, and diminishes
rapidly until a little after 10 o’clock a. m., when it reaches its mini-
‘mum, and again commences to increase, and continues to do so until
about 3 o’clock p. m., when it again declines until about 11 o’ clock
at night. The amount of change.is much greater in the day time
than at night, the whole indicating that this daily variation depends
on the varying heat derived from the sun.

20 REPORT OF THE SECRETARY.

The 6th and last part of this interesting series relates to the lunar
influence on the horizontal magnetic force.

Hach observation, after being corrected for temperature and for the
progressive changes in the earth’s magnetism, was marked with the
corresponding lunar hours, reckoning from the passage of the moon
over the meridian. The difference was then taken between the posi-
tion of the magnetic bar, as calculated from all the hours and
that found by observation at each lunar hour, and the difference
was considered as the effect of the magnetism of the moon on the
earth.

From these and similar observations, it appears that the moon
exerts a magnetic influence on the earth. The principal magnetic
effect takes place 2h. 52 m. after the upper passage of the moon
over the meridian; secondary effect, 1 h. 7m. ; lower passage, princi-
pal minimum, at 6 h. 41”; lower passage, secondary minimum, at 8
h. 19m. after upper.

Another paper contains an abstract of the observations and results,
with the discussion of a detailed magnetic survey of Pennsylvania and
part of the adjacent States of New York, Ohio, and Maryland,
originally made by Professor Bache, and resurveyed by Mr. Charles
A. Schott.

In the study of terrestrial magnetism, two objects are essentially
necessary: first, the direction and intensity of the magnetic force of
the earth at a given epoch; and secondly, the variation in these ele-
ments after a known interval. |

In 1840, 1841, and 1843, Professor Bache made a series of obser-
vations to determine the magnetic elements at a number of prominent
placesin Pennsylvania, New York, Ohio, Maryland, and Canada. The
whole number of stations at which he ascertained the declination or
variation was 16, and of those where the dip and intensity was ob-
served 48. |

Last summer Mr. C. A. Schott, an assistant in the coast survey,
visited six of the stations at which Professor Bache had previously
observed the magnetic elements, and by carefully redetermining ~
them obtained the data for calculating the secular changes which
had taken place during an interval of about twenty-years. The ob-
servations originally made by Professor Bache, and also the late ones
by Mr. Schott, were obtained with instruments of great precision,
and will always furnish the elements of future comparison for the
study of the changes which the magnetic force of the earth undergoes

REPORT OF THE SECRETARY. 21

in long periods. The paper commences with an abstract of those on
the declination. To these are added the latitudes and longitudes of
the places observed.

The observed magnetic variations, at the different places, have
been reduced to the epoch of January, 1842, by adding the annual
increase, namely 2’ 7, found by comparing the observations of 1840
with those of 1862. An elaborate discussion of the horizontal force
furnishes a comparison of European and American results. The de-
ductions from the observations on the dip of the needle are given
in terms of geographical latitude and longitude, and the isoclinal
lines or lines of equal dip are protracted on a map which also con-
tains the lines of equal magnetic force, both in regard to its
horizontal and total intensity. Three of the stations visited by Mr.
Schott fell within the scope of the coast survey; and the expense of
the redetermination of the magnetic elements, at these points, was
defrayed by the superintendent of that work; the determinations at
the remaining stations were at the expense of the Smithsonian Insti-
tution. ;

An account of the other papers in this volume has been given in
the previous report.

Miscellaneous Collections. —Several series of articles forming parts of
the series of Miscellaneous Collections, as stated in previous reports,
have been undertaken, of which some have been completed, some are
still in hand, and others have been printed during the past year.

The first of these series is that relating to the shells of North
America, and will consist of the following works :

1. Check lists of North American shells, by P. P. Carpenter, &ec.

2. Circular relative to collecting shells.

3. Elementary introduction to.the study of eoucholes sy. by PuP:
Carpenter.

4, List of the species of shells collected by the United States ex-
ploring expedition, by the same author. —

5. Descriptive catalogue of the shells of the west coast of the
United States, Mexico, and Central America, by the same author.

6. Descriptive catalogue of the air-breathing shells of Nor th
America, by W. G. Binney.

7. Descriptive catalogue of several genera of water-breathing
fresh-water univalves, by the same author.

8. Descriptive catalogue of the Melaniadae, or the remainder of the
water-breathing fresh water univalves, by George W. Tryon.

ee: REPORT OF THE SECRETARY.

9. Descriptive catalogue of the Corbiculicae or Cyclodidae, a sroup
of bivalves principally inhabiting fresh-water, by Temple Prime.

10. Descriptive catalogue of the Unionidae, or fresh-water mussels.

11. Descriptive catalogue of the shells of the eastern coast of the
United States, by W.. Stimpson.

12. Bibliography of North American conchology, by W. G. Binney.

The first and second articles of the foregoing list were printed in
1860, and described in the report for that year, and since then in
their wide distribution have done good service in facilitating the
collecting, labelling, and exchanging of specimens of conchology.

The third article was published in 1861, as a part of the annual report
for 1860, and a new eCition will be incorporated in the Miscellaneous
Collections as soon as we can procure the long-promised wood-cuts
from the British Museum, to illustrate the work.

The fourth and fifth articles are still in the hands of Mr. Oarpen-
ter, and will, it is expected, be ready for the press the ensuing year.

With reference to the sixth article, it may be mentioned that for —
many years before his death, the late Dr. Amos Binney, of Boston,
was engaged in collecting and arranging materials for a general work
upon the land shells of the United States. The result of his labors
was published after his decease, in three large volumes, giving co-
pious descriptions and accurate figures of all the species. His col-
lections are now in the hands of his son, Mr. W. G. Binney, of Bur-
lington, New Jersey, who has since greatly extended them, and has
brought up the subject of his father’s work to the present day, by
various supplements, memoirs, &c. He has also lately rearranzed
all the materials in his possession, and prepared from them, for this
’ Institution, the synopsis which is given as the sixth article in the
above enumeration.

The seventh and eighth articles include an account of fresh-water
univalves of the United States. Within the last twenty years the
number of described species of this class of animals known in this
country. has greatly increased. The descriptions of these previously
made were from specimens collected in isolated situations, oftentimes -
by persons who had not had the opportunity of studying large col-
lections or of comparing typical specimens, and, indeed, in some
cases without access to descriptions which had been previously made
by others. The shells belonging to this class are characterized, per-
haps above most others, by a remarkable range of variation in form
and size arising from local causes, or different stages of growth, &ec.

REPORT OF 'THE SECRETARY. 23

Many of them are also furnished with so few positive specific external

characters, that for their determination an anatomical difference in
their soft parts can alone be depended upon. Tostudy, therefore,

satisfactorily single species of fluviatile shells, one must have before

him, says Mr. Binney, a very large suite of specimens of all ages, from
every portion of the district which it inhabits, as wellas authentic speci-
mens of every allied described species, with an equally complete set
of individuals. From these facts it is evident that among the descrip-

tions of these shells which have been made by different authors, and’
published in different works, there must be many which refer to the —
same species; or, in other words, that the bibliography of this branch -
of natural history must abound in synonyms exceedingly perplexing

to the student, as well as exhibit imperfections in the systematic

exposition of the subject which ought not to exist. Such a con-

dition must occur from time to time in every branch of natural
history, and it therefore becomes important that some person com-

petent to the task should go over the whole field and reduce to what
is called a monograph, or single sketch, all that has been previously
done in regard to it.

‘Mr. Binney in his portion of the catalogue does not attempt to pre-
sent a complete monograph, but rather a report on our present state
of knowledge relative to fluviatile univalves. He has given an Eng-
lish translation of all the original descriptions and a fac-simile of the
outline of each original figure. The portion of this work which re-
lates to the fresh-water univalves of North America intrusted to Mr.
Binney has been completed, and is now in the press. The remainder
on the Jfelaniadae, undertaken by Mr. Tryon, has been commenced;
but since the family contains a large number of species exhibiting |
many of the variations above-mentioned, a year or more will be re-
quired before it can be completed.

The ninth article, or that relating to the Cycladidae, is nearly ready
for the press. The recent species of this group are generally small
and inhabit the fresh waters of various parts of the world, although
some belong to brackish or even marine localities. Mr. Prime has
paid particular attention to this group, and is said to be one of the
first living authorities in regard to the subject.

‘The eleventh article of the above-mentioned series will include
detailed descriptions by Mr. Stimpson of all the marine shells of the
eastern coast of the United States, with original notices of the internal
structure. Mi

24 REPORT OF THE SECRETARY.

The twelfth article in the series above enumerated is the biblio-
graphy of conchology, which has been prepared to avoid the neces-
sity of repeating bibliographical references in the different manuals
just enumerated. It is intended to give, first, an account of all the
articles or works of American authors, relative to conchology in
general, and secondly, those of foreign writers relative to the con-
chology of North America.

All the species referred to by authors are enumerated after the
title of each article, and such references to the page and date of
description are given as will enable any species to be quoted from
the bibliography itself without the necessity of referring to the origi-
nal. A complete index of authors, and of all the species mentioned,
placed at the end of the work, will greatly facilitate its use. The
first part of this work, embracing the writings of American authors,
forms an entire volume of the Miscellaneous Collections of upward of
700 pages, of which 400 are already stereotyped.

Another series of works belonging tothe Miscellaneous Collections
is intended to facilitate the study and the advancement of the science
of entomology, of which the several articles are the following:

_1. Instructions for collecting and preserving insects.

2. Catalogue of the described Diptera (flies, mosquitoes, &c.) of
North America, by Baron Osten Sacken.

3. Catalogue of the described Lepidoptera (butterflies, moths,
&c.) of North America, by Dr. Jno. G. Morris.

4. Classification of the Coleoptera (beetles, &c.) of North America,
by Dr. Jno. L. LeConte. .

5. Synopsis of the described Neuroptera (dragon flies, &c.) of
North America, with a lst of the South American species, by
Hermann Hagen.

6. Synopsis of the described Lepidoptera of North America. Pt.
1, Diurnal & Crepuscular Lepidoptera, by Dr. Jno. G. Morris.

7. List of the Coleoptera of North America, with descriptions of
new species, by Dr. John L. LeConte.

8. Monographs of the Diptera of North America, by H. Loew, with
additions by Osten Sacken.

9. Catalogues of Homoptera and Hemiptera (chinches, roaches,
.¢.) of North America, by P. R. Uhler.

10. Descriptive catalogue of the Hymenoptera (bees, wasps, &c.)
of North America, by Dr. Henri DeSaussure.

These have all been described in previous reports, and have all been

REPORT OF THE SECRETARY. 25

printed excepting the 9th and 10th, which are still in preparation,
and a part of the Tth, which has been delayed on account of+the call
on Dr. LeConte to a position in the medical department of the army
of the United States.

The instructions for collecting and preserving insects were published
in the appendix to the report for 1858. A new and enlarged edition
will be published during the coming year as a part of the next volume
of the Miscellaneous Collections.

Another part of the Miscellaneous Collections is a series of tables
furnished by Professor Guyot in addition to the set of physical tables
by the same author, previously published by the Institution. The
first of these is intended for converting the klafter and feet of Vienna
into measures of length of other countries. They are to be substituted
for those contained in the former edition, because they are derived
from a new comparison of the klafter of Vienna and French toise, by
Von Struve and Von Littrow. This comparison has furnished the
standard adopted in the great trigonometrical survey of Austria.
The second set of tables is for converting the Spanish or Mexican
and Bolivian varas and feet into English and French measures.

‘The preceding tables have been printed, and are inserted in volume
I of the Miscellaneous Collections.

The third set of tables gives the value of a degree of the meridian
in every degree of latitude from the equator to the poles, in metres,
kilometres, German miles, nautical leagues, French leagues, geo-
graphical or nautical miles, and English statute miles.

The fourth set of tables gives the value of each degree of longitude
on each parallel of latitude, from 0° to 90°, in the same measures as
those mentioned above.

The two preceding sets of tables, which are based on Bessel’s ter-
restrial elements, have been computed under the direction of Professor
Bache at the office of the Coast Survey, and have been kindly fur-
nished by him for this volume. The columns of the German miles and
nautical and French leagues have been added to make the table more
complete.

The fifth set of tables is for converting the most usual measures of
length into each other, such as myriametres and kilometres, Austrian,
Prussian, and German miles, nautical leagues, French, Spanish, and
Mexican leagues, geographical or nautical and statute miles, and Russian
wersis.

26. REPORT OF THE SECRETARY.

The sixth set of tables is for the conversion of the corresponding
surface or square measures of the preceding table into each other.

These measures, which are also founded on the late terrestrial ele-
ments of Bessel, have been selected with reference to the frequency
of use in the consultations of the official publications of different
European nations. Each of the above tables furnishes the value of
every full number from 1 to 100, in six figures for the measures of
length, and seven for those of surface.

The seventh set of tables gives the velocity of rotation of the earth
for each degree of latitude, expressed in the measures of length most
frequently used, and will facilitate computations in regard to the
velocity of the wind.

Lhe whole series comprises over 17,000 separate numbers, filling
70 large octavo pages.

It is proposed to add to these tables one giving the lene of time
of sunshine in different latitudes for each day in the year, and, to
complete the series, a number of tables for calculating the resu!tant
direction of the winds.

It is believed that these tables will be received as a welcome addi-
tion to the physical tables previously published by the Institution,
and which are now well known and used in every part-of the civilized

world. They will be of value to.the meteorologist and physical |

geographer, as well. as to the statistician and political economist.
The first set is indispensable for easily computing distances on globes,
maps, &c.; the second will greatly facilitate the use of the numerous
data furnished by travellers, scientific publications, and especially

the official statistical information contained in the various documents .

of the states of Hurope. The Selection of the various measures is

kilometre for the study of later French publications, and the com-
mon French league for the older ones; the Austrian and Prussian
miles, the Russian werst, and English statute mile for publications in
the countries where those measures are used. In the preparation of
these tables a question has arisen whether an additional series
should be constructed for the conversion of the American foot into

the English, between which there is, unfortunately, a slight dif-
ference.

Leports.—The. annual reports to Congress are printed at the ex-
pense of the government, with the exception of the cost of the

o™

REPORT OF THE SECRETARY. 27

wood-cuts, which is at the expense of the Institution. The re-
port for 1861 contains, besides the report of the Secretary and the acts
of the Regents, a Ewlogy on Prof. Felton, by Dr. Woolsey, President
_ of Yale College; a Eulogy on Hon. Stephen A. Douglas, by Hon. 8. S.
Cox ; synopsis of lectures on the Construction of. Bridges, by Fair-
man Rogers, of the University of Pennsylvania; lecture on the rela-
tion of Time and Space, by Prof. S. Alexander, of the College of New
Jersey; lecture on Arctic Explorations, by Dr. I. I. Hayes ; a memoir
of Geoffroy St. Hilaire, by M. Flourens ; the chemical analysis of the
Sun by means of the Solar Spectrum ; the smail planets between Mars
and Jupiter; studies and experiments on Metamorphism, by M.
Daubrée, and anumber of articles on Archeology, all translated for the
Institution ; also a report on Nitrification, prepared for the Institution
by B. F. Craig, M.D.; the history of Petroleum, by T. Sterry Hunt ;
and the explosibility of Coal Oil, by Z. Allen ; list of birds inhabiting
the District of Columbia, by E. Coues and D. W. Prentiss; and a
series of prize questions of scientific societies, together with a num-
ber of minor articles.

The reports for a number of years past have contained a series of
memoirs of distinguished men of science, mémbers:of the French
' Academy, translated for the Institution by C. A. Alexander, Esq., of
-this city. It is intended to continue the translation and publication
of similar memoirs, and when the number is sufficient to form an
ordinary sized volume, to collect and publish them in a separate
form.

Of the last report, 10,000 extra copies were ordered by Congress, of
which 4,000 were presented to the Institution for distribution among
its special correspondents. The requests for copies of this work
have been constantly increasing from year to year, and it is to be
regretted that the pages were not stereotyed, since there is now a
large demand for back numbers, to complete sets, which cannot be
obtained.

Previous to last year we were allowed to have extra copies of cer-
tain articles of the report struck off for separate distribution, but
under the new rules for the regulation of the public printing this
privilege was denied us in the case of the report for 1861, Itis
thought, however, that if a proper statement were made to Congress,
a clause would be added to the acts relative to the government
printing which would give all the facilities required.

28 REPORT OF THE SECRETARY.

The following general rules for the distribution of the reports have
been adopted : i

lst. They are presented to all the meteorological observers who
send records of the weather to the Institution.

2d. To the collaborators of the Institution.

3d. To donors to the museum or library.

4th. To colleges and educational establishments.

5th. To public libraries and literary and scientific societies.

Gth. To teachers, or individuals who are engaged in special studies,
and who make direct application for them.

It is proper to remark that, owing to the many changes which have
taken place since the commencement of the war in the list of corre-
spondents of the Institution, it has not been thought advisable to send
the report, as heretofore, to.all whose names are on the record of
distribution, but in most cases to wait until direct application is made
by letter for a copy of the work. Whenever a report is sent to any
address, a separate announcement is made through the mail by enclos-
ing a blank receipt, to be signed and returned to the Institution.

In view of the great cost of paper at the present time and the
space required for storage of a large edition of each volume of the
publications of the Institution, it has been thought advisable to ste-.
reotype the text and strike off only as many copies as are required for .
immediate distribution, printing a new supply from time to time to
satisfy the demands as they arise. By the adoption of this plan,
should the cost of paper return to its normal rate, the expense of the
stereotype plates would be saved.

Meicorology.—The meteorological system has continued to be car-
ried on as in former years, though necessarily very much dimin-
ished in extent on account of the absence of records from the southern
States. The volume of meteorological reductions from 1854 to 1859,
an account of which was given in the last report, has been published
and distributed to the meteorological observers, to public libraries,
and foreign institutions. Many letters have been received expressing
the new interest in the system that has been awakened by the appear-
ance of this volume, and the records which before existed only in the
archives of the Institution are now in the hands of a large number
of the students of science, whose various tastes and abilities will
enable them to draw from them important general results. The
second volume is still in press at the Government office, the print-

REPORT OF THE SECRETARY. 29

ing of it having been delayed by that of documents of more im-
mediate importance. It is expected, however, that it will be finished
during the year 1863.

The daily telegraphic bulletin of the state of the weather, which
was entirely discontinued for some time on account of the demands of
public business, has been partially resumed, and we are indebted to
the courtesy of Mr. Anson Stager for occasional despatches since
the early part of December last, from stations in the Rocky moun-
tains, and even from points as far west as California. These telegrams,
however are not sufficient to enable us to predict, with much proba-
bility, the changes of weather, without the additional information from
the south and southwest. The telegraphic bulletin giving the daily
condition of the weather at various important positions on the con-
tinent of Europe continues to be lithographed by the Imperial Ob-
servatory at Paris, and is sent to the Institution by every steamer.
In May last a circular was distributed asking for information on
the subject of tornadoes, the principal design of which is to direct
attention to a full and definite system of observations, so that on the
recurrence of tornadoes precise and uniform reports may be obtained
as to all the features of the phenomenon. Jn addition to the special
replies to the circular, a number of general answers have been re-
ceived, which are of interest in helping to define the regions of our
country where these destructive visitants frequently appear, and
those in which they are happily almost unknown. From Steuben,
Maine, Mr. J. D. Parker writes: ‘‘There was never a tornado seen
hereabouts by any one, so far as I can learn;’’? and Mr. R. H. Gar-
diner, at Gardiner, in the same State, says: ‘‘ Tornadoes are of very
rare occurence in this part of the country. I have no knowledge of
any within the ‘last fifty years.’’ From Vermont, Mr. Hiram A.
Cutting, of Lunenburg, informs us that ‘‘there never was but one
tornado, in this section, in my remembrance, and that was at Victory,
about twenty miles northwest of this place, in the summer of 1842.’’
Mr. Levi Packard, residing in the State of New York, at Spencertown,
Columbia county, between the Hudson river and Massachusetts, tells
us there are no tornadoes in that tract of country. On the other hand,
we are informed that over the swampy region of the great bend of the
Mississippi tornadoes are very frequent, and the paths of many of them
are marked upon the ground for miles by prostrate trees and other
indications of a violent disturbance of the atmosphere.

aa REPORT OF THE SECRETARY.

Correct general information of this kind would furnish material for
the preparation of an interesting map, showing at a glance the
regions where tornadoes annually prevail, and those where they oc-
cur only occasionally, or not at all. In meteorological investiga-
tion we always make a step in advance when the region to which
phenomena are limited can be accurately defined.

Since the latter part of October, a series of daily observations has
been made for the Institution, by Mr. Force, on the temperature of
the hydrant water in Washington. The water flows some six or
seven miles through iron pipes, under ground, before reaching the
place of delivery, and acquires, approximately, the temperature of
the soil at the depth at which the pipes are laid. The observations
were made at a hydrant.out of doors, about T o’ clock every morning,
the water being allowed to flow two or three minutes before noting
the temperature. When the curves for the water and the air are
plotted on the same diagram and the same scale, they exhibit to the
eye, in a very striking manner, the extreme fluctuations of the tem-
perature of the air, compared with that of the ground, at the depth
of only two or three feet. They also show the slowness with which
variations of temperature penetrate the earth. The change pro-
duced by a decided increase or decrease of temperature being gene-
rally indicated by the water two or three days after it occurred in
the open air. )

Among the contributions relative to meteorology which have been
received at the Institution, is a series of tri-daily observations made
at Brunswick, Maine, by the late Professor Parker Cleaveland, from

“1808 to 1859. The records include observations on the ordi-
nary thermometer; the maximum and minimum thermometer, the
barometer, rain-gauge, wind-vane, &c. Itis proposed to publish these -
in full, as a part of the second volume of the ‘‘Meteorological Re-
sults,” but for this purpose it is desirable that the means for months,
years, and the whole period, should. be calculated, and this work is
now in progress, and will probably be finished before the printer
will call for the copy. The publication of these observations is in
accordance with the plan adopted to print in full a number of long
series of observations such as those we have already published, viz:
for Providence, Rhode Island, and Washington, Arkansas. They
will be of much interest for solving various meteorological problems,
such as the recurrence of particular phenomena, chariges of seasons,

*

REPORT OF THE SECRETARY. 31

verification or disproval of the many empirical rules which have been
proposed and are used for predicting the weather, &c. The exten-
sive series of observations made by Dr. S. P. Hildreth, of Marietta,
Ohio, mentioned in a previous report, belong to the same class, and

- will also be inserted in the volume above mentioned.

We have already referred to the additions to the meteorological
tables of Professor Guyot, and stated that it is proposed to still fur-
ther increase these tables bya series intended to facilitate the calcu-
lation of the mean direction of the wind.

The directions and blanks for making meteorological observations
which have been prepared and published at the expense of the In-
stitution have been extensively distributed in this country, and trans-
lated and reprinted abroad. The geographical and statistical society
of Mexico has recently adopted them, and signified the intention of
co-operating with the Institution in extending its system of observa
tions more widely over this continent. Were not our general system
of meteorology interrupted by the discontinuance of the reception of
observations from the southern States, this would be an important
addition to,our means of tracing the extent of disturbance of the
atmosphere which accompanies our winter storms. ?

Professor Guyot availed himself of a visit which he made to Murope
last year to establish by his own observation the relation of the
standard barometers used by the Institution to the most important
standards of the European observatories. The comparisons were
made by means of two Fortin barometers, with cistern of constant
level, as modified by Ernst, of Paris, and constructed several years
avo by that skilful artist for the Institution. Both instruments had
been previously tested by long usage, and just before leaving this

* country their relation to a large standard barometer by Newman, of

London, and a large sized barometer by Ernst, was ascertained by a
series of numerous comparisons made with great care. These two |
instruments were directly compared in Europe with a standard
barometer at Kew observatory, now acknowledged as the nor-
mal barometer among English meteorologists, and with the stan-
dard instruments at the Brussels, Berlin, and Geneva observatories,
by the kind permission and assistance of the directors of these several
institutions, Professors Stanley, Quetelet, Enke, and Plantamour.
The last set of comparisons at Geneva, Switzerland, was found par-
ticularly useful from the fact that by the untiring care of Professor
Plantamour the relation of his barometer has been fully established

32 S REPORT OF THE SECRETARY.

with that of Regnault in the College de France, and that of the ob-
servatory of Paris. On his return Professor Guyot made a new series
of comparisons with the same Smithsonian standards as before,
the results of which proved that no change had taken place during
his absence in the two barometers used abroad. It is believed
that these comparisons establish a correspondence of the WNuro-
pean and American standard barometers within .the narrow limit
of one or two-thcusandths of aninch. A large standard is about to
be prepared under the direction of Professor Guyot, to which these
determinations will be referred.

The meteorological branch of the operations of the Institution still
continues under the charge of Mr. William Q. Force, to whose habits
of order_and scrupulous accuracy the system is much indebted for
whatever value it possesses.

Among the contributions to the meteorological materials of the
Institution, presented during the last year, is a series of continuous
records of the changes of atmospheric temperature made by a ma-
chine invented by Dr. James Lewis, of Mohawk, New York. This
instrument consists of an arrangement of a number of brass and iron
wires, whose relative contraction and expansion give motion to
a metallic point, the several positions of which are marked by a
puncture in a fillet of - paper, produced by a blow of a hammer
moved by clockwork, repeated at regular intervals of fifteen minutes.
Although instruments of this kind have been frequently constructed, -
they have generally not possessed sufficient sensibility to indicate the
fitful changes of the atmosphere. Dr. Lewis appears, however, to
have been more successful in his invention, and from the results
which he has presented to us it would appear that the registers of his
self-recording instrument are of considerable value in determining
the general law of changes of temperature, especially during the day,
and thus furnishing corrections by which the mean temperature of
places in the same latitude can be obtained from observations made
at only one or more hours of the day. It may be mentioned here
that an idea has been very prevalent in this country among observers
that to obtain the average temperature of a place, the best times of
observation are about sunrise and sunset, and at 2 or 8 o’clock in the
afternoon; but as the rising and setting of the sun occurs at different
times in different seasons of the year, and as the maximum tempera-
ture occurs at different hours in different latitudes, it is best always
to make the observations as nearly as possible at fixed hours, as, for

REPORT OF THE SECRETARY. @ 33

instance, at those which have been adopted by this Institution, viz: 7,
2, and 9; since, by observing this rule, corrections derived from such
observations as those made by Mr. Lewis can be applied soas to give with
more precision the average temperature of the place of observation.

The present Surgeon General, Dr. Hammond, takes a lively interest
in meteorology, as one of the branches of science intimately con-
nected with his department; and as soon as the posts and canton-
ments are again permanently established will reorganize the system
of army observations on a more extended scale, and furnish it with
the instruments and instructions prepared under the direction of this
Institution.

Laboratory.—The operations of the laboratory during the past
year have principally consisted in the preparation of alarge quantity of
Laborraque’s disinfecting liquid, and the continuance of the examina-
tion of minerals preparatory to a distribution of duplicates. More than
a thousand bottles of the disinfecting liquid have been prepared for
the use of the hospitals in the city of Washington. The efficacy of
this substance has been demonstrated by abundant experience.
Simply sprinkling it on the floor, or wetting with it a cloth placed
near the source of unpleasant effluvia, at once renders the air of
the apartment entirely inodorous. The preparation of this substance
is still going on and will be continued as long as the article may be
required for the hospitals.

The examination of the minerals preparatory to a distribution of
the duplicates has not been carried on as rapidly as could be wished,
on account of the absence of the person to whom this duty was as-
signed. We have, however, ready for distribution, upwards of two
hundred sets of specimens, properly labelled, of the stones used in
erecting the public buildings in the city of Washington.

In consideration of the high rate of exchange no purchases of
foreign apparatus have been made during the past vear. Occasion
however, has been taken, in the interval of other business, to remodel
the cases of the apparatus room, in order to a better disposition and
display of the instruments. The room itself is fifty feet square with
a ceiling of twenty-five feet in height. Around the four sides of this
room, cases of about six feet deep and ten feet high have been con-
structed. The upper floorings of these cases extend about two feet
beyond their front, and thus form a projecting gallery entirely around
the room, which serves for the display of.larger instruments as well
H. Mis. Doc. 25——3

34 8 REPORT OF THE SECRETARY.

as to increase the available capacity of the apartment. The whole
arrangement produces a pleasing architectural effect, while from the
size of the cases instruments may frequently be used in the way of
experiment without bringing them out into the room, or exposing
them to the handling of visitors.

Collections of Specimens of Natural History, &c.—In the last two re-
ports a distinction was drawn between the large coilections of speci-
mens of natural history, &c., which have been made through the
agency of this Institution and what is called the Smithsonian Museum.
This distinction has become necessary in order to separate more
clearly in the public mind two objects, which, although they are gen-
erally confounded, are in the case of this Institution essentially dif-
ferent. The object of making large collections of duplicate speci-
mens is twofold, first, to advance science by furnishing to original
investigators, wherever they may reside, new materials for criti-
cal study; and second, to diffuse knowledge by providing colleges,
academies, and other educational establishments with the labelled
specimens necessary to give definite ideas of the relations and diver-
sities of the various productions of nature. The principal end
attained by the public museum of the Institution has been the grati-
fication and incidental instruction of the visitors to the city of Wash-
ington. It is true that there are preserved in the museum the type
specimens cf the species and genera which have been described, and
of which accounts have been published at. the expense of the Smith-
son fund, or by other means; but for the preservation of these there
is required no costly building nor corps of attendants, and, indeed,
the charge of them might well be assumed by other establishments.

From the foregoing exposition it will readily be seen that while
the collecting and distributing of large numbers of specimens is an
important means of increasing and diffusing knowledge, and as such
is in strict accordance with the will of the founder of this Institution,
the support of a public museum, the effects of which must of neces-
sity be ina great degree local, is not so consistent with the liberal
intention of the bequest.

It should not be inferred from the foregoing remarks that I mean to
disparage the establishment of a general collection of objects of na-
ture and art, like that of the British Museum or the Garden of Plants,
which includes in its design the encouragement of original study as
well as of popular instruction and amusement. On the contrary, I

REPORT OF THE SECRETARY. 35

have always advocated this measure as one of national importance,
while I have endeavored to show that it ought not to be attempted
by means of the Smithsonian fund, and that it could only be properly
earried out bya liberal annual appropriation from the public treasury.

I have thought it necessary frequently to urge the importance of
guarding against the tendency to increase the expenditure on local
objects, and against accepting presents on condition that they shall
be perpetually preserved and exhibited to the public at the expense
of the Smithsonian fund. If this propensity were iudulged in and
donations solicited on the terms mentioned, which are those usually
agreed to in similar cases, the whole income of the bequest would be
ultimately absorbed in providing house-room and accommodations for
the collections ; and the active operations, as they are called, which
have given so much celebrity to the name of Smithson, and have
constituted the distinctive feature of the establishment, would cease.

The collections of specimens which have formed the prominent sub-

ject of the preceding remarks may be divided into two classes,
namely, those which have been studied and an account of them pub-
lished in the reports of the government expeditions, or in the trans-
actions of the Simithsonian and other institutions, and those which
have not been described, and which consequently are considered of
much interest to the naturalist, who may be anxious to make new
explorations in the domain of natural history. Of both classes the
Institution possesses a large number, for the disposition of which the
following general rules have been adopted :
_ First. To advance original science, the duplicate type specimens
are distributed as widely as possible to scientific institutions in this
and other countries, to be used in identifying the species and genera
which have been described.

Second. For the purposes of education, duplicate sets of specimens,
properly labelled, are presented to colleges and other institutions of
learning in this country.

Third. These donations are made on condition that due credit is to
be given the Institution in the labelling of the specimens, and in all
accounts which may be published of them.

Fourth. Specimens are presented to foreign institutions, on condi-
tion that if type specimens are wanted for comparison or other use
in this country they will be furnished when required.

Fifth. In return for specimens which may be presented to colleges
and other institutions, collections from localities in their vicinity shall
be furnished when wanted.

36 REPORT OF THE SECRETARY.

In the disposition of the undescribed specimens of the collection,
the following considerations have been observed as governing prin-
ciples :

First. The original specimens are not to be intrusted for descrip-
tion to inexperienced persons, but to those only who have given evi:
dence of an ability properly to accomplish the task undertaken.

Second. Preference is to be given to those who have been engaged
in the laborious and difficult enterprise of making complete mono-
graphs. .

Third. The investigator may be allowed, in certain cases, to take
the specimens to his place of residence, and to retain them for study
a reasonable time.

Fourth. The use of the specimens is only to be given on condition
that a series of types for the Smithsonian Museum will be selected
and properly labelled, and the whole returned in good condition.

Fifth. In any publications which may be made of the results from
an investigation of the materials from the Smithsonian collection, full
credit must be accorded to the Institution for the facilities which
have been afforded.

During the past year, the labelling of specimens for colleges and
other educational institutions has been continued, but the work has
not advanced with as much rapidity as was expected, owing to the
call upon many of our co-laborers to join the army. Under the
most favorable circumstances the labelling requires much labor, and ‘
cannot be properly done except by persons specially trained in par-
ticular branches of natural history.

The assorting and labelling of the principal part of the shells is
still in progress under Mr. Philip P. Carpenter, of Warrington, Eng-
land, assisted by Dr. Alcock. Other shells have been named, or are
in the process of being named, by Prof. Agassiz and Dr. Stimpson,
of Cambridge; Mr. Isaac Lea and Mr. G:? W. Tryon, of Philadel-
phia; Mr. W. G. Binney, of New Jersey ; Mr. Prime, of New York;
Mr. Busk, of England; and Dr. Steenstrup, of Copenhagen.

The botanical collections, to which several additions have been
made during the past year, are still in charge of Dr. Torrey, of New
York, and Dr. Gray, of Cambridge. The assorting of the rocks
end minerals is carried on in the Institution; and as an auxiliary
work, Mr. Egleston has prepared a general list of mineral species
to facilitate the labelling and exchange of specimens. This will be
printed and distributed to correspondents during the present year.

REPORT OF THE SECRETARY. 37

The additions to the collections of insects, during the year, have
been referred for identification, as usual, to the collaborators in the
line of entomology, viz: To Baron Osten Sacken, Dr. Le Conte, Dr.
Loew, Dr. Hagen, Dr. Morris, Dr. Clemens, Mr. Edwards, Mr. Nor-
ton, Mr. Scudder, Mr. Ulke, and Mr. Uhler.

The whole number of entries on the record book of the Smith-
sonian collection, up to the end of 1862, is, according to the statement
of Professor Baird, 74,775, and when it is understood that each entry
is that of a lot which in most cases contains many specimens, some
idea may be formed of the whole number of specimens which have
been collected through the agency of the Institution, and the service
which will be rendered when all these are made available for the
advancement and diffusion of knowledge among men.

The Museum of the Institution consists principally of the type
specimens of the various collections of objects of natural history and
ethnology obtained by the different exploring and surveying expedi-
tions sent out by the government of the United States, as well as by
various special expeditions instituted at the expense of the Smithsonian
fund. These specimens have generally been described, and in many
cases figured in the reports published by Congress, or in the Smith-
sonian or other transactions, and have thus rendered their chief ser-
vice in the way of advancing knowledge. Yet, in view of the future
progress of science, it is important, irrespective of their use for the
purposes of education, that these specimens should be carefully pre-
served, in order that they may be referred to as the original objects
from which the descriptions were drawn. It often happens that in
the subsequent study of similar specimens from other localities doubts
arise as to some points of the published descriptions, which can only
Le solved by a reference to the original materials, and it is also fre-
quently desirable to re-examine the specimens in relation to some
new point of interest which may have been developed in the course
of more extended investigation.

The additions to the museum should be confined principally to the
type specimens collected and described at the expense of the gen-
eral government, or under the immediate auspices of the Institution.
Even thus restricted the specimens will increase in number as rapidly
as that part of the Smithsonian fund, which is taxed for their sup-
port, will permit, and in time they will form of themselves a valu-
able collection of authentic illustrations of the natural history of
America. It is true, as is often urged, that the value of these speci-

38 REPORT OF THE SECRETARY.

mens would be enhanced by the addition for comparison of corre-
sponding specimens from other parts of the world; but the full
adoption of this extension of the plan would involve the maintenance
of a general museum, which, as has been repeatedly stated, is incom-
patible with the means and design of the Institution.

The only museum at present in this country, expressly established
for the threefold object of popular instruction, systematic study, and
original research, is that at Cambridge, under the direction of Prof.
Agassiz. For the purposes of such a museum specimens of all kinds,
from every part of the earth, are necessary, and in accordance with
the liberal policy by which it has always been governed, the Smith-
sonian Institution has actively co-operated in assisting this exemplary
enterprise of the State of Massachusetts.

During the past year the type specimens of a number of series of
collections, of which the duplicates have been separated for distribu-
tion, have been transferred to the museum. The work of labelling the
specimens, so that the common as well as the scientific name of each
article may be distinctly exhibited, has been continued, and will pro- -
bably be completed before the end of the present year. But for an
account in detail of what has been done in regard to the museum
and the collections, I must refer to the report of Prof. Baird, here-
with submitted.

As a matter of interest, and, in some cases, of importance, a
record book is kept at the principal entrance of the building, in
which the names of all the visitors are entered. Since the date of
the last report the Institution has been visited by thousands of
persons, who have been called by business or pleasure to the national
capital. The specimens of natural history and ethnology have ex-
cited much popular interest, particularly among those who come
from the more distant western portions of the country. The museum
~ and grounds are a favorite resort for the convalescent soldiers. '
The trees and shrubbery of the latter are growing finely, and the —
whole park, under the care of the Commissioner of Public Build-
ings, B. B. French, Esq., forms no unworthy memento of the tal- _
ents of the lamented Downing, by whom its plan was designed.

I amsorry, in this connection, to consider it my duty to refer to the
existence of an evil over which, though you have no. official control,
yet as legislators and prominent citizens you may exert a beneficial
influence. JI allude to the city canal, which forms the boundary of
the Smithsonian grounds on the north. The basin or widest part of

-REPORT OF THE SECRETARY. 39

this canai, across which most of the visitors to the Institution have
to pass, has become, since the introduction of the Potomac water,
the receptacle of the sewage of the city, and is now an immense
cesspool, constantly emitting noxious effluvia prejudicial to the health
and offensive to the senses of all who approach the locality. This
nuisance, which will continue to increase with the increasing use of the
Potomac water, may perhaps be mitigated by placing a gate at each
end of the wider part of the canal, to be closed after high tide and
opened occasionally at low water, so as to discharge the contents
with a force which would remove, in part, at least, the deleterious
deposit. But the only effectual remedy, as it appears to me, is to
fill up a part of the width of the canal, and convert the remainder
into a sewer by covering it-with an arch of masonry. This sewer
may perhaps be cleared out by flood-gates, as before mentioned, or
‘by anchoring flat-boats at the mouths of the drains, to be removed
and emptied when filled. But whatever plan may be adopted, the
character and prosperity of the city, as well as the interests of the
Institution, are involved in a speedy and efficient effort to remove
the evil. The small pecuniary benefit which may result from the
canal to the city or to individuals ought not have any weight in the
decision of this matter.

Lxplorations.—A part of the large collections which have just been
described was gathered through officers and other persons attached
to the surveying and exploring expeditions sent out by the govern-
ment, and another part by expeditions expressly organized for the
purpose, under the immediate auspices of the Institution. Among the
latter is the expedition mentioned in the last two reports as having
been undertaken by Mr. Robert Kemnicott, of Chicago.

This enterprise has terminated very favorably, the explorer having
returned richly laden with specimens, after making a series of obser-
vations on the physical geography, ethnology, and the habits of ani-
mals of the regions visited, which cannot fail to furnish materials of
' much interest to scicnce.

The route traversed by Mr. Kennicott was from Lake Superior,
along Kamenistiquoy river, and Rainy and Winnipeg lakes, up the
. Saskatchewan river to Cumberland House; thence nearly north
through a series of rivers and lakes to Fort Churchill on English
river, up the latter to Methy Portage, at which point he first reached
the headwaters of the streams flowing into the Arctic ocean; thence

40 REPORT OF THE SECRETARY.

along the Clear Water river and Athabasca lake, down Peace river
into Great Slave lake, and along the Mackenzie river to Fort Simpson.
At this place Mr. Kennicott spent a part of the first winter with the
officers of the Hudson’s Bay Company, making excursions up the Liard
river to Fort Liard in autumn, and again on snow shoes in January.
Before the close of the same winter he went up the Mackenzie to Big
island, and thence northwest to Fort Rae, near the site of old Fort
Providence. From this point he travelled on the ice across Great
Slave lake to Fort Resolution, at the mouth of Peace river, where he
spent the summer of 1860. Henext descended the Mackenzie to Peel’s
river, and thence proceeded westward across the Rocky mountains, and
down the Porcupine river to the Youkon, in the vicinity of which he
spent the winter of 1860-61, and the summer of 1861. The winter
of 1861 and’62 was spent at Peel’s river, and La Pierre’s house in the
Rocky mountains, and in travelling from this point up to Fort Simpson
and back to Fort Good Hope on the Mackenzie. He left the last-men-
tioned place on the Ist of June, 1862, and reached home in October.

During the whole exploration he was the guest of the Hudson’s
Bay Company, the officers of which not only furnished him with free
transportation for the materials he collected, but also extended to him
in the most liberal manner the hospitalities of their several posts, and
facilitated in every way in their power the objects of his perilous
enterprise.

The principal object of the exploration was to collect materials for
investigating the Zoology of the region visited. Mr. Kennicott,
however, also collected specimens of plants and minerals, and
gave considerable attention to the ethnology of the country, in ob-
serving the peculiarities of the various Indian tribes, and forming
vocabularies of the languages. He carried with him ‘a number of
thermometers, and succeeded in enlisting a number of persons as
meteorological observers, as well as in exciting an interest in natural
history, and in physical phenomena, which cannot fail to be produc-
tive of important information respecting a region of the globe but
little known.

The contributors to this exploration, besides the Smithsonian Insti-
tution, were the University of Michigan, the Audubon Club of Chicago,
and several private individuals interested in the advance of natural
history.

Mr. Xantus, whose explorations in Lower California have been

REPORT OF THE SECRETARY Al

mentioned in several of the previous reports, has been appointed by
the government of the United States consul on the western coast
of Mexico; and in this new and interesting region, I doubt not
that, with unabated zeal, he will be able to add much that is
new and important to the different branches of natural history. To
facilitate his labors in the way of making collections, the Institution
furnished him with a full set of articles necessary for the most efficient
prosecution of a work of this kind.

Eaxchanges.—The system of exchanges still continues to render im-
portant aid to the literary and scientific intercourse of this country
with other parts of the world. Itis not confined on this side of the
Atlantic to the United States, but extends to Canada, the West In-
dies, and South America. From the tabular statement given by Pro-
fessor Baird, it appears that during the year 1862 there have been
sent to foreign countries 1,203 packages, each containing, in most
cases, a number of separate articles. These packages were enclosed
in 114 boxes, measuring in the aggregate upwards of 1,000 cubic feet,
and weighing 28,936 pounds.. The number of packages received in
return for parties in this country, exclusive of those for the Institu-
tion, was 2,105, which would on an average amount to upwards of
10,000 articles.

The Institution has received on its own account 5,035 articles, in-
cluding those for the museum as well as for the library.

The thanks of the Institution continue to be due to various parties
for their liberality in transporting boxes and packages free of charge,
er in materially reducing the ordinary expenses. Those claiming
especial mention are the North German Lloyds, between Bremen
and New York, the Hamburg and New York Steamship Line, the
Cunard Line, the Panama Railroad, and the Pacific Mail Steamship
Company, all of which transport Smithsonian packages free of charge.
The Adams’s Express Line transmits our packages partly at reduced
rates and partly free. The magnitude of the favors conferred by
these companies may be readily understood by a reference to the
statement made above that the weight of the packages sent to Hurope

alone amounted, during the year 1862, to nearly 30,000 pounds.

LTibrary.—The library during the last year has continued steadily
to increase, principally by exchanges, but also by purchase. By ex-
changes there have been received 1,211 octavos, 348 quartos, and 52
folios. Of parts of volumes in octavo 2 441, in quarto, 767, in folio,

Ad REPORT OF THE SECRETARY.

161, maps and charts, 55, making a total of 5,035 articles. In addi-
tion to these about 500 volumes have been purchased.

A catalogue of transactions and proceedings of learned societies
contained in the library of the Smithsonian Institution was published
in July, 1858, and widely distributed, with a circular requesting that
the deficiencies in the sets might be supplied, and other series be
added to the collection from the duplicates in foreign libraries. This
request has been so liberally complied with, and so many additions
have been made to the collection, that a new edition of the catalogue
has become necessary. This work is nearly ready for the press, and
if the means of the Institution should permit, will be published during
the coming year.

The value of this library will be much enhanced by the publication
of the Systematic Index to all the articles contained in the transac-
tions and proceedings of the learned societies of the world, now in
course of preparation under the supervision of a committee of the
Royal Society of London. This index will include the titles of papers
published by the academies of Russia, Sweden, Denmark, Nether-
lands, Germany, Switzerland, France, Spain, Italy, and the States of
North America. Some idea of the magnitude of the work, says Gen-
eral Sabine, may be formed from the fact, that it begins with the year
1800, and is brought down to the close of the year 1860. The titles
are all in quadruplicate and now form sixty-two manuscript volumes.
It is expected that the index will be completed within the year 1863,
and that it will be published without unnecessary delay. It will be
a work of immense importance to all engaged in scientific pursuits ;
it is difficult to estimate the amount of waste of time and labor of the
student, arising from ignorance of what has already been achieved in
the several departments of science; and none but one who has en-
deavored in the investigation of perhaps a single subject to explore
the contents of scientific periodicals can judge of the weariness and
discouragements of the search. A copy of this work will undoubtedly
find a place in each of the principal libraries of the United States,
and with the distribution of the catalogue before-mentioned will give
the American student ready reference and access through the Smith-
sonian collection to all the important original papers on scientific sub-
jects which have been published during the present century.

Gallery of Art.—The only additions made to the Gallery of Art
during the past year, have been a bust of Professor Benjamin Silli-

REPORT OF THE SECRETARY. 43

man, senior, presented by his son, and another of General William H.
Sumner, presented by George Wood, esq., of this city.

The Indian gallery belonging to Mr. Stanley still continues on de-
posit in the Institution. It is to be feared that by reason of the
present condition of the country Congress will not think it advisable to
purchase these characteristic illustrations of the aboriginal inhabitants
of this continent, and it may perhaps become a subject of considera-
tion with the Regents to make some provision for the preservation of
the collection in its integrity, since it is possible that the owner may
otherwise be obliged to dispose of it in parts, in order to meet his
private pecuniary engagements.

Lectures.—On account of the uncertainty of the times and the pre-
occupation of the public mind no arrangements were made to furnish a
course of public lectures on the part of the Institution for the winter
of 186162; but the use of the lecture-room was granted, in accord-
ance with previous custom, to an association consisting principally of
persons connected with the several departments of government to
give a course of lectures in aid of a benevolent object. The privi-
lege was granted, as usual, on the condition definitely expressed,
that subjects of sectarianism in religion and special politics should
not be discussed. But in this case experience proved that it is inju-
dicious to allow the use of the room in times of great public excite-
ment for lectures over which the Institution has no immediate control.

The association could not, or at least did not, observe the restriction
as to subjects, and the whole course became an exposition of political
principles which were then under public discussion both in the pa-
pers of the day and on the floor of Congress. The evil of this was
soon manifest in acrimonious attacks upon the Institution by mem-
bers of Congress and editors of papers holding different political
opinions. It was in vain to attempt to neutralize the effects of
these attacks by stating the fact that the Institution ought not to be
held responsible for the character of these lectures; the public could
not be made to-recognize the distinction between the lectures given
under the immediate sanction of the Institution and those which were
permitted to be delivered in the lecture-room under the direction of
other parties. :

Upon these considerations and those mentioned in the last re-
port as to the inexpediency of frequently opening the Smithsonian
building at night in the present state of this city, I concluded, after
the course of political lectures was terminated, to restrict the use of

AA REPORT OF THE SECRETARY.

the lecture-room exclusively to the lectures given under the immediate
auspices of the Institution. This rule at first gave offence to some
of the friends of the Institution, and was considered very unjust by
another association which desired to give a course of political lectures
in opposition to those which had been previously delivered. It
has since, however, been generally approved by the reflecting
public, and, indeed, must commend itself to all who have studied
the history of establishments under the direction of State or
national governments. Unless they are strictly guarded against the
intrusion of political influence, their permanency and usefulness can-
not long be maintained. So much were the Regents composing the
Board, at its first sessions, impressed with this fact, that, ateone of
their early meetings, they unanimously adopted the following sugges-
tion of one of their committees, namely:

‘‘The party politics of the day, on which men differ so widely and
so warmly, should not, your committee think, enter among the subjects
treated of in any lecture or publication put forth under the sanction
of the Institution. And they would deeply regret to see party tests
and party wranglings obtrude themselves on the neutral grounds of
science and education, endangering, as such intrusion surely would,
the tranquillity of the Institution, disturbing the even tenor of its ac-
tion, perhaps assaulting its welfare, and certainly contracting the
sphere of its usefulness.”’

I need not say to the gentlemen now present, some of whom have
been Regents since the beginning, how strictly the spirit of this reso-
lution has been observed; notwithstanding the members of the Board
from the two Houses of Congress are designedly elected from those
holding opposite political opinions, in this hall the irritations of legis-
lative discussion have been allayed or forgotten, and men of the
most extreme political views have constantly met in this place as ona
common ground of friendly sympathy, actuated apparently by no
other feeling than the desire to guide and sustain the Institution in
its mission of advancing and diffusing knowledge.

To make up for the dissatisfaction which might be felt on account
of the restriction which had been put upon the use of the lecture-
room, it was thought advisable to give in the winter of 1862—’63 a more
extended series of lectures than had been given in the two preceding
winters, but to confine them principally to courses on scientific and
other subjects, which might be of service to those who desired actual

REPORT OF THE SECRETARY. 45

instruction rather than mere amusement; although the attendance
was not as large as in the case of the single lectures or the more ex-
citing topics of the day, yet it was well maintained and comprised an
attentive and decorous audience.

The following are the courses which were delivered, namely:

A course of six lectures, by Professor Daniel Wilson, of the University
of Toronto, on ‘‘Unwritten History,’’ embracing, Ist, Archeology ;
2d, Physiology; 3d, The Lettered Races; 4th, The Maritime Races;
5th, The Origin of Civilization, and 6th, The Historic and Unhis-
toric Races.

A course of six lectures, by Professor Arnold Guyot, of Princeton Col-
lege, on “The Unity of Plan in the System of Life, as exhibited in the
characteristic ideas and mutual relations of the great groups of the
vegetable and animal kingdom.’’

A course of five lectures, by Professor E. N. Horsford, of the Law-
rence Scientific School, Cambridge, on ‘‘ Munitions of War.’’

A course of six lectures, by Professor John Torrey, vf New York, on
‘Artificial Light.’’

A course of four lectures, by Professor Wenry Wurtz, of New York,
on ‘‘ Gunpowder.’’

Two lectures, by Dr. Solger, on ‘‘Ethnology.’’

One lecture by Arthur W. Edwards, on ‘‘The Microscope and its
Revelations.”

The courses of lectures by Professors Wilson, Guyot, and Wurtz

will be published in the appendix to the report for 1862, and subse-
quent years.
Respectfully submitted.
JOSEPH HENRY,

Secretary Smithsonian Institution.
Frpruary, 1863.

APPENDIX TO THE REPORT OF THE SECRETARY.

SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION,
Washington, December 31, 1862.
Sir: I beg leave herewith to present a report, for 1862, of the operations
intrusted to my charge, namely, those relating to printing, exchanges, and
natural history. ¢
Very respectfully, your obedient servant.
SPENCER F. BAIRD,
Assistant Secretary Smithsonian Institution.
Prof. Josep Henry, L.L.D.,

Secretary Smithsonian Institution.

PRINTING.

In an appendix will be found a list of the works published in 1862—the num-
ber of pages pzinted, quarto and octavo, greatly exceeding that reported for
1861. Several large works are also in press and will be issued early in 1863.

‘The following enumeration will show the number of pages printed during
the year:

Works completed and issued, quarto--....-.....---- pages.. 1,390
DHE soggac 5900 54555 pages.. 1, 226

——-) 2, O16
Works’ stil in presssquanio.-- ie ecmee ee neee See pages-. 180
VIEW Oo s5as5) aloud s sson Souolas pages-- 9593

Sse IS

Total. 2.05.0 ote dice sae eis nee Ee Ee Ee ere 3, 389

A complete catalogue of all works published by the Institution up to June,
1862, was issued during the year, and will be found included in the list of
articles published.

All the octavo publications of the Institution hitherto issued, and of which
copies cnough were on hand, have been arranged in a regular series, entitled
“Smithsoniaa Miscellancous Collections,” corresponding to the “Smithsonian
Contributions to Knowledge,” and fi four volumes of over seven hundred
pages each. An accompanying list shows the contents of these several volumes.

¢

@

REPORT OF THE ASSISTANT SECRETARY. AT

EXCHANGES AND TRANSPORTATION.

The operations in the department of exchanges, as reported for 1861, showed
a considerable reduction below those of thee previous year. During 1862,
however, they have fully recovered their usual magnitude, and while the ‘reecipts
of books and parcels from abroad are nearly equal to the maximum of any
previous year, the transmissions have been greater than usual.

The thanks of the Institution and its correspondents continue to be due to
various companies for their great liberality in transporting boxes and pareels
free of charge over their respective routes, thereby reducing very materially
the expenses s of the department of exchanges. The lines deserving of especial
mention are the North German Lloyd, between Bremen and New York; the
Hamburg and New York steamship line; the Cunard lines, running from New
York; the Panama Railroad Company; the Pacific Mail Steamship Company;
the Adams’s Express Company; the Hudson Bay Company, &c. ‘The magni-
tude of the favors thus conferred may be readily understood by stating that a
single transmission of packages to Germany during the year, through the North
German Lloyd, consisted of 46; boxes of 424 cubic fect, or over ten tons by
measurement.

The Institution is under many obligations for important services rendered in
connexion with its exchanges and transportation, to the Ilon. Hiram Barney,
collector of customs in New York, and his assistant, Mr. George Hillier. Also
in San [’rancisco, to Mr. A. B. Forbes, and Mr. Samuel Hubbard, of the Pa-
cific Mail Steamship Company’s service. ‘The foreign agents of the Insti-
tution, Dr. Felix Picks of Leipsic; Gustave Lossange & Co., Paris, and Mr.
William Wesley, 2 2 Queen’s Head Passage, Paternoster Row, London, continue
to discharge their duties with promptness and efficiency.

The following tables exhvit the statistics of the different branches of the
system of exchanges:

A.

Receipt of books, &c., by exchange in 1862.
Volumes:

(GHBGERI@ ee) ec ned Sed alt US SI EE aA AA A meg en Ed.
ait Oe mene ON cues) NODC tek abr Nee cule au ial 348
Jes lio eye gee te ar lo gl ym a aa PSI DN 52
ole
Parts of volumes and pamphlets:
(Q\ERERYO # Mie RNR er ee les EAS sen NA A eR eneeenR DAD 2,441
ligerahon nyt as reo care einer eae e ieee ae aie sa. aia Re 767
My Om II SS te eres cinyateeic clas = Walaa sandals 161
3, 369
os 8 BIL AG RS 2 Ne oles chee oleic eo eeu BAe EIA Rete pe 55
5a ca gee ePrice ge a Sac PL 5; 035
1 CSSTHCTH SSD) TLS [OMT RTA ec re) eee onl rn ea aol NN Sasa a Na ae 2, 886

Prrcess The hOGe Fee el ONO ‘ 2,149

%

THE ASSISTANT SECRETARY.

Table showing the stalistics of the exchanges of the Smithsonian Institution

48 REPORT OF
B.
am 1862.
co}
(--]
Se
Agent and country. - j
4 a)
=
A
Dr. F. Futter, Leipsic—
SCANGINA VIA sc5 cocci eee emo 1
DW eMel es San oe aire aes eee arto egos 14
INOEWAYasccaes ose sceoesisace secs 6
IDEnMAT Ks ssn Pe EY 13
Russia} sewed see Es a oe 37
Holanda acacia a ene ue 40
Germany eos sae eee ane 262
Switzerland pesca csctsceureacelteee 31
BelOMUNTMEe satee occ saree eee ce 16
Motaceatt talus, ae) 420
G. Bossanaz &Co., Paris—
IRNPATN Cpe serrata = ale Nene is ie 114
Tigi hee ea ears ei cop neat ese a ole ae Sa RS a 64
SS aT ey ee Sito al eS Bas IC 7
Portugal es Sees Sa ee 4
Total ws sees eee See Seeman 189

W. Westey, London—

ie Bios 3
g so eg
& 5 cas) 2g
cg 6 eS ous
BFL vob Oa dlp ee
3 af i465 0 3
5 3 on
A iS a E
5 RRR INNA
7g MAB len ease fe Se 2
21S SOT Tk ae
pe 12 1 nian en aaa
G Oil dvi wotls Luba eal Sagan
yn a MNO is OO
346 0 lil ad alll eae
Fie NN CUTAN HS
53) a0 ie Oe ee
585 46{ 424] 12,780

| | ee |

257 20 183 |- 5,356

Great Britain and Ireland......... 166 259 16 159 4,700
esto the worl dice deen ens ee seas 71 102 32 240 6,000
GrandMtotal ss2scs seuss s eet Ae 846 1, 203 114 1, 006 28,836

C

Addressed packages received by the Smithsonian Institution from parties im
America for foreign distribution im 1862.

Albany, N. Y—

Number of packages.

New York State Agricultural Society...... +--+ -se-2------ 28
Boston, Mass.—

American Academy of Arts and Sciences.....--.---.------ 106

Massachusetts. Historical Society. -/1+ seem eters sere “= ete 1

Massachusetts School for Idiotic and Feecble-minded Youth.... 33

r.0) Ls JACKSON 2 ees. oP ee ee ee ee 1

REPORT OF THE ASSISTANT SECRETARY.

Cambridge, Mass.—

Harvard ‘College... : Pare Ne ah Fa ct Bs Se
TOk, nemo sian 2a 1S: EXER. FY ip. Feo, AN NS
Pr OMA GEA <1 = 2 -)s 2 = ets SM Ria ches 2S se eee
Fe TOharee MAE Ota reeys eleve vk niaaie sf )ad) 2/4 2 )2)c-< oh cilia)? he pe

Cleveland, Ohio—

IRONING WEEN). cM. Wi AR ee Dk. ol ae

Columbus, Ohio—
MOmorseate Board of Acrcultures.. 2222.2 s ec cee tees

We omen Mee diixes wey ere ath) Py Nh needa, a cial Are miclaiat clea) el

Dorchester, Mass —

jd. i6e SUG TEBIS pha gpakey! Del SA RSRM ES I Nae et snag they 1 Urn a ttl ya

Georgetown, D. C—

Dr... L.. Mackall... 22. eto eae Bone en PRL Aer LUCE Ut he ae

Leon, N. Y.—

ADP AC CMO VAS tisgepat tis siayeyetaras weeks Mute iets die ster ere sae clare date

Madison, Wisc.—

Historical Sociehy OfeVrISCOMSIN ry. je ooo ie ce els Oe ae eee
Ue OL WISCOMSUM cee ise ye 2 BL) Sea oem Rl ne

Montpelier, Vt.—

Slate Malley Ol WermOrit spi ays eo i eek la tao

Montreal, Can —

12 atbtelle “Apis ODEN RSG NaI ayaa Umma eg EOE oH

New Haven, Conn —

NTH CEICAM RMOULNAl OLS CIONCE 2). -/-5 ep lich eae ewe nino oe orenele ee
TP ones Ail Ds ol Deana jes aes ere eyed tay anna SNM em TG NR MM Enh ya Nao ea

New York.—

New Vora lyceum of, Naturally Elistory -)-).'1 em ysis aie

Philadelphia, Pa—

peanemy of Naturalimcipuces yet ei kia do ula
Permeiicam, 1 NiOSsOpimical moiety = sa tas oe tr. eee
Entomological Society of Philadelphia
Renney iyanial Institute tor thepBlimds 2220/40 eet ao.
2) fhe, LUSH /21@,5 DEP IN SIPRIRI te orl A= oy! NONE TAI Ae a) A Aone, ath

Providence, R. 1.—

Statevet dxhade Island 4s). sag Mamie. Se OITOAA TEE at layin

St. Louis, Mo—

St. Louis Academy of Sciences......... tare itls atetaliatble Pe hes
4

49

126
15

100

50

Toronto, Can—

REPORT OF THE ASSISTANT SECRETARY.

Canadian Institute: (2.2 52-32 ee ee hee ee ae 4

Washington, D. C—

Toposraphical (Bureaay. or. .c cite «once <amlajole seen tel eee ane 228
United! States Coast Survey/jsee sees ce Oe he eee 50
United Statest Senate sc Sec So kk eee Wik 2 ee ele ie ea 250
Gen pAq AC Hamp hire vise ieee ee eia clo eto i)

SD Otay ccc ecnc sara aot calle Ups Uiale eG ace ae 1,944

Addressed packages received by the Smithsonian Institution from Europe for
distribution in America, in 1862.

?

Albany, N. Y.
Albany institute sostenslessiscicie =) eamia
Dudley Observatory.........-----...
New York State Agricultural Society -
New York State Library...-.....---.
New York State Medical Society -....
New York State University.....----.
Professor James Hall..-...-....-----

Amherst, Mass.
Amber SiC Oller ener mm sisaraisemiaieie lea
Annapolis, Md.
State Library -.2c255 cnccce cucmws won
Ann Arbor, Mich.
Detroit Observatory --.-..cc0. -e0=--
Dr. Brunnow- .-=--- s2cces snwansccn-
Lite WW ERRO NEE BAe Socisa5 Geise sage pose
Augusta, Me.
Bisco OlAty = case sole cintee elo mneielenio
Baltimore, Md.
Maryland Historical Society -........
Peabody Institute ....-...06---.----
Dr. J, O.. Morris... cnenncencens cone
Mr. Ubleric.. caccns cncwns sone cncee-

Blackwell's Island, N. Y.

New York City Lunatic Asylum......

Number of
packages

28
21
1
2
14

aii a

NONE

Number of
packages,

Bogota, New Granada.

Sociedad de Naturalistas Neo Grena-

Boston, Mass.

American Acad’y of Arts and Sciences
American Statistical Association.....
Boston Society of Natural History ..

Bowditch Library...--....-....-.--
Historic Genealogical Society.....--
Massachusetts Historical Society. ....
Prison Disc‘pline Society - ........-.
Public, Dibraygeee es sese eee eee
State Libranyl Joes cece neseen eee
Boston Journal of Natural History ~-
North American Review...--..-.--.
Be Alger cee eels oe alc meee eee near

i
-~TI wat
oR

bet = DO | OD OO ht tm ce

Brattleboro’, Vt.
Vermont Asylum for Insane .......-.
Brunswick, Me.
BowdoinlCollegee cosa tae cseceeue

Historical Society of Maine_........
Mrs. Parker Cleaveland ..... alaeiaieiat

mH it 3

Burlington, Iowa.

Historical and Genealogical Institute-

€]

REPORT OF THE ASSISTANT SECRETARY.

51

D.—Addressed packages received by the Smithsonian Institution, §c.—Continued.

Burlington, Vt.
University of Vermont............--
Cambridge, Mass.

American Association for the Ad-
vancement of Science......-..s---
Cambridge Observatory ...... Hedasad
isles) Ooiiee = ae a ee ee
Editor of Astronomical Journal.-....
Professor L. Agassiz_...... .-.+.-----

Trofessor Asa Gray -.--..--.--------
Mo, Thyra) Boe ees She soapo oan
Professor Juleg Marcou.........----.
CAEN MOM Lea wemictoote Selepeleiseie
Broressor, B: Peirce se cece coma acecer
Bpochubentseeee sc Seok oe cecietnee sel
J. E. Worcester. ...... tse eielwe tentacle
1D die Wave ay CA BSS4 poG5ord4as Saae

Chicago, Lil.
Academy of Sciences...e0. -... socees
Mechanics’ Institute............---.
Cob JeDy Graham UnovAneeoes wanes
Chuquisaca, Bolivia.
University of Chuquisaca........ ...-
Cincinnati, Ohio.

Astronomical Observatory-......----
Historical and Philosophical Society

Mercantile Library.-..-..-....-..---
(CSB BIOIY ncina Soaboous6 coboue Hoos
Western Academy of Science-........
Editor of the’ Dental Register of the

Clinton, N. Y.
DTA Ours HEC etens aie cieiscae os celenae

Columbia, Mo.
Geological Survey of Missouri........

Columbia, Pa.

Professor 8. S. Haldeman...... Epa is
Dri Melsheimer. once ccmecseceniman=

Number of
packages

Ovo O-

=7 to bo

eco He

aan)

Columbus, Ohio.

Ohio State Board of Agriculture... .
Stateiilbranypyaeciecsive se sl coe eee
Meo esquereauwee asain e cane
We sullivantesoea coun Soe co aanae

Concord, NV. H.

New Hampshire Asylum for Insane-.
New Hampshire Historical Society...

"State Waloraniy: wipeeehy asia ake ece :

Davenport, Iowa.
Right Rev. Henry W. Lee..........
Des Moines, Iowa. .
State Library ...... ..... Seecbeocee
Detroit, Mich.
Michigan State Agricultural Society-

Dorchester, Mass.

Drip hyeanvils ee elescclene ets = Semoee
Easton, Pa.

Dey Clemenstenseemee ess Space tooe

Professor J. H. Coffin....... ....----
Erie, Pa

a Hi Olmsted\aeecee see caeese Sodio

Fall River, Mass.
Niela/Araven eee. Gowaisencie pire
Farmington, Conn.

Baw: Nortoneces soso cece cee Rees

Frankfort, Ky.
Geological Survey of Kentucky.....

State dhibrany i sesso eeenmee oeoue
Mig Shatinenuadeen ceucnertes BEERS eae

Gambier, Ohio.

Wenyon Colece sa stemameaiso eet

Number of
packages

hm bo & Co

Orn

20

20

a

ke or 09

~

52

,

REPORT OF THE ASSISTANT SECRETARY.

D.— Addressed packages received by the Smithsonian Institution, &c.—Continued. -

Number of
packages
Number of

packages

Georgetown, D.C.

Lansing, Mich.

Georgetown College -.....----.--0-. 12 Agricultural College.....----.-.--- 1
Dr. AVSchott) ss ececsrcewiarse see ee 2 State Library .gsso.ocs/oe seem eee 5
Hanover, N. H. Lecompton, Kansas.
Dartmouth Collemess soe eas 6 State Wibraryeeee2 coe een eee 3
Harrisburg, Pa. Leon, N. Y.
Pennsylvania State Lunatic Hospital -- 1 it ApoleoniCheneys sass eesese eee 1
Stateduibraryceone sl eee ee aoe 7 ;
; Louisville, Ky.
Hartford, Conn. Colonel Long2ce 2s soe ee eee 2
Hartford Society of Sciences..------- A, Professor J. Lawrence Smith . ~....- | ab
Historical Society of Connecticut_.--. 1 ess :
Biatelibran esse scceeeeeeaeeee 5 Madison, Wis.
2 OEEg Wee y TNSTWRN oot ascoscoe 2 Historical Society of Wisconsin ...-.- 9
Skandinaviske Presse-Forening -...- il
ETO), GUS: State diibranyie---oeeere eee i Les 6
Observatoire Physique et Météorolo- Wisconsin State Agricultural Society_| 30
CIGUCH=S ase seein ca see etiam ele 1 me
Real Sociedad Economica -......---- i Montpelier, Vi.
StateWiibran yee. aaa ee 6
Hudson, Ohio.
Montreal, Canada.
Western Reserve College......----.- 2 ; “ :
Natural History Society.....------- 3
Indianapolis, Ind. Dra Smallwood easas=25es—ee eee 1
Indiana Historical Society-....:----- 1 Nantucket, Mass.
State Mibrany.2 os 22 eee ccee osama 5
Miss Maria Mitchell......-....---. 2
Lowa City, Lowa. ;
New Brunswick, N. J.
State of lowat s2seeasstemee wae cee 9 }
State University of lowa_-.--.-..--. 3 Professor G. H. Cook.-.....------- 2
Janesville, Wis. New Haven, Conn.
State Institution for the Blind..-..-. 2 American Journal of Science......- 25
; American Oriental Society......... 20
Jefferson Cty, Do. WaleiCollese ma eemeetemem aloe seen 6
WP) Blake @022 cscscceusms ss Soe 3
Historical Society of Missouri.......- 1 G0 Bruschheoss Leeds es eee 3
BidterUNDIATV es cece m mcm Somes ae 3 Protessor ey D) Danan miles eae 34
Professor EK. Loomis...---.---.---- 10
Kalamazoo, Mich. Professor Silliman = 2-22 See eee 21
Professor W. D. Whitney ---....-.- 4
Asylum for Insane....... et hata wea 1
New York, N. Y.
Lancaster, Pa. :
American Agriculturalist .......---- ' 2
Thomas C,-LOutereccemas aes ----| 2 || American Ethnological Society...... 2

* »

REPORT OF THE ASSISTANT SECRETARY.

53

-D.—Addressed packages received by the Smithsonian Institution, §c.—Continued

Number of
packages

New York, N. Y.—Continued.

American Geographical and Statistical
SOME soak oe Sakoeonobadoesogoe eat Bs
Amenican institutes. 22223-.--.2 222:
AGO UND TAnY) © etna mtelalalala/sinlo aim = =
Mercantile Library Association---..--
New York Historical Society .-------
New York Lyceum of Natural History-| 6
University of the City of New York-.
New York Dental Journal.-.-...----
Farmer and Mechanic __------------
New York Journal of Pharmacy--...--
(Cty BOGS Be Spee cles Be eared
Gharles/iibraces) 22222 ee ee
1a Drea 5Ve) (0 He Se eee a
Tie DN aa ee ee aa
ee OM Ma tommy Ue LL kU
Rhomas Heleston)=.2-/-2c<.2-ss25 2 1
Professor Wolcott Gibbs...... CEOs
Deeley CAMs oe seein wea a) ek
se Gartiaveli years Se ees ese ee a

ee SC So Ol CCC i WO il We Os ds eon)

Norwich, Conn.
MirRockwellia see se so eee cose 1
Olympia, Wash. Ter.
Territorial Library Soe oS esoe ee 3
Omaha, Nebraska.
Merritorial WMibrary (sos. s es soe oer ele 3
Oswego, N. Y.
Airaeumpellyecsscesccece aa noSsce 3
Philadelphia, Pa.

Academy of Natural Sciences.------- 142
American Philosophical Society..--..- 17
Central High School of Philadelphia-- 3
Franklin Institute _--...----------. 4
Geological Society of Pennsylvania..-} 2
Geological Survey of Peansylyania --- 1
Historical Society of Pennsylvania...-| 5
Mercantile Library Association. --.... 1
Pennsylvania Hospital for the Insane..| 1
Pennsylvania Institute for the Blind.) 1
Wagner Free Institute......,..--.--| 10

Philadelphia, Pa.—Continued.
American Journal of Dental Science.
Dental Cosmosie sacs ocxas see seas
JOMMNC ASSN Se eee errs See ee ea
Hy Wanye ee Cea
Drei S Coperse ata eka. uel
ES DD rairanra tae e a eh
Oe Leip ied Wey) allo ep ogeyry eater en ee et a
Professor F. L. Otto Koehrig .-._..-
Dr Msaaeiicas ss) 22s HORN Leet set era
DRVOseph wheres spe aes a
Georre: Ordos eee aaa eee Ne
| SRESNN EY SYE Ke vey sae ae a Pe WE AOL
William Sharswood 2222252525 -2-25.
Mars VAC HAO rik Sb ae
PTOLESSOL, WiASUe lesa ee oe ee
Mraiwietherelll 32 2 oa sk chy een a

Portland, Me.
Nieall Do wee Se ie ea ea air:
Princeton, NV. J.

College of New Jersey.----.0------
Professor Al. Guy OU ae ete eee ieein eile

Providence, R. I.
Brown) Wmiversityee nese sae eee
Rhode island Historical Society.---.
State luibrany ao ee ee eee aene
Rio Janeiro, Brazil.
Instituto ieRMtorio Geographico Bra-
SULLETO Se oi Seep Te Ae eae
Rochester, N. Y.
Hon. Lewis H. Morgan-....-.. Scnooe
Rock Island, Ill.
Dr. John Rittles -....---... nee Sae
Sacramento, Cal.
State Library....----<scccsccerces
Salem, Mass.

Essex Institute.....ce--e----- bese

Number of
packages

pot
SKS eS Oe eS POW NE Ne eee

eS = bo

— bo

54 REPORT OF

THE ASSISTANT SECRETARY.

D.— Addressed packages received by the Smithsonian Institution, &e—Continued.

=

on
+ Eb
af
E9
= 5:
a

San Francisco, Cal.

California Academy of Natural Sciences} 31
Geological Survey of California...... 1

St. Louis, Mo.

Deutsche Inst. fur Bef. von Wiss.
Kunst und Gewerbe---...----....
Geological Survey of Missouri_....--
St. Louis Academy of Sciences....-.-
St. Louis University..-...-..-..----
Dr. George Bernays--...-...... sa000
Dr. George Kagelmann,.........- ---.
IDE TERNS jae odsaddesesooo soe!)
Dr. Haven

wee ewe m eee eee eee se ee ew ose

BO STDS | tO re Or Or bo

Santiago, Chile.

Opsenvatonyeoscesee sa ceaeecee ser
University, of Chiles2--2 oso... 00422

co

Springfield, Lit,

Statewibranyseee eee es cee en csseec 5
Rey. L. P. Esbjorn -

Stockton, Cat.
Asylum for Insane-_.-....--.-.----- 1

Toronto, Canada West.

Washington, D. C.

Bureau of Ordnance and Hydrography
Library of Congress..-.--.--------
National Observatory...-----..-..-
Surgeon General U.S. Army---.----
Topographical Bureau__.---------.
Trigonometrical Survey--..-.--....
USS) Coast Survey saae ces eee seemiee
WA Sabatent)Oiice mee eee eee ae
War Department .-.--.-------.--.
Colonell/Albert. ees a- ee eee eee
Professor A. D. Bache...-. Pye uae
Professor 8. F. Baird....--------.--
W. D. Breckenridge -..-..------ sy Ete
Majorniiimory ees seem seeee a elaeeees
J. Rerguson geass yest so ee eee

Ta Gill oS EN Se eee

Captain J. M. Gilliss, U.S. N-----. 2.
Captain H. J. Hartstene, U.S. N.-.--
Dy Elta oe ae ee ee ae

J.C. G. Kennedy 2222225 22 2 ee
Lieutenant §. P. Lee......-----_---

G. We Riggs oe ee Ss See ee

W.) Smyth sooo 200 A ae
Prof. W. Stimpson... .-..--------
Hon. Charles Sumner

wen eee te we eee

Waterville, Me.

Number of
packages

|

co

—
© tO

(St)

(at)

DH SCH HE ONE WR WH REESE NP EP ORD WO OR ee IO

Board of Agriculture of Upper Canada-| 1 Waterville College -..----.------- 2
Canadian Institute-...----.--.. secs 1 ’
Westchester, Pa.
Trenton, N. J. Dr. Wi Darlington 2.2 ¢evuae 2--- 1
Geological Survey of New Jersey ----- 5 :
Brateilnbrary 202222 CS a 4 West Point, N. Y.
Professor) Bailey seoce otc ete sss i
Utica, N. Y.
Worcester, Mass.
American Journal of Insanity.... .... 3 ; : f A
A Lore A ed American Antiquarian Society ...... 2
New York State Lunatic Asylum..... 1 State Lunatic Hospital ............ 1
Valparaizo, Chile. page
nash. a a) ne a cr 1 Rev MC AZCIGl etm w/e o's wa amacoue ne 1
ROUGE AUNALCSSCS so cic ialen's om we ain anit eines QUOI TOO SII 273
OLA OUI DALCE Seem el amen nein a = as ain a eee me oenlanie mine secant 2,111

REPORT OF THE ASSISTANT SECRETARY. 55

MUSEUM AND COLLECTIONS.

As might have been expected, the receipts of specimens of natural history
during the year past have been materially curtailed. The entire number of
donations in 1862 amounted to 124. 'The number for 1861 was 157, while that

for 1860 was 404. Much of interest has, however, been received from different

quarters, and the aggregate would have been more considerable if all the col-
lections made in the Hudson Bay region by Mr. Kennicott, and other gentle-
men, had not been kept back in consequence of the Indian outbreaks in Minne-_
sota during the year.

Mr. Kennicott spent the spring and summer of 1861 at Fort Yukon, on the
Yukon river, making large collections of specimens. He wintered on the Roeky
mountains, at La Pierre’s house, and made a visit to fort Simpson early in the
spring. News received there from home determined him to return to the United
States, and he reached Fort Garry the beginning of September, arriving at
Chicago in October, after an absence of three years and a half. A detailed
report of his expedition will be prepared by himself, and submitted hereafter.

The gentlemen of the Hudson’s Bay Company, of whom mention has here-
tofore been made as aiding him in every way, have continued their kind offices.
To Governor Dallas, present governor of the Hudson’s Bay Company, Gover-
nor Mactavish, Mr. Bernard R. Ross, Mr. Lawrence Clark, Mr. R. Mac Farlane,
Mr. W. L. Hardisty, Mr. James Lockhart, Mr. C. P. Gaudet, Mr. James Fett,
and others, the thanks of the Institution are very especially due for such aid to
Mr. Kennicott as ensured the success of his expedition, and without which
he could have accomplished little or nothing.

To most of the gentlemen above referred to acknowledgments have been
made in previous reports for valuable contributions of specimens. Collections
made by them in 1862, having been packed with those of Mr. Kennicott, have
not yet arrived, but are expected early in the year 1863, as, at the last advices,
they had reached St. Paul.

Mr. John Xantus, so well known on account of his scientific researches in
California, in connexion with the Institution, has just entered into a new and
entirely unexplored field, promising the most important results. Having been
appointed United States consul at Manzanillo, he left New York on the 11th of
December, and is doubtless now at his post. With their usual liberality, exer-
cised so often before in the interest of science and the Smithsonian Institution,
the Panama Railroad Company and the Pacific Mail Steamship Company gave
free passage to him and his extensive outfit.

IDENTIFICATION OF SPECIMENS.

Much progress has been made by the various gentlemen mentioned on page
62 of the fast report in identifying and labelling the collections of the Institu-
tion. It will not be long before the greater portion will be thoroughly worked
p, and a general distribution of duplicates accomplished. No new collections
xf any importance have been given out, although Mr. Cope expects to take up
the North American saurians belonging to the Institution with the view of pre-
paring a report on the subject. :

Dr. Allen having completed the examination of the American bats intrusted
to him, as far as-his professional engagements would allow, has returned the
epecimens, and deposited a report on the subject, nearly finished, and to be
hereafter completed by him. Dr. Wood has also returned a portion of the col-
lection of Myriapoda. Dr. Slack has sent back the collection of monkeys, with a
catalogue of the collection. Mr. George N. Lawrence has labelled the entire

e

56 REPORT OF THE ASSISTANT SECRETARY.

collection of humming birds, amounting to over 150 species. Professor Agassiz
has determined and returned the collection of Echini.

Mr. Gill has continued his examinations of the fishes of Cape St. Lucas, col-
lected by Mr. Xantus, and published many new species from them.

DISTRIBUTION OF SPECIMENS.

The distribution of duplicate specimens has been continued as fully as time
and opportunity would allow. Several large collections of mammals, birds, and
eges have been sent off, together with a considerable number of sets of marine
shells. Dr. Foreman has been engaged for some time in making up the duplicate
Unionidae into series, of which about twenty sets will soon be ready.

WORK DONE IN THE MUSEUM.

The mounted mammals and birds which occupied the Museum Hall at the
beginning of the year have all been identified, and to most of them neatly writ-
ten labels have been affixed. This portion of the work will be completed as
soon as the clerk assigned to the duty can accomplish it. All the specimens
have been carefully examined, and those attacked by insects have been re-

moved and baked or exposed to the vapor of benzine.. A few skins have -

been mounted of species possessing a particular interest.

“The collection of skulls has been cleaned and rearranged in the southeast gal-
lery. The series of rocks, and in part that of minerals, have been placed on
their proper shelves. Nothing further has been done with the shells, the col-
lections in this department not having been returned by the gentlemen. having
them in charge.

All the miscellaneous boxes of specimens in the Institution have heen un-
packed and their contents assorted and distributed. All the crude material in
the building has thus been put into condition for examination, and given out to
investigators for arrangement, with the exception of a portion of the fossils and
the general ethnological collection. These will, however, all be unpacked and
examined in the ensuing year.

The progress of work upon the collections already in the Institution at the
beginning of the year was much interfered with by the necessity of receiving a
large number of specimens formerly belonging to the National Institute, and
sent from the Patent Office (where they had been stored) by the Commissioner
of Patents. Much of this material was in an exceedingly damaged condition,
Hs instant attention and much labor to preserve it in even tolerable con-

ition.

The cataloguing of specimens in the record books of the Institution has been
carried forward during the year by the insertion of nearly 10,000 additional
entries, many of them covering each a number of specimens. ‘The present ag-
gregate of entries is about 75,000, embracing at least 500,000 or half a million
of specimens. When it is remembered that none of the plants, and insects, and
but few of the fishes and invertebrates, have yet been recorded in this way,
some estimate may be formed of the extent and value of the material for re-
search in charge of the Smithsonian Institution. |

=

REPORT OF THE ASSISTANT SECRETARY. Ag

Table showing the total number of entries on the record books of the Smith-
sonian collection at the end of the years 1861 and 1862.

1861. 1862.
Seelefome ano shits a aeeie nie owen eae aa laiee Soe 4,459 4,750
MEMOS. See cSeecemasc com nod cbc becconenocacsat oaumes 5, 550 5, 900
I See are ot as mia Seale om mle mim all win ll Sw im wi lo le 23,510 26,157
SSDI ee ene taeda em a=) mo cg) ate) il 6.088 6,311
ESE eee ae ae eyn eps cian oa nine mam woman ns am anim 3,643 4,925
DSS OIF OTTO Se Oe eee Ee aCBerReeeeceaceneee 4,830 6, 000
RGA UAC Cal setae ate states ala aerate aio al ee al islet iapala etn cite 1, 287 1, 287
WOES ES Se O ON SOBs SO Coe RAC eB ope ceGeneoocemacecoce 9,718 10, 000
adiabe sere ete seat wena coals Slarcccs combina a eleinamecseiaaabe 1,800 2,675
BETO Spe pee ce ear tae ct rao Rt LN tle hel ahah eats Aiatale mata 1,031 2,100
AUN enil, SEER RSS aoe eee Eee oe ee eon ere anne 3,500 3,725
Hibnological specimens). 926. 22 ace oa seen 550 825
SUI ene) ee eee thon ohne al cm el a 105 109
TOE ie Go, PSS OSS SECU AEC HE Meee eee e aces
66,075 74, 764

LIST OF DONATIONS TO THE MUSEUM IN 1862.

Agassiz, Professor L.—Skins and eggs of birds from Labrador: specimens of
Haemuton.

Akhurst, James—Bat and crustaceans from South America.

Barnston, George.—Birds, fishes, &c., from Lake Superior.

Beadle, Rev. E. RBox of minerals.

Beitel, C. G.—Minerals and furnace slags from Pennsylvania.

Berthoud, Dr. E. L.—Minerals, fossils, and skin of Lagopus leucurus. Pike’s
Peak.

Bertolet, Dr. P. G.—Sections of wood of trees of Pennsylvania.

Bickmore, A. J—Living Pheton flavicauda, from Bermuda.

Blackman, Mr.—Series of specimens of prairie chicken or pinnated grouse,
from youngest chick to adult. Also skins of other birds, insects, eggs,
&c., from Illinois.

Bland, Thomas.—West Indian shells.

Brandt, H—Nests and eggs from Fort Riley. °

Brush, G. J.— Box of minerals.

Buckner, Dr—Set of models of edible fungi, prepared at Hildburghausen.

Cardeza, Dr—Series of choice minerals from Pennsylvania.

Carlton, U. S. A., General J. H—Skull of rattlesnake, from New Mexico.

Carothers, Rev. A. G.—Collection of reptiles from Martinique.

Chapman, N. H.—Box of birds’ nests, from Ohio.

Cochran, T. G.—Egegs of Night Heron.

Cook, Prof. George H—Fossils of New Jersey.

Cooper, Wm.—Fossils from the Isthmus of Panama. Cast of Megalonyx
bones.

Couper, W.—Skins of Aegiothus, from Canada.

Cowles, P. M—Insects from Cumberland Gap.

Dawson, Prof. J. W.—Postpliocene fossils, from Canada. P

Dow, Captain J. M. —Mammals, birds, and other animals, from Nicaragua.

Skins of birds, and various alcoholic specimens, collected at sea eameen New
‘York and Panama, via Cape Horn.

58 _ REPORT OF THE ASSISTANT SECRETARY.

Eaton, Dr. H. K.—Specimens of Gryllotalpa.

Edwards, A. MJ—Mounted infusoria from Washington Territory.

Egleston, Thos—Minerals from Massachusetts.

Elliot, D. G.—Four skins of European birds.

Feilner, Lieut. John —Mammals, birds, &c., from Fort Crook, California.

Foreman, Dr.. E.—Fossil tracks of animals oa Maryland.

Forns, R. MI—Two skins of Chordeiles minor, Cuba.

Geoffroy, Mons.—Collections of birds from Bogota.

Gibbs, George—Shells and fossils from Washington Territory

North American antiquities. (Deposited.)

Gilliss, U. S. N., Captain J. M.—Package of poisoned arrows brought from
the Amazon by Lieutenant Herndon; Coral from Agatha’s Bank.

Goss, B. F.—Nests and eggs of birds, from Kansas.

Gundlach, Dr. J—Box of Cuban birds.

Gurley, R. R.—Golden eagle in the flesh, shot near Washington.

Habel, Dr. H—Minerals from New York Island.

Hayden, Dr. F. V—Vossils from-Maryland and New Jersey.

Hayes, Dr. I. [—Esquimaux dresses and other curiosities; Birds, mammals,
and rocks, from North Greenland.

Heermann, Dr. A. L.—130 species and 250 specimens of Humming birds; Vireo
barbatula, from Florida.

Hepburn, James—Birds’ eggs, from Pacific coast of North America

Hubbard, Samuel. —Thirty” species of Californian fishes.

Hunt, U.S. A., Captain E. B—Hippa, from Key West.

Kennicott, TS of eggs and skins of mammals and birds from the Yukon
river.

Lawrence, George N—Hylophilus, from Guatemala; Mounted Macr apse!
scolopaceus.

Lea, Isaac.—Box of Unionidae.

Leonard, J—Minerals from the Rocky. Mie ante

Lewis, James —Large collection of land and fresh-water shells of United States,
including selected series of Paludina.

Lewis, Joseph S.—Coleopterous insects, from United States.

Lowerce, T., per J. J. Major —Pityophis, from Guadalaxara.

MW Kenzie, yaceas from Moose Factory.

Major, J. J—liggs of Pandion, from the Similkameen.

March, W. fee eties of birds of Jamaica.

Matthews, G. F.—¥ossil shells of New Brunswick.

Meek, F. B.—Fossils from Maryland and New Jersey.

Mendenhall, Kirk.—Kggs of birds and fossils of Indiana.

Moses, Dr. S. G.—Living Duck-Hawk, hatched in Connecticut.

Newton, Alfred. —Thirty : species of eggs of Arctic European birds.

New York; Panama R. R. Co. LS oned of fossils from Isthmus of Panama.

Palmer, Dr. Edward.—Shells from Acapulco and San Diego.

Paris; Mus. d’ Hist. Nat—Series of serpents from various localities.

Partkinson, D. F.—Mammals, birds, &c., from North California.

Pease, WV. H.—Shells from the Sandwich Islands.

Philadelphia Academy of Natural Scicnces—Specimens of Rissa and Otus.

Pierce, Warren.—Asellus, from Ohio.

Poey, ae F’—Vishes of Cuba.

Ried, Dr. A—Skecletons, skulls, and antiquities of Patagonian and Araucanian
dis!

Remhardt, Dr. J—Box of European birds.

Ross, B. R.—Bale of large skins from Prince Rupert’s Land.

Russell, Dr. W. H.—Seven species of Himalayan pheasants.

REPORT OF THE ASSISTANT SECRETARY. 59

Samuels, H.—Series of infusorial slides.

eo , Union College—Box of minerals.

Schiffmann, R.—Insects from Missouri.

Schmid, Dr. H. E.—Reptiles, &c., in alcohol, from Japan; also living Megalo-
batrachus, or Giant Salamander.

Sclater, P. L.—Seventy-five species of Jamaican birds. ‘

Scott, Ansel —Indian relics from Bradford county, Pennsylvania.

Simpson, Jos——Copper spear head and other relies.

Stone, C. J—Box of minerals. .

Swan, James G.—Skins of birds, crustaceans, shells, &c., Straits of Fuca.

Swift, D.—Minerals and Indian remains from Pennsylvania.

Thomsen, J. H.—Skeleton of sperm-whale porpoise, Nantucket; Echinarachrus,
from New Bedford.

Tolman, J. W.—Birds’ eggs from Illinois.

Totten, General Joseph G.—Coral from the Tortugas.

Totten, Colonel—Fossils from line of Panama railroad.

Tryon, George W.—Type specimens of new shells; box of Unionidae.

Van Cortlandt, Dr—Fishes from the Ottawa river.

Washington; National Institute.—Four cartloads of miscellaneous specimens.

Whittlesey, 7 —Coal from Ohio.

Williamson, Sergeant J. J., (company E, 2d New York artillery.)—Snowy
owl, shot near Washington.

Willis, J. R—Shells, fishes, birds, eggs, &c., of Nova Scotia.

Wingate, J. D—Box of Helices, from Pennsylvania.

Wood, Dr. Wiliam.—Living Duck Hawk, from Connecticut; also skins of birds,
eges, and Indian remains.

Woodworth, Dr. J. M—Shells, eggs, &c., from Jowa.

Wright, W. W.—Fossil wood, found five miles from Alexandria.

Wurdemann, W.—Shells of Florida, (deposited. )

Wyrick, David.—Bones of man and animals from ancient graves in Ohio.

LIST OF SMITHSONIAN PUBLICATIONS DURING 1862.

Discussion of the Magnetic and Meteorological Observations made at the
Girard College Observatory, Philadelphia, in the years 1840—1845, by A. D.
Bache, LL.D. First Section, Part II. Investigation of the Solar-Diurnal
Variations of the Magnetic Declination and its Annual Inequality. June, 1862.
4to., pp. 28.

Recon &e. First Section, Part III. Investigation of the Lunar Effect
on the Magnetic Declination. June, 1862. 4to., pp. 16.

Discussion of the Magnetic and Meteorological Observations, &c., continued.
Second Section, comprising Parts IV, V, VI. Horizontal Force, Investiga-
tion of the Ten or Kleven Year Period and of the Disturbances of the Hori-
zontal Component of the Magnetic Vorce; Investigation of the Solar-Diurnal
Variation and of the Annual Inequality of the Horizontal Force; and of the
Lunar Effect on the Same. November, 1862. 4to., pp. 76. i

Monograph of the Diptera of North America. Prepared for the Smithsonian
Institution by H. Loew. Part I. Edited, with additions, by, R. Osten Sacken.
April, 1862. 8yvo., pp. 246, with fifteen wood-cuts and two plates.

Synopsis of the described Lepidoptera of North America. Part 1. Diurnal
and Crepuscular Lepidoptera. Compiled for the Smithsonian Institution by
John G. Morris. February, 1862. S8vo., pp. 376, and thirty wood-cuts.

Museum Miscellanea, or Aids to the Labelling, Cataloguing, and Recording
of Specimens. 8vo., 1854—1862, pp. 48. This contains— _

1. Abbreviations of names of States and Territories of North America, for labelling in-
sects, shells, &c.

2. A series of small figures, from 1 to 1643.

3. A series of medium figures, from 1 to 2747.

4. Aseries of large figures, from 1 to 2599.

5. Blank check list of specimens.

Catalogue of Publications of the Smithsonian Institution, corrected to June,
1862. 8vo., pp. 52.

List of Foreign Institutions in correspondence with the Smithsonian Insti-
tution. 1863. 8vo., pp. 40.

Results of Meteorological Observations made under the Direction of the
United States Patent Office and the Smithsonian Institution, from the year
1854 to 1859, inclusive; being a Report of the Commissioner of Patents to the
Senate, at the first session of the 36th Congress. Vol. I. 1862. 4to., pp.
1270. (Vol. II is in press.):

Annual Report of the Board of Regents of the Smithsonian Institution,
showing the operations, expenditures, and condition of the Institution for the
year 1861. 6vo., pp. 464.

WORKS PARTLY PRINTED IN 1862, BUT NOT COMPLETED.

Meteorological Observations in the Arctic Seas. By Sir Francis Leopold
M’Clintock, R. N. Made on board the Arctic searching yacht “Tox,” in
Baffin’s Bay and Prince Regent’s Inlet, in 1857, 1858, and 1859. Reduced
and discussed by Charles A. Schott, Assistant U.S. Coast Survey. 4to., with
one Map.

Notices of Ancient Mining on Lake Superior. By Charles Whittlesey. to.

Check List of Minerals, with their Symbols. Prepared for the Smithsonian

Institution by T. Egleston, Jr. 8vo.

LIST OF PUBLICATIONS. 61

Synonymical List of the Coleoptera of North America, with Descriptions of
New Species. By John L. Le Conte, M.D. 8vo.

Bibliography of American Conchology. By W.G. Binney. Svo.

Synopsis of North American Air-breathing Shells. By W.G. Binney. 8vo.

Synopsis of North American Vivipara, &. By W.G. Binney. 8vo.

WORKS CONTAINED IN THE FOUR VOLUMES OF MISCELLANEOUS COLLECTIONS.

a

Smithsonian Miscellaneous Collections. 1862. Vol. I, 8vo., pp. 732. Contains:
(19.) Directions for Meteorological Observations ; (87.) Corrin, Psychrometrical Tables ;
and (31.) Guyor, Meteorological and Physical Tables.

Smithsonian Miscellaneous Collections. 1862. Vol. II, 8vo. pp. 692. Contains:
(27.) Boora anp Morrit, Recent Improvements in Chemical Arts; (115.) Proceedings
Board Regents Smithsonian Institution in relation to the Electro-magnetic Telegraph ; (53 )
Srantey, Catalogue Portraits North American Indians; (108.) Barrp, Catalogue of North
American Birds; (49.) Barrp anp Grrarp, Catalogue of North American Reptiles—Ser-
pents; (128.) Check List Shells, North America; (34.) Directions for Collecting ; (137 )
Circular to Officers H. B. Co.; (139.) Instructions for collecting Nests and Eggs; North
American Grasshoppers ; and North American Shells; (138.) Morgan, Circular respecting
Relationship.

Smithsonian Miscellaneous Collections. Vol. JII, 8vo., pp. 766. Contains: (102.)
Osten Sacken, Catalogue Diptera North America; (118) Morris, Catalogue Described
Lepidoptera North America; (136.) Le Conrz, Classification Coleoptera, I; (117.) Cata-
logue Publications of Societies in Smithsonian Library.

Smithsonian Miscellaneous Collections. Vol. IV, 8vo., pp. 752. Contains: (134.)
Haagen, Synopsis of North American Neuroptera, and (133,) Morais, Synopsis of North
American Lepidoptera.

LIST OF METEOROLOGICAL STATIONS AND OBSERVERS

SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION

OF THE

FOR THE YHAR 1862.

BRITISH AMERICA.

o 2 re a
3 E g oe
3 “Bp Ss co
Name of observer. Station. 3 5 ‘e 4 5 &
2 3 & af ee
3 © ‘S a ne
z E = 5 a
Side Sens Feet.
Acadia College...... »...| Wolfville, Nova Scotia. coos ors. 45 06 64 25 HEE NE SAA 10
Baker, J. ©... .... 500 oe- | Stanbridge, Canada Hast.... ..... 45 08 U8) oN eoo0 oc Hi RVR 12
Clarke, Lawrence, jr.. Fort Rae, Great Slave Lake. ollbown Bing 9
Craigie, Dr. W......5...- fWamitlton, Canada West..........| 4315 | 79 57 |........ B athe 12
Delaney, Edward M. J....| Colonial Building, St. John’s,New-| 47 35 52 40 170 | B.T RK. a
foundland.
Fleet, Andrew...........| Fort Norman, Hudson’s Bay Ter-| 64 00 124 00 2005 Ee ee 5
ritory. :
Dickson, Walter.........| Little Whale River, Hudson’s Bay OOOH (atetatapetetatets NINE eee ee eit
Territory.
Hall, Archibald, M. D....| Montreal, Canada Hast........... 45 30 73 36 SM Naigponani| 2
Hensley, Rev. J M.... ' King’s College, Windsor, Nova 44 59 64 07 OA ING Ages 3
Everett, Prof. J. D..... Scotia.
Kirby, Rev. W. W........| Fort Simpson, Hudson’s Bay Ter-} 61 51 TQ 25) Weteleeecien T. cones
ritory.
Magretic Observatory....| Toronto, Canada West.. lsieie 43 39 79 21 PEW ANoe sect) LB)
Mackenzie, John........ Moose Factory, Hudson's Bay Ter- 51 15 SING le easaon B.T. R. 5
ritory.
Phillips, H ..............| Niagara, Canada West..... A) H000 43 09 79 20 Pa WANS Bancac 3
Rankin, Uolin..... .....| Michipicoton, Canada West.... 47 50 85 05 crane Seattle 8
Richards, Thomas........| Kenogumissee, Hudson’s Bay Ter- 49 50 84 00 | 1,000 | T...... 7
ritory.
Smallwood, Dr. Charles..| St. Martin, Isle Jesus, Canada E..| 45 32 73 36 IDES) VEE Semecal
CALIFORNIA.
3} o a)
| 8 E a ee
= SS = os
Name of observer. Station. County. 3 I he 8 = 2
cs 3 iS = $8
6 & bs a 3=
Zz Ee q 4 Zz
Ge oe Feet.
Ayres, W.0.,M. D. San Francisco.| San Irancisco.| 37 48 122 27 130 12
Belcher, W. G.. Marysville ....| Yuba.... »»« 39 29 121 30 80 12
Dunkum, Mrs. Elizabeth ‘3. Honcut. ...... wale 84 CHAS 389 25 121 30 sielsleteseVa 12
Hays, W. W.,M.D. .-| Presidio of 8an | San Francisco 37 48 122 26 150 3
Francisco,
Logan, Thomas M., M.D..| Sacramento. ..| Sacramento. . 38 35 121 28 41 12
Smith, M.D....--+- sesee- Spanish Ranche| Plumas........] 39 56 120 40 | 3,700 3
Whitlock, James H........| Meadow Valley} Plumas....... 40 20 120 15 | 3,700 1

* A signifies Barometer, Thermometer, Psychrome-
ter, and Rain Gauge.

B signifies Barometer.

T signifies Thermometer.

P signifies Psychrometer.
R signifies Rain Gauge.
N signifies No instrument.
t Above Lake Ontario,

e)

REPORT OF THE SECRETARY.

To the Board of Regents:

GENTLEMEN: I have the honor to present, at the commencement
of another session of your honorable board, the annual report of the
condition and transactions of the Smithsonian Institution during the
year 1863.

The general operations of the Institution are so uniform from year
to year that the several annual reports can differ but little from
each other; the usual order will, therefore, be observed in this com-
munication, with only such variations as the special incidents of the
year may require.

It will be seen by the report of the Executive Committee that the
finances of the Institution are in as favorable a condition as the state
of public affairs would authorize us to expect. First. The whole
amount of money originally derived from the bequest of Smithson is
still in the treasury of the United States, bearing interest at six per
cent., paid semi-annually, and yielding $30,910. Second. Seventy-
five thousand dollars of an extra fund are in bonds of the State
of Indiana, at five per cent. interest, also paid semi-annually, yield-
ing $3,750. Third. Fifty-three thousand five hundred dollars of the
same fund are in bonds of the State of Virginia, twelve thousand in
those of Tennessee, and five hundred in those of Georgia, from which
nothing has been derived since the commencement of the war. Fourth.
A balance of upwards of $32,000 is now in the hands of the treasurer
of the Institution.

The unsettled accounts at the close of the year do not exceed two
thousand dollars.

From this statement it appears that the Institution, after erecting
a building, accumulating a large library and an extensive museum,
supplying the principal museums of the world with specimens of
natural history, and publishing a series of volumes which have been:
distributed to all first-class libraries abroad, and still more extensively
at home, has upwards of one hundred thousand dollars in addition:
to the money received from the original bequest. In addition to:
this, the stocks of Virginia and Tennessee are quoted at about half

14 REPORT OF THE SECRETARY.

their par value, and it may be a question whether they should not be
disposed of and the money otherwise invested.

A part of the original bequest, amounting to £5,015, was left by
Mr. Rush in England, as the principal of an annuity to be paid to the
mother of the nephew of Smithson. The annuitant having died, a
power of attorney was sent, in November, 1862, to Messrs. Fladgate,
Clark & Finch to collect the money; but it has not yet been received.
Although the whole legacy was awarded to Mr. Rush in behalf of
the United States, after an amicable suit in chancery, various objections
have been raised to allowing the small remainder to be sent to this
country. These objections appear to be principally of a technical
character, and are scarcely compatible with an equitable interpretation
of the facts of the case. There should be no prejudice in England
in regard to the construction placed upon the terms of the bequest and
the: policy which has been adopted, since one hundred and sixty-
nine institutions in Great Britain and Ireland are recipients of the
Smithsonian publications and specimens of natural history, and have
enjoyed the advantages of its system of international exchange.

Although the financial affairs of the Institution are still in a favor-
able condition, its ability to produce results is materially diminished
on account of the advanced prices of labor and materials, and espe-
cially the high rate of exchange under which its foreign operations
are necessarily conducted. Still, all parts of the general system
have been carried on with less abatement than might have been
expected, as will be seen from the following account of the various
operations :

_, Publications.—The publications of the Institution, as stated in pre-
vious reports, consist of three series: 1st, Contributions to Knowl-
edge ; 2d, Miscellaneous Collections ; and, 3d, Annual Reports.

The Contributions include memoirs, embracing the records of origi-
nal investigations and researches, resulting in such new truths as are
considered interesting additions to knowledge. Twelve volumes in
quarto of this series have been published, and the thirteenth is nearly
ready for distribution.

The Miscellaneous Collections include works intended to facilitate
the study of the various branches of natural history, to give instruc-
tion as to the method of observing phenomena, and to furnish a
variety of other matter connected with the progress of science. Of
this series four large octavo volumes have been issued, and two more
are nearly completed.

REPORT OF THE SECRETARY. 15

The Annual Reports to Congress consist, each, of an octavo volume
of 450 pages. They contain the report of the Secretary on the
operations and condition of the Institution, the proceedings of the
Regents, and an appendix, giving a synopsis of the lectures delivered
at the Institution, extracts from correspondence, and articles of a
character suited to meteorolcgical observers, to teachers, and other
persons especially interested in the promotion of knowledge.

The thirteenth volume of the Contributions has been completed,
and is now in the hands of the binder. It contains the following
original papers:

1. Tidal Observations in the Arctic Seas; by Elisha Kent Kane,
M. D; made during the second Grinnell Expedition in Search of Sir
Joho Franklin in 1853-55. Reduced and discussed by Charles A,
Schott, assistant United States Coast Survey.

2. Meteorological Observations in the Arctic Seas ; by Sir Leopold
McClintock ; made on board the Arctic searching yacht ‘‘ Fox’’ in
Baffin’s Bay and Prince Regent’s Inlet in 185759. Reduced and dis-
cussed by Charles A. Schott, assistant United States Coast Survey.

3. Ancient Mining on the shores of Lake Superior. By Charles
Whittlesey.

4, Discussion of the Magnetic and Meteorological Observations
made at the Girard College Observatory, Philadelphia, in 1840~ 45.
Part II. Investigation of the Solar-Diurnal Variation of the Magnetic
Declination and its Annual Inequality. By A. D. Bache, Superin-
tendent Coast Survey.

5. Part III. Investigation of the Lunar Effects of the Magnetic
Declination. By A. D. Bache.

6. Parts IV, V, VI. Horizontal Force. Investigation of the ten
or eleven year period, and of the disturbances of the horizontal
component of the magnetic force ; investigation of the solar-diurnal
variation and of the annual inequality of the horizontal force, and of
the lunar effect on the same. By A. D. Bache.

7. Records and Results of a Magnetic Survey of Pennsylvania and
parts of adjacent States in 1840, 1841, with some Additional Records
and Results of 1834, 1835, 1843, and 1862, and a Map. By A. D.
Bache.

8. Researches upon the Anatomy and Physiology of Respiration in
the Chelonia. By S. Weir Mitchell, M. D., and George R. More-
house, M. D.

Accounts have been given in previous reports of all the papers
contained in this volume, excepting that on the Chelonia. This

16 REPORT OF THE SECRETARY.

paper, by S. Weir Mitchell, M. D., and George R. Morehouse, M.D.,
of Philadelphia, is a very complete study of the anatomy and physi-
ology of the breathing organs in turtles. It seems that, although at
one time, and by a single observer, the true mode of the breathing
of these animals was partially understood, it had long been neglected,
and modern physiologists have taught that turtles forced air into the
lungs as do frogs. Drs. Mitchell and Morehouse have shown that
turtles breathe like mammals, by drawing air into the lungs by the
aid of muscles situated in the flanks and on the outside of the lungs.
Their paper contains a detailed account of the anatomy of the breath-
ing organs of turtles, and is illustrated with numerous wood-cuts.
The most novel discovery described by the authors is that of a chiasm
or crossing from side to side of a portion of the nerves which supply
the muscles of the larynx. Except the well-known facts as to similar
crossings within the skull, no previous author has described any simi-
lar extra-cranial arrangement of nerves. The physiological uses of
the laryngeal chiasm has been fully studied by Drs. Mitchell and
Morehouse ; and more recently Professor Wyman, led by their dis-
covery, has described similar nerve arrangements in serpents and in
certain birds.

The authors express their indebtedness to the Smithsonian Insti-
tution for the aid with which they were furnished in obtaining the
requisite specimens for experiments and for dissection.

The following papers have been accepted for publication, and will
form parts of the fourteenth volume of Contributions :

Ist. Three additional parts of the series of discussion of the mag-
netic observations at Girard College, by Professor A. D. Bache.

2d. The result of a series of microscopical studies of the medulla
oblongata, or the upper portion of the spinal marrow, by Dr. John
Dean.

3d. A memoir on the paleontology of the Upper Missouri, by F. B.
Meek and F. V. Hayden.

4th. An account of the photographical observatory and various
experiments in regard to this subject, by Dr. Henry Draper, of New
York.

5th. A monograph of the ‘‘Larida’’ or gulls, by Dr. Elliott Coues.

All these memoirs, except the last, are in the hands of the printer,
or in process of illustration by the engraver.

In several of the preceding reports an account has been given of a
series of reductions of the magnetic observations made from 1840 to
1845, inclusive, at Girard College, Philadelphia, by Professor Bache.

REPORT OF THE SECRETARY. 17

The first two of the papers of this series related to what is called the
eleven-year period of the variation of the needle, which corresponds
with the recurrence and frequency of the spots on the sun. The
third paper relates to the influence of the moon on the variation of
the needle. The fourth refers to the change in the horizontal part
of the force of the earth’s magnetism coinciding with the eleven-
year period of the spots on the sun. The fifth relates to the effect
of the sun in producing daily and annual variations in the horizontal
component of the magnetic force. The sixth relates to the lunar
influence on the horizontal magnetic force.

A particular account has been given of the result of all these inves-
tigations, which tend fully to corroborate the conclusions arrived at
from observations in other parts of the world, that both the sun and
moon are magnetic bodies, and exert an influence upon the polarity
of the earth ; and also that the magnetism of the sun has variations
in intensity which are in some way connected with the appearance
of spots on its surface, giving rise to the variations in those perturba-
tions of the needle which have been called magnetic storms, and
which present a periodical recurrence at an interval of about eleven
years.

The influence of the moon is much less marked than that of the
sun, and appears to be more analogous to the temporary magnetism
induced in soft iron.

Parts VII, VII, and IX of this series, now in the press, are a con-.
tinuation of the same subject. Part VII contains the discussion of
the effect of a change of temperature on the readings of the vertical
force instrument.

If a magnetic needle could be supported perfectly free in space, so.
as to assume the direction into which it would be brought by the
magnetic action of. the earth, it would arrange itself in the line of
what is called the dip, or the inclination of the needle. At the mag-
netic equator of the earth such a needle would be parallel to the
horizon, but, departing from this line either to the north or the south,
the inclination would increase continually until we arrive at the mag-.
netic pole, when it would be vertical. Itis plain that the full magnetic:
force of the earth, in the line of the dip, may be resolved into two.
others, viz., a horizontal force, or that which draws the ordinary
magnetic needle back to the meridian when it has been deflected’
from this position; and, second, the vertical force which tends to
draw the end of the needle down into the line of the dip. The fre-

28

18 REPORT OF THE SECRETARY.

quency of vibrations of a magnetic bar suspended by an untwisted
+hread, so as to be horizontal, gives the horizontal component of the
force of the earth, while the vibrations of a similar bar placed in the
plane of the dip, and poised horizontally like a scale-beam on two
knite-edges, gives the variations in the vertical force. These vibra-
tions, however, will be affected not only by the changes in the mag-
netism of the earth, but by that in the bar itself; and as the latter
is affected by the temperature of the place, a series of observations
and discussions was necessary to ascertain the corrections due to this
cause. For this purpose the room was artificially heated and cooled ;
but the value of the correction was finally deduced from an investi-
gation of the whole series of regular observations compared with the
changes of temperature indicated by the hourly register of the ther-
mometer.

The corrections for temperature were afterwards applied to all
the observations. The larger disturbances were then separated from
the body of the series in the same manner as had been done with
regard to the horizontal force, by which means the effect of the
monthly and yearly disturbance of the sun is exhibited analytically and
graphically. From the results it appears that the number and aggre-
gate amount of disturbances were least in 1844; that in each year
the greatest number of disturbances occurs in March and September,
and the least number in June, or, in other’words, the maximum about
the equinoxes, and the minimum about the solstices.

In an appendix to this paper the connexion of the appearance of
the aurora borealis with the disturbances of the direction and force
of the earth’s magnetism is discussed. From the result of this dis-
cussion it appears that there is a periodicity of about eleven years in
the recurrence of the frequency of the aurora, as well as in that, of
the great disturbances of the needle, and that these are coincident
with each other and with the appearance of the spots on the sun.

The eighth part of the series gives the discussion of the daily and
yearly variations due to the action of the sun on the vertical compo-
nent of the magnetic force. The mean variation of the force is deter-
mined for each hour during each month and for the whole year, and
also for the summer and the winter separately. These are expressed
analytically and graphically, and an examination of the curve shows
a principal maximum about 1 p. m., and a principal minimum about
9a.m. There is an indication of a secondary maximum about 2a. m.,
and a secondary minimum about 4 a. m.

REPORT OF THE SECRETARY. 19

In summer the curve appears to have but one greatest and one
least ordinate occurring about noon and midnight. In winter the
double feature of the curve becomes quite conspicuous.

The vertical force »ppears greater in May, June, July, and August,
and less in the remaining months, with a range of about a hundred
ind five hundred thousandth part of the whole force.

The ninth part gives the investigation of the influence of the moon
upon the vertical force ; also upon the direction and intensity of the
total force. The methods of investigation are the same in this as in
the preceding paris. The daily effects of the moon exhibit a prin-
cipal maximum a little before the planet passes the upper meridian,
and a principal minimum about three hours after it passes the lower
meridian. The average epoch of the tide of vertical force is about
one and a half hour in advance, apparently, of the culmination of the
moon. A secondary variation of this force, though noticed, is very
feeble. The subject of the time of greatest lumar disturbance is yet
very imperfectly developed, and more observations in regard to it
are desirable.

A comparison is also given in this paper between the observations
made at Toronto and Philadelphia, and their accordances or differ-
ences arestated. The effect of the moon upon the direction and inten-
sity of the total force is obtained by a combination of the vertical
and horizontal components. From this part of the investigation it
appears that the dip is greatest at 8 and 20 hours, and least at 3
hours and 13}, the range being equal to 3.6 seconds; and also that
the maximum strength of the earth is greatest at half-past 12 and 11,
and least at 74 and 17 hours, the results, from the observations at
Toronto and Philadelphia, being remarkably coincident.

The next paper of the foregoing list is that by Dr. Dean, which
comprises the anatomy of the medulla oblongata, both human and
comparative, from the lowest roots of the hypoglossal nerve, through
the upper roots of the auditory, including the hypoglossal, nasal,
glossopharyngeal, abducens, facial, and auditory nerves. The ob-
‘jects of the investigation were principally as follows :

Ist. To illustrate the topography of the medulla oblongata by means
of aseries of photographs, which might completely map out all the
principal changes in structure as they successively occur, connected
with the development of the different nerves, with the details which
accompany the development of their nuclei and accessory ganglia.

2d. The study of the more minute histological details, such as the
course of the nerve roots, their entrance into their respective nuclei

20 REPORT OF THE SECRETARY.

and connexion with nerve cells, the connexion of the nuclei with
each other by nerve fibres passing from the roots and from the nerve
cells, the structure of the olivary bodies which possess a peculiar
interest from their resemblance in convoluted structure to the cere-
brum and cerebellum.

3d. An attempt to skow, notwithstanding the apparent difference of
structure between the spinal cord and medulla oblongata, a difference
which appears very considerable at first sight, that the plan of struc-
ture of the two is identical, that the general arrangement of parts
strictly corresponds, that the relation of the nerve roots to their
nuclei or cell groups is the same, and moreover the connexion estab-
lished between the different nuclei is carried out on the same plan.
The illustrations for this work were taken by the author himself
directly from the microscopic dissections by photography. For the
general edition the photographic illustrations have been copied on
stone with great care by L. H. Bradford. The steel plates were en-
graved by J. W. Watts. Besides these, a hmited number of photo-
graphic prints from the original negatives have been prepared by
Dr. Dean himself for private distribution, and from these negatives
other copies may be obtained either on direct application to the author
or through the medium of this Institution.

This paper, which is the result of over two years of constant study,
was referred to Dr. W. A. Hammond, of the United States army,
and Professor Jeffries Wyman for critical examination, and was recom-
mended by them for publication as a valuable addition both to human
and to comparative anatomy.

The third paper accepted for publication is on the Paleontology
of the Upper Missouri, by F. B. Meek and F. V. Hayden.

This work contains figures and descriptions of all the known inver-
tebrate fossil remains of the various geological formations of Idaho,
Dakota, Nebraska, and portions of Kansas. About 370 species,
nearly all of which are new, are fully described, and the descriptions
are accompanied by remarks on the relations of each species to allied
forms from other districts in this country and Europe, both living and
fossil—its geological range, geographical distribution, &c. The illus-
trations consist of about one thousand carefully drawn figures, occu-
pying forty-five quarto plates.

In addition to full descriptions of species, the work also contains
extended accounts of all the genera to which these fossils belong, with
the synonymy of each genus, and remarks on its affinities to other
genera, both living and extinct ; and assigns the probable period of

REPORT OF THE SECRETARY. 21

its introduction, the time when it appears to have attained its maxi-
mum development, and that at which it is supposed to have died out,
if not represented in our existing seas. At the head of each generic
description the etymology of the name and the type of the genus,
when known, are given. Full descriptions of each of the families
including these genera are likewise given; and at the end of each
family description the names of all the genera, whether living or ex-
tinct. The introduction contains detailed descriptions of the various
formations in which these fossils existed, with remarks on their
synchronism with other American and European deposits.

_ A considerable portion of the specimens described and figured were
collected by Dr. F. V. Hayden in the several expeditions into the
regions of the Upper Missouri and Yellowstone, sent by the govern-
ment under the command of Lieutenant (now Major General) G. K.
Warren, of the United States Topographical Engineers, to whose
scientific zeal and liberal encouragement we are indebted for much of
the material upon which the work is founded. But besides these, a
large number were collected by Dr. Hayden himself previous to his
connexion with the exploring expeditions of the government. The
specific descriptions of the fossils described in this work are therefore
to be regarded as appearing in the joint names of Meek and Hayden,
while the descriptions of the genera, and families, and the discussion
of their relations, geological range, geographical distribution, &c.,
are to be accredited to Mr. Meek alone.

The first sketch of this work was prepared as a part of the report
to Congress of the explorations of the above-mentioned regions, but
Mr. Meek has since devoted almost three years exclusively to extend-
ing and completing the investigations; and as it is probable that Con-
gress will make no provision for its publication, it has been adopted
by the Institution, at the earnest recommendation of several eminent
naturalists, and will be published in successive parts. All the speci-
mens described are in the collections of the Institution, and as saon
as the work is completed the numerous duplicates will be distributed,
as types of the species, to various scientific institutions at home and
abroad.

Miscellaneous Collections. —Several series of articles forming parts of
the Miscellaneous Collections, as stated in previous reports, have been
undertaken, of which some have been completed, some are still in
- hand, and others have been printed during the past year.

The first of these series is that relating to the shells of North
America, and will consist of the following works :

Lo
bo

REPORT OF THE SECRETARY.

1. Check lists of North American shells, by P. P. Carpenter, &c.
2. Circular relative to collecting shells.
_§. Elementary introduction to the study of conchology, by P. P.

Carpenter.

4. List of the species of shells collected by the United States ex-
ploring expedition, by the same author.

5. Descriptive catalogue of the shells of the west coast of the
‘United States, Mexico, and Central America, by the same author.

6. Descriptive catalogue of the air-breathing shells of North
America, by W. G. Binney.

7. Descriptive catalogue of several genera of water-breathing fresh
water univalves, by the same author.

8. Descriptive catalogue of the Mfelanitade, or the remainder of the
water-breathing fresh water univalves, by George W. Tryon.

9. Descriptive catalogue of the Corbiculade or Cycladidw, a group
of bivalves principally inhabiting fresh water, by Temple Prime.

10. Descriptive catalogue of the Unionide, or fresh water mussels, |

11. Descriptive catalogue of the shells of the eastern coast of the
United States, by William Stimpson.

12. Bibliography of North American conchology, by W. G.
Binney.

13. Check list catalogue of cretaceous and jurassic fossils of North
America, by F. B. Meek.

The first and second articles of this list were published in 1860, and
described in the report for that year. The third was published in
1861 as a part of the annual report for 1860. A new edition would
have been printed before this time, as a part of the Miscellaneous
Collections, had we not been disappointed by a delay in procuring
the expected use of wood-cuts for the illustration of the work from
the British Museum. We have just learned, however, that the Mu-
seum has liberally granted the use of these wood-cuts; that they are
now being copied in stereotype in England; and consequently the
work will be completed without further delay.

The fourth and fifth articles are still in the hands of Mr. Carpenter,
who has reported progress, which leads us to expect that mey will
be ready for the press during the present year.

Of the 6th, 7Tth, and 8th, the first draughts of the mauuscripts
have been completed, and a preliminary sketch of the conclusions
of the authors as regards the names of the species has been printed |
in the form of proof-sheets, and distributed to conchologists, with a
view to elicit criticisms and suggestions prior to final publication.

REPORT OF THE SECRETARY. oa

Many important additions and corrections have been obtained in this
way which will add much to the value of the works. The request has
been made that these proof-sheets should not be considered as express-
ing the final views of the authors, but only intended to obtain the
information above mentioned.

The ninth article of the series, by Mr. Prime, is well advanced in
printing, and will be completed in 1864. In addition to the purely
North American species, it will contain descriptions and wood-cut
figures of those of Central and South America, as well as of the West
Indies, thus embracing all the members of the family found in the
New World.

The tenth and eleventh articles are still in process of preparation,
and the engraving of the wood-cuts for their illustration has com-
menced.

The twelfth article—the first part of the Bibliography of North
American. conchology by Mr. Binney, mentioned in the last report as
in press—has been completed and distributed. It forms a volume
of 650 pages, and contains a list of the publications of American au-
thors relative to conchology in general. As might reasonably be
expected, some omissions have occurred of titles of papers overlooked
or not met with, but copies have been sent to all the working con-
chologists of the country, with the request to furnish rectifications and
additions to be inserted in an appendix to the second part. This
second part, which is now in the press, is intended to include an
account of the writings of foreign naturalists relative to American
conchology, and will also contain, beside the additions and corrections
of the first volume, copious indexes of authors and names of genera
and species. About 250 pages are stereotyped, and the whole work,
probably filling over 500 pages, will be finished during 1864.

The thirteenth article, check list by Mr. Meek, has been completed
and put to press. It contains a list of all the species of cretaceous
fossils described by authors up to the end of 1863, and will constitute
an important aid in the labor of cataloguing and labelling collections,
being prepared in the same style as that of the check-lists of North
American shells, published by the Institution some years ago, which
have been so much sought after by conchologists and amateurs.

Another series of works belonging to the miscellaneous collections |
is intended to facilitate the study of Americaninsects. Of this series.
- the several articles are as follows:

1. Instructions for collecting and preserving insects.

2. Catalogue of the described Diptera (flies, musquitoes, fic.) Obs)
North America, by Baron Osten Sacken.

24 REPORT OF THE SECRETARY.

8. Catalogue of the described Lepidoptera (butterflies, moths, &c.)
of North America, by Dr. Jno. G. Morris.

4. Classification of the Coleoptera (beetles, &c.) of North America,
by Dr. Jno. L. Le Conte.

5. Synopsis of the described Neuroptera (dragon-flies, &c.) of North
America, with a list of the South American species, by H. Hagen.

6. Synopsis of the described Lepidoptera of North America, part
I. Diurnal and Crepuscular Lepidoptera, by Dr. Jno. G. Morris.

7. List of the Coleoptera of North America, with descriptions of
new species, by Dr. Jno. L. Le Conte.

8. Monograph of the Diptera of North America, by H. Loew, with
additions, by Baron Osten Sacken.

9. Monographs of Homoptera and Hemiptera, (chinches, roaches,
&c.,) of North America, by P. R. Ubler.

10. Descriptive Catalogue of the Hymenoptera, (bees, Ww PSDs &c.,)
of North America, by H. De Saussure.

These have all been described in previous reports.

Of No. 8, (monograph of Diptera,) the first part was published in
1862. During the past year the second part has been printed, and
forms a volume of 339 pages. The manuscript of a third part is in
an advanced state of preparation by Dr. Loew, and when received
will, as in the case of the two preceding parts, be intrusted to Baron
Osten Sacken for translation under his direction. We must again, in
this connexion, express our obligations to Baron Osten Sacken for his
valuable assistance in the preparation and publication of these works.

Of No. 9, monographs of Homoptera and Hemiptera of North
America, by P. R. Uhler, the manuscript is nearly completed, and
will soon be received from the author.

Of No. 10, the manuscript of the first part (Catalogue of Hymenop-
tera) was received from the author during the past summer, and
placed in the hands of Mr. HE. Norton, of New York, who kindly
offered to translate it from the original French and superintend its
publication. It is now in the press, and will soon be completed.

In addition to the publications relating to shells and insects, the
following, belonging also to the Miscellaneous Collections, have been
prepared for the Institution:

1. Check-list of Minerals, by Thomas Egleston.

2. Instructions relative to Ethnology and Philology, by George
Gibbs.

3. Comparative Vocabulary, by George Gibbs.

4, Dictionary of the Chinook Jargon or Trade Language of Oregon,
by George Gibbs.

REPORT OF THE SECRETARY. 25

5. Monograph of the Bats of North America, by Dr. H. Allen,
United States army.

No. 1 of these works has been prepared to aid in arranging and
cataloguing the Smithsonian collection of minerals and the distribu- .-
tion of duplicate specimens, but it will also be of value in facilitating
the study of mineralogy by furnishing printed labels and check-lists
for exchanges. It presents a list of all the described species of min-
erals, with their chemical symbols and systems of crystallization, indi-
cating those which are peculiar to the United States, the whole
arranged according to the method adopted by Professor Dana in the
last edition of his Manual of Mineralogy. For important additions
and corrections, this work is indebted to the principal mineralogists
of this country, to whom the proofs were submitted, and especially
to Professor Dana, Professor Brush, and Dr. Genth. This list is
completed, and will shortly be ready for distribution.

No. 2 of these works was printed in the Smithsonian annual
report for 1861, but a large demand having arisen for it, it has been
reprinted with corrections and additions, and now includes instruc-
tions for philological observation, rules for recording sounds and vo-
cabularies, &c. In the latter part of the work Mr. Gibbs has received
important assistance from Professor W. D. Whitney, of Yale College.

It includes directions for the collection of various specimens, hints
for special inquiry, &c. Among the former are the skulls of Ameri-
can Indians, which in some cases are difficult to obtain, on account
of the jealousy with which the natives guard the remains of their
dead. Numerous tribes, however, have become extinct, or have
removed from their former abodes. The remains of victims of war
are often left. where they fall, and the bones of slaves and of the
friendless are neglected. Relics of these can be obtained without
offence to the living. It is, however, of essential importance that
most positive information should be obtained as to the nation or tribe to
which a particular skull belongs. This may frequently be learned
from the history of the migrations of the tribe, or from the character
of the ornaments and utensils found with it.

Among the specimens of art which are designated as desirable
are dresses, ornaments, bows and arrows, lances, saddles with their
furniture,.models of lodges, cradles, mats, baskets, gambling imple-
ments, models of canoes, paddles, fish-hooks, carvings in wood and
stone, tools, &c.

American antiquities are especially indicated as objects of interest.
They include the tools found in the northern copper mines, articles

26 REPORT OF THE SECRETARY.

inclosed in mounds, images, pottery, also the contents of ancient
shell beds found on the sea-coast and bays, often deeply covered with
earth and overgrown with trees; human remains, or implements of
human manufacture, bearing the marks of tools or of subjection to fire,
found in caves, beneath deposits of stony material formed by drop-
pings from the roof; similar articles in salt-licks, likewise in deposits
of sand and gravel, or such as evidently belonging to the drift period.
Among other desiderata mentioned are the names of tribes, geo-
graphical position, number of individuals, physical constitution, such
as stature, proportion of limbs, facial angle, color of skin, hair, and
eyes; inscriptions, dress, food, dwellings, arts, trades, religion,
government, social life, ceremonies, mode of warfare, medicine,
literature, method of dividing time, history, &c.

These directions also include a list of words most important to be
used in forming the vocabulary of a language. The pamphlet con-
sists of thirty-four pages, and is distributed gratuitously to all who
are desirous of aiding investigations of this character.

No. 3 is a vocabulary of the principal words of which the
equivalents are desired in the languages of the American Indians.
It has been prepared with great care by Mr. Gibbs after the usual
models, presenting in parallel columns the words selected in English,
French, Spanish, and Latin, leaving a blank column to be filled by
the required equivalents in the dialect of any given tribe. It forms
a pamphlet of eighteen pages, including two hundred and eleven
different words, and is printed on letter .paper, for convenience in
filling up the blanks.

No. 4, the Chinook Jargon, is a collection of phrases made up
from various languages, Indian and civilized, and constitutes the sole
medium of communication with the Indian tribes of the northwest.
In 1853 the Smithsonian Institution published a brief dictionary of
this language, from a French manuscript presented by Dr. B. R.
Mitchell and edited by Professor W. W. Turner. The article was
in: great demand, and the edition was soon exhausted. Mr. Gibbs,
having paid particular attention to the Jargon during his long resi-
dence in Washington Territory, kindly offered to prepare a new
edition with corrections and additions. This offer was readily ac-
cepted, and the dictionary has been published during the past year.

The vocabulary of the Chinook contains words of two dialects, the
Chinook proper and the Clatsop, and perhaps also of the Wakiakum.
The nation or rather family to which the generic name Chinook has
been applied, formerly inhabited both banks of the Columbia river

REPORT OF THE SECRETARY. ay

from its mouth to the Grand Dalles, a distance of about one hundred
and seventy miles, and was, as is usual among the sedentary Indians
of the west, broken up into numerous bands. Mr. Hale, in his Eth-
nography of the United States Exploring Expedition, has divided
these into the Upper and Lower Chinook. The present vocabulary |
belongs to those nearest the mouth of the river, of which there were
five principal bands. The language of the bands further up the river
departs more and more widely from the Chinook proper ; indeed, so
much so that the lower Indians could not have understood the upper
ones without an interpreter. This vocabulary is not as fuil as could
be wished, and the only reason for publishing it in its present condition
is that the Indians speaking the language are so nearly extinct that
no better digest is likely to be made in future.

In regard to the 5th article of the above series, the Monograph of
Bats of North America, it may be stated that the mammalia of this
continent have been studied and described generally by Audubon,
Bachman, and also by Professor Baird of this Institution. These
authors, however, have not included in their descriptions the cheirop-
tera, or bats. To supply this deficiency, Dr. Allen, of Philadelphia,
has given his attention for several years to the careful study of
the specimens of this animal in the principal museums of this country,
and has presented the result of his labors to the Institution in the
form of the monograph above mentioned. In this a detailed descrip-
tion is given of each of the genera and species with wood-cut figures of
the skulls, heads, ears, and tails of such species as require this mode of
iustration. The wood-cuts of this paper have been completed and
the manuscript is now in the hands of the printer.

I may mention that the Institution is indebted to Mr. Figaniere,
Portugese minister, for a very graphic account of an immense assem-
blage of bats which had been colonized for years in the upper part
of a mansion house which he had purchased in Maryland. This ac-
count will be republished in the appendix to this report, as well as
in the paper of Dr. Allen just described.

Reports.—The annual reports to Congress are printed at the ex-
pense of the government as public documents, with the exception of
the wood-cuts, the cost of which is paid by the Institution. Previous
to 1853 the reports were principally confined to an exposition of the
operations of the Institution, and were published in pamphlet form;
but since that date an appendix has been added to each report, which,
with the other matter, has increased the size to that of a volume of
four hundred and fifty pages. These reports now form a series of ten

«

28 REPORT OF THE SECRETARY.

volumes, beginuing with that of 1853, and in order that this series
might contain a history of the Institution from the beginning, the will
of Smithson, the enactments of Congress in regard to it. and the sev-
eral reports of the Secretary, previous to 1853, were republished in
the appendix to that volume.

The report for 1862 contains, in the appendix, a eulogy on the late
Senator Pearce, by Professor Bache ; a course of lectures on Polarized
Light, by F. A. P. Barnard, late president of the University of Mis-
sissippl; a course of lectures on Ethnology, by Professor Daniel
Wilson, of the University of Toronto ; an introduction to a course of
lectures on the Study of High Antiquity, by A. Morlot, of Switzer-
land, translated for the Institution by the author ; an account of
the Articles on Archelogy, published by the Smithsonian Institution,
copied from the ‘‘ Natural History Review,’’ of England ; a history
of the French Academy of Sciences; eulogies on Von Buch and
Thenard, a continuation of the series of memoirs of distinguished
members of the French Academy, translated by C. A. Alexander,
esq.; a Memoir of Isidore St. Hilaire, by Quatrefages, translated by
a lady ; a prize Memoir on the Catalytic Force, by T. L. Phipson ;
on Atoms, by Sir John Herschel ; Classification of Books, by J. P.
Lesley ; Account of Human Remains from Patagonia, and Prize
Questions of Scientific Societies.

Of this report the usual number of 10,000 copies was printed, of
which 4,000 copies were given to the Institution, to be distributed in
accordance with the following rules:

1. To all the meteorological observers who send records of the
weather to the Institution.

2. To the collaborators of the Institution.

3. To donors to the museum and library.

4. To colleges and other educational establishments.

5. To pubic libraries, and literary and scientific societies.

6. To teachers, or individuals who are engaged in special studies,
and who make direct application for them.

Owing to the many changes which have taken place in the resi-
dence and occupation of the correspondents of the Institution since
the commencement of the war, it has not been thought advisable to
send the reports to all whose names are on the record of distribution,
but in most cases to wait until direct application is made by letter or
otherwise for a copy of the work. Whenever a report is sent to any
address a separate announcement is made of the fact enclosing a
blank receipt to be signed and returned to the Institution.

REPORT OF THE SECRETARY. 29

On account of the large amount of printing required by the gov-
ernment in consequence of the war, the public printing office has been
taxed to its utmost power ; documents not required for immediate
use have been delayed, and among others the report of the Institution
for 1862 is still not quite completed. It is expected, however, that
it will be ready for distribution in the course of afew weeks. The
number of copies of the report ordered to be printed by Congress
has varied in different years, and consequently in the increasing de-
mand some of the volumes have been entirely exhausted. It may be
a matter of consideration whether a new edition of the report for
1856, and perhaps for other years, might not be reprinted. To pre-
vent the future exhaustion of the supply of the reports, Congress
authorized the stereotyping of the last volume and the printing at any
time, from the plates, of the whole or any part of its contents.

In view of the great cost of paper and the space required for storage,
it has been thought advisable to stereotype the Contributions and Mis-
cellaneous Collections, and to strike off only as many copies of each
article as are required for immediate distribution. By the adoption
of this plan, the ability to supply, to any extent, copies of works
published hereafter will always exist, while no more need be printed
than are actually required.

Ethnology.—From the first, the Institution has given considerable
attention to the various branches of ethnology. Besides the addi-
tions to Indian archelogy which are to be found in the several
volumes of its Contributions to Knowledge, it has published several
papers on languages. In the report for 1860, a list of original manu-
scripts was given relating to the languages of the northwest coast of
America, which had been received through the assistance of Mr. Alex-
ander S. Taylor, of Monterey, California.

Several of these were copied at the expense of the Institution,
with the intention of securing their preservation and subsequent pub-
lication. It has also been stated that a number of these manuscripts
had been presented to Mr. J. G. Shea, of New York, to be published
in a series which he has established under the title of ‘‘ Library of
American Linguistics.’’ By presenting these to Mr. Shea for pub-
lication and purchasing from him for distribution to learned societies
a number of copies, encouragement has been given to a laudable en-
terprize, undertaken solely to promote a favorite branch of learning,
and with but little comparative expense to the Smithsonian fund. I
regret, however, to state that the diminution of the effective income
of the Institution will prevent further appropriations at present for
this purpose. The following is a list of the works of Mr. Shea’s

30 REPORT OF THE SECRETARY.

series, of which the Institution has aided the publication by purchas-
ing copies for distribution:

1. Grammar of the Mutsun language, spoken at the mission of San
Juan Bautista, Alta California; by Father Felipe Arroyo de la
Cuesta.

2. Vocabulary of the language of San Antonio mission, California,
by Father Bonaventure Sitjar.

3. Grammar and dictionary of the Yakama language, by Rev. Mie.
Cles. Pandosy.

4. Vocabulary or Phrase Book of the Mutsun language, of Alta
California, by Rev. Father Felipe Arroyo de la Cuesta.

5. Grammar of the Pima or Névome, a language of Sonora, from
a manuscript of the XVIII century.

The first of these, the Mutsun grammar, was described in the last
report. The second, the vocabulary of the native inhabitants of
the San Antonio, or Sextapay, mission ; if was printed from a manu-
script forwarded to the Institution by Alexander S. Taylor, of Cali-
fornia. The mission of San Antonio de Padua was founded in 1771,
in the Sierra of Santa Lucia, twenty-five leagues southwest of Mon-
terey ; the authors of this vocabulary being the first missionaries.
The tribe is sometimes knownas Tatché, or Telamé, though Mr. Taylor
calls it Sextapay. It is gradually disappearing ; not more than fifty
Indians still remain, although it is said they were, at one time, so
numerous that the dialects spoken by them amounted to twen!;.

The third is the grammar and dictionary of the Yakamas, a people
inhabiting the region of the Yakama river—a stream rising in the
Cascade range of mountains, and emptying into the Columbia above
the junction of the Snake river. The name signifies the ‘‘ stony
ground,’’ in allusion to the rocky character of the country. The au-
thor of the grammar, Father Pandosy, was for many years a resident
among these Indians, and became well acquainted with their language.
In the destruction of the buildings of the mission by fire, during the
Indian war in Washington Territory, the original of the grammar was
lost, and the translation, published by Mr. Shea, which was made
some time previously, alone remained. It is to be regretted that a
more extended dictionary than the one now published was also de-
_ stroyed at the same time.

The fourth article is a vocabulary of the same language, of which
the grammar constitutes the first of this series, and is by the same
author ; the words are given in the Mutsun and Spanish languages.

The fifth, the grammar of the Pima, with a vocabulary in the same
language and in Spanish, was obtained in Toledo, Spain, and trans-

REPORT OF THE SECRETARY. OL

lated by Buckingham Smith, esq. This manuscript was probably
taken to Spain after the suppression of the order of the Jesuits in
Mexico, in 1767. The Pima language was spoken by the tribes from
the river Yaqui, in Sonora, northward to the Gila, and even beyond
the Colorado, eastward beyond the mountains in the province of
Taraumara, and westward to the sea of Cortez. The phrases given
in these works will preserve the knowledge of what constituted the
food of the inhabitants ; their manner of living, their character, and
native customs, &c. This may prove of historic interest hereafter,
if the facts be nowhere else more circumstantially authenticated.

Meteorology. —From 1856 to 1861 an appropriation was made from
the agricultural fund of the Patent Office for assistance to the Insti-
tution in collecting and reducing statistics relative to the climate of
the United States. This was commenced while the Patent Office was
under the direction of Judge Mason, but was suddenly discontinued
under a change of administration. The propriety of an appropriation
for this purpose, from the fund above mentioned, must be evident to
every one who reflects on the intimate connexion between meteorology
and agriculture. <A knowledge of the peculiarities of the climate of
a country is an essential requisite for the adoption of a system of
scientific culture. The average temperature of the spring, autumn,
and of the growing season; the ratio of the number of unfavor-
able to favorable years; the amount of rain, and moisture ; the
average time of the occurrence of late and early frosts, are all facts
of importance in the economical adaptation of the crops to a given lo-
cality, in order to obtain the maximum of produce from a definite
amount of labor.

The money received from the Patent Office was expended in assist-
ing to defray the expense of the reductions of the observations, and
as soon as the appropriation was stopped we were obliged to discon-
tinue this part of the operations. The Institution, however, still con-
tinues to derive some benefit from its association with the Patent
Office, in receiving through it, free of postage, the returned registers
from the different observers.

Unfortunately, the postage law adopted at the last session of Con-
gress prevents the correspondents on agriculture and meteorology
from sending their reports by mail unless prepaid. This arrange-
ment almost entirely stops the reception of these articles, for, since
the service rendered is gratuitous, the observers cannot be expected
to bear this additional burden. It is to be hoped that Congress will
so modify the law as to remove this obstruction to a correspondence
of great importance to the agricultural interests of the country.

32 REPORT OF THE SECRETARY.

Owing to this restriction, the number of meteorological registers
received during the past year has been diminished, and the transmis-
sion of nearly all of them would have been discontinued had not
the Commissioner of Agriculture, in view of their value to his
department, decided to advance to some of the observers the neces-
sary postage stamps to affix to their registers. He would willingly
have sent stamps to all, but the tax would have been too heavy for
the office; he therefore found it necessary to limit the number,
and in doing so endeavored to make such a selection as would secure
registers from districts distributed as uniformly as possible in all the
States. Those observers, therefore, who have not been supplied
with stamps should infer from this no disparagement of their observa-
tions, for among those who have been omitted from the list are
some whose registers are highly prized for their regularity and
accuracy.

Before it was known that this arrangement would be made by the
Commissicner a circular was sent from this Institution to all the ob-
servers, mentioning the new feature in the postage law, and requesting
them to continue their observations, and retain the records until the
law should be modified, or some arrangement could be made by which
the observers would not be subject to the burden of postage.*

Under the new organization of the Department of Agriculture a
renewed interest has been manifested by the Commissioner in the
collection of meteorological statistics, and he has expressed the desire
to co-operate with this Institution in continuing and extending the
system of records of the weather which it had established with so
much labor and expense.

In order to obtain and diffuse a knowledge of facts of immediate
importance to agriculturists, the Commissioner has commenced the
publication of a monthly bulletin giving the state of the crops, the
condition of the weather, and various other items of importance which
are daily received from observers, and which would lose a considerable
portion of their value were they suffered to remain unpublished until
the end of the year. For this bulletin the Institution supplies the
meteorological materials, consisting of the mean, maximum, and
minimum temperature and amount of rain for each month in different
States, and also, for the purpose of comparison, the mean temperature
and amount of rain for a series of five years, grouped by States ;

* This law has been changed since the above was written, and observers can send their
meteorological registers, or other communications, to the ‘‘ Commissioner of Agriculture,” with-
out prepayment of postoge.

REPORT OF THE SECRETARY. ao

together with tables of important atmospheric changes, and notices
of auroras, meteors, and other periodical phenomena. ‘The publica-
tion has been received with much favor by agriculturists, and is
regarded with great interest by the observers, who are thus fur-
nished promptly with a general summary of the principal features
of the meteorology of each month in all parts of the country, with
which they can compare their own observations.

In view of the value of the information thus furnished by the
Institution, it is hoped that the previous appropriation will be
renewed, and that the reductions which have been discontinued for
the last four years may be resumed.

The second volume of the Results of Meteorological Observations
made for the Institution, from 1854 to 1859, and reduced by Professor
Coffin, is still in the press, its completion being delayed by the great
pressure, upon the public printing office, of government work relative
to the war.

We are indebted to the courtesy of Captain (now General) George
G. Meade, of the topographical engineers, superintendent of the
survey of the north and northwestern lakes, and of his successor in
office, Lieutenant Colonel J. D. Graham, for a continuation of the
favor formerly extended to the Institution in furnishing us with copies
of the meteorological observations made at the different stations estab-
lished for the survey. These records are very valuable, being made
with full sets of instruments and at important places. They em-
brace observations made three times a day, at the same hours with
the Smithsonian system, Ta. m. and 2 and 9 p. m., and at ten sta-
tions, extending from Superior City in the State of Wisconsin, at the
western extremity of Lake Superior, to Sackett’s Harbor in New
York, on the east end of Lake Ontario.

The Bureau of Medicine and Surgery of the Navy Department also
continues to furnish us with the meteorological records kept at the
naval hospitals at Chelsea, New York, and Philadelphia.

For several years previous to the commencement of the war a large
map was exhibited in the Smithsonian Institution on which was daily
represented the direction of the wind and face of the sky over the
greater portion of the United States; and in previous reports we have:
frequently called attention to the fact that a properly organized sys-
tem for giving daily or half daily changes of the weather in distant
parts of the United States would be of great practical importance to
the shipping interests of the country ; we have also stated the fact
that we are much more favorably situated for predicting the coming

38 y,

34 REPORT OF THE SECRETARY.

weather than the meteorologists of Europe. The storms in our lati-
tude generally move from west to east, and, since our seaboard is on
the eastern side of a great continent, we can have information of the
approaching storm while it is still hundreds of miles to the west of us.
Not so with the meteorologists of Europe, since they reside on the
western side of a continent, and can have no telegraphic dispatches
from the ocean. The proposition, Lowever, to furnish constant
information of this kind could not be carried out by the limited
means of the Smithsonian Institution, and, indeed, can only be
rendered properly and fully serviceable under the direction and at the
expense of the government.

New and interesting features have been introduced into the daily
meteorological bulletin published by the Imperial Observatory at
Paris. As mentioned in the last report, these bulletins are litho-
graphed each day from records of the barometer, thermometer, wind,
and face of the sky, compiled from telegraphic reports transmitted to
the observatory from various parts of Europe. In addition to these,
they now contain daily a small outline chart of Europe upon which
are drawn diagrams showing the barometric curve of the day through
the various stations, together with the temperature and direction and
force of the wind. For the use of vessels about to leave port, a state-
ment is also given of what will probably be the direction of the wind
the next day. Chambers of commerce and intelligent seamen have
acknowledged in strong language the benefit of these daily bulletins,
thus adding to the ever-accumulating testimony in favor not only of
the speculative interest but also practical benefits of meteorology.
At Bordeaux, Havre, and other important ports, as soon as the bul-
letins are received, the telegraphic announcement of the weather and
the probabie direction of wind for the following day are posted in
public places and furnished to the principal newspapers for publica-
tion. The bulletin also contains extracts from the correspondents of
the observatory on astronomical and other subjects as well as meteo-
rology. With the number for December 20, a supplement was issued
with a diagram exhibiting the indications of the self-registering instru-
ments at the Royal Observatory, Greenwich, during the great storm
on the English coast in the first three days of December, 1863.

Laboratory.—The principal work which has been done in the
laboratory during the past year is an extended series of experiments
on the properties of different kinds of oil intended for light-house
purposes. For a number of years past the price of sperm oil has
been constantly increasing, and from a dollar per gallon it had ad-

REPORT OF THE SECRETARY. 30

vanced last year to two dollars and forty-three cents. It became,
therefore, animportant matter to the Light-house Board to determine
whether some other burning material could not be introduced in the
place of so expensive an article. The investigation of this subject
was given in charge to myself, as the chairman of the Committee on
Experiments. The result of the investigations not only revealed
a number of new phenomena of interest to science, but also estab-
lished the important practical fact of the superiority of winter
strained lard oil over standard sperm oil in the intensity of the light,
the steadiness and persistence of the flame, and the less care required
in attendance. This fact must have an important bearing on the cost
of lighting the extended coast of the United States, as well as upon
the commercial value of one of the staple products of the western
part of our Union. The price of lard oil is, at present, considerably
less than one-half of that of sperm, and while the supply of sperm oil
has remained stationary, or even diminished with an increasing de-
mand, the sources of lard oil in the country are abundant, and the
quantity which can be produced will be sufficient to meet almost an
unlimited consumption.

Another series of experiments was made for determining the proper
arrangements of reflectors and lenses for illuminating distant ob-
jects either by the electric or the calcium light. These experiments
were instituted at the suggestion of the Navy Department, but as no
appropriation was made for their being carried into practice, they
were discontinued, and the knowledge obtained remains unapplied.

Collections of specimens of natural history, d&c.—In several of the
preceding reports a distinction has been drawn between the collec-
tion of specimens of natural history made through the agency of
this Institution, and what is called the Smithsonian museum. The
object of making large collections of duplicate specimens is, first, to
advance science by furnishing to original investigators new materials
for critical study; and second, to assist in diffusing knowledge, by
providing colleges, academies, and other educational establishments,
with labelled specimens to illustrate the various productions of nature,
while the principal end to be attained by the public museum of the
Institution is the gratification and instruction of the inhabitants and
visitors of the city of Washington.

The collecting and distributing of a large number of specimens, for
the purpose stated, is an important means of increasing and diffusing
knowledge, and, as such, is in strict accordance with the will of the
founder of the Institution. It has, therefore, from the first received

26 REPORT OF THE SECRETARY.

much attention, and has been attended with a commensurate amount

of beneficial results. Among the collections received during the past
year have been specimens of great interest, either the results of
explorations, undertaken by the Institution, or of exchanges with
individuals or local societies. The materials thus collected belong
principally to two classes, namely, to specimens of new or rare forms
intended to advance natural history and duplicates of such as are to
be labelled and distributed for the purposes of education. Among
the former are the collections of Mr. Kennicott, whose explorations
have been mentioned in previous reports. They are of a very valu-
able character, illustrating the natural history and ethnology of the
northwestern portions of the continent of North America. The
specimens received in 1863, from this exploration, filled forty boxes
and packages, weighing, in the aggregate, 3,000 pounds. They em-
brace in the line of natural history thousands of skins of mammals
and birds, eggs, nests, skeletons, fishes, insects, fossils, plants, &c.
In the line of ethnology are skulls, dresses, weapons, implements,
utensils, instruments of the chase, in short, all the requisite material
to illustrate the peculiarities of the Esquimaux and different tribes of
Indians inhabiting the northwest regions.

In addition to the collections obtained from the British possessions
in North America, by Mr. Kennicott, specimens have been received
from otber points and other parties. Among these are a series of
birds and eggs from Labrador, gathered by Mr. Henry Connolly, and
a large amount of new material from Mexico, collected by John Xantus,
under the auspices and at the expense of the Institution, consisting of
birds, fishes, reptiles, shells, &c. Another series from the same country
has been presented by Dr. Sartorius, who has, for a number of years, .
been one of the meteorological observers of the Institution. Inter-
esting collections have been received, also, from Dr. A. Van Frantzius,
of Costa Rica; from Mr. Osbert Salvin, of Guatemala; from Captain
J. M. Dow, of Panama; specimens from Cuba have been presented
by Mr. C. Wright and Prof. Poey; from Trinidad, by Mr. Galody,
United States consul; from Jamaica, by Mr. W. T. March; from Ecua-
dor, by the Hon. C. T. Buckalew, now of the United States Senate.
A valuable contribution of birds and mammals has also been received
from Prof. Sumichrast, of Orizaba. These collections are all intended
to illustrate the natural history of the American continents, to the
investigation of whose extended regions the Institution has especially
directed its labors.

In order to facilitate the preparation of a work on the birds of
America, by Prof. Baird, a circular from the Institution was dis-

REPORT OF THE SECRETARY. a

* tributed through the State Department to the consular and diplomatic
agents of the United States in Central and South America, asking aid
in completing the collection of birds, and we doubt not that much
new and valuable material will thus be obtained.

The following are the rules which have been adopted in regard to
the disposition and use of the collections:

First. To advance original science, the duplicate type specimens
are distributed as widely as possible to scientific institutions in this
and other countries, to be used in identifying the species and genera
which have been described.

Second. For the purposes of education, duplicate sets of specimens,
properly labelled, are presented to colleges and other institutions of
learning in this country. _

Third. These donations are made on condition that due credit is to
be given the Institution in the labelling of the specimens, and in all
accounts which may be published of them.

Fourth. Specimens are presented to foreign institutions, on condi-
tion that if type specimens are wanted for comparison or other use
in this country they will be furnished when required.

Fifth. In return for specimens which may be presented to colleges
and other institutions, collections from localities in their vicinity shall
be furnished when wanted.

In the disposition of the undescribed specimens of the collection,
the following considerations have been observed as governing prin-
ciples:

First. The original specimens are not to be intrusted for descrip-
tion to inexperienced persons, but to those only who have given evi-
dence of ability properly to perform the work.

Second. Preference is to be given to those who have been engaged
in the laborious and difficult enterprise of making complete mono-
graphs. 3

Third. The investigator may be allowed, in certain cases, to take
the specimens to his place of residence, and to retain them for study
a reasonable time.

Fourth. The use of the specimens is only to be allowed on condition
that a series of types for the Smithsonian museum will be selected
and properly labelled, and the whole returned in good condition.

Fifth. In any publications which may be made of results derived from
an investigation of the materials from the Smithsonian collection, full
credit must be accorded to the Institution for the facilities which
have been afforded.

38 REPORT OF THE SECRETARY.

During the past year the assorting and labelling of the specimens *
have been continued, as well as the distribution of duplicates.

The whole number of entries on the record book of the Smithsonian
collection, at the end of the year 1861,.was 66,075; at the end of
1862, 74,764, and at the end of 1863, 86,847; but each entry indi-
cates a lot consisting of a number of specimens. The whole number
of duplicate specimens distributed to different institutions in this
“country and abroad, up to the end of the year 1863, has been 94,7138.
As these specimens are distributed on the express condition that. full
credit is to be given to the Institution on the labels, and in all pub-
lications which may relate to them, the name of Smithson, even
through this distribution alone, would become familiarly known in
every part of the civilized world.

It has been, from the first, one of the prominent objects of the
Institution to collect the most ample materials for illustrating the
entire natural history of North America; to determine the different
species of plants and of animals; to ascertain the distribution of the
former, and the migrations of the latter. This object it has endea-
vored to accomplish through the agency of the different surveying
expeditions of government ; through explorations instituted at its own
expense, and by enlisting the co-operation of individuals interested
in science, and of local scientific societies. In all its efforts in this
line it has been heartily supported, and it is believed that its labors
have been productive of valuable results. The collections thus made
have been intrusted to competent investigators for examination and
description, and the results published in the different Smithsonian
series, in transactions of societies, and in various government reports.
For a list of what has already been prepared and published, either
by the Institution or under its direction, I would refer to a report on

_ this subject in preparation by Professor Baird.

Museum.—The additions to the museum, in the line of natural his-
tory, are principally confined to the type specimens which have been
collected and described at the expense of the general government, or
under the immediate auspices of the Institution. Even thus restricted,
the specimens increase in number more rapidly than the portion of
the Smithsonian fund which can be devoted to their support will
authorize. Few persons have an idea of the labor, constant care, and
expense which attends the proper preservation of a series of objects
of natural history ; but those who have had the necessary experience
know that large miscellaneous collections can only be properly sup-
ported by governments, and, in the establishment of provincial socie-

REPORT OF THE SECRETARY. Be

ties, the rule has been strongly recommended of attempting to pre-
serve nothing except what is strictly local. ‘‘It is the experience
of societies,’’ says Dr. Jardine,* the celebrated Scotch naturalist,
‘that general collections are encumbrances, and in most instances
get destroyed for want of care, or they are dispersed. Within these
few years the really fine and valuable collection of the Zoological
Society of London, chiefly presented by the late N. A. Vigors, a
first-rate scholar and naturalist, and containing many unique things
from our scientific exploratory voyages, has been sold. That of the
Entomological Society has also been sold, and the greater part of that
belonging to the Linnzan Society was sold during the last month,
because there was not sufficient space to keep what had been pre-
sented to them. The collection of the Royal Society of Edinburgh
is now undergoing the same process.’’

During the past year the work of labelling the specimens in the
museum, so that the common, as well as the scientific name of each
article may be distinctly exhibited, has been continued.

KHeplorations.—The only explorations during the past year, under
the auspices and at the expense of the Institution, are, Ist, the con-
tinuation of that of Mr. Xantus on the western coast of Mexico ; and,
2d, that by Mr. Meek in New Jersey and the lower part of Virginia.
The explorations of Mr. Xantus extended several hundred miles
along the western coast of Mexico in a region little known, and very
abundant in interesting objects.

The exploration of Mr. Meek related to the collection of complete
series of shells to illustrate the tertiary formation of the seaboard of
New Jersey and Virginia.e Several series of shells were obtained,
which are in the process of being accurately labelled, and are intended
for distribution to some of the principal colleges of the country.

Exchanges.—The important aid rendered to science and literature
by the system of international exchange which has for many years
been actively carried on by the Institution, is still everywhere highly
appreciated. Our operations in this line are becoming more and
more extensive, requiring an additional amount of time, labor, and
attention, as well as largely increasing in expense. ‘The great liber-
ality of many of the transportation companies alone enables us to
carry on the system in its present extent, and we again tender our
acknowledgments, especially to the following parties, who have

* Address of Sir W. Jardine, president of the Dumfriesshire and Galloway Natural History
and Antiquarian Society, December, 1863.

40 REPORT OF THE SECRETARY.

assisted us in this respect: The North German Lloyd, between Bre-
men and New York; the Hamburg and New York steamship line ;
the Cunard line; 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.

Inibrary.—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

REPORT OF THE SECRETARY. 4]

will be distributed to all the principal libraries of the country, and
with the liberal policy which has been adopted in regard to the books
of the Smithsonian collection, will serve to render the library more
generally useful.

By exchanges there have been received 719 octavos, 167 quartos,
and 24 folios ; of parts of volumes and pamphlets, in octavo, 2,119 ;
in quarto, 779; in folio, 581; maps and charts 200 ; total, 4,589.
In addition to these about 400 volumes were purchased.

Among the valuable works received during the year, are the fol-
lowing :

55 volumes from the Royal Library of Stockholm.

Comptes-Rendus, 1859, 1860, 1861, with atlas, from the Commission
Imperiale Archelogique, St. Petersburg.

12 volumes and 18 parts of volumes from the Koninlijk Institut des
Ingenieurs, d’ Gravenhage.

52 volumes and 94 pamphlets from the Nederlandsch Maatschappig
ter Bevordering van Nijverheid, Haarlem.

10 volumes of its own publications from the Société pour la recherche
et la conservation des Monuments Historiques du Grand Duché de
Luxembourg, Luxembourg.

24 volumes and 12 parts from the Kaiserliche Akademie der Wis-
senschaften, Vienna.

9 volumes and 29 charts from the Etablissement Géographique de
Bruxelles.

21 volumes of Proceedings from the Societé d’ Agriculture, Com-
merce, Science et Arts du Dept. de la Marne.

24 volumes of Proceedings and Transactions from the Institution
of Civil Engineers, London.

36 volumes and 114 charts from the Board of Admiralty, London.
- Large donations from the Royal University of Norway.

Braddam’s Memoirs of the Royal Society of London, vol. I—X,
1745, from Mrs. Mary A. Malthie, Syracuse, New York.

26 volumes from the Regents of the University in behalf of the
State of New York.

Lectures.—The usual course of lectures has been commenced for the
present season, and will embrace the following :

Five lectures, by Rev. John Lord, of New York, on the ‘‘ Fall of
the Roman Empire.’’ Subjects—I. The grandeur and glory of the
Ancient Civilization—The external splendor of the Roman Em-
pire in its latter days. - II. The internal hollowness and defects

42 REPORT OF THE SECRETARY.

of the old Roman civilization—The shame and miseries of society—
The vices of self-interest, and preparation for violence and iney-
itable ruin. III. The fall of the empire, and the desolations pro-
duced by the barbarians—The destruction of the old fabric of so-
ciety. IV. The reasons why the old conservative influences of
paganism did not arrest the ruin—The failure of art, literature, and
science, and the mechanism of governments. V. The reasons why
Christianity did not save the Empire, and the ideas which the church
incorporated with subsequent civilizations—The foundation of the
new Teutonic structure.

Three lectures, by Professor Louis Agassiz, of Cambridge, Massa-
chusetts, on the ‘‘ Glacial period.”

One lecture, by Professor J. L. Campbell, of Wabash College, on
‘* Galileo.’’

Seven lectures, by Dr. Reinhold Solger, on ‘‘The Races of Men.’’

Six lectures, by Professor W. D. Whitney, of Yale College, on
“Philology.”’ I. History and objects of linguistic science—Plan of
these lectures—Why and how do we speak English—How language
is preserved and perpetuated—Its constant change—The study of
language an historical science. II. Illustration of the processes of
growth and change in language—Formation of words by combination
of old materials— Mutilation and corruption of existing forms—Change
and development of meaning—Rate of progress of these changes.
III. Statement and illustration of the influences causing the growth
of dialects, and those checking and counteracting this growth—Our
language a Germanic dialect, with partly French vocabulary—Other
languages with which it is related—Branches of the Indo-Huropean
family of languages, and proof that they are of common descent—
Place, period, and grade of civilization of the original tribe. IV. His-
torical and linguistic importance of the Indo-Huropean race and lan-
guage—History of the language—Its development from monosyllabic
roots. V. Survey of the other great families of language, Semitic,
Scythian, Chinese, Polynesian, Egyptian, African, and American—
Isolated languages not included in these families. VI. Comparative
value of linguistic and physical evidence of race, and their relative
bearing on the science of ethnology—Relation of the study of language
to the question of the unity of the human race —origin of language—
Its character and value to the human race.*

The number of applications for the use of the lecture-room has

* A synopsis of this course of lectures has been furnished by the author for insertion in the
appendix to this report.

REPORT OF THE SECRETARY. 43

been much less since the adoption of the rule restricting its use to
the purposes of the Institution exclusively has become more gener-
ally known. This rule, which has been widely approved of by the
enlightened public, has precluded a large amount of unprofitable cor-
respondence and enabled the Institution to avoid an embarrassing and |
inauspicious connexion with sensational expositions of the exciting
subjects of the day.

From the preceding account of the present condition of the Insti-
tution, and of its operations during the past year, as well as from the
examination of the collections and publications, it is hoped that, not-
withstanding the unfavorable condition of the country for scientific
research, and the diminished means at our command, it will appear
that the line of policy and of action originally adopted has been pur-
sued with unabated ardor and with corresponding success.

Respectfully submitted.
JOSEPH HENRY, Secretary.

WASHINGTON, 1864.

APPENDIX TO THE REPORT OF THE SECRETARY,

SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION,
Washington, December 31, 1863.
Sir: I have the honor to present herewith a report, for 1863, of the opera-
tions intrusted to my charge, consisting especially of those relating to the
printing, the exchanges, and the collections of natural history.
Very respectfully, your obedient servant,
SPENCER F. BAIRD,
Assistant Secretary Smithsonian Institution.
Prof. Josep Henry, LL.D.,

Secretary Smithsonian Institution.

PRINTING.

An accompanying table will show the works printed during the year, and
also those now in press. The total number of pages belonging to works finished
within the year is:

Of TEN VSS cossteccogesscosos00Soob4e4daood 350 pages, 3 plates.
Octavo Miscellaneous Collections .........-........ 1,313 pages.

Of werks still in press there have been printed :

Of Quarto works; about ess veces royale estar thet scious aes 108 pages.
) CEA ViO Rie ee teay ere oR Ves cv etd naee ee ehe ale ys De Seis ene 443 pages.

Making a total of 458 quarto pages, and 1,756 octavo, exclusive of the annual
report to Congress, nearly finished, and to fill 450 pages.

EXCHANGES AND TRANSPORTATION.

The system of exchanges has been in a highly successful condition during
1863, both the receipts and transmissions being fully equal to the average of
any previous year. The attendant expenses of this branch of operations are,
however, great and increasing, and would long sinee have bedome almost pro-
hibitory but for the liberality exhibited by various transportation companies in
carrying the boxes and parcels cf the Institution free of any charges for freight. It
is not too much to say that thousands of dollars are thus presented by the com-
panies as a recognition on their part of the great importance, domestic as well -
as international, of these operations of the Institution. Among the parties de-
serving of especial mention in this connexion are the proprietors of the Cunard
steamers between New York and Liverpool, and New York and Havana; the
North German Lloyd, between New York and Bremen; the Hamburg American
Packet Company, between New York and Hamburg; the Panama Railroad
Company ; the Pacific Mail Steamship Company ; the Hudson’s Bay Company ;
the Adams Express Company, &c.

REPORT OF THE ASSISTANT SECRETARY. 45
The Institution is under especial obligations, for important services rendered —
in this connexion, to the Hon. Hiram Barney, collector of the port of New York,
and to his assistant, Mr. George Hillier; to Mr. A. B. Forbes and Mr. Hubbard,
of the Pacific Mail Steamship Company, in San Francisco, as well as to the
regular agents of the Institution.

During the year, 1863, a new literary agency of the Institution was established
for Holland and Belgium. Mr. Frederick Miller, bookseller, of Amsterdam, was
placed in charge, and he has already rendered much service. The other foreign
agents of the Institution—Dr. Felix Fliigel, of Leipsic; Gustave Bossange &
Company, of Paris; and Mr. William Wesley, of London—continue to dis-
charge their duties with efficiency, and to the full satisfaction of the Insti-
tution.

Yhe number of institutions and individuals, at home and abroad, making use
of the facilities of scientific exchanges offered by the Smithsonian Institution is
continually on the increase, and it is believed that any interruption or suspen-
sion of this part of the programme of operations would be considered as a serious
calamity.

In 1862 the Institution distributed four volumes of Miscellaneous Collections,
one volume of Annual Reports, and one thick quarto volume of Meteorological
Records and Reductions. In 1863, owing to various circumstances, the Annual
Report for 1861 was the only volume distributed, although many copies of
separate papers were sent abroad. For this reason the bulk of sending, in 1863,
was less than that of previous years, but it is expected that the difference will
be fully made up in 1864.

The following tables exhibit the details of the operations in the line of ex-
change during 1863:

x

Receipt of bouks, &c., by exchange in 1863.

Volumes :
(ONCTENTO 6 SOS Oe ee EL eae eee nae Pe aan me SD 719
QGP INO SS 8 eee IRE: CIN OE ee oa UG AU Se 167
TENGE) eS eR UES BREN NE lt) Bn HSS pao RE 24
—. 910
Parts of volumes and pamphlets :
ie Gaivory ered erate oper etey cay oS al cs anciial 5 cfakanas di Nt N ST aUS 2, ES
(UMNHOSE Benes Osc Oe pono cod Mn Mer ee AE cos micros 779
TEOLENG ie Boece SEE Bess re OS irc | ROMP A eee PEE ie ra ay 581
3, 479
Jens Biot, GEM coc ode cegcceedecosebseseeeenecnaceehes Gade cen 200
ADP otalliie aisva. avelwh sia) gle Wee ateh autho chuseye = oregon ee ayers a oe 4, 589
Seceinets) Ta 1G LAR Green Oost OBE nome ic ogou eee c eo! tece mae 2, 886

1S AGERE) 1 WSC A eo OREO srr om Gate sen ae Shecadeuctpoerneece 5, 035

46

APPENDIX TO THE REPORT OF. THE SECRETARY.

B.
Table showing the statistics of the exchanges of the Smithsonian Institution
wm 1863.
Ba RI 2
= 3 Si Bae eae
Ge of ioe ° Ro) rS
os ca a 6.2 oa
Agent and country. 5% S| ce 4 ails S58
Qe RGics a5 oy) aoa sf
aS EI iz m6 =
= = S She
A A a S
Dr. FELIX FLUGEL, Leipsic—
SGRMGMMNTIOsssse00sssa50ce0 c590 5500 1 oe sictssctece eye ayer eee oe
Swedenz Saesess ess esas 13 3) PCa ese) PETS i ss as A
INOAWEhy See55 5005 Saeone e5oscoCEsaES 4 TA joe |. Se eee
WMenmankys 3 jtscrere aia Pi teloke ae see peeitie 13 312) 22 eAC otk ase
IRUSSIA See eee oe eine i eee Cle 42 10: ec chee ees eae
Gemini? 65555555556 co56 5eb605 5600 265 255) 5 Ye eae geet ERT
wibzenlamd epee ees cteleee teeereters are 30 iio Mies Seta ae a Learer SI ces
IR@llenwitn -socsce soos Ga0se3 aSso0e sane 10 QA Ike eas ec tee ee
otal ete ee oe eevee 378 690 26| 202] 3,500
FREDERICK MULLER, Amsterdam— j
Jelolangl 655065 656466 90506 6445 60Gc 40 Slog ee tay Se
WN sos casesadQoo sesh Cddob66S 40 81 4 31 1, 006
GUSTAVE BOSSANGE & Co., Paris—
IDWEO das pace eB aa noms sa eee coEsed 107 AGS) OM (Ne tei co eRe SD
lligliy ssss52 s5c00c cpesc0 sce0ss 095506 5 99" isk oa Be as ee alee eee
SIDEWN 3535555555985 929080 535505550" 7 VG) cols Cee | cee
TOF s 555 sess ganse s5aGcs0 caus 4 Buss es Se etal alee
Wotalscis sess 3383950980 8595 2505 173 ||. Boo 13; 88 | 22.800
W. WESLEY, London—
Great Britain and Iveland..-.-...---- 169 316 14 106 2, 580
Restioninenwordeeeee scat eee eee 20 40 | AM 20 400
Grand jtotale-ees. Sees 783 | 1,426 61 447 | 10,286

Addressed packages received by the Smithsonian Institution from parties in
America for foreign distribution im 1863.

Albany, N. Y—

Number of packages.

Prof: James Hallie teee et eee eee eererereet 9
Boston, Mass.—

American Academy of Arts and Sciences......------------ 116

Boston Society of Natural History-..-2222--2-2-.------- 205

i SUBS) cea VC me A yrs ts ery cy ena en ne 1
Cambridge, Mass.—

Ae iearOMOOUle ei... Ll ciet 3 2 twice ene ee iote ee tele ooo 31

Museum of Comparative Zoology....--...-----+-++--e--> 342

PML CMANMETPACASSIZ @ 2\2/- oo: © = 2-\'n ici b SPER © © Pies 3

(bans JASE) Can 7 POT Gt oo, 20

Jules Marcou...-..... sie 3a. \oie walle we ee RE RNR te seria co Jos 8 5

REPORT OF THE ASSISTANT SECRETARY. AT

Cleveland, Ohio—
ire cle See NCCE DY Ae a of a)a ao a.01 a \ria eal wise opera a = oe ees i 60

Columbus, Ohio—

Ohivorovatemsoaraoy Aericulture 0.5... sols. 2 oe ee 102
Detroit, Mich.—

nieutscolmon lO. Graham: U.S: Acs... sobs) Ae 56
Janesville, Wis.—

HnishiruMmomtor tue blind ..sj5465.6<.e6c 2 Steet Ss cic 73
Montreal, Can.—

NOMA Oe, NVA Sele) ANVESO RA sch syd Ras eden MMe Pc 2s a 7
New Haven, Conn.—

PACIMERe Ae OULU ale Ol SCIONCEsert ae] Goce a5 cece sare ps See es 18

pamenmcartiy Orientals SOCetyan <\-trs 1. einai wind eae aeiaie @ 8

TP eane le 1 DI Saal DG be Para memento 7 MER ep eae A MU a eg So RH 15
New York, N. Y.—

Mien eanmbile: Iibransyy 22a Aw a.c Leas wre oka erate oben eee a 10

iNew Mork iy cenm, of Natural) History 2-225 -— se. c. sss 4 oe 101
Philadelphia, Pa.—

mcademy_ on, Natural SCleMcesis 4. <\.'l2 ss > ce oes ese eres 165

Huatomolosical Society of Philadelphia. 5220-22-32... 522. 9

earaiemMrere EUG] CAlNeAS SOC Tel GON oy. ohv ai c e ceeea d ae are Se 100

GeO CN Vee le O Me 2) orev ccnsar pee a) waite nec sun Armee wiih in aa 57
Santa Barbara, Cal._—

PAR Oe Navel ee) aneny aye tacaraeh xg WAI oa! ca kaha ae alata yoteea Nal ss 2 ak ale aot 60
St. Louis, Mo.—

Siam Moms A caderny, Off SClEMCESt)-/4 =< = cisely =< a\-i2 ola aoe gical 72
Salem, Mass.—

SEO Ta OARS EU ee eo ana yr cae gaat 1
Toronto, Can.—

G@anaidiraae Wiistittey ee cs a as ee alee bie pe ee 6
Utica, N. Y.—

meste Wunmatic: Assy lamar pls 7. aio 2c ata ieee ee ee oe 4
Washington, D. C—

Uinted States: Coast Survey's 0. (tree eee ee 672

WinitedStates National Obserwatonyiiae sence se tes. ee 149

imtedistates: ibatemt .Otince pe see eeepc eye eye yy cide nls 465

Supermbendent: of Cems... 2 ee MM Na sy aarp ees. 22.0) 200

Dic 1B i0 AINE 6 UR eRe HS A AU A ETS a A lean ge 15
Windsor, Nova Scotia—

Prot, Es How. 4... Bee ee as MCS OS eae ee 18

48

D.

APPENDIX TO TIIE REPORT OF THE SECRETARY.

Addressed packages received by the Smithsonian Institution from Europe, for
distribution in America, in 1863.

ALBANY, NEW YORK.

/Nommayy LEAST 55556 sa54e5 sapcos
Albaniyglnbranyeeas cceeecr i sscee a:
Dudley Observator
New York State Agvicultural Society --
New York State Library--.. ---. ----
New York State Medical Society --.--
New York State University......-.-.
Dr. E. Emmons: -..-
Professor James, Hall.-:...-55--2..-

AMHERST, MASSACHUSETTS.
Ammhersig@ ollece sa. sam ees etesetote nels
1D)t; 1Bi5 Jab NCCeen eno Saaso4oonee.
CranlespE Pe titchcock#aa seen ees ae
Professor Charles Upham Shepherd. - -

ANNAPOLIS, MARYLAND.
Siatemeibranyassceenee cccimecee einen
ANN ARBOR, MICHIGAN.

Observatonyes- esses ee cette cise
Dre ETUNnNOWiest eee see eee ees

AUGUSTA, MAINE.
Statewloibraiy eee eso e eae ete sie ele sels
BALTIMORE, MARYLAND.

Maryland Historical Society . --..----
Peabody Wnstitnte =2.--: 2-5 22------
Drea) J. (Graves e225, o22ee aeeees
Dr Joun Ge Mowiseene =e eee oe
oR, Uber... eeeae eee aeeee

BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

American Academy of Arts and Sci-

YUE Se GA ee ere ea es ae ei
Boston Society of Natural History --.
Pe auUchoLNbDary < 2/25 = cs ssksiee eee

Geological Survey of Massachu-

SOUL 22 econ eee ees oboe easoose
Massachusetts Historical Society. --.-
New England Historico-Genealogical

SUEGS 0232 SEE ee eee
North American Review...-.....-.--.
Perkins’ Institute for the Blind...-..
Prison Discipline Soviety.........---
Pablicgitpratyere.s-j- <2 cet = sicio~ 2 lal
Sistem aia core eas ois -\2'o\* a\-is <0
Iidts, ly Avi, oo t6 eee sue oae
ID i, LE Gis). AS oc BeORIODE

No. of
Sy UST OS CSIRO packages.

WOH wv

WP aH Ww

Go

a

BOSTON, MASS.—Continued.

Protesson On Jawacksoneee eee eeeeee
Iprofessomltocers se = see e eee eee
S. H. Seudder.......... Ms aye ss eae

| Charles Sprague as a2 22.5 sere neee

GeorsemlicknoOreen ja. seeeee ee eeeee
BRATTLEBORO’, VERMONT.
Algpyltonen 10se IGANG Goce Gas sonmcose
BRUNSWICK, MAINE.
Historical Society of Maine.....---.-
BURLINGTON, IOWA.

Iowa Historical and Genealogical In-
SONDIIS boos cggoon SsuccsUocaoSsesS

CAMBRIDGE, MASSACHUSETTS.
American Association for Advance-

Hienvard(C ollese-=-ee = esse eee
Observatory of Harvard College... -..
Professor li. Agassiz ..--. .25.------
G. Re Bond as ase eee eee
Ieonessor let, d5 Clk 5 5555 46545504
JerOeEOr AJ, 124 COONS. sets oo ss55 55:
Dr John Deanv 2-5-2 eee
Hon. Edward Piverett..-.---<-..-.-.
Dr. Bs VAs Gould: Js sa ee ese eeEee
Professor Asa) Gray en ayaa
Professor H. W. Longfellow. ....---.
Protessor J. Lovering...---.---.----
Professor Jules Marcou -..-----------
Professor B: Reireeseese-aaeeseeeee
Bs Wi) Putnames eee eer seme eerie
Dr: Ee Satordeeereeee eer erec eee
Professor G,. A. Schmitse------e----
Mir) Tinttlefas- eerie erie sneer

CHICAGO, ILLINOIS,

Academy of Sciences -.--- ------....
Mechanics’ Institute ..-----.-.-.....

CINCINNATI, OHIO,

Astronomical Observatory ------.----
Dental Register of the West..-..-..-
Historical and Philosophical Society

OS (Oni)... toc secoseapecosegocoos
Mercantileaubraiva- = 1-2-2 ei
Aw (Gy Lvogjeeih? 735 Sepsecsoaneeso

No. of
packages.

See ee

HER WHR OWE HOO eee

kor)

a ai |

REPORT OF

THE ASSISTANT SECRETARY.

49

D.— Addressed packages received by the Smithsonian Institution, §c.—Continued.

CLINTON. NEW YORK.

Observatory of Hamilton College. -...
Dr. ©. H. EF. Peters

COLUMBIA, MISSOURI.

Geological Survey of Missouri
COLUMBIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

Professor S. S. Haldeman

COLUMBUS, OHIO.

eseeee

Ohio State Board of Agriculture
State ibrany, os sss Ss. 2 sleek ste
Leo Lesquereux

CONCORD, NEW HAMPSHIRE.

New Hampshire Historical Society - --
State Library

DES MOINES, IOWA.

State Library

DETROIT, MICHIGAN.

Michigan State Agricultural Society -.
Lieutenant Colonel J. D. Graham....
Dr. Tappan

DORCHESTER, MASSACHUSETTS.

Dr. Edward Jarvis

EAST GREENWICH, NEW YORK.

Asa Fitch

EASTON, PENNSYLVANIA.
erat, jp BE OG ithol sa nene pee sec eoseoe

FRANKFORT, KENTUCKY.

Geological Survey of Kentucky
State Library

GAMBIER, OHIO.

Kenyon College

GEORGETOWN, D. C.

Georgetown College
ID ie Tel RGhn ea Ee ee Ee eee
A. Schott

No. of
packages.

:

we

WH Or

HARRISBURG, PENNSYLVANIA.

State Wbibraryac2 sso suse oes
State Lunatic Asylum

HARTFORD, CONNECTICUT.

Historical Society of Connecticut
State Library

HAVANA, CUBA.
Royal Economical Society

HUDSON, OHIO.

|| Western Reserve College.-.--..-.---

Professor Charles A. Young

INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA.

Indiana Historical Society
State Library

IOWA CITY, IOWA.

State Waniky ersitiyeer steers ects tere oa
JACKSONVILLE, ILLINOIS.
Institution for the Blind...----.-----
JANESVILLE, WISCONSIN.

State Institution for the Blind--..--.--

JEFFERSON CITY, MISSOURI.

Historical Society of Missouri
State Library

LANCASTER, OHIO.

Dr. J. M. Bigelow
LANSING, MICIIIGAN.

State Agricultural College
State Library

LEON, NEW YORK.
T. Apoleon Cheney
LITTLE ROCK, ARKANSAS.
State Library
LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY.

Colonel Long
Professor J. Lawrence Smith
Dr. L. P. Yandell

i

No. of
packages.

aD

pe

= >

ae

et

he

or

50 APPENDIX TO THE REPORT OF THE SECRETARY.

D.— Addressed packagesreceived by the Smithsonian Institution, §¢.—Continued.

No. of
packages.

No. of
packages. |

MADISON, WISCONSIN. NEW YORK, N. Y.—Continued.

Historical Society of Wisconsin. .---. 2) University. vel eo esa 1
Skandinaviske Presse-Forening --.--.- LSM Coopers. tee see. kien nee 1
Siate Agricultural Society......----- JO) Dr. Draper. cease eee ee eee 3
Statemibibranyeme= eee eee eines seee 9) Dr sDanieliP atone ss sss eeeeee a eer 2
Me Helestom.ce. je. scale ae een 1
MONTPELIER, VERMONT. DGS Blot Se Q eee Wee ha ae ae 1
MsWiiiGmreenes sosmenu ne 1
Historical and Antiquarian Society of Dri ilarper S22 e0i see se a ieee 1
Wierm ont sae ae Ve ee eee Lies 1 aI Ge Ye) bb ave epee mee erem he 07h A 2
State wvilbrany eee cece sees eee) s icine . GoltG. IN awxentce. = Seite een ee ae 2
PUberpelec ele cer eee er cree este Th jl} (Ghakewales) 1834 INNS eS ec eka cas - 1
WdwandiNorton 2 spss nee eee 3
MONTREAL, CANADA EAST. Baron Ostensacken............--.-- 7
Memplevienimiersn see eee eee 3
Natural History Society.-...--.-..-- ie John Ei Redtelde tere sens seen 1
Brofessorbillinesesss- sees 2) || James Renwick == 2-82 oles nee 1
Thomas E. Blackwell-.....---.--.-- RD rob Wore eee 1
Professor J. W. Dawson..-.--..----- 3) li vir Wiheatleyas= scclene snes bee mae 1
site WY, IL@SeWNS <5 o55 scoop seacooGsSes 2
iprofessorn aS) Hant.-s oe eee Sees eee 1 NORTHAMPTON, MASSACHUSETTS.
M. Toly de Lotbiniére --....-.....-- 1
Mr. aiuiymian! occ a0 eS eae | 7

NEW BRUNSWICK, NEW JERSEY.
OLYMPIA, WASHINGTON TERRITORY.

Geological Survey of New Jersey...- 2

Professor George H. Cook........---
NEW HAVEN, CONNECTICUT.

American Journal of Science and Arts.
American Oriental Society.-.....----
Valei@ollege oo ck ee aie
Professor Js De Danaea een eee eeee

NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA.

New Orleans Academy of Natural Sci-
ENCES 24248 2a een aes ps eee ae eM

NEW YORK, N. Y.

American Agriculturist..............
American Ethnological Society-..-.---
American Geographical and Statistical

DOCIPLYS et. onal ee

AGI OUMADIAING oe mize minins Skeebiseeeeee
Farmer and Mechanic...............
Histoncal Soclefys-\- ee 126 seh sion set
Journal of Pharmacy ...--......-..-
Medical College ii oe asi ae acs
New York City Lunatic Asylum.....
New York Dental Journal......---..
New York Lyceum of Natural History .

~

CO me eS DS CTE we

. oO

Remitonal Wibranyeseeeeeea ee eeesee
OMAHA, NEBRASKA.
State Maibrany-2* seo see eee |
OWEGO, NEW YORK.
Mr Pumpelly,.32 52/02 So eee ae
PEORIA, ILLINOIS.

Dr Brendel 2222 coe eee eee ee
PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

Academy of Natural Sciences.....-.-
American Philosophical Society......
Central High School..---..--.-----.
Dental Cosmos. .....---------------
Entomological Society ..-.----.-..--
Franklin Institute .....-...-...----.
Historical Society of Pennsylvania. -.
Institution for the Blind.............
Wagner Iree Institute..-....-.-....
Dr. gAllenteev errr eevee eect Pk ee
ANS DY IGN bo SOeo ape a toa oureacs ¢
oyimipb lod ceteeeieeleiereeeeieetr- ie aiatate
Uy (QRS, Jo soo s605 355000 00Cess ade>
1D (Clhy sosccr doclendiaoan obeads baoe
TAU COntadee sect h ts siete kam ae ee
IDR IDR IDS (Clyjacias sdciasdocoe a odeate
EE Cress Olemeatesiste else lstoee reste

—_

Ll El ell ll ol oe OU RSC See a ad

REPORT OF THE ASSISTANT SECRETARY.

D.— Addressed packages received by the Smithsonian Institution, §c.—Continued.

PHILADELPHIA, PA.—Continued.

PPP Dunandeee ee sseeecee sae sea ee tee
Professor Haldeman ...-.......------
DreilisascwWediee suse lees eke en cc eeey
Dr Jevueier Contes ss2-.2 ssh 0
Dr. Joseph Leidy-.....-------------
DEN OTTO ee ee Lye ee
GPO TGC ey SSE oil a) Gala dele hou

Jels Se Ian very As eee eee
George W.. Tryon ...------.--------

Professor Wagner ....---.------.---
Horaon OW Godlee) 52.8 BUT ole

PRINCETON, NEW JERSEY.

Professor A. Guyot ......-----------
PROVIDENCE, RHODE ISLAND.
Rhode Island Histoucal Society... .--
Statesliibranyg soot lees -eeser
Professor A. Caswell...-.....---.-..
QUEBEC, CANADA EAST.
Astronomical Observatory..----.-.-.-
WawvalleWaaiviersitiye elles nies <=
Literary and Historical Society ..--..
QUINCY, ILLINOIS.
1D yey AOlbN IT steer ESCA Ree ee
ROCK ISLAND, ILLINOIS.

Dr. Velie Hibiel ne Orel Os ea ea an A

RYE, NEW YORK.

MolmuG@y Javee a ok: Dek ea ay.
SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA.
hae Meu GAY 2)-)='= /-/-:= = -1= wim eateyeel aie:
ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI.

Deutsche Institute fur Férderung der

Wissenschaften ..-.-- ..----.-----
St. Louis Academy of Sciences. -.----.
St. Louis University..--..--.-------
Dr. George Bernays ..-.------------
Dr. George Engelmann -...--.-.--.--
Dr. Adam Hammer..-.-...--.--------
Dribeak. sbumardej. 22-6 -2c2--)-
Jielasay Wi ies eae ie eco icearicc =

io.)

SORTS HE Qe

—
Ee We ork i i)

oe ST)

Wee

w=

—

ST. PAUL, MINNESOTA.

|| Historical Society of St. Paul...-.---

SALEM, MASSACHUSETTS.
Bssex! Institutes. 2222 ¢-2 eases
SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA,
California Academy of Natural Sci-

CNCESLKMRCK CREA So scse SCE
SANTIAGO, CHILI.
University: /Soso2 Sh soe eee ee

SPRINGFIELD, ILLINOIS.

State Agricultural Society ....--.-.-.-
State Library yoe seins alae eres ene

STOCKTON, CALIFORNIA.
State Lunatic Asylum ...-......----
TORONTO, CANADA WEST.

Bureau of Agriculture and Statistics - -
Canadian Institutes: 22 2222s. see.
Magnetical and Meteorological Obser-

vatory

TOPEKA, KANSAS.
State Wibrany o:-Aeses-e)-cee -saeee
TRENTON, NEW JERSEY.
State Libranyy oso secce ste ce eee ee
UTICA, NEW YORK.
State Lunatic Asylum ..-.-.-.......

WASHINGTON, D. C.

Bureau of Ordnance and Hydrography
Library of Congress -...--..--------
National Observatory MSY Aa aye ata
Navy Department ...-......-.------
Ordnance Bureau...-....-.----------
Revenue Department .-...-...------
Secretary of State ...-..--..--------
Surgeon General United States Army-
Topographical Bureau ...------.----
United States Coast Survey ----..----
United States Patent Office ....--.----

No. of
packages.

Se Qe

oa)

CW Wee www he

—
ww

52 APPENDIX TO THE REPORT OF THE SECRETARY.

D.— Addressed packages received by the Smithsonian Institution, &c.—Continued.

oh .
S & i S fn
S) ae | S) a
Ae | Ag
| ay
WASHINGTON, D. C.—Continued. WASHINGTON, D. C.—Continued.
\|
War Department pees 2seteeees see See Gti MORRO sche ese ss eae eae 1
Colonel J. G. Aberti..----.<-----.--. 4 | Captain John Rodgers -.....-.------ 1
Proiessor-A. Ws Bache Gaesecis-e ie MD hos WS HNN So SSSe4o5 Sues 558555 5555 1
Drs tCoues Seen. eee eect ee eee eee ie Ghekeischoolenattimee ene eee ee J
Manan, Cnill,ss3ss5 ss5sc0sse5545555- 10H) Me Wies tinpS Oise eos Seas 5
Caprame a wviniGailliss anes eeaee ee 24 We vAL rea. dwaiy yess e sees eee 1
Generale monyereceeeeaeee ec eee 21) MI UIKe as syicie nee oer hoe eats 1
Ibe: ChOWals sScabssgaseu6574bosGo5e5 1) || eon Worn E@wolly 45555567456 55655 1
Dr RAVE srlay Gena o ai) sone eee ae 1 || Captain Charles Wilkes. -....-..---- 2
Protesson Hubbard oes e-. ee. 225 if |i diolinn eyo, «38 3 3555555 S535 552 1
General A. A. Humphreys..--...-.--. ]
(Col@asl Sh 18h Wome S55 55555555 o56- 1 WORCESTER, MASSACHUSETTS.
Da smiinyMicCauleyeree pesos eee 1 |
Professor G. A. Matile ....-....--..- 1 | American Antiquarian Society ....-.-
Motaliotaddressest ices merase seme csc tee Cen eee ee epee ae e eee hee 273
Motaliofparcels se eke st Soe ee eciseicie se Bee erciee Sele eee meee ere ete oe?

MUSEUM AND COLLECTIONS.

It is gratifying to be able to state that the interest in the subject of natural
history, which received so material a check in 1861, and showed symptoms of
revival in 1862, has continued to manifest itself still more strongly during the
year 1863. No better indication of this could be found than in the increase in
the number of collections received by the Institution, which amounted to 264
distinct donations in 1863, while, in 1862, there were but 124.

Among the collections received have been many specimens of great interest ;
some, the results of special explorations under the auspices of the Institution for
developing the natural history of portions of this continent; others, the sponta-
neous offerings of correspondents; and others, again, exchanges received in return
for donations of specimens on the part of the Institution. No additions have

(been made by purchase, the Institution not having funds at its command for
| this purpose. It has, nevertheless, been found that a given amount of money
“can be better applied in meeting the expenses of explorations in particular
regions than in buying collections already made. 'The results thus obtained
are usually more varied in their character, and more important, from having
been accomplished under definite instructions, and with special reference to the
acquisition of facts and information additional to that which would be furnished
by the specimens themselves. It is not merely specimens of natural history
that are secured in the course of the several explorations, but information is
obtained respecting the habits of animals, the ethnological peculiarities of human
races, the meteorology, the physical geography, the geology of the country, &c.

EXPLORATIONS.

Among the explorations wholly or partially carried on under the auspices of
the Smithsonian Institution, and furnishing results of more or less interest, may
be mentioned the following :

Explorations by Mr. Kennicott—A brief mention was made in the last

report of the return of Mr. Kennicott, late in 1862, after an absence of nearly
four years in the north, his movements while there having previously been indi-

REPORT OF THE ASSISTANT SECRETARY. 53

cated in the reports of 1859, 1860, and 1861. By the arrival of all his collee-
tions, and those of gentlemen connected with the Hudson’s Bay Company, who
have so liberally aided him and the Institution in the effort to develop a
knowledge of the natural and physical history of the north, we are now enabled
better to realize the magnitude of the results of these operations. The collee-
tions received in 1863 (which include some which should have arrived in the
end of 1862) filled forty boxes and packages, many of them of large size, and
weighing, in the aggregate, about 3,000 pounds. They embraced thousands of
kins of birds and mammals, eges of nearly all the birds nesting in the north,
numerous skulls and skeletons of animals, fishes in aleohol and preserved dry,
insects, fossils, plants, &c.

Not in any way inferior in interest and importance to the natural history
collections were those relating to the ethnological peculiarities of the Esquimaux
and different tribes of Tadeaas inhabiting Had “Arctic regions. It is believed that
no such series is elsewhere to be fern. of the dresses, weapons, implements,
utensils, instruments of war and of the chase, &c., &c., of the aborigines of
Northern America.

The cataloguing and labelling of the specimens last received is now nearly
completed, and Mr. Kennicott will then proceed to make a detailed report of the
scientific results of his operations, as well as those of the various gentlemen of
the Hudson’s Bay service who co-operated in the work. The materials at his
command will serve to fix with precision the relationships of the arctic animals
to those of more southern regions, their geographical distribution, their habits
and manners, and other particulars of interest, and to extend very largely the
admirable records presented by Sir John Richardson relative to arctic zoology.

The Institution has already acknowledged, in many ways, its indebtedness
to the Hudson’s Bay Company, as well as to its officers, for their numerous
favors—the company itself, through its secretary, Mr. Thos. Fraser, of London;
the governors, Sir George Simpson and Mr. Dallas; Mr. EK. M. Hopkins, the
secretary at Montreal; the chief factors, Governor Wm. McTavish, Mr. George
Barnston, Mr. John McKenzie, Mr. J. A. Grahame, Mr. Wm. ee the
chief traders, Mr. B. R. Ross, Mr. W. L. Hardisty, Mr. R. Campbell, Mr. Jas.
Lockhart, and others, together with Mr. Rt. W. MacFarlane, Mr. i @laviges Mr.
S. Jones, Mr. J. 8. Onion, the Rev. W. W. Kirkby, Messrs. Andrew and
James Flett, Mr. C. P. Gaudet, Mr. John Reid, Mr. Harriot, and others—all
have lent their aid towards the accomplishment of the work—every possible
facility was given to Mr. Kennicott, every privilege granted within the rules of
the company. At all the posts he was an honored guest, and he and his col-
lections and outfit were transported from point to point in the company’s boats
aud sledges without charge.

In addition to collections from the region traversed by Mr. Kennicott in his
four years’ exploration, some valuable specimens have been received from other
points of British North America. Conspicuous among these is a series of birds
and eges from Rigolette, in Labrador, gathered by Mr. Henry Conolly, of the
Hudson’s Bay Company’s service, and brought to Boston, without charge, by
Mr. J. W. Dodge. This collection embraced specimens of the rare Labrador
falcon, and others of much interest. A collection of birds and other objects
of natural history, made at Moose Factory, for the Institution, by Mr. John
McKenzie, has reached London by ship from Hudson’s Bay, and may shortly
be expected in Washington.

Exploration of Western Mexico by Mr. Xantus—In my last report I men-
tioned that Mr. John Xantus, so long and so well known in connexion with
explorations about Fort Riley, Kansas, Fort Tejon, California, and Cape St.
Lucas, was about proceeding to a new field of operations. He left New York
on the 11th of December, 1862, for Manzanillo, Mexico, the Panama Railroad

54 APPENDIX TO THE REPORT OF THE SECRETARY.

Company and the Pacific Mail Steamship Company, with that liberality they
have so steadily exhibited in their transactions with the Institution, having
given free passage over their respective routes to himself and his outfit. Mr.
Xantus arrived at Manzanillo early in January, 1863, and making this and
Colima his principal points of departure, extended his explorations in various
directions, especially among the mountain regions. He is still occupied in his
labors, the field being very extensive and of varied interest. Many of his col-
lections have already been received, and found to contain numerous species
of birds, reptiles, fishes, shells, &c., new to science, while others throw much
light on the geographical distribution of the plants and animals of Mexico and
Central America.

Explorations in Costa Rica—For some time past much attention has been
directed by naturalists toward the natural history of Costa Rica, a region which,
from its peculiar physical conformation, indicated a fauna quite different from
that of the adjacent states. The birds were particularly sought after owing to
the many remarkable forms, brought to light by travellers. It was, therefore,
with no little gratification that a collection of birds, made by Dr. A. Von Frant-
zius, an eminent naturalist and physician, resident in Costa Rica, aided by the
Hon. C. N. Riotte, United States minister, and Mr. J. Carniol, was received a
few months ago at the Institution. A careful examination of these specimens
proved that the peculiar interest of the fauna had not been overestimated, a
large proportion of the species being either new, or but recently described.
Additional collections, shortly expected from Dr. Von Frantzius, will, it is
hoped, increase still more our knowledge of the species.

Miscellancous explorations in Mexico.—F ox several years past a highly valued
meteorological correspondent of the Institution, Dr. Charles Sartorius, of Mira-
dor, has made contributions of specimens of the natural history of his vicinity.
During the year several collections were received from him of much interest and
importance, especially certain species of Mexican deer, recently described, and
but little known. As Dr. Sartorius, aided by his son, Mr. Florentin Sartorius,
is now engaged in preparing an account of the animals of eastern Mexico, with
special reference to their habits, &c., it is a source of gratification to us to have it
in our power to aid him by identifying the species from his specimens, which his
remoteness from large collections and libraries prevents him from doing for him-
self. Prof. I*. Sumichrast, of Orizaba, has also made valuable contributions of
birds and mammals of Mexico, and proposes to renew these whenever the con-
dition of the internal affairs of Mexico will allow of the transmission of his
collections. Dr. G. Berendt, of ‘Tabasco, is also occupied in a similar manner
in the interest of science and of the Institution.

Explorations in Guatemala and the west coast of Central America.—Mr.
Osbert Salvin, an eminent Mnglish ornithologist, who has spent many years in
the exploration of Guatemala, has transmitted to the Institution a second col-
lection of the birds of that region. As these contain specimens of most of his
new species, and all have been carefully compared, as far as practicable, with
the types, his series of birds is of especial value, as furnishing standards for the
identification of other collections.

Additional collections of much interest continue to be sent to the Institution
by Captain J. M. Dow, of the Panama Railroad Company, so frequently men-
tioned in my previous reports. Certain rare birds and fishes collected by him
are especially noteworthy.

Trinidad.—A collection of nearly fifty species of birds of Trinidad was pre-
sented by Mr. Galody, United States consul at Antigua, embracing many species
not formerly in possession of the Institution. |

Jamaica.—Mr. W.'T. March, from whom the Institution has already received
extensive collections in Jamaican zoology, has again made an important contri-

REPORT OF THE ASSISTANT SECRETARY. 55

bution of an extensive series of birds’ nests and eggs, the materials upon which
he based a memoir on the birds of Jamaica, transmitted to the Institution, to be
published by the Philadelphia Academy of Natural Sciences, and printed in its
proceedings for November, 1863.

Cuba.—Additional collections were received during the year from Mr. Charles
Wright and Professor F’. Poey, embracing new and rare species of birds, shells,
reptiles, and fishes. Some collections, feted by Dr. J. Gundlach, have
not yet reached us.

Ecuador—The Hon. C. R. Buckalew, now United States senator, while
United States minister, resident at Ecuador, made quite an extensive collection
of the birds of that country, which he has lately presented to the Institution.
Nearly all of the species thus obtained were new to the cabinet.

No collections of magnitude, from regions or localities other than American,
have been received during the year. Té is not the intention or expectation of
the Institution to make eeneral collections of the natural history of the globe,
neither its space nor available funds warranting so broad a field of operations.
By limiting its labor to America, a hope may ‘be entertained of possessing, in
time, a complete series of the animals of the continent.

Exotic collections, as far as they are spontaneously offered, and especially
such as are necessary to illustrate the characters of American species, are
always acceptable, and the specimens gathered by the government exploring
expeditions, of which the Smithsonian Institution is the custodian, will always
be carefully preserved; but any especial efforts towards the increase of the
museum may advantageously be confined, as a general policy, to the New
World.

The most important additions, it will be readily seen, relate to the class of
birds. Desirous of extending the observations upon the birds of North
America, as published in the ninth volume of the Pacific railroad report, a cir-
cular was issued by the Institution, which has been distributed by the State
Department to the consular and diplomatic officers of the United States in the
foreign portions of America, asking aid in completing the collection of birds ;
and important additions are expected from the request thus extended. The
materials received will be used, in connexion with those already in possession
of the Institution, in the preparation of catalogues and monographs relative to
American ornithology.

Among the specimens received by the Institution during the year should
especially be mentioned the great Ainsa or Tucson meteorite.

This meteorite was first discovered by the Jesuit missionaries in Sonora, by
whom it was considered a great curiosity, exciting much speculation as to its
origin. In 1735 the “Gran Capitan de las Provincias del Occidente, Don Juan
Baptista Anza, was induced to visit the zerolite,”’ and found it at a place called
* Los Muchaches,” in the Sierra Madre, and, struck with its appearance, under-
took to transport it to San Blas, then the nearest port of entry, with the view
of carrying it to Spain. With this object it was brought as far as the Presidio,
near 'T'ucson, in Arizona, and left there on account of the difficulty of carrying
it any further. After the withdrawal of the Spanish garrison it was taken into.
the town of ‘Tucson, set up vertically, and used as a kind of public anvil, of
which it bears marks at the present time. In this condition it was seen and‘
reported upon by various travellers; among others it was visited by John KR.
Bartlett, July 18, 1852; at the time Commissioner of the United States and
Mexican Boundary Survey. Mr. Bartlett gives a short account of it, (Personal
Narrative, volume II, p. 297,) accompanied by a figure, (the lower one on the
plate,) where it is represented as resting upon two legs, owing to the lower
part of the ring, of which it consists, being buried in the ground. His estimate

‘of six hundred pounds as its weight falls far within the actual amount.

56 APPENDIX TO THE REPORT OF THE SECRETARY.

In 1857, Dr. B. J. D. Irwin, United States army, then stationed at Fort
Buchanan, south of Tucson, found this meteorite lying in one of the by streets
of the village, half buried in the earth. As no one claimed it, he publiely
announced his intention to take possession of it and forward it to the Smith-
sonian Institution, whenever an opportunity offered. Some time after, assisted
by Mr. Palatine Robinson, of Tucson, (near to whose house the meteorite lay,)
he succeeded in having it sent, by the agency of Mr. Augustine Ainza, to
Hermosillo, where it remained for some time at the hacienda of Don Manuel
Ynigo, father-in-law of Mr. Ainza.

In May, 1863, Mr. Jesus Ainza, brother of Mr. Augustine Ainza, and grand-
son of Dota Ana Ainza de Iglas, the daughter of Don Juan Bautista Ainza,
visited Sonora, and on his return brought the meteorite with him to San Fran-
cisco, where it was delivered by his brother, M. Santiago Ainza, to the agent
of the Smithsonian Institution, Mr. A. B. Forbes, of the Pacific Mail Steamship
Company, and forwarded by him, ea the Isthmus, to Washington, where it
arrived in November, and is now on exhibition, and the great object of attraction
to visitors in the Smithsonian hall. It is proper to state that, although Dr.
Irwin was authorized to expend whatever was necessary to secure the trans-
mission of the meteorite to San Francisco, beyond some small expenses paid
by him for placing it upon the truck in Tucson, no charge was made by the
Ainza family for the cost of transportation to Guaymas and delivery to the
Pacific Mail Steamship Company, performed partly with their own wagons
and partly by other means of conveyance. It was brought free of charge from
Guaymas to San Francisco by the Flint and Haliday line of steamers. While
on the route to New York the Pacific Mail Steamship Company and the
Panama Railroad Company, with that liberality which has ever characterized
their intercourse with the Smithsonian Institution, transported it without
expense to Aspinwall, and thence to New York.

The meteorite is in the shape of an immense signet ring, much heavier on
one side, where it is nearly flat on its outer surface, and presents the face used
as an anvil. The greatest exterior diameter is 49 inches; width of thickest
part of the ring 9 inches, the least 38 inches ; the greatest width of the central
opening, 23 inches; width of thickest part of the ring, 17$ inches. ‘The weight
is now 1,400 pounds, but some portions have been removed from time to time,
probably reducing it considerably. Its composition is principally of iron, with
small specks of a whitish silicious mineral diffused through it.

A careful chemical and physical examination of the meteorite will be made
by Professor G. J. Brush, of New Haven, to whom the Smithsonian Institution
has committed the subject for a detailed report.

As the erolite was first brought from the mountains north of Tucson by the
great grandfather of the gentleman to whose exertions in transporting it to
Washington the Institution owes so much, it is proposed to call it the “ Ainsa
meteorite.” "lo Dr. Irwin, of the United States medical department, the Insti-
tution is also under great obligations for his agency in securing this specimen.

Dr. Irwin states that the inhabitants of Tucson have a tradition that a shower
of these meteorites took place in the Santa Catarina mountains about two hun-
dred years ago, and that there are many other masses of a similar character
yet remaining in those mountains.

This meteorite is among the largest known, and in this country is only
exceeded a little in weight by the Gibbs meteorite in the cabinet of Yale Col-
lege, New Haven, while it surpasses the latter in size, being disposed in the
form of a ring instead of a solid mass.:

The Smithsonian Institution also possesses the third largest meteorite in the
country in the “Couch meteorite,” weighing 252 pounds, and brought from
Northeastern Mexico by Major General D. N. Couch, and by him presented
to the Institution.

REPORT OF THE ASSISTANT SECRETARY. 57

IDENTIFICATION OF SPECIMENS.

Continued progress has been made during the year in the determination and
arrangement of the species in the Smithsonian collections, and the cabinet is
gradually becoming more and more useful for reference and study. Any appa-
rent shortcoming in this respect will be excused in view of the fact that the
work done is mainly a voluntary contribution on the part of gentlemen engaged
in making special examinations of the Smithsonian collections, and the Lusti-
tution is under many obligations for their assistance.

DISTRIBUTION OF SPECIMENS.

In accordance with the plan of the Institution, as fast as the identification
of the species is satisfactorily accomplished, the duplicate specimens are set
aside for distribution to such museums at home and abroad as appear to be
suitable recipients. The total number of objects thus distributed to the end
of the year 1863, all properly determined and labelled, amounts to 26,651
species, and 50,601 specimens, as shown by the following schedule:

Statement of specimens of natural history distributed by the Smithsonian Insti-
tution up to December 31, 1863.

Prior to 1854, 1854 to July, 1861 to August, | Total. Special distribu-
1861. 1863. tion of shells of
Eexp’g Exp’n.
Specimens, fi

a a Pa | og é

q | a | oe |

o : 2 . o . } o = o

2 & 2 & 2 & Ln eS 2 z

[>) i>) (>) oO (>) (>) | S) 9 i>) (>)

o o o o Qa o o o o o

= = a ay a ay a a an tee

2) RD R 2) R CL aD |i ROLY al ce n 7a)
Mammals .... ....-- 5 5 404 624 172 | 216 | 581 | cee Peano cleer acece
Bed seers tieys ia e\stcyeiels S25) TPES || Sy Ga cl Oba SL Fea) GS ceNl GE Ven Mb Ween RRO oc cetae
Bentilesie aes oe 18 221 1,470 | 2,356 18 | TSH ed, HOGN GA S9 Gu Se alae SemNet
ishese ieee ema RWS Shc ese Eat 1, 623 | 3,921 20 | CSUs GES pn O40 |e mene |e
Crustaceans ...-.--.|..--.--- (eeeeonee CEG Maley Ae eae (Ses Wrap G36 De sI4n koa. Soe ere eee
INE ONES GE nde Chaos SBE cee: SES ee nee dol TUM ade octet | Sexe ame 551 (UE ERE S Ae a Soe
KOMI) Soa tongeoel Be oeenes Beepemed 588 | 1,985 310 380 898 | 2,365 | 10,934 | 44,112

Invertebrates, in- | | |
Bects; Gc! 227 2 espana Sd ee 216 330 Si ee ACOn ey ocen wy walen tarsesesrtee bedes bee
Eggs of birds ---.--- 114 307 | 1,537 | 3,558 628i ls 235 |e 2"270) |) 5, LOO Se ne a
ING ysl Mehl Soe Cece delleooeecodiacoossbdeecacces 747 | 2, 238 CT MPP alee ePecece, coc ccene
MORSMVertebrateseac (aes sass |Mece aac as cclemnfoss sacccile lace cas EEE ees PASE MES alana aoSeelle eB euran te cee ce
Skull sta eeeeee see 58 Estey al Pasa Ae Ney ete be 5 5 63 | Ee nenee be deve ear
APTI CHEN BRNGITOO RE eee oo CHG ee no alee basasalcecce ese 211 354 211 | 304y eters A oe hae
Totaleseaeee 1,020 | 1,527 | 10,487 | 19,650 | 4,210 | 7,368 | 26, 651 | 72, 657 | 10,934 | 44,112
i]

Tn the index to the three volumes of transmissions of specimens for examina-
tion, or donation, the names of two hundred and fifty-nine institutions and indi-
viduals are entered up to August, 1863.

N. B.—The preceding enumeration of specimens distributed does not include
the’ specimens (duplicates) retained by collaborators in behalf of certain author-
ized collections—as of insects, by Messrs. Leconte, Uhler, Morris, Ostensacken,
Saussure, Edwards, Hagen, Loew, Scudder, &c.; of vertebrate fossils, by Leidy,
for the Philadelphia Academy; of fishes, by Professor Agassiz; shells, by
Messrs. Carpenter, Binney, Tryon, &c.; mammals, by Messrs. Leconte, Allen,
&e.; birds, by Mr. Cassin; reptiles, by Mr. Cope; plants, by Messrs. Torrey,
Gray, Engelman, and Eaton. ‘These will probably amount to at least 10,000
species, and 20,000 specimens additional.

The cataloeuing of specimens in the record-books of the Institution has been
continued during the year, and, as will be seen by the accompanying table, now
amounts to 86,547 entries, being an increase, since 1863, of over 12,000.

5S APPENDIX TO THE REPORT OF THE SECRETARY.

Table showing the total number of entries on the record-books of the Smithsonian
collection at the end of the years 1861, 1862, and 1863.

1861. | 1862. 1863.

Skeletons anduskullls aac emcs seme eeeaie tee ae ieateetasieeraaer 4,459 | 4,750 6, 275
Mammals. .-.---.- See Sa SdGdas GaGa ad asee pe esas SNoE aS Beau IaRGe 5,500 | 5,900 7,175
iB REA e Saab G Ses 554 99556 Gatos BES Oe Soda ao aoe 23,510 | 26,157 | 31,800
TRA OMS Sos Shs 4aa Gass hash eo eau sos esses Sonu sabeae Sos 6,088 | 6,311 6, 325
IMS NES Bos5 + S45 45 555 s4ga0S sos0sia Sosb Sacchs caebs ss saebecians 3,643 | 4,925 5, 075
TORIES Of MONE. so5055 2255050900 cobs 0055005805 005959 5805 5006 4,830 | 6,000 7,273
OIRNSIEKCERING 36 35 56 SoS coos Sasuebedoouece coubeo pou Doon oaocs 1,287 | 1,287 1, 287
WINUMSIRS 22 555255545595 3 S865 59 seee bs 558s sg oS SSgese chess 9,718 | 10,000 ! 10,450
TRAGRDIDSs6 S855 Gog668 6ousoe bb 4eg6 cod ecu bodSos ceodto ooeeSbee 1,800 | 2,675 2, 725
1 EYOYSISTD Aha Sih SESS RIG St AG eA A NS ce A 1,031 | 2,100}. 2,550
Mineral see sees eee ees eet.) VS eae ee eee ioet se 3,500 | 3,725 4,925
qiihnolesicalys peemmnens =e pe eee =a ae pene ee 550 825 875
ETHAN Se og SA ORCS Ee OFS BOO CEO One Ood Goa dona ene Gade 105 109 110

Mos s55c60 ogd509 560200 S00cce SoDS09 S4e509S00=00 Goud 66, 075 | 74,764 | 86,847

LIST OF DONATIONS TO THE MUSEUM OF THE SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION
IN 1863.

Atkins, L. S—Eggs of birds and shells from Ohio.

Ainsa, J—See Irwin.

Akhurst, J—Birds from St. Thomas, West Indies.:

Baer, O. P.—Unionide from Indiana.

Baird, S. F.—Iron ore from Hanover station; series An skins and eggs of lens,
mammals, fishes, and invertebrates, from Wood’ s Hole and Clakenaca: Massa-
chusetts.

Baird, Mrs. S. F— Leuciscus, from Potomac river.

Beadle, Rev. H. R.—Bergen Hill minerals.

Bean, W.—Collection of annelids and cirripeds of Great Britain.

Behrens, Dr.—Insects from California.

Berlin Museum.—54 skins of birds of Central and South America.

Bethune, Rev. C. S—Skin of Scalops breweri, Canada.

Blackman, Mr.—Skins and eggs of birds, Iinois.

Blake, W. P.—Keg of fishes from Hakodadi, Japan.

Bland, Thomas.—Spirazis, from West Indies.

ee dman, George A——Embryo Canada grouse in alcohol; skins and eges of

irds.

Bouvé, Thomas T.—ULarge crystals of beryl.

Brass, W.—Birds, mammals, &c., Fort Halkett.

Brevoort, J. C—F¥resh specimen of Zoarces anguillaris.

Bruckart, H. G.—Insects from Lancaster county, Pennsylvania.

Buckalew, Hon. C. R.—Collection of birds of Ecuador. .

Burling, W.—Skin of Halietus pelagicus from the Amoor river. (Through
Samuel Hubbard.)

Carniol, J—Skins of Costa Rican birds.

Carpenter, P. P.—Fossils from vicinity of Moscow.

Carpenter, Robbie S.—Skin of starling, Sturnus vulgaris, Warrington, England.

Clark, Lawrence-—A general zoological collection ‘trom Fort Rae, Great Slave
lake.

Coleman, Lyman.—Seeds of Damascus thorn ; petrified wood from Cairo.

Coleman, W. T.—Birds and eggs from Canada.

Comstock, A.—Cuttings of California grapes.

REPORT OF THE ASSISTANT SECRETARY. 59

Conolly, H—Skins and eggs of birds from Labrador.

Cooper, Dr. J. G.—Shells of California.

Coues, Dr. E.—Series of skins of birds of District of Columbia.

Cowles, P. W.—Insects from Vicksburg.

Crosier, Dr. LE. S—Vorticella, &c., New Albany, Indiana.

De Saussure, Dr. H—Skins of Mexican birds, and lacustrian antiquities of
Switzerland.

Diebitsch, Professor H—Rana pipiens.

Dodd, P. W.—Skulls of animals and eggs of birds from Sable island.

Dow, Captain J. M—Skins of mammals, and birds, fishes, &c., from west
coast of Central America.

Drew, Dr. F. P.—Collection of reptiles and eggs of birds from Kansas.

Drewsen, Charles.—Series of Greenland shells.

Drexler, C._—Series of skins of birds of the District of Columbia.

Egteston, Thomas.—Series of European fossils.

Eilhot, D. G.—Skins of Kuropean gulls; skins of humming birds.

Elliot, H. W.—Large collection of Unionide; shells, &c., in alcohol, Ohio.

Engelmann, Dr—Fossils from Llinois.

Fairbanks, Professor —Box of eggs.

Fay, Joseph S—Chlorastrolite from Lake Superior.

Flett, Andrew.—Skins and eggs of birds; Fort Normann,

Flett, James—Kggs of birds, &c., from La Pierre’s house.

Foreman, Dr. E.—Five boxes of minerals from Maryland.

Freiburg, Mining Academy of—Box of mineralogical and geological speci-
mens from Germany.
Frick, Dr—Shells of California and Japan.

~ Galody, M.—Skins of birds of Trinidad.

Gaudet, C. P.—Skins and eggs of birds, &c., from Peel’s river.

Gibbs, George.—Indian curiosities.

Gilliss, U. S. N., Captain—Six boxes of microscopic soundings.

Gilpin, Dr. J. B—Series of shrews and mice of Nova Scotia.

Goldsmith, Dr. M—Cricket from the Mammoth Cave, Kentucky.

Gould, Dr. A. A.—Forty species of Melaniade.

Grahame, J. A—Skins of mammals, &c., Norway House.

Giebel, Dr. C—Three boxes of insects of Europe, (365 species.)

Gruber, Ferd—Skins and eggs of birds from California.

Gundlach, Dr. J—Specimens of Gundlachia, Cuba.

Gunn, Donald.—Skins and eggs of birds from Red River settlement and Lake
Winipeg.

Haldeman, Professor S. S—Types of the species of Melaniade described by
him.

Hall, W. F.—Birds and eggs from Massachusetts.

Hamilton, R.—Collection of skins and eggs of birds from Great Whale river,
(through Mr. George Barnston.)

Hardisty, W. L.—Birds, mammals, &c., from Fort Liard.

Harris, W. O.—Minerals from Chester county.

Harriot, Mr.—Skins of birds from Fort Anderson.

Hays, Dr. W. W.—Fishes, &c., from Sacramento river.

Hayden, Dr. F. V.—Alcoholice specimens, Beaufort, South Carolina.

Haymond, Dr. R—Cypris from Indiana.

Hepburn, James—Skins and eggs of birds from the Pacific coast.

Ehbhard, Francis —Lead ore from New Brunswick.

Mibbard, James —Autimony ores, New Brunswick.

Hitz, R. B. George.—1,200 eggs, of twelve species of birds, from Northamp-
ton county, Virginia, with shells, &c. (See also Stimpson.) Fossils from
Aquia creek.

60 APPENDIX TO THE REPORT OF THE SECRETARY.

Hoge, Mr.—Skin of boa from the Serapiqui river.

Hone, John.—YKges of birds, fishes, &c., Great Bear lake.

Hotaling, C. F—Rock salt from Louisiana.

Hoxie, }V.—lInsects from Massachusetts.

Hoy, Dr. P. R—Nests and eggs from Racine.

Hunt, General L. C—Indian knife, Klamath lake.

Irwin, Dr. W. W., and J. Ainsa—Meteorite from Tucson, weighing 1,400 pounds.

Jeffreys, Mr.—Box of minerals of Chester county, Pennsylvania.

Jones, Strachan.—Eges of birds, &c., from the Yukon.

Julian, A. A.—Series of fishes, &c., Sombrero island.

Keep, Rev. Marcus R—Moose horns from Maine.

Kennedy, Dr. H. W—Collection of reptiles of Uruguay.

Kennicott, R.—Insects, eggs, &c., from Ilinois.

Kennicott, R., and others —Fifteen boxes, three bales, one keg, and one chest
of Arctic collections. Mr. Kennicott’s collections principally from the mouth
of the Porcupine river, Peel’s river, Fort Good Hope, La Pierre’s house, Fort
Resolution, &e.

Kirtland, Dr. J. P.—Two boxes of western Unionidae.

Krefft, Dr. G., (through W. Cooper.)—Collection of Australian reptiles.

Krider, John.—Mounted hawks.

Lapham, I. A—Unionide of Wisconsin.

Lawrence, George N—Skins of birds from Central America and Panama.

Lea, Isaac.—Box of Unionidae, and one hundred species of Melaniade.

Lewis, James, Dr—tlLarge collection of land and fluviatile shells from the in-
terior of New York.

Lockhart, James.—Large series of zoological specimens, principally birds’ eges,
from the Yukon; skins of birds, mammals, eggs, &c., from Fort Resolution.

Lykins, W. H. R.—¥ossils from Kansas.

MacFarlane, R. W.i—A general zoological and ethnological collection from
vicinity of the Anderson river, Arctic “America.

McGuire, J. C—Two boxes of Unionidae.

McKenzie, Hector —Birds’ eggs from Red river.

McKenzie, J—Birds, &c., from Fort Resolution.

McKenzie, Roderick —Birds’ eggs from Lake Manitobah.

McMurray, W.—Birds’ eggs from Winipeg river.

MacTavish, Gov. Wiiliam.—Skins and eggs of birds, &c., from the Red River
country.

Mann, William.—Skins of Pinicola canadensis, Lake Superior.

March, W. Thomas.—Three boxes of skins, nests and eggs of Jamaican
birds.

Meek, F. B—Series of fossils from New Jersey and Maryland.

Moore, Carleton R.—Double tail of Limulus.

Michener, Dr. H—1656 crania of birds, and 54 of mammals; two boxes of
minerals.

Onion, J. S—Plants, eggs, &c., from Fort Good Hope.

Palmer, Dr. E.—F¥ossils, minerals, &c., Pike’s Peak.

Parker, Itev. H. W.—Marine shells, United States, and two boxes of minerals
from New Bedford.

Parkinson, D. T—Skins and eggs of birds, Indian skulls, plants, &c., Fort
Crook, California.

Philadelphia Avademy of Natural Sciences —Seventy species of Mclaniade.

Piper, Col., (10th regiment New York volunteer artillery.)}—Rock specimens
and fossil wood from Fort Meigs, near Washington.

Poey, Prof. /’—Collection of bats and Neur opiera 1; fishes from Cuba.

Poole, Henry —“ Cone in cone” in slate. From a shaft sunk in the Harbor
Vein coal seam, Little Glacé Bay, Cape Breton.

REPORT OF THE ASSISTANT SECRETARY. 61

Prentiss, D. W.—Series of skins of birds of the District of Columbia.

Quackenbush, Leshe R.—Fossils of the Utica slate.

Reed, John —Skins and eggs of birds from Big Island, Great Slave Lake. One
collection through L. Clarke, jr.

Reed, Peter —Sorex platyrhinus, Washington county, New York.

Richards, Thos——Skins of birds, &c., from Temiscamingue.

Riotte, Hon. C.—Reptiles and insects in alcohol, skins of birds, shells, &c.,
Costa Rica.

Ritchie, J. P—Skin and ege of Buteo pennsylvanicus from Massachusetts.

Rodgers, Commodore John.—Kthnological collections of the North Pacifie Ex-
ploring Expedition.

Ross, B. R—A general zoological collection from Fort Simpson and vicinity.

Rousseau, E.—Box of shells from New York.

Saemann, L.—Box of European minerals.

Salisbury, Dr. S. H—Scalops in alcohol from Fairfield county, Ohio.

Salle, A—Skins of Mexican birds.

Salvin, O.—Collection of birds of Guatemala, (150 species.)

Sartorius, Dr. C—Collection of birds, mammals, alcoholic specimens, &c.,
Mexico.

Schmidt, Dr—Birds from the vicinity of Washington, collected by the late
Chas. F. Schmidt.

Sclater, Dr. P. I.—Skins of Mexican birds.

Simpson, George B.—Copper spear-head, and other relics.

Sitka, Governor of.—Box of crustacea. (Through Mr. Jas. Hepburn.)

Springer, P. M.—Skins and sterna of birds, Minois.

Stimpson, Dr. W.—Tlree boxes of marine invertebrates of Great Britain ; two
of American.

Stimpson, Dr. W. and R. B. Hitz.—Three boxes shells, eggs, &c., Northamp-
ton county, Virginia.

Sumichrast, Prof. / —Mammals and birds of Mexico.

Surgeon General_—TVertiary fossils, Suffolk, Virginia.

Swan, J. G.—Indian curiosities, skins of birds, eggs, shells, fishes, &c., from
Puget Sound.

Thomson, J. H —Box of New England shells.

Tolman, J. W.—Skins and eggs of birds of Illinois.

Trumbull, George—W avellite from Chester county.

Tryon, G. W.—One hundred and twenty-five species of Melaniadea.

Ulke, H—Skins of birds from Iinois.

Van Cortlandt, Dr. E.—Mammals in alcohol, skins of Lepidosteus, &c., from
Ottawa.

Frantzius, Dr.—Collection of birds and mammals from Costa Rica.

Velie, Dr. J. W.—Kges of Protonotaria citrea, &c , from Illinois.

Vienna Geologisches Reichs- Anstalt——Collection of Austrian fossils.

Walker, R. O—FVishes, shells, skulls, &c., Allegheny county, Pennsylvania.

White, Dr—Marine shells and skulls of mammals, Isthmus, Panama.

Willis, J. R—Shells, eggs, and fishes of Nova Scotia.

Williams College Lyceum,— Kegs of Greenland birds.

Wilson, N.—Sceeds of plants from Jamaica. (Through Thos. Bland.)

Wugate, J. D-—Box of shells, Bellefonte, Pennsylvania.

Woodworth, Dr. J. M—Reptiles and insects from Memphis.

Wouton, W., G.—Skins and eggs of birds of Nova Scotia.

Wright, Chas.—Birds, shells, and insects of Cuba.

Wynne, Dr. Jas—Specimen of sphinx or hawk moth from Central America.

Xantus, John —FY¥ourteen boxes of mammals, birds, and other animals, plants
&e., from Manzanillo, Colima, &c.

62 APPENDIX TO THE REPORT OF THE SECRETARY.

LIST OF WORKS PUBLISHED IN 1863.

_(155.) Ancient Mining on the Shores of Lake Superior. By Charles Whit-
tlesey. 4to., pp. 32, and one map. (Published April, 1863.)

(146.) Meteorological Observations in the Arctic Seas. By Sir Leopold
McClintock, R. N. Made on board the Arctic searching yacht “Fox,” in
Bafiin’s Bay and Prince Regent’s Inlet in 1857, 1858, and 1859. Reduced and
discussed at the expense of the Smithsonian Institution by Charles A. Schott,
Assistant United States Coast Survey. 4to., pp. 160, and one map.

A small edition of this work was published in May, 1862, but the final issue,
with corrections and additions, took place in 1863.

(166.) Records and Results of a Magnetic Survey of Pennsylvania and parts
of adjacent States in 1840 and 1841, with some additional Records and Results
of 1834, 1835, 1843, and 1862, anda map. By A. D. Bache, LL.D., F. R.S.,
Member of Corresponding Academy of Sciences, Paris; President of National
Academy of Sciences; Superintendent United States Coast Survey. 4to., pp.
88, and one map. (Published October, 1863.)

(169.) Researches upon the Anatomy and Physiology of Respiration in the
Chelonia. By 8S. Weir Mitchell, M. D., and George R. Morehouse, M.D. 4to.,
pp. 50. (Published April, 1863.)

(156.) Catalogue of Minerals, with their Formulas, &c. Prepared for the
Smithsonian Institution by 'T. Egleston. 8vo., pp. 42.

(140.) List of the Coleoptera of North America. Prepared for the Smithso-
nian Institution by John L. Leconte,M.D. PartI. S8vo.,pp.60. (Published
March, 1863.)

(167.) New Species of North American Coleoptera. Prepared for the Smith-
sonian Institution by John L. Leconte, M.D. Part I. 8vo., pp. 94. (Pub-
lished March, 1863.)

(142.) Bibliography of North American Conchology previous to the year
1860. Prepared for the Smithsonian Institution by W. G. Binney. Part I.
American authors. 8vo., pp. 658. (Published March, 1863.)

(171.) Monograph of the Diptera of North America. Prepared for the Smith-
sonian Institution by H. Loew. Part II. Edited by R. Ostensacken. 8vo.,
pp- 340. (Published January, 1864.)

(160.)} Instructions relative to the Ethnology and Philology of America.
Prepared for the Smithsonian Institution by George Gibbs. 8vo., pp. 36.
(Published March, 1863.)

(161.) A Dictionary of the Chinook Jargon or Trade Language of Oregon.
Prepared for the Smithsonian Institution by George Gibbs. 8vo., pp. 60.
(Published March, 1863.)

Systematic index to the list of foreign correspondents of the Smithsonian
Institution, corrected to January, 1862. 8vo., pp. 16.

Appendix to the list of foreign correspondents of the Smithsonian Institution,
corrected to January, 1863. 8vo., pp. 7.

(170.) Comparative Vocabulary. Reprinted from the Smithsonian Instruc-
tions relative to ethnology and philology. 4to., pp. 20. (Published May, 1863.)

WORKS STILL IN PRESS.

(174.) Bibliography of North American Conchology. By W. G. Binney.
Part II. 8vo., 239 pages stereotyped.

-(143.) Synopsis of Air Breathing Shells. By W.G. Binney. 8vo.

(144.) Synopsis of North American Vivipara, &c. By W.G. Binney. 8vo.

(145.) Monograph of American Corbiculade. By Temple Prime. 8vo., (42
pages in type.)

(177.) Check-list of North American Fossils; cretaceous formation. By F.
B. Meek. 8vo.

REPORT OF THE ASSISTANT SECRETARY. 63

(172.) Paleontology of the Upper Missouri. By F. B. Meek and F. V.
Hayden. 4to. ’

(165.) Monograph of North American Bats. By Harrison Allen, M.D. 8vo.
_ (173.) On the Microscopic Structure of the Medulla Oblongata and the Tra-
pezium. By Dr. John Dean. 4to.

(175.) Discussion of the Magnetic and Meteorological Observations of Girard
College. By Prof. A. D. Bache. Part VII, VIII, IX. 4to.

(179.) List of publications of learned societies, periodicals, and encyclopedic
works in the library of the Smithsonian Institution, July 1, 1863.

(178.) Monograph of North American Hymenoptera. By H. De Saussure.
Part I. Edited by Edward Norton. 8vo. :

LIST OF METEOROLOGICAL STATIONS AND OBSERVERS

SMITHSONIAN

Name of observer.

BRITISH AMERICA.

Acadia College
Baker, J. C
Clarke, Lawrence, jr
Connolly, Henry
Delaney, Edward M. J.-..

Everett, Prof. J. D
Flett, Andrew

Hall, Archibald, M. D..--.
McFarlane, R..-........ s

Magnetic Observatory
Murdock, G
Philips TA es Se eee ecizice
Rankin Coline--s22 sssee

Richards, Thomas ........
MEXICO.

Laszlo. Charles
Sartorius, Dr. Charles

CENTRAL AMERICA.

Riotte, C. N
White, William T., M. D-..

WEST INDIES,

United States Consul
Julien, Alexis A

BERMUDA.
Royal Engineers, (in the
Royal Gazette.)
SOUTH AMERICA.

Hering, C. T

* A signifies Barometer, Thermometer, Psychrom-
eter, and Rain Gauge.

B signifies Barometer.

T signifies Thermometer.

OF THE

FOR THE YEAR 1863.

Station.

Wolfville, Nova Scotia
Stanbridge, Canada East
Fort Rae, Great Slave Lake
Rigolet, Labrador
Colonial Building, St. John’s, New-
foundland.
King’s College, Windsor, Nova Scotia.
Fort McPherson, Hudson’s Bay Ter-
ritory.
Montreal, Canada East
Fort Anderson
Fort George
Toronto, Canada West
St. John, New Brunswick
Niagara, Canada West
Michipicoton, Canada West
Kenogumissee, Hudson’s Bay Terri-
tory.

San Juan Bautista, Tabasco
Mirador, Vera Cruz

San José, Costa Rica
Aspinwall

Centre Signal Station, Saint George’s-

Government Plantation Rustenberg,
colony of Surinam, Dutch Guiana.

& oO
ee
as Eh
3 f=]
Ss 8g ue
= Z 3)
8 2 a
Zi E fer
@ 4 @ 4 Feet.
45 06 | 64 25 95
45 08] 73 00 |.-....2-
112725 |) py 40) 170
44 59 | 64 07 200
68 00 | 135 00 200
45 30| 73 36 57
68 30 | 127 30 |....-..-
43:39 | 7921] +108
14309 | 79 20 | | 270
47 56) 85 06 |.......-
49 50 | 8400) 1,000
17 47 | 92 36 40
1915 | 9625] 3,600
954] 8406) 3,772
@) om |) 79) BE yo
Tiga | avert. 45

eed ie ie ied fea ea i

P signifies Psy chrometer.
R signifies Rain Gauge.

N signifies no instrument,

t Above Lake Ontario.

INSTITUTION

Instruments.*

No. of months

received,

i
OPRAH HOD PWUHWOH

ss

=
DWE 21s

12
12

12

REPORT OF THE SECRETARY. 4%

To the Board of Regents of the Smithsonian Institution :

GENTLEMEN : The duty of presenting to you the annual report of
the operations and state of the Smithsonian Institution recurs, on

this occasion, under peculiar circumstances. On the 24th of last

month, the day before that designated for the annual meeting of the

|
}
i
|

Board, a fire occurred, of which an account is given in the Report |

of a Special Committee. It destroyed the documents contained in
the Secretary’s office, and among these was the manuscript of the
annual report, which was ready for presentation. The destruction
of this involved the necessity of rewriting the whole article, and has
delayed its presentation until the present time.

Another circumstance which characterizes our present meeting is
that, for the first time in the history of the Institution, not one of
those who constituted the original Board of Regents is now in attend-
ance. With the exception of a single member, (Professor Bache, )
who is seeking in a foreign country the restoration of his health,
an entire change has taken place in the personal composition of the
Board. This change has been much more rapid during the last four
years, or since the commencement of the war. Within that period,
death has repeatedly cast its shadow over the Institution. Indeed,
the number of those connected with the establishment who have
departed this life since the epoch mentioned exceeds the number in
all the years that preceded. The death of Judge Douglas, of Ilinois,
of Senator Pearce, of Maryland, and that of Dr. Felton, of Cambridge,
all prominent members of the Board, were communicated at the last
and the preceding meetings ; and I have now to add, as having oc-
curred since the last session, the death of General Totten, who was
one of the Regents named in the original act.of Congress organizing
the Institution, and who continued during life to be an active member
of the Board, and by repeated election, one of the executive commit-
tee; that of Chief Justice Taney, who ever evinced a lively interest
in the welfare of the Institution, was one of the original members
of the Board, and for a long time held the office of its chairman; and,
lastly, that of Judge Dayton, whose decease, in the full enjoyment of

—

14 REPORT OF THE SECRETARY.

the honors of his high position as the representative of his country
at the court of France, we have recently been called to mourn.
Though the latter was unable to attend the meetings of the Board,
he rendered good service to the Institution in extending its reputa-
tion and promoting its correspondence abroad. Besides this mortality
among the Regents, there have also occurred in the same period four
deaths among the assistants and employés of the establishment, and
two among the honorary members, making twelve in number thus
removed.

This rapidly recurring mortality has not failed to impress me pro-
foundly with the instability and uncertainty of life, and has led
me, in view of the late conflagration and the loss of the counsel of
those to whose generous and zealous co-operation I have been so long
indebted, to regard with more than usual solicitude the proper dis-
charge of the responsible duties which are intrusted to me as the
principal executive officer of the establishment.

Yet, however grieved at the loss occasioned by the fire, and sad-
dened by the departure of those to whom I have just referred, I have
not permitted myself for a moment to doubt that I shall continue to
find in the present members the same cordial co-operation and liberal
support which has characterized the guardians of the Institution for
the past twelve years. Whatever may have been the diversity of
views previous to that period, no difference of opinion has since been ~
expressed as to the propriety of the general policy which has gov-
erned the operations of the establishment, nor has a doubt been inti-
mated as to the value of the results produced or their strict conformity
with the intentions of Smithson. This harmony is, perhaps, more
worthy of remark, when it is remembered that in the choice of the
Regents they have been designedly selected by Congress from each
of the prominent political parties of the day. Men of the most con-
flicting opinions meet here as on a common ground of friendly sym-
pathy, impressed with the feeling that rivalry and prejudice should
hold no sway in the presence of interests whose universality and
permanency properly withdraw them from the sphere of popular and
temporary excitement. Hence my enforcement of the rule excluding
from the lecture-room of the Institution topics of a partisan and irri-
tating character has been fully sustained; while, at the same time,
the course which has been pursued of rendering the government in
its late trials every aid which could be supplied by scientific re-
search has been warmly approved.

As most persons are probably entirely ignorant of the services

REPORT OF THE SECRETARY. ; 15

really rendered to the government by the Institution, I may here state

the fact that a large share of my time—all, indeed, which could be
spared from official duties—has been devoted for the last four years to
investigations required by the public exigencies. Within this period
several hundred reports, requiring many experiments, and pertaining
either to proposals purporting to be of high national importance, or
relating to the quality of the multifarious articles offered in fulfilment
of legal contracts, have been rendered. The opinions advanced in
many of these reports not only cost much valuable time, but also. in-
volved grave responsibilities. While, on the one hand, the rejection
of a proposition would be in contravention to the high importance
claimed for it by its author, on the other the approval of it would per-
haps incur the risk of the fruitless expenditure of a large amount of
public money. It is not necessary, I trust, to say that the labor thus
rendered was entirely gratuitous, or that in the judgment pronounced
in any case no regard was paid to the interested solicitations or per-
sonal influence of the parties concerned; on the contrary, it has in
some instances resulted from the examination of materials sold to the
government that attempted fraud has been exposed and the baffled
speculator received his due reward in condemnation and punishment.
These facts, it is thought, will be deemed a sufficient answer to
those who have seemed disposed to reproach the Institution with the
want of a more popular demonstration, but far less useful or efficient
aid in the support of the government.

At the close of 1864 the affairs of the Institution were in a highly
prosperous condition. It will be seen by a reference to the report
of the executive committee that—

First. The whole amount of money originally derived from the
bequest of Smithson is still in the treasury of the United States
bearing interest at six per cent., paid semi-annually, and yielding
$30,910.

Second. Seventy-five thousand dollars of an extra fund are in
bonds of the State of Indiana, at five per cent. interest, also paid
semi-annually, yielding $3,750.

Third. Fifty-three thousand five hundred dollars of the same fund
are in bonds of the State of Virginia, twelve thousand in those of
Tennessee, and five hundred in those of Georgia, from which nothing
has been derived since the commencement of the war.

Fourth. A balance of upwards of $29,000 is now in the hands of
the treasurer of the Institution. The only difference in this state-

16 REPORT OF THE SECRETARY.

ment and that of last year is that the balance now in the hands of
the treasurer is $2,500 less than before. This difference is mainly
due to the increase of prices and the consequent necessity of a greater:
expenditure in carrying on the ordinary operations.

In view of the great expenditures of the government on account of
the war, the Institution did not at first claim, as it might reasonably
have done, to have the annual income from the original bequest paid
in specie, as all the older funded debts of the United States are paid.
But since a large outlay will be required to repair the damages caused
by the fire, the necessity could not be avoided of calling the atten-
tion of the Secretary of the Treasury to this measure. That this
claim is a just one was the unanimous opinion of the Board of
Regents, and among them of Chief Justice Chase, and in accordance
with the instructions of the Board I have presented this matter to
the department. It was referred by the Secretary to his legal ad-
viser, the Solicitor of the Treasury, who has decided that in accord-
ance with the usage of the government the Institution is entitled to
receive the interest from the original bequest of Smithson in coin.
The premium on this ‘will therefore, in future, increase the bos
in the hands of the treasurer.*

It was mentioned in the last report that a part of the original be-
quest, amounting to £5,015, was left by Mr. Rush in England as the
principal to secure an annuity payable to the mother of Smithson’s
nephew. The annuitant having died, a power of atterney was sent
in November, 1862, to Messrs Fladgate, Clark and Finch, (the same
firm originally employed by Mr. Rush,) to collect the money. After
a considerable delay, arising principally from technical difficulties,
the money was obtained and deposited to the order of the Institution,
with George Peabody & Co., bankers, London. It was subsequently
drawn through the agency of the Secretary of the Treasury, and, in
accordance with the law of Congress directing that the money of the
Smithsonian bequest should be invested in United States securities,
it was expended in the purchase of government bonds, bearing in-
terest at the rate of 7-2- per cent. The amount realized in bonds of
this denomination, at par, was $54,150. It was at first supposed that
this money, or at least the interest upon it, could immediately be ap-
plied to the uses of the Institution, but from a critical examination
of the enactments of Congress in reference to the Smithsonian fund,

* The premium on the coin received since the presentation of the report, on account of the
interest due 1st January, was $7,472 70, which sum added to $29,484 08 gives $36,956 78
as the amount in the hands of the treasurer.

1

x

REPORT OF THE SECRETARY. AT

it was found that the appropriation of the bequest by the act organ-
izing the establishment in 1846, related only to that part of the be-
quest which had already been received, and made no provision for
the disposition of the residuary legacy which has just become avail-
able. It can scarcely be doubted, however, but that Congress in-
tended to appropriate the whole of the bequest to the maintenance
of the establishment; still, for this purpose, a special act will be
required, and it is desirable that the sum recently received be de-
posited in the treasury on the same condition with the amount origt-
nally obtained, that the interest alone shall be subject to expenditure.
In this connexion it is proper to remark that Mr. Peabody, who
received the deposit of the fund, so far from claiming the usual com-
mission, allowed four per cent. on the money while it remained in his
hands.

It will be seen from what follows in this report that all parts of the
programme have been prosecuted during the past year with as much
energy as the means at our disposal would permit, and that although,
in some particulars, not as much has been accomplished as in pre-
vious years, the inequality will, it is hoped, be attributed, as it is
properly referable, to the difficulties under which the Institution, in
common with the whole country, has been laboring.

Publications. —The whole number of pages issued during the year
amount to 872 quarto and 1,657 octavo.

The thirteenth volume of the Contributions has been distributed to
public libraries, and the fourteenth is nearly completed, and will be
published in the course of a few months. It will consist of the fol-
lowing papers:

1. The third and fourth series or concluding parts of the discus-
sion of the magnetic and meteorological observations, made at the
Girard College observatory, Philadelphia, by Professor A. D. Bache,
Superintendent of the United States Coast Survey.

2. On the construction of a silvered glass telescope, 15} inches in

, aperture, and its use in celestial photography, by Dr. Henry Dra-

4

per, of the University of New York.

3. A memoir on the paleontology of the Upper Missouri, by F.
B. Meek and F. V. Hayden.—Part I.

4, A memoir onthe cretaceous reptiles of the United States, by
Dr. Joseph Leidy, of the University of Pennsylvania.
It was intended that Dr. Dean’s paper on the medulla oblongata,
described in the last report, and partially distributed in separate num-
28 ;

18 REPORT OF THE SECRETARY.

bers during the year, should form a part of this volume ; unfortu-
nately, however, the plates intended for its illustration were destroyed
in the fire, and its place in the volume has been supplied by the fourth
article, which has since been presented for publication.

In the reports for the last three years an account has been given
of a series of papers containing the deductions from the magnetic ob-
servations at Girard College, Philadelphia, by Professor A. D. Bache,
Superintendent United States Coast Survey. The whole of this series
of papers was divided into four sections, each containing three parts.
The object of the whole series is to present the results deduced from
the changes observed in the direction and intensity of the magnetic
force of the earth as apparently affected by the position of. the sun
and moon relative to the earth and to each other.

The first section related to the disturbances in the line of the de-
clination, or of the fitful variation, ds it is called, of the magnetic
needle, and to the regular variations of the declination.

The second section related to the variation in the intensity of the
magnetic force of the earth, estimated in a horizontal direction.

The third section related to the same force as estimated in a verti-
cal direction.

The fourth section relates to the perturbations or fitful changes in
the direction and intensity of the total magnetic force of the earth
as estimated in the direction of the dipping needle. :

The first three of these sections have been described in previous
reports, and it now only remains to give an account of the fourth and
last. |

The data for the deductions given in this section are the quantities
observed in the variations of the horizontal and vertical components
of the magnetic force, expressed in minute scale divisions corrected
for progressive changes in the magnetism of the bars and for changes
due to temperature. The object of the investigation was to deter-
mine the law of the great disturbances to which the total intensity
and direction of the magnetic force of the earth is subjected. It is
well known that the intensity and direction of the magnetic force of
the earth do not remain the same from hour to hour, but are subject
to regular fluctuations connected with the day and the season, and
also to larger perturbations, which have until lately been considered
fitful, and have therefore received the name of magnetic storms. The
special object of investigation of the first part of the fourth series is
to ascertain the average character of the large disturbances, and to

|

REPORT OF THE SECRETARY. 19

deduce, if possible, the law by which they are governed. This is
the most intricate part of the whole series, and is the final object to
which the preceding investigations were preparatory. From a care-
ful study of all the observations on the dip, it was found that 1,446
might be considered as giving abnormal values, and of the total force
of the earth’s magnetism 1,470 indicated abnormal changes, which
amounted to about one-fifteenth part of the whole number of obser-
vations. These abnormal disturbances were analyzed in relation to
their frequency during the hours of the day, the month of the year,
and successive years ; they were also studied as to their tendency to
exhibit an increase or diminution in their variations and the times of
the greatest and least action in relation to the periods above men-
tioned. This part ends with a table of the relative magnitude of the
disturbances and a comparison of those of Toronto and Philadelphia,
from which it appears that in some cases there is an agreement in
the character of the simultaneous changes in the two places, and at
others not.

The second part of the fourth section treats of the solar diurnal
and annual inequality of the dip and total force, that is, of the changes
due to the sun which take place in the dip and total force from
hour to hour and from month to month. In this investigation all the
greater perturbations are omitted and the laws of the simpler
or more normal changes are sought. The diurnal changes in the dip
are shown analytically and graphically for each month and for the
whole year. The general character of the curve exhibits a maxi-
mum at about 11 a. m. and a minimum at about 5 a. m., with a range
of one minute and two-tenths—a quantity too minute to be recognized
by the ordinary dip circle, and which can only be observed by the
differential reflecting instrument. In summer the epochs occur ear-
lier, with a range of a minute and a half, while in winter they occur
later, with a range of only one minute. There is also a secondary
fluctuation of small magnitude. The diurnal deviation of the dip is
greatest about the time of the equinoxes, and of these maxima that
of the winter is the least. The diurnal changes in the total force as
deduced from the average of the year are represented by a single
crested curve, but from the average of the observations in winter
alone this assumes the form of a double curve. The principal maxi-
mum as deduced from the whole year coincides with the hour of
2p. m., and in winter occurs about an hour and a half earlier. The
principal minimum coincides with 10 p. m., and occurs in winter about
two hours earlier. This part ends with an attempt to deduce from
the data the annual changes in dip and intensity. The result, how-

20 REPORT OF THE SECRETARY.

ever, is not entirely satisfactory on account of the large disturbances
due to variations of temperature, changes of the magnetism and ad-
justment of the instrument.

The third part of the fourth section, or the twelfth part of the
entire series, contains the result of the observations made with a
portable dip circle constructed by Robinson, of London, the same
which had been previously used by Professor Bache in his magnetic
observations in Pennsylvania and adjacent States, and also in Hurope.
The observations were made weekly during a period of nearly two
and a half years; the monthly and annual mean observations of the
dip were tabulated and were found to indicate an annual decrease of
one minute and two-tenths in this element. The same paper con-
tains a collection of observations on the dip at different points in
Philadelphia by different observers, from which a similar change in
the dip has been deduced. The least dip occurred in January, 1840,
and increased for several years after that date. It is probable, how-
ever, from some subsequent investigations by Mr. Schott of observa-
tions at other places, that the minimum obtained at Philadelphia,
above mentioned, was of a secondary character, and that a still
smaller dip will hereafter be observed. But this point will be cleared
up in a few years by observations now in process of collection. The
discussion of this part, and indeed the whole of the series, ends
with a table of magnetic constants for. Girard College, namely: of
the declination, or variation, as it is sometimes called; of the dip;
of the horizontal, vertical, and total force, all expressed in absolute
measures, for five different epochs and for one mean epoch, that for
January, 1843, for which the declination 1s 3° 32’ W., the dip 71° 59’
N., the horizontal force 4.173, the vertical force 12.83, and the total
force 13.49, in units of one foot, one grain, and one second of mean
time.

From all the investigations on this subject up to the present time
we may infer, first, that the earth is a great magnet, having a natural,
and in one sense a permanent, polarity; second, that this polarity
is disturbed in intensity and direction by the varying effect of the
heat of the sun; third, that the magnetism of the earth is affected
by that of the sun and moon; and fourth, it is probable that magnetic
polarity is common to all the bodies of the solar system.

The second paper in the thirteenth volume of the Contributions—
that on the silvered glass telescope—is fully described in an article
at the end of this report, copied from the ‘‘ Intellectual Observer,’’
of London.

REPORT OF THE SECRETARY. 21

The third paper in the volume, on the paleontology of the Upper
Missouri, was described in the last report. It occupies 158 pages,
and is illustrated by five plates of figures engraved on stone.

A full account of the fourth paper, on the cretaceous reptiles of
the United States, as given by the author, is also appended at the
close of this report.

Miscellaneous Collections.—On account of the continued increase in
the price of printing and paper, and the unexpected length to which
some of the works were tending, [ thought it advisable to suspend,
for the present, the general publication of this series. Of the list
of works it comprised, as given in previous reports, the only ones
published since the last session of the Board are the second part of
Binney’s Bibliography of American Conchology, Meek’s Check Lists
of Fossils, and the supplement to Loew’s Diptera.

The first of these contains an account of the writings of foreign
naturalists relative to American conchology, and also additions and
corrections of the first volume, with a copious index of authors and
names of species. It forms an octavo volume of 300 pages.

The second work consists of check lists of all the species of creta-
ceous, jurassic, and miocene invertebrate fossils of North America
which had been described up to the end of 1863. These constitute an
important aid in the labor of cataloguing and labelling collections.
The manuscript of another number of the same series, prepared by
Mr. Conrad, of Philadelphia, has been received. It gives a list of the
eocene invertebrate fossils, and, as the work is much wanted to assist
in the distribution of specimens, it will be put to. press immediately.

The other article of the Miscellaneous Collections published during
the past year is the supplement and completion of the second part
of the monograph of the Diptera of North America, by H. Loew.
A general account of the work on the diptera (comprising flies, mus-
quitoes, &c.) is given in the report for 1861. This order of insects
has perhaps a wider distribution than any other known, and, from
the variety and the minuteness of the specimens, is difficult of study
and classification. Before attempting to give a monograph of the
whole order, it was thougnt proper to print a catalogue of all the
genera which had been described, and this work (prepared by Baron
Osten Sacken) was published in 1858. The preparation of the mon-
ograph was intrusted to Dr. H. Loew, of Meseritz, Prussia, one of
the most eminent naturalists in this line now living.

In the first part of this work is an essay on the terminology of

22 REPORT OF THE SECRETARY.

diptera, a sketch of the systematic arrangement of the order, with
the genera found in North America. It occupies 221 pages, and is
illustrated by two plates. The second part is occupied with a mono-
graph of the American Dolichopodide. For a large portion of the
materials on which both parts of this work are based the Institution
is indebted to the liberal assistance of Baron Osten Sacken, though
some interesting species were communicated to Mr. Loew by Mr.
Le Baron, of Ilinois, and by Professor Macklin, of Helsingfors, col-
lected by Mr. Sahlberg. The types of a collection were also lent to
him by the directors of the Hof Naturalien Kabinet, of Vienna.

Although the materials placed at the disposal of the author were
large, they did not reach the extent desired for the preparation of a
complete monograph. The hope is, therefore, expressed that ad-
ditional collections will be made to complete the work, and for this
purpose the request is earnestly urged on all North American col-
lectors who take an interest in this order of insects, to favor the
enterprise by sending specimens to the Institution, which may be
transmitted to Dr. Loew.

The fauna of North American Dolichopodide far exceeds the
European in the variety of forms and in the number of species.
A striking circumstance connected with this class of insects as found
in North America is their remarkable analogy to the remains of the
fossil fauna of the same family preserved in amber. In both there
is the same abundance of species of a particular genus, difficult to
distinguish on account of their close resemblance. It would appear
from this, that it there is a gradual variation of species under varying
conditions of existence, this variation has been less in regard to
American insects of this class than in those of Europe. It is 1mport-
ant in the progress of science not only to trace the limits of different
faunas, but to compare those of a similar class in different countries.
At present, however, this cannot be done with any degree of pre-
cision, except in the case of the American and Huropean insect
fauna. In this case it is distinctly perceived that the two approach
each other in the species of several genera, while in others the
species are identical, and again those which are identical in both are
very unequally represented in the two countries. Of the species
common to Europe and North America, it is not improbable that
some of them should have been accidentally imported in ships from
the former.

The second part, including the supplement, consists of 371 pages,
and is illustrated by five plates.

REPORT OF THE SECRETARY. ag

Two other works of the same series were completed, and would
have been immediately published had the manuscripts not been de-
stroyed by the fire. The first of these was a monograph of the
Myriapoda, by Dr. H. C. Wood, and the other a monograph on the
Limnobina, by Baron Osten Sacken.

Reports.—The annual reports to Congress are printed at the expense
of the government as public documents, with the exception of the
wood-cuts, which are furnished by the Institution; and itis gratifying
to be able to state that for a number of years there has not been a
dissenting vote in Congress on the adoption of the order to print the
usual number of ten thousand extra copies of this work. The manu-
script of the report for 1863 was unfortunately mislaid at the Capitol,
and the public printer was therefore obliged to delay the publication
on account of other more pressing demands of the departments of the
government. It is much to be regretted that at the recent fire at
the Institution all the copies of the reports on hand for general
distribution to individuals were destroyed, so that at present it
will be impossible to supply the many applications which are made
for copies of the back volumes of the series. The reports for 1861
and 1862 were stereotyped, and when the cost of press-work and
paper is reduced to its normal state, a new edition of these may be
struck off and disposed of at the mere price of production.

The report for 1863 contains in the appendix a course of lectures
on the principles of linguistic science, by Professor W. D. Whitney,
of Yale College; a eulogy of Beautemps-Beaupre, translated by C. A.
Alexander, esq., a continuation of the series of memoirs of distin-
guished members of the French Academy of Sciences; an account of
the origin and history of the Royal Society of London, prepared by
the same; an exposition of the modern theory of chemical types,
by Dr. Charles M. Wetherill; an original article on the method of
preserving Lepidoptera, with illustrations, by Titian R. Peale, esq. ;
an account of a remarkable accumulation of bats at the residence, in
Maryland, of M. Figaniere, Portuguese minister; a number of articles
on ethnology, giving an account of ancient remains in various parts
of America and Europe. There are also a number of translations
made expressly for the Institution, viz: researches on the phenomena
which accompanied the propagation of electricity in highly rarefied
elastic fluids, by Professor de la Rive; report on the proceedings of
the Society of Physics and Natural History of Geneva, by Professor
Marcet; the commencement of Plateau’s researches on the figures of

24. REPORT OF THE SECRETARY.

©

equilibrium of a liquid mass withdrawn from the action of gravity;
an account of the history of discovery relative to magnetism; recent
researches relative to the nebule, by Professor Gautier; an article
from the annals of the Observatory at Madrid, by Miguel Merino, on
the investigations made to determine the form and volume of the
earth; Arago’s account of aeronautic voyages performed with a view
to the advancement of science, to which is added from an English
publication Mr. Glaisher’s account of his recent ascensions in Eng-
land; the first part of an interesting and valuable account: of the ab-
original inhabitants of the Californian peninsula, by Baegert, a Jesuit
missionary who lived there. seventeen years during the second half
of the last century; and an article from a German scientific periodical
on purple and azure dyeing in ancient and modern times. At the end
of the volume a few of the more important tables of weights and
measures, especially needed for reference in some of the preceding
articles, have been added.

Ethnology.—The publications of the Institution relative to eth-
nology during the past year are those given in the appendix to the
last report, the most important of which isa translation by Professor
Rau, of an account of the aboriginal inhabitants of the Californian
peninsula, by Baegert, a German Jesuit missionary. The book from
which this translation was made was published in Germany in 1778,
and is now very scarce and almost unknown in this country. It will be
considered, we doubt not, at this time, an interesting contribution to
the ethnology as wellas the early history of apart of the world which
has of late years occupied so much of the public attention. Mr. Rau
has not given a translation in the strict sense of the word, but a re-
production of the work only so far as it relates to ethnological matters,
his object being to rescue from oblivion facts relating to the history
of a portion of the American race. Thesecond part of this work will
be published in the appendix to the present report.

There is a growing taste for the study of ethnology in this country,
and consequently a desire to form collections illustrating the condition
of the American aborigines in different parts of the continent. In
order to encourage this tendency, and to bring together for critical
study and comparison the scattered specimens which exist in this
country, the Institution has requested, either as a gift or a loan,
specimens of the arts and other remains found in mounds, excavations,
or on the surface of the ground; and with the assistance of Professor
Matile, formerly of the University of Neufchatel, commenced in 1863

REPORT OF THE SECRETARY. SF

®

the preparation of a series of moulds from which casts are made for
distribution and exchange. In carrying on this work we have been
favored with a large collection of specimens of Mexican art, principally
images and masks, by the American Philosophical Society, of Phila-
delphia, from which moulds have been taken. The prosecution of
this work has been temporarily suspended, but will be resumed as soon
as facilities and means for its prosecution can be provided. In this
connexion we would renew the request which we have made in pre-
vious reports, that descriptions of all mounds or aboriginal earthworks
which may be discovered may be sent to the Institution for the pur-
pose of furnishing the materials for a work at some future time on the
distribution and migration of the ancient inhabitants of this continent.
In order to preserve and render generally accessible the information
‘which may be obtained in this way, 1t will be published in the ap-
pendix to the next succeeding annual report after its reception.

Meteorology.—It has been mentioned in previous reports that the
second volume of the results of meteorological observations made under
the direction of the Smithsonian Institution and the Patent Office, from
the year 1854 to 1859, was in press, and that its completion was de-
layed by the unusual amount of printing required by the necessities
of the public service to be executed at the Government Printing
Office. It was thought best, therefore, to issue the portion already
printed, without waiting longer for the other material which it had
been intended to embrace in the volume. This portion, forming a
quarto volume of more than five hundred pages, was consequently
bound and distributed during the past year. It is divided into two
parts, each occupying about half the volume. The first relates to
the periodical phenomena of plants and animals from 1851 to 1859,
inclusive, embracing observations upon the foliation of eighty-seven
species, the blossoming of ninety-two, the ripening of fruit of ten,
and the defoliation of eighteen species of plants, and upon the first
appearance of sixteen species of birds, one of reptiles, three of fishes,
and two of insects. These results have a direct application to me-
teorological science, by indicating the progress of the seasons in dif-
ferent localities, and their relative variability in different years. To
these have been added several tables of the opening and closing of
lakes, rivers, canals, and harbors, collected from various sources,
and tending to illustrate the same leading features of climate as the
records of organic phenomena. The materials were furnished chiefly
by the regular Smithsonian observers, and were arranged and pre-

pared for publication by Dr. Franklin B. Hough, of Albany, N. Y.

26 REPORT OF THE SECRETARY.

The latter half of the volume is occupied with materials for the
critical study of three storms in 1859, one of which occurred in March
and the other two in September, collected from the records of the In-
stitution, and prepared for publication by Professor J. H. Coffin, of
Lafayette College, Haston, Pennsylvania. One of the important ob-
jects aimed at in establishing the meteorological observations of the
Smithsonian Institution was the collection of data for the critical ex-
amination of the development and progress of the extended commo-
tions of the atmosphere which occur during the autumn, winter, and
spring, over the middle or temperate portions of North America. It
is well known that two hypotheses as to the direction and progress
of the wind in these storms have been advocated with an exhibition
of feeling unusual in the discussion of a problem of a purely scien-
tific character, and which, with sufficient available data, is readily
susceptible of a definite solution. According to one hypothesis the
motion of the air in these storms is gyratory; according to the other it
is in right lines toward a central point, or toward an irregular elon-
gated middle space. It is hoped that the data here given will be
considered of importance in settling, at least approximately, these
questions as to the general phenomena of American storms.

These two quarto volumes of meteorological results for the six
years 1854 to 1859 inclusive, embracing nearly two thousand pages,
together with a volume covering very nearly the same period of time
published by the War Department, probably form an unsurpassed
body of materials for the investigation of meteorological phenomena
over so wide an extent of country. The tables of the War Depart-
ment embrace nearly two hundred quarto pages of reductions for five
years, 1855 to 1859, inclusive, and form an appendix to the ‘‘statis-
tical report on the sickness and mortality in the army of the United
States,’’ published in 1860, compiled by Assistant Surgeon R. H.
Coolidge, under the direction of Dr. Lawson, Surgeon General United
States army. The original records, both in the Smithsonian Institu-
tion and War Department, from which the results contained in these
three volumes were deduced, are open to the examination of persons
who wish to make investigations more minute, or of a more extended
nature than can be embraced in general tables.

It is regretted that we have not the means at present of continuing
the reduction of all the records as received from the observers, and
of publishing the results. This want, however, is supplied to a
limited extent by the publication of the reductions of temperature and

REPORT OF THE SECRETARY. 2G

rain in the monthly report on the state of the crops and the weather,
issued by the Agricultural Department, between which and this In-
stitution the relations mentioned in the last report have been main-
tained through the past year. To save postage, the blank forms
have been sent out and the registers returned through the frank of
the office of the Commissioner of Agriculture. The monthly bulletin
above referred to, which is printed at the expense of the same de-
partment, continues to be received by the public with much favor ;
and, by means of its extensive distribution, presents the meteorolo-
gical tables to a much larger circle of readers than is comprised in
the list of our observers, awakening, to a corresponding extent, an
interest in the subject of meteorology. This branch of science is
receiving increased attention from year to year, and a larger number
of individuals are devoting time and talent to efforts for unfolding
the laws which control the formation and movement of vapor, winds,
and change of temperature in all parts of the world. Meteorology
has ceased to be a mere record of isolated facts. The special
characteristic of modern efforts in this line consists in extended co-
operation, and in determining the simultaneous condition of the
atmosphere over extended regions of country. It is only by this
means that the laws which govern the occurrence, motion, direction,
and propagation of-the disturbances of the atmosphere can be ascer-
tained. By comparisons of this kind isolated observations of. other-
wise little value become important, and afford an ample field in the
cultivation of which any person who will take the trouble to record
the direction of the wind, the beginning and ending of rain, snow,
hail, the time of blossoming of trees, appearance of birds, insects,
&c., may render valuable service.

The daily record of meteorological observations telegraphed to the
Imperial Observatory at Paris, and published in a lithographed sheet,
continues to increase in interest and importance under the active
and enlightened superintendence of M. Le Verrier, director of the
observatory. From being the medium simply for the circulation of
telegraphic notices of the weather, it has become, in addition, a
repository of valuable meteorological summaries, communications,
criticisms, and announcements. The outline chart of Europe, with
the curves of equal barometric pressure and direction of the wind at
the different stations on the day of publication, and also a table of
the estimated weather for the following day, continue to be inserted
inevery number. The title of the publication is now ‘‘ International
Bulletin of the Imperial Observatory of Paris.’’ It occupies more than

28 REPORT OF THE SECRETARY.

twelve hundred folio pages yearly, at a subscription price of thirty-six
francs. .

The Institution has also received a similar meteorological bulletin
from the Royal Observatory at Palermo. In the first number of this,
a plan is proposed for distributing simultaneous meteorological obser-
vations similar to that which was adopted previous to the war by the
Smithsonian Institution, viz: that of furnishing the most important
telegraphic stations with meteorological instruments, and instructing
the principal telegraphist, or one of his assistants, in the process of
making observations. A thoroughly organized system of this kind
over the whole United States, with a series of directions for predict-
ing the weather at a given place from a knowledge of the condition
of the atmosphere at distant points, would be of vast importance to
the maritime and agricultural interests, particularly along the Atlan-
tic sea-board. It is hoped that as soon as order is restored and peace
fully re-established throughout the southern portion of the United
States, the system will be revived under still more favorable auspices.

An important addition to the means at the command of the Insti-
tution for this purpose has been furnished by the liberal action of
the North American Telegraphic Association, in giving the free use
of all its lines for the scientific objects of the Institution. The asso-
ciation embraces the Western Union, the American, the Montreal,
the Southwestern, and the Illinois and Mississippi Telegraph Com-
panies, covering the entire United States and Canada, including the
overland line to San Francisco, which, by its charter, is required to
transmit without charge scientific despatches for the Institution.

he telegraph companies on the Pacific coast have also liberally
granted the same privileges. :

I am happy to state in this connexion that efforts have been made
to revive and complete the meteorological observations which were
collected by the Naval or National Observatory. The records from
the log-books of the commercial and naval marine collected under
the direction of the former superintendent, though imperfectly, and
in many cases erroneously interpreted, were valuable contributions
to the materials from which the true theory of the general motions
of the atmosphere are to be deduced.

The lake system of meteorology is still kept up under the new
superintendent, Col. Raynolds, though the Institution has not re-
ceived the copies of the registers for the past year.

The State Department has furnished the Institution with several
meteorological contributions forwarded to it by consuls in foreign

REPORT OF THE SECRETARY. 29

countries. Among them are observations made at Constantinople
for the year ending September, 1863; daily telegraphic reports of
the weather in Hurope, communicated to the Central Physical Ob-
servatory at St. Petersburg, Russia, for the year ending September,
1864, translated and compiled by Mr. Edwin Phelps, United States
consul; meteorological review for the year 1864, from observations
at the Leprosy hospital of Lungeguard in the city of Bergen, Norway,
reduced by O. E. Dreutzer, United States consul; monthly tables
for a part of the year 1864, from the consul at Turk’s Island, West
Indies. If all the American consuls in foreign countries would
collect and send to the State Department local publications contain-
ing meteorojogical tables, many valuable additions might be furnished.

The Navy Department, as heretofore, has transmitted to the Insti-
tution monthly reports kept at the naval hospitals at Chelsea, New
York, and Philadelphia.

A circular and a chart of stars prepared by the Connecticut
Academy of Arts and Sciences was published by the Smithsonian Insti-
tution, and distributed to its observers for the purpose of obtaining
records of the meteors that might appear on the night of November
- 13-14, 1864, but the general cloudiness of the night prevented the
attainment of any valuable results.

The three rooms in which the meteorological records were kept
were destroyed by the fire on the 24th of January, 1865. Owing to
the great rapidity with which the fire progressed much valuable ma-
terial was lost, but fortunately the larger portion of the contents of
the rooms were saved. Among the articles lost were the principal
instruments used at the Institution for meteorological observations,
including the self-registering apparatus for recording the direction
and velocity of the wind, constructed by Dr. Smallwood, of Montreal,
and partially described in the Smithsonian reports for 1856 and 1860.
It had been in operation since 1858. All the records kept by it were
lost. As soon as a minute investigation can be made as to the miss-
ing sheets of the general records, a list of deficiencies will be
published, and it is hoped that a portion at least of these may be
restored by copies of the duplicates retained by the observers,

Laboratory.—During the past year the laboratory has been in
charge of Dr. Charles M. Wetherill. The experiments mentioned in
the last report on materials for light-house illumination have been
continued, and a series of examinations has been made of different
substances submitted for that purpose by the government. The most

Os

0) REPORT OF THE SECRETARY.

extended series of experiments, however, has been that which relates
to the condition of the air, and the mode of ventilation of the United
States Capitol. This subject was referred by Mr. Thomas U. Walter,
the architect of the Capitol, to the Secretary of this Institution.
The plan of the investigation having been determined, the experi-
ments have principally been made by Dr. Wetherill. The result of
this investigation, it is believed, will not only throw additional light
on the poits for which it was instituted, but also form an interesting
addition to the subject of ventilation. The work in the laboratory,
also by Dr. Wetherill, comprised various researches upon subjects of
chemical science. Of these, three, viz.: ‘‘On the nature of the so-
called ammonium amalgam;’’ “On the crystallization of sulphur;’’ and
‘*On the crystalline nature of glass,’’ will be published shortly in one
of the scientific journals of the country. The means for carrying on
physical research at the Institution have been materially diminished,
on account of the destruction by fire of the very valuable collection
of physical apparatus. Fortunately the conflagration did not extend
to the laboratory, and consequently the chemical apparatus was pre-
served.

Collections of specimens of natural history, &c.—The work of making
collections of specimens of natural history has been prosecuted as in
previous years. A very large collection of mammals, birds, eggs,
&c., made in the northern part of British America in 1863, princi-
pally by the officers of the Hudson’s Bay Company, has arrived at
Fort Garry, and is expected soon to be received in Washington.
Collections have also been received from Labrador, Puget’s sound,
and from various parts of the United States, Central America,
Mexico, and the West Indies, a detailed account of which is given in
the annexed report of Professor Baird. ‘Advantage has been taken
of every exploring expedition which has been sent out by govern-
ment, and in many cases of the assistance offered by officers of the
army, particularly of the medical department, for adding new mate-
rials or duplicate specimens to the collections. The great object, as
has been frequently stated before, of this work, is to obtain the ma-
terials for an extended knowledge of the natural history of this con-
tinent, and to furnish illustrations of type specimens to museums,
colleges, and other educational establishments.

The whole number of specimens catalogued during the last twelve
years is upwards of 100,000, and including duplicates, the whole
number collected will amount to five times that amount.

Vd

REPORT OF THE SECRETARY. 31

The distribution of duplicates has been continued as rapidly as the
identification and labelling could be accomplished. In this distribu-
tion regard has been had to the relative geographical positions of the
establishments to which the first sets of specimens have been sent as
well as to their importance as influential centres of higher education.
According to the statement of Professor Baird, it will be seen that
already upwards of 16,000 specimens have been distributed during
the year, and efforts will be made during the season to increase this
number. The importance of this branch of operations depends more
upon what the Institution is enabled to distribute than on what it —
accumulates for permanent preservation.

Museum.—The type specimens of the museum have been gradually
increased during the past year, not only from the collections made
by the Institution, but also from donations received from abroad, par-
ticularly as regards rare birds, eggs, fossils, andanimals. The Kuro-
pean specimens of ornithology were requested for the purpose of
enabling Professor Baird by comparison to prosecute his work on
American birds.

Previous to the fire the large room paitly occupied by the Stanley
collection of Indian portraits had been fitted up with about two hun-
dred feet of cases around the walls, to receive the ethnological speci-
mens in possession of the Institution. While engaged in re-arranging
the pictures above these cases, the workmen, with a view to their own
comfort, unfortunately placed the pipe of a stove in a ventilating flue
which opened under the roof, and thus caused the conflagration which
destroyed the upper part of the main building. Fortunately none

of the ethnological articles had been placed in this room, and conse-

quently these specimens, with those of the museum and of the general
collections, have been preserved.

Exchanges.—The system of international literary and scientific ex-
changes has been continued during the past year with unabated
energy, and on the part of the Institution exclusively, several hun-
dred sets of its publications, each embracing 1,782 pages, have been
sent to foreign institutions.

According to the tabular statement given by Professor Baird it ap-
pears that, during the year 1864, there have been despatched to
foreign countries 1,011 packages, each containing a number of articles,
enclosed in sixty-three boxes, measuring 546 cubic feet and weighing
20,500 pounds. The number of packages received in return for
societies and individuals in this country was 2,482 (nearly twice as
many as in 1863) exclusive of those for the Smithsonian library.

32 REPORT OF THE SECRETARY.

Library.—The library has continued to increase, principally by
the addition of all the current transactions of societies and of scientific
journals. By exchanges there have been received 645 octavo, 153
quarto, and 25 folio volumes, 2,754 pamphlets and parts of volumes,
and 109 maps and charts—total 3,686. In the appendix to this report
will be found alist of the foreign societies and individuals which have
made donations to the library of the Institution, with the number of
works received from 1860 to 1864.

Lectures.—Up to the occurrence of the fire no iectures had been
given this season; indeed, on account of the increased expenditures
incident to the advance of prices, it was thought advisable to diminish
the number of lectures, since this part of the operations of the estab-
lishment has not been considered of so much importance as other sec-
tions of the general plan of organization. It can scarcely be doubted
that the publication in the late annual reports of synopses of the
lectures has been of more service in the diffusion of knowledge than
their delivery in the hall of the Institution, and that their place may,
with equal advantage, be supplied by occasional and popular exposi-
tions of certain subjects in a similar form.

The foregoing is the substance of what was intended for presenta-
tion to the Board of Regents as an exposition of the state of the In-
stitution at the close of 1864, and of what had been accomplished
during that year in the way of carrying out the programme of organi-
zation. On account of the burning of the original draft of the report,
and of a large portion of the records of the establishment, the state-
ments are not as full in some particulars as they would have been
had they been prepared under more favorable circumstances, but the
deficiencies in this respect can be made up in the report for next
year.

The danger from fire at the Institution has been to me, from the
commencement of the occupancy of the building, a source of constant
‘and anxious solicitude. The combustible character of the two wings,
of the two connecting ranges, and of the interior of the towers,
together with the plan of heating originally adopted, rendered an
accident by fire far from improbable, and led me to enforce a system
of vigilance, the strict observance of which I hoped would insure
safety. The flame, however, was communicated at a point where
danger was least suspected, and through one of those contingencies
against which all circumspection is unavailing.

REPORT OF THE SECRETARY. 33

‘

But, although greatly.to be regretted on account of the losses in-
curred, the accident is not without compensation in considerations of
a different nature ; thus, it has served to call forth the expression of
a large amount of kind feeling in regard to the Institution, to direct
the attention of Congress to the character and importance of its opera-
tions, and has thus, perhaps, furnished the opportunity of remedying
some of the defects in the original law of its organization, which were
the result of the novelty of the enterprise or the desire of reconciling
inconsistent propositions. Immediately after the fire, as is well
known to the Board, a committee of the two houses of Congress was
appointed to inquire into its origin, the loss sustained, the means
necessary to repair the building, and to: collect such facts in connex-
ion with the whole subject as might be of public interest. This
committee, after adopting the report of the special committee of the
Board* as to the origin of the fire, called upon the Secretary for a
detailed statement of the origin and objects of the Institution and of
its operations -from the beginning, in connexion with the policy of
the Regents and his own superintendence of its affairs.

In pursuance of this request I submitted to the committee a gen-
eral review of the more prominent facts connected with the adoption
of the plan of organization, and of what has been since accomplished
towards realizing the views of the founder and the wishes of the
friends of the Institution. Although this review may give facts
familiar to some of the members of the Board and to those who
have directed any special attention to the history of the estab-
lishment, it may weil be inferred from occasional remarks, not only
in the journals of the day, but on the floor of Congress, that there
is no little need of the repetition of statements tending to correct
misconceptions which arise, no doubt, much oftener from inattention
than from prejudice. It is for this reason, and to keep before the
public mind distinct ideas of the character and operations of the In-
stitution, that I append, as the coneluding portion of this report, the
statement, somewhat expanded in the introduction, which I had the
honor of laying before the Joint Committee of Congress.

SKETCH OF THE ORGANIZATION AND OPERATION OF THE INSTITUTION.

The founder of this Institution, James Smithson, was a graduate of
the University of Oxford, devoted during a long life to the advance-
ment of science, and the author of a number of original contributions
to geology, chemistry, mineralogy, &. He was well acquainted with

* See proceedings of the Board.
3S

a

34. REPORT OF THE SECRETARY.

original research in the various branches of knowledge, and had doubt-

less a proper appreciation of the good which might be effected by

founding an institution especially adapted to advance this object.

He accordingly intrusted his property to the United States to found

an establishment ‘‘ under the name of the Smithsonian Institution for the

increase and diffusion of knowledge among men.’’? He evidently did not

intend by these precise terms to found a library or a mere museum

for the diffusion of popular information to a limited community, but
a cosmopolitan establishment, to increase the sum of human knowledge

and to diffuse this to every part of the civilized world. No other

interpretation of the will is either in accordance with the terms em-

ployed or with the character and habits of the founder. The in-
crease of human knowledge, by which we must understand additions

to its sum, would be of but little value without its diffusion, and to

limit the latter to one city, or even to one country, would be an in-

vidious restriction of the term men. These views, so evident to
minds especially devoted to science, were not at once apparent to
those whose studies and pursuits had been chiefly confined to litera-

ture or public affairs. The first scheme which was presented in re-
gard to'the character of the future institution proposed that it should
assume the form of a university, but this idea was shown to be er-

roneous by the Hon. J. Q. Adams, who pointed out the fact that the
object of a university was not to increase knowledge, but to diffuse
that which already exists. The next proposition, which had many
advocates, was that of a large library or museum; but these objects

are in a measure local in their influence and tend, like the former, to

promote rather the diffusion than the increase of knowledge.

From this diversity of opinion as to the character of the proposed
Institution, or from whatever other causes, the bequest was suffered
to remain inoperative for eight years. It was not until 1846 that
Congress passed the act of organization under which the Institution
has since continued in operation.

This act directs that provision be made for a library, museum, and
gallery of art, in a suitable building of plain and durable materials, and
after these and some other general indications of the views of the
legislature, leaves it discretionary with the Board of Regents to
adopt such further measures for promoting the common purpose as
might seem, in their judgment, best to comport with the terms of the
donation. é

I may be permitted to state, without giving undue prominence to
my own part in the organization, that immediately after the passage

REPORT OF THE SECRETARY. 35

of this act I was requested by one of the Regents to prepare a sketch
of such an institution as I deemed that of Smithson ought to be, with

_reference at once to the requirements of Congress, and the brief,

though comprehensive, phrases of the will. After devoting careful
attention to the expressions of the bequest, and being acquainted
with the character of the founder, I could not entertain the slightest
doubt that it was the intention of the latter to establish a cosmopol-
itan institution, which should be alike a monument of his own
fervent love of science, an efficient instrumentality for promoting
original researches and rendering a knowledge of their results
accessible to inquiring minds in every part and age of the world.
I accordingly advised the adoption of the plan set forth in the first
section cf the programme presented to the board in my report for
1847,* a plan which is principally designed to increase knowledge
by instituting researches and assisting in various ways men of talents
and acquirements to make original investigations in all departments
of scientific inquiry, as wellas to diffuse the knowledge thus obtained
by presenting, free of cost, to all the principal libraries and public
institutions of the world copies of a series of volumes containing the
results of the investigations instituted.

Previous to the presentation of these views, one of the Regents
had reported in favor of making immediate provision for a library, a
museum, uw gallery of art, and other local objects, in connexion with
a system of lectures to be delivered in different parts of the country;
while another Regent had presented an eloquent appeal in favor of a
great library composed of books in all languages and on all subjects.

In reviewing these and other plans of organization which had been
previously advocated, it will scarcely be denied by an unprejudiced
mind that, for the most part, they were such as to exert a merely local
influence, and which, if they embraced means for the diffusion of
popular knowldge, neglected the first and essential condition of the
bequest, viz.: the increase of knowledge—in other words, the advance-
ment of science or the discovery and promulgation of new truths.
On the other hand, the plan of organization presented in the first
section of the report for 1847 is that of a living, active, progressive
system, limited in its operations only by the amount of the income;
calculated to affect the condition of man wherever literature and sci-
ence are cultivated, while it tends in this country to give an impulse to
original thought, which, amidst the strife of politics and the inordi-
nate pursuit of wealth, is, of all things, most desirable.

* See programme of organization, page 8 of this report.

36 REPORT OF THE SECRETARY.

These views, which have commanded the approval of unprejudiced
and reflecting persons generally, and especially of men of science, to
which class Smithson belonged, were fully shared from the first by
Professor Bache, General Totten, Gideon Hawley, esq., and in whole
or in part. by other members of the board, and I was elected the
secretary or principal executive officer, to develop and carry into
practice, as | supposed, under the direction of the board, the plan I
had suggested.

The appointment was accepted with much and not causeless solici-
tude as to the result. I soon found that although a number of the
members of the board were in favor of the promotion of original
researches, or of what has since, by way of discrimination, been
called the active operations, neither a majority of the Regents nor
perhaps the community in general was prepared to favor a plan of
organization which should exclude the material representation of the
Institution in the form of an extensive architectural structure calcu-
lated to arrest the eye and embellish the national capital.

It was in vain tourge the fact that alarge and expensive building was
not only unnecessary to the realization of the purpose of Smithson, but
that it would tend to defeat that object by absorbing the income, con-
trolling the future policy of the Institution, and confining its influence
principally to a single locality; that it was not the estimated first cost
of the edifice which should alone be considered, but also the expense
of keeping it in repair and the maintenance of the corps of assistants
and employés which would be required in an establishment of this
kind; that the increase of the collections of a miscellaneous library and
public museum would, in time, require additional space; and that,
finally, all the revenue of the bequest would be absorbed in a statical
establishment, or in attempting to do that which can only be properly
accomplished, as in other countries, by means of the government.
Unfortunately the building committee had settled upon a design for
the building in the Lombard style, and Congress had presented to the
Institution the museum of the exploring expedition, then at the Patent
Office, and directed that provision should be made on a liberal scale for
its accommodation, neglecting, at the same time, to fill the blank in
the act of organization, by which the cost of the building was to have
been limited. It was this provision of the law which furnished a
fulcrum for the influence exerted by the citizens of Washington, and
persons pecuuniarily interested, directly or indirectly, in contracts or
otherwise, in favor of the erection of the present structure. Thus

REPORT OF THE SECRETARY. 37

re-enforced, the fascination of its architectural display as presented
on paper proved too strong to be resisted.

The adoption of this extensive and costly building was considered
so inauspicious a beginning that I had resolved to resign the office of
director, and make no further attempt to introduce the plan with a
view to the success of which I had accepted the position, when a
temporary compromise was proposed by which the several plans
might be brought to the test of experience, and an opportunity ap-
parently given for any modifications which might be found advisable.

In order to meet the large expenditure on the building, to provide
for the support of the establishment necessarily connected with it,
and to leave the greater part of the interest of the original bequest
free to be applied to its more legitimate objects, it was resolved to
create an extra fund, while gradually developing the plans of organi-
zation, and for this purpose the following course was adopted:

1. The building to be erected in parts, and its different portions
gradually brought into requisition, its completion being thus delayed
for a number of years.

2. The sum appropriated to the building, furniture, and grounds,
viz., $250,000, being mainly the interest which had accrued previous
to the organization, to be invested in United States treasury stock,
bearing interest.

3. The plan of organization to be gradually developed, and, instead
of expending upon it from the first the whole interest of the original
bequest, a part of this to be also invested in treasury bonds.

4. The remainder of the income to be divided between the active
operations on the one hand and the library and museum on the other.
The latter to be restricted principally to scientific books and to
type specimens.

This compromise was adopted, and has been so successfully and
steadily carried out financially, that at the commencement of the
war, after paying for the building, accumulating a very valuable
library, establishing and supporting a large museum, and carry-
ing on all the active operations of the establishment, an extra fund
had been created amounting to $140,000. In order to secure this
from the contingencies of any future expenditure on buildings or
loss from hazardous investment, a petition was preferred to Con-
gress to take it from the care of the Regents and deposit it with
the original principal in the treasury of the United States, sub-
ject to the same restriction, viz., that the interest alone could be
expended. This petition not having been acted upon, the Regents

38 REPORT OF THE SECRETARY.

deemed it expedient to invest the money in such State stocks as were
then considered most eligible, and accordingly there were invested
in—

Indiana 5 per cent. stock.-... a bee e eee ee ee wee ++» $75,000

: Virginia Rls Gi sanGG a Aa Sa aca e ean IG A Sk 53,509
Tennessee Gees OO Ogio 000 6060 Sp daoGOn 6 O0DOOb 12,000
Georgia : Ge a WU Gy ogo OOOO OO OOO GOOG 6 FO Oo 500
Washington Geto es UG Goes GoOO0 Ob D060 oD Oo boob AS 100
Amounting ATE EULSGOle REA ae Marece reltar olen tol te: peu banecene 3000500 141,100

This scheme has afforded an ample opportunity to compare the
relative advantages of the two principal plans of organization and to
verify the predictions which were originally made in regard to the
building. Though but a portion of the income has been devoted to
the active operations, they have produced results in the way of in-
creasing and diffusing knowledge abundantly sufficient to justify the
anticipations which were entertained in regard to them, and to con-
vince the most skeptical of their primary importance. ‘As to the
building, it is now abundantly proved that a structure of one-fifth of
the cost would have been sufficient for the wants of the Institution,
and that two grave errors were committed in the adoption of the pres.
ent one: first, the plan was but little adapted to the uses to which the
edifice was to be applied; second, the style of architecture required a
far greater expenditure than the amount to which the cost of the
building was limited. For the purpose of architectural effect the
interior was very inconveniently divided; the buttresses, turrets, and
towers, while. they add very little to the accommodation of the build-
ing, greatly increased the cost. ‘To have constructed the building
in a substantial and durable manner, in strict conformity with the
Lombard style of architecture which was adopted, would have re-
quired an expenditure of at least double the amount of the sum
appropriated for the purpose. It was, therefore, necessary, in order
that the exterior might be constructed in freestone, that the interior
should be finished in wood and stucco, and that thus recourse
should be had to the presentation of a falsehood to the eye in the
very inauguration of an enterprise for the advancement of truth.
The two wings and the two connecting ranges were completed in
this manner. The main building, which is 200 feet long and 50 wide,
embellished with six towers, was also in process of completion, the
framing of the interior having been finished, when the underpinning
gave way and the whole of the woodwork fell to the ground. After
the occurrence of this accident a commission of architects, appointed

REPORT OF THE SECRETARY. ag

to examine the building, reported that the exterior walls were well
built, both in regard to construction and materials, but that the plan
of finishing tbe interior in wood and stucco was improper for an edifice
intended to contain valuable articles; it was therefore recommended
that fire-proof materials should be employed for the portions of the
work which remained to be constructed. In conformity with this
recommendation the interior of the main building was completed in
iron, stone, and brick, with the exception of the roof, which, being
covered with slate and not supposed to be exposed to danger from
fire, was suffered to remain. It was this change, in the mode of con-
structing a portion of the edifice, which, during the late fire, saved
the contents of the whole from destruction. It, however, increased
the cost of the building to upwards of $500,000, leaving the remain-
ing parts of the interior of the structure in perishable materials.

It was hoped that, through the adoption of the compromise propo-
sitions, the importance of the active operations would speedily
become apparent, and that the plan of erecting an expensive
building would be abandoned before more than one of the wings
had been completed; but, though the construction of the edifice
was, in accordance with the agreement, extended over a number of
years, yet in anticipation of such an interference with its ultimate
completion, so large a portion of the lower story of the whole struc-
ture was commenced in the first two years that it was apparent no
successful opposition. could be made to its further progress. Nor
can Congress be absolved of the charge of having indirectly con-
tributed to encumber the bequest with the cost and maintenance of
so extensive a building and so numerous a retinue: with more
justice, therefore, may it be invoked to relieve the Institution, in
due time, from the burden imposed upon it. It should, however, be
remembered, on the other hand, that by repeated enactments Con-
gress has sanctioned the prominence which has been given to the
active operations, and acquiesced in the adoption of the special
character which has been impressed on the library and museum. It
has relieved the Institution from the care of the grounds, also of
the copyright books which were intended to swell the number of
volumes, and, so far from still considering the museum of the ex-
ploring expedition a desirable gift, it has granted for several years
past four thousand dollars annually to assist in bearing the expenses
of preserving and exhibiting the specimens. ——

It is to be regretted that Congress directed that provision should be
made on a large scale for a library and museum, since each tends to
cripple the other, and the whole to diminish the efficiency of the active

Y

40 REPORT OF THE SECRETARY.

operations. A conscientious endeavor, however, has been made to
harmonize the whole scheme, by establishing a special library, con-
sisting of the transactions of learned societies and systematic works on
all branches of science, together with a limited museum of type speci-
mens, principally of the products of the American continent. — And,
on the whole, 1t may be pronounced that, notwithstanding the inaus-
picious circumstances which attended the commencement of the In-
stitution, as before stated, and the difficulties with which it has had
to contend from time to time, the results it has produced have been
such as to commend it to the public generally throughout our own
country, and to make it favorably known to the cultivators of science
wherever found. It has identified itself with the history of almost
every branch of knowledge which receives attention at the present
day, and its transactions and proceedings are constantly referred to
as authoritative on all subjects to which they pertain. With no desire
to exaggerate its importance or advantages, the fact may be satisfac-
torily cited that the recognition of its services in behalf of science
exists in the contemporary works of all languages, that its publications
are found wherever letters are cultivated, and its specimens in all
the principal) museums of the world. If it. was the desire of the
founder to perpetuate the memory of his liberality, that desire has
been thus fully gratified; nor is the memorial of his enlightened and
comprehensive benevolence limited as to place or time, since it is
everywhere renewed with the yearly dissemination of the publica-
tions which bear his name.

The following brief sketch of the labors of tlie Institution up to the
present time will not only serve to show what it has done, but also
to illustrate the capability of the plan of active operations for pro-
ducing important results in the way of increasing and diffusing know-
ledge among men.

ACTIVE OPERATIONS.

Publications.—The Smithsonian Institution has established three
classes of publications, in which are contained the articles hereafter
to be mentioned. These are as follows:

1. A quarto series, entitled ‘‘Smithsonian Contributions to Know-
ledge,’’ issued in volumes, each embracing one or more separate
articles. Of these the fourteenth is nearly through the press.

2. An octavo series, entitled ‘‘Smithsonian Miscellaneous Collec-
tions,’’ which in the aggregate make six large volumes.

REPORT OF THE SECRETARY. Al

3. Another octavo series, consisting of the annual reports of the
Institution to Congress, called ‘‘Smithsonian Reports,’’ of which
eleven volumes have been published.

The Smithsonian Contributions to Knowledge include memoirs em-
bracing the records of extended original investigations and researches
resulting in what are believed to be new truths, and constituting
positive additions to the sum of human knowledge.

The series of Smithsonian Miscellaneous Collections contains reports
on the present state of our knowledge of particular branches of
science ; instructions for collecting and digesting facts and materials
for research ; lists and synopses of species of the organic and inor-
ganic world ; museum catalogues; reports of explorations ; aids to
bibliographical investigations, &c,; generally prepared at the express
request of the Institution, and at its expense.

The Annual Reports include the official reports of the Secretary to
the Board of Regents of the operations and condition of the Institu-
tion ; the reports of committees of the board ; abstracts of lectures
_ delivered before the Institution; extracts from correspondence; origi-
nal or translated articles relating to the history and progress of
science, &c.

The following rules have been observed in tbe distribution of the
first and second series:

1. They are presented to all learned societies of the first class
which publish transactions, and give copies of these, in exchange,
to the Institution.

2. To all foreign libraries of the first class, provided they give in
exchange their catalogues and other publications, or an equivalent,
from their duplicate volumes.

3. To all the colleges in actual operation in this country, provided
they furnish, in return, meteorological observations, catalogues of
their libraries and of their students, and all other publications issued
by them relative to their organization and history.

4. To all States and Territories, provided they give, in return,
copies of all documents published under their authority.

5. To all incorporated public libraries in this country, not included
in any of the foregoing classes, now containing 10,000 volumes; and
to smaller libraries, where a whole State or large district would be
otherwise unsupplied.

Institutions devoted exclusively to the promotion of particular
branches of knowledge receive such articles published by the Insti-
tution as relate to their objects. Portions of the series are also given

42 REPORT OF THE SECRETARY

to institutions of lesser grade not entitled, under the above rules, to
the full series, and also to the meteorclogical correspondents of the
Institution.

The reports are of a more popular character, and are presented—

1. To all the meteorological observers and other collaborators of the
Institution. |

2. To donors to its library or museum.

3. To colleges and other educational establishments.

4. To public libraries and literary and scientific societies.

5. To teachers or individuals who are engaged in special studies,
and who make direct application for them.

Besides the works which have been published entirely at the ex-
pense of the Institution, aid has been furnished by subscription for
copies to be distributed to foreign libraries of a number of works
which fall within the class adopted by the programme. The princi-
pal works of this kind for which subscriptions have been made are as
follows : Agassiz’s Contributions to Natural History, Gould’s Astro-
nemical Journal, Shea’s American Linguistics, Runkle’s Mathematical
Monthly, Deane’s Fossil Footprints, Tuomey & Holmes’s Fossils of
South Carolina, Peirce’s Analytic Mechanics.

Meteorology.—The investigation of all questions relative to meteor-
ology has been an object to which the Institution has devoted special at-
tention, and one of its first efforts was to organize a voluntary system of
observation, which should extend as widely as possible over the whole
of the North American continent. It induced a skilful artisan, under
its direction, to commence the manufacture of carefully prepared and-
accurately graduated instruments, now generally known as the Smith-
sonian standards. It prepared and furnished a series of instructions
for the use of the instruments and the observations of meteorological
phenomena ; also three serics of blank forms as registers.

It next organized a body of intelligent observers, and in a compar-
atively short time brought the system into practical operation ; each
year the number of observers increased, and where one ceased his
connexion with the enterprise, several came forward to supply his
place. By an arrangement with the Surgeon General of the army,
the system of observations at the United States military posts in dif-
ferent parts of the country, and also that which had previously been
established by the State of New York, were remodelled so as to har-
monize with that of the Institution. Gentlemen interested in science,
residing in the British provinces, and at nearly all the posts of the Hud-
son’s Bay Company, also in Mexico, Central America, the West In-

REPORT OF THE SECRETARY. 43

dies, and some places in South America, &c., joined in the enterprise;
and, with few exceptions, at the beginning of the war every dis-
trict of considerable size had in it at least one if not more observers.
All these contribute their services without compensation, their only
reward being the satisfaction .of co-operating with each other and
the Institution in the effort to supply data and materials for investi-
gation. Any returns, indeed, which the Institution has in its power
to make are gladly rendered in a hearty acknowledgment of assist-
ance, and in copies of all the Smithsonian publications likely to be
of interest.

Besides the materials obtained directly from the observers of the
Institution, a large amount of other matter relative to the meteor-
ology of North America has been accumulated—such as copies of all
the known series of records for long periods which could be obtained;
series which have been compiled during explorations and surveys for
the government, those which have been the result of local associa-
tions, and of the system of observations established in connexion with
the survey of the great lakes, as well as of the common school system
of Canada, and many thousand notices of the weather at different
times and places, collected from newspapers and periodicals.

No other part of the world has offered such facilities for the col-
lection of meteorological data, the system extending over so large
a portion of the earth’s surface; the observers, with few exceptions,
all speaking the same language, and many of them being furnished
with full sets of compared standard instruments.

It is to be regretted that this system has been partially interrupted
during the war, and that the portion of the income of the Smithsonian
fund, which could be devoted to the reduction and discussion of the
material collected, has not been adequate to the labor of deducing
from so large a body of data all the valuable truths which they are
capable of affording. It has had assistance, however, from the agri-
cultural department of the Patent Office, by which the results of five
years’ observations of all the elements and a series of temperatures
for long periods have been prepared for puplication.

From all the observations made up to 1860, isothermal charts were
constructed, presenting much more accurately than had ever been
done before, the distribution of temperature over the continent of
North America; a series of rain charts, and also a large map exhibit-
ing the regions of original forest, of arable prairie and of desert in
the United States, have also been prepared.

The Institution has fully established the fact, which was previously

44 REPORT OF THE SECRETARY.

indicated in regard to storms, by the investigations of Mr. Espy and
others, in relation to the United States, namely, that all such meteoro-
logical phenomena, as variations in the pressure of the atmosphere,
sudden changes of temperature, either of unusually warm or cold
weather, thunder-storms, tornadoes, .as well as storms of wind, rain,
&e., which occur within the temperate zones, travel from west to east.
The simultaneous system of observations established by the Institu-
tion furnished the means of placing this great law of meteorology in
prominent relief, and of first reducing it to practical utility .

As early as 1849 the Institution organized a system of telegraphic
despatches, by which information was received at Washington of the
condition of the weather at distant places in the southwest and north-
west, and from this, in accordance with the law before mentioned,
it was often enabled to predict, sometimes a day or two in advance,
the approach of any larger disturbances of the atmosphere. Subse-
quently the telegraphic despatches were daily exhibited at the
Institution on a map of the United States by means of a series of
movable cards of different colors, which indicated the meteorological
condition at various points, showing at a glance in what parts of the
country it might be clear or cloudy, raining or snowing; and by
arrows the existing direction of the wind. The returns were also
published in one of the evening papers. Unfortunately this enter-
prise was interrupted by the cessation of the observations in the
southwest, and by the constant use of the telegraph for the purposes
of the government.

The advantages possessed by the Smithsonian Institution for inves-
tigations of this kind will be evident, when it is recollected that a
large portion of its observers are stationed west of Washington, that
the phenomena approach it over a large extent of land, and can be
critically noted through every part of their passage eastward, while
the phenomena which are presented to the meteorologists of Hurope
traverse in reaching them a wide expanse of ocean, from which only
casual observations can be gleaned.

The publications of the Institution contain many memoirs which
have tended to advance the science of meteorology. Among these
may be mentioned the meteorological and physical tables prepared
at the expense of the Institution by Professor Guyot, and filling a
large octavo volume of the Miscellaneous Collections. No work extant
answers the same purpose with the one referred to, which has hence
become a general standard of reference, the constant demand for it

ae

REPORT OF THE SECRETARY. 45

as well in Hurope as America having required the printing of several
successive editions. :

The results of the reductions for five years previous to 1860 have
been published in two volumes of nearly 2,000 quarto pages, con-
taining a mass of materials of great value in determining the average
temperature, fall of rain, barometrical pressure, moisture, direction
of the wind, and time of various periodical phenomena relative to
plants, animals, &c.

-In addition to these large and important volumes, other works
have been published by the Institution which have had a marked
influence on the progress of meteorology. Among these may be
mentioned the works-of Professor Coffin, on the winds of the northern
hemisphere; of Mr. Chappelsmith, on a tornado in Illinois; of Professor
Loomis, on a great storm which pervaded both America and Europe;
the reduced observations for twenty-eight years of Professor Caswell,
at Providence, Rhode Island; of Dr. Smith, for twenty years in
Arkansas; of Dr. Kane and Captain McClintock, in the arctic seas;
en the heat and light of the sun at different points, by Mr. Meech;
on the secular period of the aurora, by Professor Olmsted; the
occurrence of auroras in the arctic regions, by Mr. P. Force, &c.

Besides these, a series of meteorological essays embodying many of
the results obtained from the investigations at the Institution has
been prepared by the Secretary, and been published in the agricul-
tural reports of the Patent Office.

Astronomy.—The Institution has advanced the science of astronomy
both by its publications and the assistance rendered to observers.
To facilitate astronomical observations, it prepared and published for
six years an annual list of occultations of the principal stars by the
moon, and printed and distributed a series of tables for determining
the perturbations of the planetary motions, the object of which de-
termination is to facilitate the calculation of the places of the heavenly
bodies. These tables have acconiplished the desired end, saving to
the practical astronomer an immense amount of tedious and monoto-
nous labor.

The name of the Institution has been favorably connected with the
history of the interesting discovery of the planet Neptune. Froma
few of the first observations which had been made on this planet Mr.
Sears C. Walker calculated its approximate orbit, and by this means
tracing its path through its whole revolution of 166 years he was en-
abled to carry it backward until it fell among a cluster of stars, ac
curately mapped by Lalande, towards the close of the last century.

46 REPORT OF THE SECRETARY.

After minute inspection he was led to conclude that one of the stars
which had been observed by Lalande in 1795 was the planet Nep-
tune. He was thus supplied with the amount of its motion for up-
wards of fifty years, from which he deduced a much more perfect
orbit, and was enabled to construct an ephemeris giving the place of
the planet for several years in succession. These investigations, so
interesting to astronomy and honorable to this country, were prose-
cuted and published at the expense of the Institution, the name of
which will be further connected with the planet Neptune by the pub-
lication, now in press, of a new discussion of all the observations which
have been made on this body for the last fifteen years. This work,
which is by Professor Newcomb, of the United States navy, will
furnish not only the means of determining the exact position of Nep-
tune for years to come, but also the data for ascertaining whether it
is affected by other bodies than those now known to astronomers.

To render more generally accessible to practical astronomers in
this country the theory of the motion of the heavenly bodies hy the
celebrated Gauss, the Institution shared the expense of publishing a
translation of this treatise by Admiral C. H. Davis, U. 8. N., from
the Latin. It furnishes a complete system of formulas for computing
the movements of a body in any of the curves belonging to the class
of conic sections, and a general method of determining the orbit of a
planet or a comet from three observations, as seen from the earth.

For a number of years aid was afforded to the publication of Gould’s
American Astronomical Journal, which rendered good service to the
science by making promptly known to foreign observers the results of
the labors of their contemporaries in America. It has also had re-
duced by Mr. Charles A. Schott, and published at its own expense,
the astronomical observations made by Dr. Kane in the arctic regions,
and has, now in hand those which were made in the same regions by
Dr. Hayes.

Congress having authorized in 1849 an astronomical expedition
under Lieutenant Gilliss to the southern hemisphere for the purpose
of determining the parallax of the planets, and consequently their
distance from the sun, by observations on Venus and Mars, accident-
ally failed to make the appropriation for instruments. This omission
was supplied by the Institution, which was subsequently indemnified
for the expense by the Chilian government.

In the observation of all the larger solar eclipses which have hap-
pened since the date of its organization the Institution has actively

REPORT OF THE SECRETARY. 47

and efficiently co-operated by publishing projections of the phases and
times of their occurrence in different parts of America.

Under its auspices, and partly at its expense, an expedition was
inaugurated by Lieutenant Gilliss to observe the great eclipse of 1858
in Peru, from which data of value for the improvement of solar and
lunar tables were determined, besides facts of interest in regard to
the physical constitution of the sun.

Assistance was also rendered to the expeditions under the direction
of the Coast Survey to observe the eclipse of July 18, 1860, one of
which was sent to Labrador, under the charge of Professor S. Alex-
ander, of New Jersey, and the other to Washington Territory, under
that of Lieutenant Gilliss.

To these may be added an account of an instrument invented by
Rev. T. Hill, president of Harvard College, for the projection of
eclipses.

Physics and chemistry.—The Institution has fostered these sciences
in many different ways; among others, by importing models of the
most improved articles of apparatus, and making them known to
scientific men through lectures and otherwise.

It has instituted an extensive series of experiments on building
materials, particularly in reference to those employed by the gov-
ernment in the construction of the Capitol and other public edifices;
also a like series on acousties, as applied to public halls, and the prin-
ciples deduced from these were practically applied in the construction
of a model lecture-room. It has made a very extended series of ex-
periments on different substances employed for light-house illumina-
tion, from which has resulted the substitution of another material for
sperm oil, and the consequent annual saving of a large amount of
money to the government.

In compliance with requests made by different departments of the
government and of Congress, particularly since the war, it has con-
ducted various series of investigations, principally in relation to ques-
tions involving mechanical, chemical, and physical principles, and has
made reports on subjects of this kind amounting, in the aggregate,
to several hundred.

To facilitate researches, a laboratory has been established and kept
constantly in working condition, the privilege of using it having been
given to various competent persons for experimenting in different
branches of physical science. Just now it is occupied by Dr. Weth-
erill for the purpose of conducting a series of analyses of samples of

4§ REPORT OF TIE SECRETARY.

air from the halls of Congress, &c., from which a report is to he
made, under the direction of the Institution, on the ventilation of the
public buildings of this city.

The most important publications under this head are the researches
relative to electric currents, by Professor Secchi; on the explosibility

of nitre, by Dr. Hare; on the ammonia-cobalt bases, by Drs. Gibbs

and Genth; and on astronomical photography, by Dr. Henry Draper.

A valuable report on recent improvements in the chemical arts by
Booth & Morfit was published in 1852, and there have been given in the
annual reports of the Institution a series of translations and articles
presenting a viev of the progress of physics and chemistry from
year to year, since 1853, among which we may particularly notice
the translation of Miller on recent contributions to electricity, and
the reprint of Powell on Radiant Heat.

Terrestrial magnetism.—The subject of terrestrial magnetism has
been prosecuted simultaneously with that of meteorology, and an
observatory was erected in the Smithsonian grounds, fitted up with
the most approved instruments, and conducted under the joint
auspices of the Institution and of the Coast Survey. After remain-
ing in operation for several years, the instruments were transferred
to Key West, as a remote station where observations were still more
desirable. Instruments were also furnished an expedition to Mexico,
and used with much success by Mr. Sonntag, whose results were
published in the Smithsonian Contributions to Knowledge. Appa-
ratus was also furnished to Dr. Kane, Dr. Hayes, and other explorers,
by means of which valuable results were obtained.

Of the more important publications of the Institution, which have
tended to advance this science, may be mentioned the articles by
Dr. Locke, on the dip and intensity; the elaborate discussion, by
Professor Bache, of the magnetic observations made at Girard College
from 1841 to 1845; the report on magnetical observations in the
arctic seas by Dr. Kane, reduced at the expense of the Institution
by Mr. C. A. Schott, and those made in Pennsylvania and adjacent
States by Professor Bache, and in Mexico by Mr. Sonntag.

Lixplorations.—In the deficiency of means for more extended oper-
ations, as has been frequently represented in the annual reports, the
efforts of the Institution in the line of explorations and collections are
confined, as strictly as possible, to America; but within this limit
there are few regions which have not furnished scope, in some form,
to its activity. Arctic America, all the unknown portions of the

REPORT OF THE SECRETARY. 49»

United States, Mexico, Central and South America, and the West
Indies, have been laid under contribution for facts and materials by-
which to advance science.

An eminently useful influence has been exerted by the Institutiom
through the aid it has afforded in the organization of the different
government explorations by land and by sea. Whether by official
representations to the heads of departments, or personal influence
with officers and employés, it has secured the engagement of indi-
viduals competent to collect facts and specimens; it has instructed
persons thus engaged, and others, in the details of observation ; it
has superintended the preparation, and, in some cases, borne the ex-
pense of the necessary outfits ; has furnished fresh supplies from time
to time to the collectors while in the field ; received the collections
made, and preserved them for future study, or at once consigned
them to the hands of competent persons, both at home and abroad,
for investigation; directing the execution of the necessary drawings
and engravings for the reports, and, finally, superintending the print-
ing and even the distribution of any available copies of the completed
works to institutions of science. Prior to the establishment of the
Institution but little had been done by our government in the way of
scientific explorations, with the exception of that under Captain
Wilkes. But since then nearly every United States expedition,
whether a survey for a Pacific railroad route, a boundary line between
the United States and regions north or south of it, or within its
borders, a wagon-road across the Rocky mountains, or an ordinary
topographical exploration, has been influenced and aided more or
less, as above stated. A list of the expeditions has been, from time
to time, published in the annual reports, and it is sufficient here to
say that their total number up to the present time is about fifty.

Besides these, similar explorations have been carried on without.
any reference to the government, and either entirely or in a great:
measure at the expense of the Institution, and always at its sugges--
tion, or under its direction. Prominent among these may be menr-
tioned the three years’ researches in the arctic regions, by Mr. Ken--
nicott, with the co-operation of gentlemen of the Hudson’s Bay Com-
pany; of Mr. Drexler, in the region of Hudson’s bay, and also in the-
Rocky mountains ; of Mr. Coues, in Labrador ; of Lieutenant Feilner,
in Nebraska and Northern California; of Mr. John Xantus, at Fort.
Tejon, Cape St. Lucas, and in Western Mexico; of Lieutenant Trow-
bridge, on the coast of California; of Drs. Cooper and Suckley,. in
Western America generally; of Drs. Coues and Beers, in Kansas,

48

50 REPORT OF THE SECRETARY.

New Mexico, and Arizona; of Dr. Irwin, in Arizona; of Dr. Hitz,
about Laramie Peak ; of Lieutenant Couch, in Texas and Mexico ; of
G. Wurdemann, Lieutenant Wright, Captain Woodbury, and others,
in Florida and the Gulf of Mexico ; of Dr. Sartorius, Professor Sumi-
chrast, Dr. Berendt, in Mexico; Dr: Von Frantz, J. Carniol, in
Costa Rica; of Mr. March, in Samael: of Mr. Wright, Dr. Gund-
lach, Professor Poey, in Cuba; Judge Carter, in Bolivia, besides
many others.

In addition to the collections which have been received from ex-
plorations organized under the direction of the Institution, large
numbers of duplicate specimens have been presented by the meteor-
ological observers and other Smithsonian collaborators, the whole
forming a body of material for the illustration and study of the pro-
ducts of the American continent unequalled by any collection pre-
viously made. The explorations, however, as might be inferred,
have not been confined to the collecting of specimens, but have also
furnished information relative to the topography, geology, physical
geography, ethnology, and the living fauna of the regions visited.

The results have been published by government, the Institution,
or other parties. The extent and importance of these publications
may be seen in the volumes of the reports of the Pacific rai: road and
Mexican boundary surveys; of the United States astronomical expe-
dition to Chili, under the late lamented Captain Gilliss ; of Captain
Stansbury’s exploration of Utah; of Lieutenant Michler’s of the
Isthmus of Darien, &c., &c.; in the volumes of the Smithsonian pub-
ications, and in the transactions of nearly all the scientific institu-
tions in the United States.

In order to facilitate the operations of collectors, a series of gene-
ral directions have been prepared and widely distributed, free of
charge, for collecting, preserving, and transporting specimens of

natural history, and also special instructions for collecting nests, eggs,
shells, insects, &c.

Description and distribution of collections and specimens. —The object
of making these collections, in conformity with the policy of the In-
_ stitution, was not merely to supply a large museum in Washington
* with permanent specimens or duplicates for exchange, but to furnish
the naturalists of the world with the materials for advancing the
science of the natural history of North America, and of facilitating
the study of its various branches by supplying museums both in the
United States and in Wurope with sets of type specimens.

REPORT OF THE SECRETARY. 51

In pursuance of this object, full sets of the specimens collected
have been submitted to a large number of naturalists, both in this
country and abroad, for critical study and description, and it is not
too much to say that scarcely a monographic investigation has been
conducted for ten years past inany branch of American zoology which
has not derived part or the whole of its material from the Smithsonian
collections. Duplicates of the specimens, when described, have been
made up into series for distribution, always accurately labelled, and
are usually types of some published investigation. The average of
such distribution has, for the last ten years, been at least ten thousand
specimens annually, while the distribution of 1864 amounted to nearly
five thousand species and seventeen thousand specimens. In this
way, besides supplying the principal museums of Europe with speci-
mens, all the older museums in this country as well as Canada have
been largely increased, and the foundation for several new establish-
ments of a similar kind has been furnished. As an illustration of
what has been done in the way last mentioned, I may cite the large
donation of labelled specimens which has been made to the museum
of the University of Michigan, and the co-operation which has been
afforded the liberal-minded citizens of Chicago in founding a museum
and establishing a society of natural history, which, under the direc-
tion of Mr. Kennicott and Dr. Stimpson, is diffusing a taste for the
study of nature in that city of unparalleled growth, which cannot be
otherwise than highly salutary in ameliorating the sensual effects of
great material prosperity.

The Institution has also done good service in promoting and assist-
ing the formation of local societies in rural districts for the collection
of specimens and the recording of natural phenomena. ‘To all socie-
ties of this kind, as well as to colleges and academies making special
application, labelled specimens have been presented.

This distribution of specimens is very different from the ordinary
exchanges conducted between institutions or individuals, which usually
involve the return of an equivalent. The question with the Smith-
sonian Institution is, not what can be had in return, but where a par-
ticular specimen or series of specimens can be placed so as best to
advance the cause of science, by being most accessible to the largest
number of students engaged in original investigations.

Palceontology, geology, physical geography, &c.—Appropriations have
been made for investigations of the surface formation of the Con-
necticut valley by Professor E. Hitchcock, and for the collection of
materials for the illustration of the geology and palzontology of par-

52 REPORT OF THE SECRETARY.

ticular regions. Appropriation has also been made to Professor
Guyot for a barometrical survey of the different parts of the Al-
leghany mountains, and to other persons for collecting observations
on heights, as. determined in different parts of the country by the
various canal and railway surveys.

The publications on these subjects, besides the papers of Professor
Hitchcock on surface geology, are as follows:

A memoir on Mosasaurus, by Dr. R. W. Gibbs.

On the extinct species of the fossil ox and sloth of North America,
and on the ancient Fauna of Nebraska, by Dr. Leidy.

On the Physical Geography of the Mississippi Valley, by Charles
Ellet.

On the Law of Deposit of Flood Tide, by Admiral Davis.

On the Fluctuations of the level of the great American Lakes, by
C. Whittlesey. ,

On the Paleontology of the Upper Missouri, and Check List of
miocene, cretaceous and jurassic Invertebrata, by F. B. Meek.

A memoir by Dr. Leidy, now in press, on the extinct reptiles of
the cretaceous period, will, it is believed, be a valuable manual of
reference.

The Institution has published a Check List of minerals, with their
symbols, prepared by Mr. Egleston, with special reference to facili-
tating the labelling of the Smithsonian minerals and the exchange of
specimens, and it may be mentioned that extensive distribution has
been made of specimens of building stone employed by the govern-
ment.

Botany.—This branch of general natural history has been advanced
by the Institution, not only by means of the publication of original
memoirs, but also by explorations and collections made at the expense
of the Smithsonian fund. The most important work which has
been published is a large quarto volume, illustrated by expensive
colored plates, on the algae of the entire North American waters.
The work was written for the Institution by Dr. Harvey, of the
University of Dublin, and has been the means of rendering this
order of the vegetable kingdom more generally known. ‘The Insti-
tution has also published several papers on the plants of New Mexico
and California, by Dr. Gray, of Cambridge, and Dr. Torrey, of New
York.

Duplicates of the specimens described have been presented to in-
stitutions at home and abroad. Considerable labor has also been ex-

REPORT OF THE SECRETARY. 3)

pended in the preparation of an original report on the forest trees of
America, by Dr. Gray. This work, however, has been interrupted
for some time, but will be resumed, it is expected, during the present
year.

General Zoology.—A large part of the collections made by the In-
stitution belong to the general class of zoology, intended to advance
the study of animal life upon the continent of America.

The ornithology of America has always been a speciality of the
Smithsonian Institution, more efforts having been made to perfect its
collection in this department than any other. The Institution has pub-
lished the first part of a work by Dr. T. M. Brewer, suitably illus-
trated, on the distribution and habits of North American birds during
the breeding season, with descriptions and figures of their eggs, the
materials being derived entirely from the collections of the Institution,
and mostly made at its special request. This is the first separate
work on North American zoology ever prepared. A catalogue of
North American birds, prepared by Professor S. F. Baird, has been
extensively used at home and abroad in labelling collections.

Professor Baird is now engaged in preparing a general report
on our knowledge of North American ornithology to the present
date, with the addition of the species of Central and South America
and the West Indies; the materials being derived almost entirely
from the specimens collected by the Institution, which have been in-
creased since the publication of the extensive work on the same sub-
ject by Professor Baird in the Pacific railroad report, from 12,000 to
35,000.

The collections which have been made by the Institution for the
illustration of mammalia have been very extensive, amounting to
6,000 specimens, and have notronly included many duplicates. of the
species previously known, but a very large number entirely new to
science. A catalogue of North American mammals, chiefly those
collected by the Institution, prepared by Professor Baird, has been
published and distributed to those interested in the study; also a
monograph of North American bats, prepared by Dr. H. Allen.
Materials are now in course of accumulation to complete the account
of the classes of mammals of North America which have not been in-
cluded in the publications of the Institution and Pacific railroad
reports.

Ags with all American vertebrata, the collections of reptiles and
fishes made by the Institution have been very extensive, and numer-

54 REPORT OF THE SECRETARY.

ous monographs or articles have been published relative to them in
the Pacific railroad reports and the proceedings of different natural
history societies, the Institution having published a synopsis of the
serpents of North America, and a monograph of the Cottoids.

The Institution has materially aided the study of the entomology
of this country, not only by the collections in that branch, but by
preparing and publishing a series of works for the purpose of ex-
hibiting the state of knowledge on the subject and facilitating its
further advancement. It has published and distributed the follow-
ing under this head :

Instructions for collecting and preserving insects, and catalogues,
synopses, or monographs of the Diptera, Coleoptera, Lepidoptera,
and Neuroptera, prepared by the most competent authorities in Ku-
rope and America. .

It has also in course of preparation works relative to the Hymen-
optera, Homoptera, Hemiptera, Orthoptera, &.

In the preparation of these publications the Institution is indebted

for gratuitous assistance to Dr. Jno. Leconte, Baron Osten Sacken,
and others.

Conchology.—A large collection of specimens of shells was received
from the United States exploring expedition, which has been much
increased by subsequent additions. All the shells of the west coast
of the United States, and those generally collected by the exploring
expedition, have been put into the hands of Mr. P. P. Carpenter, of
England, the new ones to be described for publication, and the dupli-
cates of the whole to be arranged for distribution to museums, col-
leges, and other establishments. This work is nearly completed,
and a large number of partial sets of the shells have been distributed
in accordance with the plan just mentioned. The publications on
this subject are lists of North American shells, circulars relative to
collecting, an elementary introduction to the study of conchology, .
and an extensive work in two octavo volumes on the Bibliography
of North American Conchology, by W. G. Binney, and a monograph
of the Corbiculadw, by Temple Prime. Besides these a number of
articles are in the press or in course of preparation.

Microscopy.—Encouragement has been given to this branch of
science by importing, as samples, simple formsof working microscopes,
and also by stimulating our native artists to greater exertion in the
construction of this instument, by ordering the best that could be
produced. Samples of microscopic organisms have been collected

REPORT OF THE SECRETARY. 55

and distributed to observers, and examinations and reports have
been made on a large number of this class of objects sent to the In-
stitution. The publications in regard to this subject are a number
of papers by Professor Bailey, of West Point, and a very interesting
memoir by Dr. Leidy, of Philadelphia, on a fauna and flora within
living animals.

Physiology.—No experiments on this subject have been made under
the immediate direction of the Institution, although it has furnished
the materials for investigation by other parties. The publications in
regard to it are chemical and physical researches concerning North
American vertebrata, by Dr. J. Jones ; researches upon the venom
of the rattlesnake, with an investigation of the anatomy and physi-
ology of the organs concerned, by Dr. S. W. Mitchell; on the
breathing organs of turtles, by Drs. Mitchell and Morehouse; on
the anatomy of the nervous system of rana pipiens, by Dr. J. Wy-
man ; and on the medulla oblongata by Dr. John Dean.

Ethnology and Philology.—One of the earliest efforts on the part of
the Institution was directed to the advancement of the science of
American ethnology. Its first publication as well as introductory
volume to the series of Smithsonian Contributions to Knowledge, be-
ing the work of Squier and Davis, on the ancient monuments of the
Mississippi valley, remains the standard treatise on this subject.
This was followed by a similar work on the antiquities of New York,
by Mr. Squier ; and those of Wisconsin, by Mr. Lapham, of Ohio ;
and of Lake Superior, by Mr. Whittlesey ; a memoir on some anti-
quities of Mexico, by Brantz Mayer ; and a general introduction to
the whole subject of American archeology, by Mr. Haven, besides
many articles of less extent in one cr another of the Smithsonian
series. Several pamphlets of instructions for making observations
and collections in this science have also been issued.

In the department of philology, also, the Institution has evinced
its zeal and activity by the publication, among others, of the elaborate
work on the Dakota language, by Mr. Riggs; that on the Yoruba
language, by Mr. Bowen; and that on the Chinook jargon, by Mr.
Turner and Mr. Gibbs. To Mr. Shea, of New York, who is engaged
in the preparation of a library of American languages, annual appro-
priations from the funds of the Institution have been made in fur-
therance of the publication of linguistic memoirs furnished by its
correspondents.

Systematic efforts have been directed by the Institution to the
collection of as perfect a series as possibleof the specimens of Ameri-

-56 REPORT OF THE SECRETARY.

-ean antiquities, and of those illustrative of the habits of the modern
native tribes. Already an extensive collection has been accumulated,
and the preparation and distribution of a series of colored casts of
the more interesting specimens of aboriginal art have been com-
menced. The former picture gallery had just been fitted up with
cases two hundred feet in length, for the reception of these, when the
disastrous fire occurred, which destroyed the upper part of the centre
building; fortunately, however, before any of these specimens had
been placed in the room.

Correspondence.—The Institution has constantly received a large
number of communications, asking information on a variety of sub-
jects, particularly in regard to the solution of scientific questions, the
names and characters of objects of natural history, and the analysis
of soils, minerals, and other materials which pertain to the industrial
resources of the country. Answers have in all cases been given to
these inquiries, either directly by the officers of the Institution or by
reports from the Smithsonian collaborators. A considerable portion
of the correspondence burned in the office of the Secretary was of this
character. The loss in this case is to be regretted, not only on
account of the valuable information the letters and answers contained,
but also on account of the illustration they afforded of the influence
of the Institution, and the condition of the public mind at a given
time. Hvery subject connected with science which strongly attracts
popular attention never fails to call forth a large number of inquiries
and suggestions.

International exchanges.—To facilitate the direct correspondence
between the learned institutions and scientific men of the two worlds,
and the free exchange of their publications, has, from the first, been
a special object of attainment with the Smithsonian Institution. Year
by year its plans for this purpose have been modified and improved,
until the system has become as nearly complete and satisfactory as
the funds and force at its disposal will allow. At the present day it
is the great medium of scientific intercommunication between the New
World and the Old; its benefits and services being recognized alike by
individuals, institutions, and governments. Its parcels pass all the
custom-houses without question or interference, while American and
foreign lines of transportation, with rare exceptions, vie with each
other in the extent of the privileges accorded it. To so great an
extent has its sphere of activity been enlarged, that it is no exaggera-
tion to say that a very large proportion of all international exchanges
of the kind referred to are now made through its instrumentality.

REPORT OF THE SECRETARY. 5

At the present time the Institution is prepared to receive, at periods
made known through its circulars, any books or pamphlets of scientific,
literary, or benevolent character which any institutions or individuals
in America may wish to present to a correspondent elsewhere, sub-
ject only to the condition of being delivered in Washington free of
cost, and of being accompanied by a separate list of the parcels sent.
Where any party may have special works to distribute, the Institu-
tion is always prepared to furnish a list of suitable recipients. In
many cases where works of value have been published by the United
States or State governments, likely to be of importance to students
abroad, application has been made by the Institution for copies, in
most cases with success. The articles and volumes, when received,
are assorted and combined into packages, and these, after being
properly addressed and enclosed in boxes, are despatched to the
agents of the Institution in London, Leipsic, Paris, and Amsterdam.
The boxes are there unpacked, and the contents distributed through
the proper channels ; the returns for these transmissions are received
by the same agents, and boxed, and forwarded to Washington, from
which point the parcels for other parties are sent to their proper
destination. All the expenses of packing, boxing, agencies, freights,
&c., are borne by the Institution, with the exception of the local
conveyance of single parcels by express or otherwise within the
United States.

LOCAL OBJECTS.

Under this head we'have classed those parts of the programme
which were indicated by Congress, and which do not, so directly as
the objects we have already described, contribute to the advance of
knowledge. It will be seen, however, that they have been made as
far as possible to harmonize with the active operations, and to assist
in their progress.

Inbravy.—Although the act of Congress directed that provision
should be made for the »ccommodation of a library, on a liberal scale,
it was soon seen, after the organization of the Institution, that it
would be impossible, from the income which could be devoted to it,
to establish a first-class general library. Even had this been practi-
cable, it. would still have seemed superfluous to do so in the very
vicinity of the miscellaneous library of Congress, which is every
year increasing in extent under the liberal appropriations which are
annually made for the purchase of books. It was therefore deemed

58 REPORT OF THE SECRETARY.

preferable, and more consonant with the purposes of the Institution,
to forma special library, which might constitute, as it were, a sup-
plement to the library of Congress, and consist, for the most part,
of complete sets of the proceedings and transactions of all the learned
societies in the world, and of other serials essential for reference by
students specially engaged in original scientific research. The efforts
of the Institution to carry out this plan, which has since been sanc-
tioned by Congress, have been eminently successful. Principally
through exchanges, and occasionally hy purchase, a more complete
collection of the works above mentioned has been procured than is
to be found in any library of the United States, or is easily met with
even in Europe. The Institution has been assisted in making this -
collection by the liberality of many of the older libraries abroad, which,
on application, have furnished from their duplicates volumes and even
whole sets to complete series of works long since out of print, and
which, in some cases, could not have been obtained through any
other means. The library isalso quite rich in monographic or special
treatises in the physical and natural sciences, lacking as yet, it is true,
some of the more expensive volumes, but still affording the means of
prosecuting almost any scientific investigation. One specialty con-
sists of the large number of maps and charts obtained by exchange
from geographical and hydrographical establishments. &c. This col-
lection is as complete as any in the country.

No effort is spared to render the library of the Institution condu-
cive to the advance of science. Two editions of the catalogue of
serial works have already been published, and a third is now in press;
this will probably fill four hundred octavo pages, and will be com-
pleted in the course of the present year, to be followed by a cata-
logue of the special works.

As in most libraries of special character, and, indeed, in most large
public libraries, the public are allowed free access to the library-room
during office hours, but are not generally permitted to take books
away. When, however, any applicant is known to be engaged in
the prosecution of original investigations, which promise to advance
science, and requires the assistance of books found in the Smithsonian
library, they are freely lent, even to persons in the remote portions of
the United States. Any losses which may occur by the adoption of
this course are more than compensated by the advantages derived
from it.

Congress had provided by the law of organization that a copy of
all copyright works should be presented to the library of this Institu

REPORT OF THE SECRETARY. 59

tion. This it was supposed would be the means of securing im-
portant additions to the library. It was found, however, in practice,
to impose a burden on the funds of the Institution for which no
adequate compensation accrued ; copies of the most valuable works
were not presented, because there was no penalty imposed for the
neglect to comply with the requirement, and the expense of clerk-
hire in recording and furnishing certificates was greater than the
value of the articles received, consisting, as they did principally, of
sheets of music, labels of patent medicines, novels, and element-
ary works of instruction. The law was, therefore, on special appli-
cation, so modified that authors were required in future only to send
a copy of their works to the copyright bureau of the Department of
the Interior and to the Library of Congress.

A special library of the character above described, consisting of
serials, must of necessity constantly increase with the additions made
to the series of the existing associations which annually publish their
transactions. The Smithsonian library, therefore, comprises a prin-
ciple of indefinite augmentation, both as regards extent and value ;
and although this increase will result mainly from the exchanges
produced by the active operations, yet additional accommodations
will be constantly acquired. Hence it may become a matter of consid-
eration, hereafter, whether, since Congress has appropriated $160, 000
to the enlargement of the accommodation for its own library, 1t may
not be expedient to request that the Smithsonian collection be re-
ceived and arranged as one of its departments, while the free use and
general control of the same shall still be retained by the Institution.

Museum.—The same remarks which have been made in regard to
the library may, with little modification, be applied to the museum.
The portion of the funds of the Institution which it is practicable to
devote to the museum is not sufficient to support an establishment of
this kind worthy of the seat of government of the United States.
Indeed, it is generally now conceded by those who have critically ex-
amined the subject, that the accommodation and perpetual mainten-
ance of a large collection of objects of nature and art intended for
popular exhibition, or even for educational purposes, ought not to have
been imposed upon the Smithsonian fund. It has been seen from the
foregoing statement how much can be done in the way of advancing
natural history independent of a costly edifice, and the support of
a popular museum in which are to be continually exhibited even
type specimens. It is true that specimens of this character ought

60 REPORT OF THE SECRETARY.

to be preserved for study; but seeing that there are in the country a
number of special museums which would gladly become the custodians
of these objects, and that the hope is yet confidently entertained
that Congress will, in due time, establish a national museum which
shall rival those of other countries, it has been thought advisable
to restrict the collections which are retained in the Smithsonian
museum— first, to those made by the exploring expedition, the care
ef which Congress has devolved upon the Institution ; and, second,
to such type specimens as are thought of special interest as illus-
trating the Smithsonian publications.

The museum has been rendered particularly attractive to the visit-
ors and inhabitants of Washington by the large number of birds and
mammals which have been mounted for public exhibition, and in this
way it has undoubtedly contributed to the popularity, though it has
diminished the efficiency, of the Institution. The danger, however,
to be guarded against, is the constant tendency to expand the col-
lections, and hence gradually to absorb the income in their support.
It should be recollected that the buildimg has borne upon the re-
sources of the Institution with a cost of more than $300,000, and that
at least an additional $100,000 will be necessary to repair the recent
damages, and this mainly to render the edifice better adapted for the

accommodation of the library and museum.

Little has been said in this sketch in regard to the gallery of art.
The impropriety of expending the income of the bequest in attempt-
ing to form a collection of articles in this line worthy of the country
has had no prominent advocates, even among artists; still, in con-
nexion with the museum, a collection has been formed which princi-
pally consists of plaster casts of distinguished individuals, and a few
pictures which have either been presented to the Institution or are
the property of the government. ‘The only purchase in this line
which the Institution has made is that from Hon. George P. Marsh,
of a series of valuable engravings to illustrate the early history of
art.

Lectures.—As a part of the programme of organization finally
adopted, courses of lectures were to be delivered, but instead of at-
tempting to furnish popular instruction by this means to all parts of
the country, as was at first proposed, the lectures have been confined
to the city of Washington ; and in order to render them generally
useful, synopses of the more important ones have been published in
the annual reports. At the commencement of the Institution, and

ws

REPORT OF THE SECRETARY. 61

before the plan of organization was generally understood, special
care was taken to invite as lecturers men of prominence in the line
of literature that they might have an opportunity to become familiar
with the plan adopted, and in this way many prejudices were: re-
moved and much information diffused as to the character of the es-
tablishment.

The lectures were commenced before the building was erected, the
first course being in 1847, by the Rev. Dr. Scoresby, of England, on
the construction and use of the large telescope of Harl Rosse, and
have been continued every winter up to the present time. Until
within the last four years they were well attended, and no doubt
produced a beneficial effect ; but since the commencement of the war
and the introduction into the city of a large number of sources of
amusement, the audience has fallen off, or has been composed in a
large degree of persons seeking amusement rather than information,
The most important result produced by the lectures is that derived
from their publication.

_ Nothing definite can be said at present as to the financial arrange-
ments for the repair of the building. The subjectis still before Con-
gress, and although the idea has been confidently entertained that an
appropriation would be made for the purpose, yet from the discussion
which took place in the meeting of the joint committee of the two
Houses appointed to consider this matter, I do not think a resolution
authorizing such an appropriation will be adopted. In view of the
impression produced by this discussion, at which I was invited to be
present, I suggested to the committee that if the members would
agree to recommend an appropriation to pay the back premium on
coin for the last four years’ interest on the Smithsonian fund, and in
the event of the success of the recommendation, I thought the Regents
would have it in their power to finish the repairs by means of the
extra fund which has been accumulated.
Respectfully submitted.
JOSEPH HENRY, Secretary.
WASHINGTON, 1865.

62 ARTICLES REFERRED TO IN THE SECRETARY'S REPORT.

DRAPER’S TELESCOPS.

BY THE REV. T. W. WEBB, A.M., F.R.A.S.

From the ‘‘ Intellectual Obserecr,’? London.

Tr is gratifying to observe that, amidst all the calamities and distresses and
confusion of a most unhappy civil war, the studies of peace have not been
wholly lost to sight. A remarkable instance of this is afforded by the recent
appearance, among the publications of the American Smithsonian Institution,
of a very interesting and valuable memoir, “On the Construction of a Silvered
Glass Telescope, 15$ inches in aperture, and its use in celestial photography,
by Henry Draper, M.D., Professor of Natural Science in the University of New
York.” A copy of this, through the courtesy of the author, being now in my
hands, I have thought that some account of its contents might prove interesting,
especially at a time when silvered glass specula are attracting some attention in
England, and (unless we are much mistaken) are likely to be more generally
known and valued as most important aids to the progress of observation.

The opening sentence of this memoir requires, however, we venture to think,
a little qualification. ‘The construction of a reflecting telescope capable of
showing every celestial object now known,” Dr. Draper tells us, “ is not a very
dificult task.”” We should have no hesitation in expunging the negative here,
unless it were permitted to add, “when study, and labor, and ingenuity, and
perseverance have been brought to bear upon it, equal to those displayed by
Dr. Draper.” His subsequent remark is of more universal application: “The
cost of materials is but trifling compared with the result obtained; and I can
see no reason why silvered glass instruments should not come into general use
among amateurs. ‘The future hopes of astronomy lie in the multitude of ob-
servers, and in the concentration of the action of many minds.” His first idea
was derived from an examination, in 1857, of Lord Rosse’s great reflector, and
of the machinery by which it was perfected; and on his return home in the
following year, he resolved to construct a similar, though smaller instrument,
larger, however, than any in America, and adapted to celestial photography.
A metal speculum was first completed, but was split in two during the winter
of 1860 by the expansion of a few drops of water that became frozen in the
supporting case ; and his attention was then, at Sir John Herschel’s suggestion,
turned to silvered glass mirrors, as reflecting more than 90 per cent. of incident
light, with only gth of the weight of metal. The year 1861 was occupied in
overcoming the difficulties of grinding and polishing three 154-inch disks of
glass, as well as a variety of smaller pieces. Three similar mirrors were found
almost essential, as two would often be so much alike that a third was necessary
to gain a further step in advance. One was made to acquire a parabolic figure,
(see INTELLECTUAL OBSERVER, ili, 213,) and bore a power of 1000. The
winter was spent in perfecting the art of silvering and studying photographic

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REPORT OF THE SECRETARY

OF THE

SMITHSONTAN INSTITUTION

BOARD OF REGENTS,
JANUARY, 1866.

BEING A PART OF THE ANNUAL VOLUME OF THE INSTITUTION
FOR THE YEAR 1865.

WASHINGTON, D. C.
1866.

REPORT OF THE SECRETARY.

To the Board of Regents :

GENTLEMEN : The principal object of the annual report of the Sec-
retary is to present to the Board of Regents, at the beginning of their
session, such an account of the events and operations of the previous
year as may serve as the basis of their deliberation, as well as
furnish the materials for a connected history of the Institution. Be-
sides this, however, it is desirable that each report should contain
such brief expositions as may tend to keep the ever-changing public
informed as to the true character of the establishment and of the re-
sults it is intended to produce. The importance of these repetitions
will be evident when it is recollected that these reports follow each
other after a considerable interval of time, are in great part distribu-
ted to different persons, and that now, after an interval of little less
than twenty years since the first one was published, but few indi-
- viduals can obtain access to an entire set. Indeed, it is often a mat-
ter of surprise to meet so many intelligent persons, even in the city
of Washington, who are entirely ignorant of the terms of the bequest
on which the Institution is founded, and of the plan which has been
adopted to execute the trust thereby devolved upon the government.
It can, therefore, scarcely be too often repeated that the Institution
is not, as our foreign correspondents often suppose, an association of
'_ learned men similar to the scientific societies of Europe and America;
that it is not a university for the education of youth, nor an agency
for the diffusion of useful knowledge among the people of the United
States, but primarily a foundation for enlarging the boundaries of
science by stimulating and assisting the researches of original inquir-
ers, wherever found, and for gratuitously diffusing the results of such
researches wherever they may conduce to the intellectual or material
interests of men.

The general plan adopted for the realization of these benevolent
_ purposes, and steadily pursued from the beginning, has been repeat-
edly explained in the successive reports, and might, indeed, be gath-
ered from almost any one of them by an attentive consideration of
the account given of the operations of each year. In the last report
a brief sketch was presented of all that had been accomplished in the

14 REPORT OF THE SECRETARY. »
oo

way of advancing science through the agency of the Smithsonian be-
quest, and in the present report it is purposed to continue this histor-
ical account to the close of the year just passed, accompanied with
such other particulars as may be needed for better illustration, and
such suggestions as may seem necessary in regard to the policy of the
Institution.

The most important event of 1865 was the destruction of a part of
the building and its contents by the fire of January 24. This event
must continue to form an epoch in the history of the Institution; and
though it cannot but be considered a most serious disaster, it may yet
lead to changes of importance in the correction of tendencies which
might ultimately have absorbed the annual income and neutralized
the more liberal policy which has thus far been pursued. In view,
therefore, of the character of the event, as well as the continuity of
the history, it is deemed expedient, before proceeding with an ac-
count of the operations of the year, to repeat briefly the facts con-
nected with the origin and results of the fire.

It may be well, however, for the better information of those not
acquainted with the Smithsonian building, to premise in regard to it
the following particulars: It consists of a main edifice two hundred
feet long and fifty wide, with two large wings and two connecting
ranges, having in allanextreme length, in an east and west direction,
of four hundred and fifty feet. In front and rear of the middle
portion are projections, terminated by high towers, two on the north
and one on the south side; moreover, on each corner of the middle
building is a smaller tower, and also one on each of the two wings.

The whole of the first story of the main building, in a single room,
is devoted to the museum; the upper story, in three apartments,
was assigned to the lecture. room, the gallery of art, and the cabinet
of apparatus. The west wing is entirely appropriated to the library;
the east wing to the residence of tne Secretary and a storeroom for
publications and specimens of natural history. The east connecting
range contains the laboratcry and office rooms; the west range is an
extension of the museum. In the large towers were the Regents’
room, the offices of the Secretary, storerooms, and workshop.

Though the original plan was much admired for its architectural
effect, it was soon found that, in relation to the means at the disposal
of the building committee, it was too expensive to admit in its con-
struction of the exclusive use of fire-proof materials; hence, while the
exterior was to be constructed of cut freestone, it was concluded to
finish the interior in wood and stucco. Fortunately this plan, which

&

>.

REPORT OF THE SECRETARY. 15

was carried outin regard to the wings, the connecting ranges,and

‘the towers, was abandoned before the completion of the main build-

ing. After the exterior of this, including the roof, had been finished,
and the framing of the interior was in place, the latter suddenly ©
gave way and was precipitated into the cellar—a mass of broken
timber. The attention of the Regents having been called by this
accident to the insecurity of the wood-work, they directed that
the further progress of the building should be stopped until means
could. be accumulated for finishing the remainder of the edifice in a
more stable manner and with fire-proof materials. In accordance with
this direction, after an interval of several years, the construction
was recommenced under the direction of Captain (now General) B. 8.
Alexander, of the Engineer corps, and the whole of the main building,

_ except the inside of the towers and the framing of the roof, which

had previously been completed, was finished in a substantial manner
in iron and brick work. The architect advised the removal of the
roof, but as this would have swelled the cost of the building still fur-
ther beyond the estimate and the means at command, and as the cov-
ering was of slate, the framing under it was thought to be in no danger
from fire. This, however, was destined to be the part on which the
first attack of the element was tobe made. Through a mistake in

- some workmen, the pipe of a stove which had been temporarily used

in one of the upper rooms was introduced through the wall into a
furring space resembling a flue, but which discharged the heated air
from the combustion into the loft immediately under the roof, in-
stead of into the air, through the true chimney. The rafters were
set on fire, and before the burning was discovered the entire wood
work under the covering was in flames. The progress of the fire
was so rapid, that but few of the contents of the upper rooms could
be removed before the roof fell in. The flames soon extended to
the large towers, and as these acted as high chimneys, they greatly
increased the intensity of the combustion. The conflagration was
only stayed by the incombustible materials of the main building. Had

the original plan of constructing the interior of the edifice in wood-

and plaster been fully carried out, the whole structure would have
been destroyed, and the valuable library and rich collections of speci-
mens of natural history entirely lost.

The aperture which deceived the workmen was probably made by
those who originally plastered the building. It occupied a middle
point between two windows, and from its position would naturally

lead to the inference that it was designed to conduct the products of

16 REPORT OF THE SECRETARY.

combustion directly into the chimney, from which it was only separated
by the thickness of a single brick. For what reason it had not been
placed in the middle between the two windows is unknown. It is
remembered that some ten years previous to the fire this opening
was, during several weeks, used for the insertion of a stove pipe,
without suspicion of accident at the time; but in the interval the
wood had undergone a process of drying which rendered it more
combustible.

Constantly impressed with the fact that the interior of the two
wings and the connecting ranges were constructed. of combustible
material, I have always felt great anxiety on account of the lability
to conflagration of these parts of the building. The rest of the edi-.
fice, with the exception of the interior of the towers, was supposed
to be secure from injury of this nature. A night watch was con-
stantly kept, barrels and buckets filled with water were placed at
suitable points, and strict rules were adopted prohibiting the carry-
ing of exposed lights, as well as the practice of smoking,in any part
of the edifice. That these precautions were unavailing has been —
seen; the fire having been communicated at a point where danger
was least suspected, and in a manner which rendered its occurrence
sooner or later almost inevitable.

The weather at the time was extremely cold, and before ahs engines
could be brought into operation the whole of the roof was in flames.
Commencing at the west end of the centre building, the flames
were driven by the wind, which blew from that direction, east-
wardly, and fortunately away from the library, in the west wing.
The destruction of the roof of the main building involved that of
the contents of the rooms immediately beneath it, and also those of
the three principal towers adjacent. In the former were the Indian
portrait gallery, the lecture room, and the apparatus room. The first
of these contained the large collection of paintings by Mr. Stanley
and a series of Indian portraits belonging to the government.» The
lecture room was constructed on acoustic and optical principles, and
not only answered perfectly the ends for which it was immediately
intended, but had served also as a model for lecture rooms in various
parts of the country. The apparatus room contained the principal
part of the articles presented by the late Dr. Robert Hare, and a
large number of instruments of recent construction, intended both for
illustration and original research. |

The losses in the south tower were, first, the contents of the Regents’
room, including the personal effects of Smithson; second, those of a

er er t=

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“a

REPORT OF THE SECRETARY. Bay |

large room above it, in which were stored the private library of Rev.
Dr. Johns, of Virginia, and the public library of Beaufort, 8. C.,de-
posited there at the request of Hon. Mr. Stanton, for preservation
until the end of the war; and third, in the attic, a large collection of
public documents and complete sets of the Smithsonian Reports, in-
tended for distribution. The effects of Smithson had but little in-
trinsic value, and were chiefly prized as mementoes of the founder of
the Institution. They consisted of a number of articles of chemical
and physical apparatus, such as were used by him in his perambula-
tory excursions, two small cabinets of minute specimens of miner-
als, a silver-plated dinner service, and a trunk filled with manu-
scripts. The portrait of Smithson while a student at Oxford, a me-
dallion likeness of him in bronze, his library, consisting of 150 vol-
umes, and a small painting were saved. The manuscripts consisted
principally of notes on scraps of paper, intended apparently for alpha-
betical arrangement in a common-place book, after the manner of a
philosophical dictionary.

The losses in the north towers were the contents of the offices of
the Secretary, including the records and copies of the correspondence
of the Institution, the wood-cuts to illustrate the publications, the
steel plates of an expensive memoir, several boxes of stereotype
plates, a large number of manuscripts of the Secretary on scientific
subjects, four memoirs accepted for publication, about a hundred
volumes of valuable books from the library, used for constant and
immediate reference; a large number of copies of the Smithsonian
Reports and duplicate documents; the contents of the workshop, con-
sisting of a lathe, forge, a full set of tools, and an assortment of
hardware and materials for the construction and repair of apparatus;
and of the upper room of the highest tower, including the clock-work
of an anemometer for recording the direction and force of the wind.
Not only was this instrument itself lost, but all the records which had
been obtained by the use of it for the last seven years. Fortunately,
nearly all the other meteorological records, which were in a lower
room, were saved.

The Indian portraits,as far as they were the likenesses of particu-
lar individuals, in most cases can never be reproduced, but we are
gratified to learn that the extensive collection of Mr. Catlin, of a sim-
ilar character, has been purchased in Europe by Mr. Harrison, of
Philadelphia, and will be rendered accessible to the student of eth-
nology. Besides this, there are in existence, particularly in Canada,

_ other portraits, sufficient in number and variety fully to illustrate the

28

18 REPORT OF THE SECRETARY.

characteristics of the race. At the same time the loss has fallen very
heavily upon Mr. Stanley, the painter and owner of this collection.
It was the result of the labor of many years among the Indians; it
constituted the pride, as it has been the crowning effort, of his life,
and he ardently desired that it might be transmitted to posterity as
a monument of his enterprise and industry. The hope is entertained
that the government will see fit to give him an order to paint a pic-
ture for the Capitol, in which the principal figures of this collection
and the characteristics of the Indian race may be portrayed.

The apparatus presented by Dr. Hare was interesting on account
of its association with the history of the advance of science in this
country. The collection contained most of the articles invented by
the donor, and which are described in the scientific journals of the
first half of the present century. Among the chemical implements
were those used by that distinguished chemist, in procuring for the
first time, without the aid of galvanism, calcium, the metallic basis
of lime. A number of the articles of apparatus presented by Dr. Hare,
though injured by the fire, may be repaired, and I have taken meas-
ures for their restoration.

Among the articles of historic interest which were lost is the lens
used by Priestley for the evolution of oxygen from the oxide of mer-
cury, and by means of which the first distinct recognition of this ele-
mentary substance was effected. It had been presented to the Insti-
tution by the nephew of the celebrated philosopher, as was also the
apparatus employed by Priestley in his experiments on bodies in con-
densed atmospheres. The latter was but slightly injured, and can
readily be repaired. The other articles of apparatus may be re-
placed at an expense of about ten thousand dollars.

The most irreparable loss was that of the records, consisting of
the official, scientific, and miscellaneous correspondence, embracing
30,000 pages of copied letters which had been sent; at least 30,000
of which were the composition of the Secretary, and 50,000 pages of
letters received by the Institution; the receipts for publications and
specimens; reports on various subjects which have been referred to
the Institution; the records of experiments instituted by the Secre-
tary for the government; four manuscripts of original investigations,
which had been adopted by the Institution for publication; a large
number of papers and scientific notes of the Secretary ; a series of
diaries, memorandum and account books. Fortunately, however, a
detailed history of the general operations of the Institution is pre-
served in the printed reports; and a large amount of correspondence
connected with natural history and meteorology was saved,

a7

REPORT OF THE SECRETARY. 19

Since the occurrence of the fire all the operations have been car-
ried on in the lower story of the east wing of the building, (the upper
part still continuing to be the residence of the Secretary, ) and in the
several rooms of the adjoining east range. Connected with an office
in the latter, the lower story of the tower attached to the southeast
corner of the main building has been converted into a fire-proof
vault, in which all the valuable papers and records are constantly
kept, except for the usually short time they are required for con-
sultation. To insure the wakefulness and fidelity of the watchmen,
we have introduced the use of an instrument called a ‘detector,’ which
records the number and the times of his visits to the several parts
of the building. For this instrument, which has rendered good ser-
vice during the past year, we are indebted to the liberality of its
inventor, Mr. J. KE. Bauerk, of Boston, who, in consideration of the
loss which the Institution has sustained by fire, kindly presented it
free of charge. *

A circumstantial account is given by the building committee of
what has been done toward the reconstruction of the edifice. From
this it will be seen that the plan adopted contemplates not merely
the repair of the damage by the fire, but the restoration of the
several parts in fire-proof materials, and with such alterations in the
division of the interior space as will better adapt it to the uses of
the Institution.

The plans have beep prepared and the work superintended by Mr.
Adolph Cluss, an architect who was warmly recommended by the
mayor of Washington as having been successful in designing and
erecting the public school-houses of the city as well as a number of
churches and other buildings. These plans have been critically ex-
amined and, in some cases, modified by the chairman of the building
committee, General Delafield, who, by his knowledge and experience
in the line of engineering, has rendered the Institution valuable
service.

No appropriation has yet been made by Congress to aid in the
restoration of the building. Considering, however, the large amount
of government property ‘intrusted to the care of the Institution, it
can scarcely be doubted that in a normal condition of the national
finances an appropriation for such purpose would have been readily
granted.

In consideration of the extraordinary outlay required for the recon-
struction of the building, an effort has been made to reduce as much
as possible the miscellaneous expenses, and to engage in no enter-

20 REPORT OF THE SECRETARY.

prise that is not absolutely necessary to the continuance of the general
operations. So many articles, however, of furniture and stores of
hardware and stationery were to be replaced that we have not been

able to reduce the expenditures to as low a point as we could wish; (
yet it will be seen that they fall somewhat below those of the pre- |
ceding year.

A reference to the report of the Executive Committee will show
that the following is the present condition of the fund:

First. The whole amount of money originally derived from the
bequest of Smithson is still in the treasury of the United States,
bearing interest at six per cent., paid semi-annually, and yielding
$30,910 yearly.

Second. Seventy-five thousand dollars of an extra fund are in
bonds of the State of Indiana, at five per cent. interest, also paid
semi-annually, yielding $3,750.

Third. Fifty-three thousand five hundred dollars of the same fund
are in bonds of the State of Virginia, twelve thousand in those of
‘Tennessee, and five hundred in those of Georgia, from which nothing
has been derived since the commencement of the war.

The southern State stocks have increased during the year in mar-
ketable value, though no interest has been derived from them.

The interest on the original fund for the past year has been paid
by the Secretary of the Treasury in coin, under the advice of the
Solicitor of the department, who, having investigated the subject, de-
cided that in accordance with the usages of the government the
Institution was entitled thus to be paid.

At the end of last year there was a balance in the hands of the
treasurer of unexpended interest of $29,484 08, which, with the in-
come on the original bequest and premium on coin, made a disposable
fund of $84,956 37; of this sum $39,121 77 have been expended on-
the building, and $32,115 97 for the maintenance of the establish-
ment and for carrying on all the operations of the Institution, leaving
a balance of $13,718 63 to be further applied to the building.

In view of the great expenditure of the government on account of
the war, the Institution did not at first claim, as it justly might have
done, the payment of the annual income of the bequest in specie; but
after the great loss sustained by the fire, the necessity could not be
avoided of calling the attention of the Secretary of the Treasury to
this subject. The claim, after consideration, was allowed, so far as
related to the current income, but the question relative to the differ-
ence between the payment of the interest which had previously

+

a

REPORT OF THE SECRETARY. 21

accrued in currency or in coin has not been settled by the depart-
ment. That the Institution is entitled to the benefit resulting from
this difference was the unanimous opinion of the Board of Regents at
their last session, and among them of Chief Justice Chase. This
learned jurist has since stated, that when Secretary of the Treasury
he had in several cases ordered the currency received by parties who
after investigation were found justly entitled to be paid in coin, to be

again returned into the treasury, and had directed payment to be

made to them in specie nominally of the same amount.

It has been mentioned in the two preceding reports, that a part of
the original bequest had been left in England as the principal of an
annuity payable to the mother of Smithson’s nephew. The annui-
tant having died, a power of attorney signed by Abraham Lincoln,
President of the United States, was sent to Fladgate, Clarke & Finch,
solicitors, in England, authorizing them to collect the money and pay
it to the order of the Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution. The
proceeds from this, deducting the expenses of collection, were £5, 262
Os. 3d., which were temporarily deposited with George Peabody &
Co., who not only transacted the business without charge, but allowed
four per cent. interest on the money while it remained in their hands.
The total amount of this residuary legacy received by the Institution,
including the interest, £153 19s. 4d., was $26,210 63 in gold, which
being sold at the current premium, (about 207,) yielded $54,165 38 in
United States currency, This sum was invested in government bonds,
bearing interest at 7 3-10 per cent., and deposited for safe-keeping
with General Spinner, the Treasurer of the United States.

It was at first supposed that the interest on this fund could be
immediately applied to the uses of the Institution, but upon acritical
examination of the enactments of Congress in regard to the bequest,
it was found by the Solicitor of the Treasury that the act of Congress
of 1846 appropriated only that portion of the money which was
then in the treasury, and made no provision for the disposition of the
residuary legacy. The Secretary of the Institution was therefore
called upon by Mr. Fessenden, Secretary of the Treasury, to deposit this
fund to his order in the treasury of the United States until Congress
should authorize the appropriation of it to the maintenance or use of
the Institution. se

The cost of the restoration of the building in fire-proof materials |
without changing the external appearance has, as formerly stated,
been far greater than was anticipated. Whether the portion of the
work yet to be executed will much exceed in cost that which has

92 REPORT OF THE SECRETARY.

already been completed, will depend upon the price of materials and
oflabor. The Institution may in time be able to finish this work with-
out encroaching on its present capital, provided the Secretary of the
Treasury shall recognize the inadequacy of the payments of interest
which for three years were made in the depreciated currency of the
time. If this allowance be not made, and no assistance be received
from Congress, then, in order to secure the building and its contents
from injury by the weather, the Institution will be obliged to sacrifice
a portion of its extra fund, and to the extent of this forever diminish
its power to ‘‘increase and diffuse knowledge among men.’’

I have always been opposed to asking appropriations from Congress
for the maintenance of the Institution, believing that the government
is called upon to do nothing further in its behalf than carefully to guard
the original bequest, and see that it is faithfully applied in an efficient
manner to the purposes intended by the donor. But the government,
after having voluntarily accepted the trust, is bound in good faith to
carry out the intentions of the testator, and to make up for any en-
croachments upon the funds which may have resulted from improvi-
dent or defective legislation. From abundant experience of at least
the last fifteen years, it has been shown that the cost and maintenance
of a building of the character which has been erected, so far from
being necessary to the most efficient realization of the intentions of
the founder, have been a constant source of extraneous expense, and
have absorbed a large amount of money which ought to have been
added to the active capital; and the question may now be asked
with propriety, whether, since this building was erected by its
own agents, in conformity with a law of Congress, an appropriation
should not be made to restore it in fire-proof materials, and to devote
it in whole or in part to purposes of the government. A single wing
of the edifice is sufficient to carry on all the essential operations of
the Institution, and the whole remaining part of the building might
be applied to the national collections, which have been greatly en-
riched at the expense of the Institution, to the accommodation of the

_ Army Medical Museum, or to the uses of the Agricultural Department.

Publications. —During the past year the general operations of the
Institution have been continued with unabated energy, although,
on account of the increased cost of paper and printing, the number
of copies of publications distributed has not been so great as in some
previous years. The papers, however, which have been printed are
stereotyped, and all our domestic institutions will be supplied as soon
as a reduction of prices or an increase of the income of the Institu-

REPORT OF THE SECRETARY. 23

tion shall warrant the expenditure for this purpose. The following
is a list of the works in quarto published by the Smithsonian Insti-
tution in 1865:

Discussion of the Magnetic and Meteorological Observations mace
at Girard College Observatory, Philadelphia, in 1840, 1841, 1842,
1843, 1844, and 1845. Fourth section comprising Parts X, XI, and
XII. Dip and total force. By A.D. Bache, LL. D. Pp. 44. (Pub-
lished January, 1865.)

Paleontology of the Upper Missouri: A report upon collections
made principally by the expeditions under command of Lieutenant
G. K. Warren, U. S. topographical engineers, in 1855 and 1856.
Invertebrates. By F. B. Meek and F. V. Hayden, M. D. Part I.
Pp. 156 and five plates. (Published April, 1865.)

Cretaceous Reptiles of the United States. By Joseph Leidy, M.D.
Pp. 142 and twenty plates. (Published May, 1865.)

These memoirs, which have all been described in previous reports,
Combined with section third of Professor Bache’s discussion and Dr.
Draper’s article on the construction of a silvered glass telescope,
published in 1864, formed volume XIV of the ‘‘Contributions to
Knowledge,’’ (490 pp., 25 plates,) which was distributed in part
during the past year.

Of other quarto works in press in 1865, the following are nearly
ready for publication, and will constitute part of volume XV of the
‘* Contributions:’’

Astronomical, magnetic, tidal, and meteorological observations
within the arctic circle, by Isaac I. Hayes, M. D., reduced and dis-
cussed by C. A. Schott, of the U. S. Coast Survey. 250 pp., with
two charts and a number of diagrams. :

Investigation of the Orbit of Neptune, with general tables of its
motion. By Simon Newcomb, of the U. S. Naval Observatory.
1:10) LUIKOE

The memoirs actually completed and issued in the year therefore
embraced 342 pp. and 25 plates, which, added to the 366 pp. stereo-
typed but not distributed, in the same period, makes an aggregate
of 708 pp. and 25 plates in quarto as the record of the year.

The following works in octavo were also published or printed in
1865:

Instructions relative to Ethnology and Philology of America.
Appendix A—physical characters of the Indian races ; Appendix B—
- numerical systems. By George Gibbs. Pp. 18. (Published May,
1865.)

24 REPORT OF THE SECRETARY.

Review of American Birds in the collection of the Smithsonian
Institution. By S.F. Baird. Pp. 143-320 or 172 pp. (Published
May, 1865.)

Researches upon the Hydrobiine and allied forms, chiefly made
upon materials in the museum of the Smithsonian Institution. By
Dr. W. Stimpson. Pp. 64. (Published August, 1865.)

In addition to the above, continuations of the following works
were printed in 1865:

Catalogue of transactions of societies and scientific journals in the

library of the Smithsonian Institution. 200 pp.
~ Continuation of Parts II and III, by Mr. Binney, of the Synopsis
of the Land and Fresh Water Shells of the United States. About
60 pp.

These make a total of 514 pages, and, including the Annual Report
of 1864, (450 pages,) an aggregate of 964 octavo pages ; and of all
classes of publications, 1,672 pages.

Smithsonian Contributions.—The first paper which has been re-
ceived for publication in the quarto series, and which has not yet
been described, is that on the planet Neptune, by Professor New-
comb, of the National Observatory.

It will be recollected by those who are familiar with the history of
the operations of the Institution, that shortly after the discovery of the
planet Neptune, the first ephemeris of, or, in other words, a table for
indicating, its position in the heavens at any time during the year was
prepared and published at the expense of the Smithsonian fund. This
ephemeris was computed from an orbit based on a remarkable dis-
covery of Professor Sears C. Walker, then of the Washington Obser-
vatory. Beginning with observations of the movement of the planet
during a period of four months, Mr. Walker traced its path among
the stars through its whole revolution of 166 years, and was thus
enabled to carry its position backward until it fell among a cluster of
stars, each of which had been accurately mapped by the celebrated
Lalande, near the close of the last century. Froma critical scrutiny
of these stars, Mr. Walker was led to conclude that one of this clus-
ter observed by Lalande on the night of the 10th May, 1795, was the
planet Neptune. Availing himself of this discovery, Mr. Walker
had now a series of observations, embracing not merely a few
months of the movement of the planet, but its entire motion during
a period of fifty years. From these data he was enabled to deduce
a perfect elliptical orbit, or one which the body would describe were

REPORT OF THE SECRETARY. 25

_ there no other planets in the system, and from this to calculate an
ephemeris. .

‘The motion of Neptune was further investigated by another of our
countrymen, Professor Peirce, of Cambridge. He calculated the
action of all the other planets on Neptune, and obtained results
which enabled Mr. Walker to correct his elliptical orbit, and to com-
pare the calculated places of the planet with its actual position in the
heavens. This led to a further correction of the orbit, and to a more
perfect table of calculated places. The Ephemeris was published
annually for several years, until the establishment of the American
Nautical Almanac, when, in accordance with the general policy of
the Institution, it was transferred to that work. —

During the last nineteen years, which have elapsed since the investi-
gation of Professors Peirce and Walker relative to the orbit of this
planet, a series of accurate observations have been made upon its mo-
tion at the principal observatories of the world, and these have now
been discussed by Professor S. Newcomb, of the Washington Observa-
tory, 2 young mathematician in whose progress and advancement this
establishment has taken great interest.

The objects of Mr. Newcomb’s investigations, as stated in the in-
troduction of his memoir, are as follows:

1. To determine the elements of the orbit of Neptune with as
much exactness as a series of observations extending through an are
of forty degrees will admit of.

2. To inquire whether the mass of Uranus can be deduced from
the motions of Neptune.

3. To inquire whether these motions indicate the existence of an
extra neptunian planet, or throw any light on the question of the
existence of such a planet.

4. To construct general tables and formule, by which the place
of Neptune may be found at any time, and more particularly between
the years 1,600 and 2,000.

The work is divided into five chapters.

The first is introductory, giving a brief review of the previous la-
bors of astronomers in perfecting the theory of Neptune. The only
approximately correct theory which had been published is shown to
be that of Professor Sears C. Walker and Professor Benjamin Peirce,
whose labors were given to the world in the second and third vol-
umes of the Smithsonian Contributions to Knowledge, and in the first
volume of the Proceedings of the American Academy. The elements
of this theory were, however, far from correct, owing to the insuffi-

26 REPORT OF THE SECRETARY.

ciency of the observations which had been made when the theory was
constructed. On account of the extremely slow motion of Neptune,
the errors of the observations would be multiplied several hundred
times in the final elements of the orbit.

The second chapter contains the computation of the perturbations
of Neptune arising from the attractions of the other planets. This
was the most difficult and laborious part of the work, the difficulty
being greatly increased by the circumstance that the attraction of
Uranus causes the orbit to pass through a regular change of form in
a cycle of about 4,300 years.

The third chapter gives a discussion of the faemanes observations
of Neptune, made at the observatories of Greenwich, Paris, Wash-
ington, Cambridge, Hamburg, and Albany.

In the fourth chapter, the positions of the planet given by the ob-
servations are compared with a provisional theory, for the purpose of
correcting the elements, after which, supposing Neptune to be attracted
only by the known planets, its motions, as observed during the nine-
teen years since its discovery, are compared with the results of the
theory of gravitation, and the greatest difference between the theoreti-
cal and observed longitudes is less than a quarter of a second in space,
a minuteness so inconsiderable that, if multiplied by 300 times, it would
still be too small to be perceptible by the naked eye, and the discre-
pancy is as likely to be due to the errors of the observations them-
selves as to that of the assumption of no exterior planet.

It is therefore concluded that there is no evidence of any unknown
cause influencing the motions of Neptune, and consequently no evi-
dence of the existence of an extra neptunian planet. At the same
time, this is only negative evidence; for supposing the extra planet
to exist, centuries might be required for its attraction to exert any
appreciable influence upon the motions of Neptune. For a similar
reason there are no reliable data for correcting the mass of Uranus.

The fifth chapter is devoted to the tables, which are founded on
the theory finally concluded upon, and will probably not be subject
to errors of more than a very few seconds during the remainder of
the present century.

The history of the planet Neptune in relation to the perfection of its
orbit exhibit a series of facts alike creditable to the science of this
country and the policy of the Smithsonian Institution.

The next paper for the ‘‘ Contributions’’ is an exposition of the re-
sults of the discussion of the observations made during the expedition
under the direction of Dr. I. I. Hayes in the arctic regions, by Chas.
A. Schott, of the United States, Coast Survey.

REPORT OF THE SECRETARY. Pate

The expedition, during which these observations were made, was
organized and principally equipped through the enterprise of Dr.
Hayes, assisted by contributions of a number of liberal gentlemen
interested in the advance of physical geography. The principal ob-
ject of the enterprise was the extension of the explorations of Dr.
EK. K. Kane north of Baffin’s Bay, and to make such observations as
would add to our knowledge of the physical condition of the arctic
regions. The expedition was mainly furnished with instruments by
the Coast Survey and the Smithsonian Institution, and after its re-
turn the records of its observations in their rough state, or as they
were made, were presented to the Institution for reduction and dis-
cussion.

It is scarcely necessary to mention that scientific truths are not
generally immediately deduced from the simple observation of phenom-
ena, but that these require in most cases corrections to free them
from the effects of extraneous and other causes. Thus in observing
the place of the moon or a planet, the position as given directly by
the instrument must be corrected for refraction, for parallax and
for instrumental errors. So with the observations of the baro-
meter, a correction must ge applied for the relative expansion of the
mercury and of the brass case in which the glass tube is contained,
and also for capillarity, and in many cases for the elevation of the
instrument above the level of the sea.

After the observations have been submitted to the process of
correction, to which the name of reduction has been applied, they are
then in a condition for scientific analysis, or for what is technically
called discussion. It seldom happens that any phenomenon is the
result of a single approximate cause. In almost all cases the effect
observed is the result of a series of concurring causes, and it is the
object of the scientific inquirer, if possible, to ascertain the separate
effect of each. For example, the height of the tide at a given place
and time is due to the conjoint action of the sun and moon modified
by the form and direction of the coast, to concurring or adverse tidal
waves, and also to the direction of the wind. In a successful discus-
sion each of these effects should be separately exhibited, and the
amount of the several influences of each critically ascertained. With-
out such reduction and discussion the crude observations exhibit a
mass of figures without apparent connexion, and give no indication
of the relation of phenomena. Unfortunately the labor attending
these processes is so great, and in many cases the skill required so
unusual, that individual enterprise and ordinary attainment are in-

28 REPORT OF THE SECRETARY.

sufficient to accomplish the end, and on this account immense masses of
physical observations are of little value to science. Even those
made by Parry, Ross, and the other explorers in the arctic regions
have not yet been subjected to the analytical processes by which all
the interesting truths relative to the physical geography of the globe
are to be deduced. It is in this line that the Smithsonian Institution
has especially rendered good service in the way of advancing science.
Of this fact the memoir in question, with those which the Institution
has published relative to the observations made by the expedition
under the direction of Dr. Kane, and that under Sir F. L. McClin-
tock, and the discussion of the observations made at Girard Goneee
by Professor A. D. Bache, are obvious illustrations.

For investigations of this kind the Institution has been feenaaie in
obtaining the services of a computer so expert and sagacious as Mr.
Schott, since few persons are to be found who combine the varied
qualifications necessary to so difficult an undertaking.

The results of the observations made under the direction of Dr.
Hayes are presented in four parts: the first relates to the astronomi-
cal and geodetic; the second, to the magnetic; the third, to the tidal;
and the fourth, to the meteorological observations.

The first part contains all the geographical positions determined
by the explorers, including a series of observations to ascertain the |
latitude and longitude of Port Foulke, the winter quarters of the ex-
pedition in 1860—61; also a general survey of Kennedy channel, and
a minute survey of Smith’s straits. The memoir presents a table of
eighteen geographical positions, all determined with astronomical ac-
curacy, by means of which, and the help of angles and solar bearings,
the outlines of a large map were traced. Itis highly gratifying to
find, says Mr. Schott, that a remarkable agreement exists with the
prominent points observed during Kane’s expedition, and, indeed,
that the exploration of Dr. Hayes is truly an extension and verifica-
tion of the labors of his predecessor in the same region.

Nor is this all; it is proper to state that a new sound was dis-
covered, opening to the westward near Cape Sabine, and also that
two points noticed by Kane and described as headlands were found
to be parts of two islands at the entrance of a bay; also the shore-
line of Whale sound was fully developed, as well as the whole of the
western coast of Kennedy channel. All these results, with the posi-
tions of the glaciers, are exhibited on a general chart of the regions
explored, and on a special chart of Smith’s straits.

The agreement of the results of the observations under Dr. Hayes

be

REPORT OF THE SECRETARY. 29

and Dr. Kane is due to the fact that in both expeditions the greater
portion of the observations were made by Mr. August Sonntag, well
known to science by his previous labors in astronomy and physics.
By his early death the expedition sustained a great loss, since through
his aid still greater additions would have been made to our knowl-
edge of the regions explored.

Included in the first part of the reductions is also an account of
the pendulum observations, intended to furnish information as to the
relative intensity of the force of gravity, and, consequently, of the
figure of the earth. The pendulum used in these observations is a
simple bar of brass, five feet seven three-fourth inches in length and
one inch and four-tenths in breadth, and seven-tenths in thickness,
weighing nearly twenty-two pounds. It is furnished with two steel
knife-edges, placed at 14.2 inches from either end, so that it may
be vibrated first with one end downward, and then with the other,
affording in each position a series of independent observations. The
direction of the face of the pendulum could also be reversed, by means
of which the results of their regularities of the knife-edge could at
least in part be eliminated.

For comparison of the observations which-had been made in the
arctic regions, a series was instituted, previous to the sailing of the
expedition, with the same pendulum, at the Harvard Observatory, in
Cambridge, by the late director, George P. Bond. The result ob-
tained by the comparison indicates a smaller value for the polar de-
pression of the earth than that deduced from all previous pendulum
observations in the northern region. If combined with these, it will
bring the resulting figure of the earth nearer to that previously de-
duced from the measurement of arcs of the meridian in various parts
of the world.

The compression, as deduced by Mr. Schott from all the observa-
tions of the expedition under Dr. Hayes, is 37g part of the polar ra-
dius. The excess of the number of vibrations in a day at Port Foulke,
over the number made by the same pendulum in the same time at
the Harvard Observatory, was 1294. The observations were cor-
rected for the height above the level of the sea, for the expansion of
the metal on account of variation of temperature, and other devia-
tions from anormal condition. It is highly desirable that the same
pendulum be vibrated at several points on the eastern coast of the
United States, as nearly as possible, under the same meridian as Port
Foulke, in order to obtain a series of independent determinations of
the curvature of the earth; and for this purpose the instrument has

30 REPORT OF THE SECRETARY.

been lent to the Coast Survey, to be vibrated at New York, Wash-
ington, and Key West. The observations at New York will afford
the means of conuecting the results of a similar kind in Europe and
other parts of the Old World, through the series of observations made
by General Sabine in that city in 1822’ 23, at the old site of Colum-
bia College.

The observations of part second, which relate to magnetism, are
of two kinds, namely, differential and absolute; the first made at Port
Foulke, between November and March, 1860-61, on fifteen days,
during each hour of the twenty-four, being intended to ascertain the
diurnal variation of the magnetic needle. The results of these ob-
servations are presented in connexion with those of Dr. Kane, in
the form of a curve in which the agreement is strikingly exhibited.

From both series it appears that the north end of the needle at-
tains its greatest westerly deviation at one p. m.; its greatest easterly
deflection, between two and three o’clogk in the morning; its normal
position, at seven in the morning, and at the same hour in the evening.
From these additions to our knowledge of terrestrial magnetism we
have been enabled to state the fact that when simultaneous observa-
tions are made at different places, the motions of the needle are found
to be governed by the local time at each place. From this it has been
inferred that the cause of the daily motion of the needle is connected
with the diurnal motion of the sun. The one o’clock greatest western
excursion is common to all localities in the northern magnetic hemi-
sphere, and is the most constant feature of the daily motion of the
needle.

The declination was determined at fourteen localities on the coast
of Greenland, between latitudes 72 and 80. These have been dis-
cussed in combination with the observations of Dr. Kane, and the
result is given on a magnetic chart of the vicinity of Smith’s strait.
The horizontal component of the magnetic intensity was determined
at seven stations, and these, combined with those by Dr. Kane, are
also represented on the same chart. The inclination or dip was ob-
served at six localities, and were similarly combined with Kane’s
determination, and likewise exhibited on the same chart.

It is a remarkable fact that but three auroras of sufficient brilliancy
to attract the attention of the observers were seen at Port Foulke
during the winter of 1860—61, though many were noticed during the
same period in lower latitudes; and this fact is the more interesting
since the position above mentioned is very nearly the centre of the
auroral belt as marked out by Professor Loomis, and exhibited in the

REPORT OF THE SECRETARY. 31

appendix of the report for this year. Although the aurora is now
known to be an electrical phenomenon, it is certain that its region of
greatest activity is not the magnetic pole of the earth, but isina
zone of several degrees in breadth, including the geographical poles
eccentrically; nevertheless, it is also clear that it is influenced in its
motions by the magnetism of the globe.

The third part, which relates to tidal observations, consists of
two series: the first were made during November and December, 1860;
the second in June and July, 1861. In the first series the height of
the tide was noted every half hour; in the second series it was ob-
served at every ten minutes about the time of high and low water.
The apparatus employed consisted of a rope to which a stone was
attached at the lower end resting on the bottom and passing over a
pulley attached to a movable weight at the other. The pulley was
supported by a tripod standing over a hole in the ice at a short dis-
tance from the vessel, and the changes of the height of tide were
indicated by the vertical motion of the smaller weight. Corrections
were applied for the irregular stretching of the rope and also for the
errors of the watch. From the records thus corrected, Mr. Schott
has determined the height of the average sea level for each day, and
has compared this with the moon’s declination parallax, or distance
from the earth, the atmospheric pressure, and the direction and force
of the wind. It is found that a variation of between one and two
inches in the height of the water is due to the changes in the moon’s
declination from zero to its maximum value; also that a rise of one inch
in the mercury of the barometrical column is accompanied with a fall of
nearly four inches in the level of the sea. The effect of the wind,
though small, is apparent. With a northeast wind there was a de-
pression, and with a southwest an elevation, of the level; one proba-
bly blowing the water into and the other out of the strait.

The general character of the tide at Port Foulke is similar to that
at Van Rensselaer harbor, exhibiting two ebbs and two flows each
lunar day, with considerable diurnal variation, producing at Port
Foulke at certain times the character of a single daily tide—the two
waves as it were running into each other. The establishment, or, in
other words, the average lagging behind of the high water, after the
passage of the moon across the meridian of the place, is here half an
hour earlier than at Van Rensselaer harbor, which is distant 55 miles
in a northeast direction. This indicates a motion in accordance with
the general direction of the tidal wave, which in this region is not
due to the direct attraction of the moon, but is derived from the
great tidal wave of the Atlantic ocean,

32 REPORT OF THE SECRETARY.

The investigation of the half-monthly inequality, or of the effect of
the action of the sun in modifying the effect of the moon in time as
well as in height of tide, gave the following results: The range of
the inequality in time is one hour and twenty-six minutes. The mean
establishment of high water is found to be eleven hours thirteen min-
utes and eight-tenths, and that of low water seventeen hours nineteen
and a half minutes. The range of the variation in the height of the
water, due to the action of the sun and moon, is two feet and a half. The
absolute average variation in the height of water at Port Foulke is
7.1 feet, while Dr. Kane found at Van Rensselaer harbor 7.9 feet as
the variation at that place. The extreme fluctuation observed in the
water level was 13.8 feet, The retardation or the difference between
the theoretic and observed time of high water is comparatively small.

The effect of the greater or less distance of the moon or parallax
on the half-monthly inequality shows that diminution of distance
produces a decrease in the time of the lagging of the water, and that
the range of the tide is increased by three-tenths of a foot for an
increase of one minute of parallax. The action of the sun must ev-
idently be relatively less, with an increase of the declination of the
moon, and the amount of this is found from the discussion of the
observations to be in height of the value of only a fraction of a foot,
and in time but a few minutes.

The moon, as it is well known, produces two high tides, at nearly
the same moment, on opposite sides of the earth, and these must vary
in altitude and extent from day to day, with the change of position
of the moon in the heavens. The difference of these two tides in time
and height is called the diurnal inequality. Mr. Schott has made
of this phenomenon a special graphical study, and has found that the ©
diurnal variation in height is greater for high water than for low
water—-that is, two successive high waters differ from each other
more than two successive low waters. The maximum variation in
height is found at Port Foulke to be 3.8 feet, and only 2.4 in low
water, while this variation entirely disappears about two days after
the moon passes the equator. This is for the high water ; but for
low water the disappearance does not take place until after a lapse
of nearly ten days, and this fact is connected with a remarkable one
relative to the magnitude of the variation. On the one hand, the less
interval of time between two tides is accompanied in high water
with a greater difference of height, while in low water a greater
interval of time is connected with a smaller difference in the level
of the two tides. The diurnal inequality is due to two waves, a

REPORT OF THE SECRETARY. 33

diurnal and a semi-diurnal, which are exhibited by a diagram and
- fully analyzed.

Next, the form of the tide was investigated, and found to occupy
a longer time in rising than in falling, or, in other words, its posterior
slope is more rapid than its anterior—the difference in time is thir-
teen minutes at Port Foulke, and fifteen at Van Rensselaer harbor.

Finally, an investigation is given of the velocity of the tide wave
in passing up along Baffin’s bay. From this it appears that the crest
of high water occupies eight hours in passing from the southern cape
of Greenland to Smith’s strait, at the head of the bay. From these
investigations the velocity of the wave in Davis’s straits is 194 statute
miles per hour, correspoding to an average depth of 418 fathoms. In
Baffin’s bay the velocity is 177 miles, corresponding to 349 fathoms.
In Smith’s strait the velocity is 157 miles per hour, corresponding
to 277 fathoms of depth. It may be interesting to state, as one of the
results, that the free tide-wave in Davis’s strait and Baffin’s bay is
about 2,300 miles in length, and only 73 feet in height from hollow
to crest.

These statements will serve to give some idea of the complex
nature of the investigation of the phenomena of the tides, resulting
not alone from the direct action of the moon and sun, but also
modified by the superposition of the derived tide of the Atlantic, and
by the influence of the configuration of the channels through which
the waves are propagated.

Part fourth gives the observations and discussion of the meteoro-
logical investigations. It is divided into three divisions—tempera-
tures, atmospheric pressures, and winds—with an appendix giving a
record of the weather during the whole voyage, and miscellaneous
remarks.

Port Foulke, the locality of the winter quarters, was in the vicinity
of open polar water, which exercises a marked influence on the cli-
mate of the region. The comparative mildness of the station is illus-
trated by the fact that the simultaneous recorded observations at
Port Foulke and Van Rensselaer harbor show that the tempe-
rature was 26 degrees lower at the latter than at the former place,
though distant only 53 miles. The continuous records at Port Foulke
extend over a period of eleven months, and were made at every other
even hour, day and night, with a few exceptions, (as to the pressure, )
during the whole time.

The expedition was provided with about two dozen thermometers,

consisting of spirit, mercurial, and metallic, of which the index errors
358

34 REPORT OF THE SECRETARY.

were several times ascertained by immersion in buckets of ice- water,
and by comparison among themselves in the air, at very low tempera-
tures. From all the records of these observations a table of correc-
tions was made out by taking the mean of the temperatures as indi-
cated by the several thermometers. The result was found to indicate
temperatures nearly corresponding with those given by standard No.
3, which had been previously selected as the most trustworthy of the
series of instruments. All omissions inthe records were supplied by
the known methods of interpolation.

The first results obtained are those which relate to the annual fluc-
tuations of temperature. From these it appears that the warmest
day was the 15th of July, with a temperature of 41°.6 Fahr., and the
coldest the 16th of February, with a temperature of —28°.

The mean annual temperature falls on the 22d of April and the
14th of November, and is +6°.06. It must be observed that this
difference in the temperature of the two localities, as we have said
before, is due to the open water, and reached its maximum on the
20th of March, 1861, when the thermometer stood 463 degrees lower
at Rensselaer harbor than at Port Foulke.

The diurnal fluctuation—that is, the difference between the warm-
est and coldest hour of the day—exhibits also a remarkable accordance
at the two places, its amount being 3°.38 at Port Foulke and 3°.64 at
the harbor. At Port Kennedy it is 49.12. Inthe month of December
the diurnal variation almost vanishes, there being a difference of only
two-tenths of a degree between the highest and lowest hour of the
twenty-four. It attains its maximum value in March, when it 1s 8°.9.
The fact that this greatest effect of the day influence of the sun
takes place in March, Mr. Schott is disposed to attribute to the great
amount of vapor which formed at a later period and obscured the di-
rect action of the sun. On the average for the whole year the tem-
peraturerises until 23 p. m. and falls till 24 a.m., and the average tem-
perature of the day is reached at 8 o’clock morning and evening.

The dependence of the temperature on the phases of the moon was
also attempted to be deduced, but the situation of Port Foulke rela-
tive to the disturbing influence of the open water of Smith’s straits
rendered the result unsatisfactory.

The relation of the temperature to the direction of the wind was
next studied, and it was found that the northeast and east winds, or
those which flow over Greenland, are the coldest, while those from the
south, southeast, and southwest, or those which pass over ocean
surfaces, are the warmer. The northeast wind always depresses,

REPORT OF THE SECRETARY. 3)

while the southwest always increases the temperature, especially in
the winter season. The most intense cold was experienced when the
air was perfectly calm, and this appears to be the general rule in the
arctic regions. The effect of the various winds on the whole is small,
not exceeding an elevation or depression of more than a degree and
a half from the mean.

The effect of the snow and rain on the temperature is far greater
than that of the wind. On an average in winter, during every fall of
snow, the temperature was elevated 8°.6, and in summer fell a degree
and a half during.a fall of snow or rain. The numberof days in which
snows fell was 94, those in which it rained were 15, during the whole
period of eleven months.

The effect of clear and cloudy weather on the temperature is next
considered, and from the result of 82 clear days in winter, it is found
onan average 35 degrees below the normal temperature of these
days. In summer, from the observations of 41 clear days, the tem-
perature was higher eight-tenths of a degree. In winter, during 31
cloudy days, the temperature was seven degrees above the normal; and
in summer, during 48 cloudy days, the temperature was 2°.1 lower
than the normal.

From the foregoing it appears that a clear atmosphere produces op-
posite effects in summer and in winter, and this is, without doubt, due
to the greater amount of vapor in the former than in the latter season.
During a clear day in winter the air is almost entirely deprived of
vapor, and radiation goes on with full energy, uncompensated by
rays from the sun, except those which are very oblique; while in sum-
mer the more intense rays of the sun penetrate the vapor, while the
less intense heat from the earth cannot escape through the aqueous
stratum.

The last discussion relates to the direct heating power of the sun
and the record of temperatures observed during the excursion to the
extreme northern point reached. The temperature in the month of
May, 1861, was ten degrees lower along the coast of Kennedy chan-
nel, indicating a colder climate as the explorer went north, but whether
this would be the case during the other parts of the year remains
yet to be verified.

The observations on atmospheric pressure are not as complete as
those on the temperature, the observations between 10 p.m. and 6
a. m. being frequently wanting. All the readings were reduced to
the temperature of 32° Fahrenheit.

The diurnal fluctuation as given by these observations, as well as

36 REPORT OF THE SECRETARY.

by those of Dr. Kane, is extremely small, scarcely exceeding one-hun-
dredth of an inch. The maximum pressure occurs during the day
at about 63-p. m., and the minimum about 3in the morning. These,
however, agree generally with those indicated in other arctic locali-
ties.

At Port Foulke there is also a secondary maximum and minimum
occurring at 8 and 103 a.m. The annual monthly fluctuation of the
barometer is fully twenty times greater than the divrnal variation. In
spring there is a well-marked maximum pressure, and in the autemn
an equally well-exhibited minimum.

It is found from all the observations that the mean atmospheric
pressure of the mercurial column at the temperature of 32° is 29.83,
which accords well with the observations of Kane and McClintock,
and is considerably above the minimum pressure found in about 12
degrees lower latitude. The fluctuation was 1.8 inch—the highest,
30.74; the lowest, 28.93.

Tle effect of the direction of the wind on the barometer is that of
a depression of .07 of an inch during the northeast, and an elevation
of .04 during the southwest, and a similar elevation during the calms.
The oscillations of the barometer during three storms are illustrated
graphically, and an attempt is made to determine the elastic force of
vapor, but the observations recorded were insufficient; the amount was
very small, not exceeding .02 of an inch.

The direction of the wind was invariably recorded with reference
to the true meridian, and its force estimated by an arbitrary scale
between zero and ten. The general result was, that the quantity
of the stream of air which passed over the place of observation in
the course of a year was nearly 60,000 miles.

The resultant direction during the year is largely from the northeast.
The relative frequency of the wind is given, the northeast being 47
per cent. of the whole, the southwest 17, and the calms 27 per cent.
The average velocity of the wind was 19 miles per hour.

During the eleven months of the observations 25 storms were re-
corded, 19 from the northeast and 6 from the southwest.

Another paper presented for publication, also in the ‘‘ Contribu-
tions,’ is an account. of geological observations in China, Japan,
and Mongolia, by Raphael Pumpelly, of New York. This paper was
read before the National Academy of Sciences, and recommended by
that association to the Smithsonian Institution for publication. In the
summer of 1863 the author passed from Shanghai to Hunan and the
boundary between Hupeh and Sz’chuen, and in the autumn and

REPORT OF THE SECRETARY. 37

winter and following spring from Peking through the mountains of
western Chihli,and again from Peking, beyond the great wall of China,
and westward on the plateaus along its southern edge to its 112th me-
ridian, returning by a route south of the great wall. In the winter
of 1864-65 he went from Peking across the plateau of Central Asia
to Siberia.

The almost total absence of observations of a geological character
throughout this wide field, renders any information in regard to it of
considerable interest. The facts stated are principally derived from
the personal observations of the explorer, together with such inform:
ation as could be obtained from Chinese works which treat of the
geography of the empire, or bear upon its mineral productions. The
principal results arrived at are as follows:

There is reason to believe that there exists throughout China an
immense development of Devonian limestone, which rises to the sur-
face in all the larger ridges, and attains in some places a thickness of
over 10,000 feet. The formations beneath this limestone, as far as
they were seen, are either granitic rock or metamorphic schist un-
conformably stratified as regards the limestone. Overlying the lime-
stone there exists in almost every part of the country a great coal-
bearing formation of sandstones, shales, conglomerates, &c., in
nearly, if not quite, conformable stratification as regards the floor on
which they rest. The fossil plants obtained from this formation are
considered supra-carboniferous, and it is supposed that the coal
fields of China, which vie with our own in extent, are referable to
the Triassic period. Although from the limited range of actual ob-
servation it would be too much to assert that there is a total absence
of any later formation than these coal measures, still the author failed
to observe any traces of them.

Only two systems of elevations occur in China of sufficient import-
ance to have left a marked impress on the surface. These are the
northeast-southwest and east—west.

The northeast system determines the outline of Asia east of the
110th meridian, and coincides with the middle course of the Yangtse
Kiang and the lower course of the Amur.

The east-west system exists in western Chinain the Min mountains
and in the Nanling range, and determines the general course from
west to east of the*three principal rivers of the south of China.

The upheaval of the northeast system began after the deposition
of the great Devonian limestone formation, and appears to have risen
slightly during the formation of the coal measures, but its greatest ;
elevation was after the latter had been deposited.

38 REPORT OF TIE SECRETARY.

The east-west system appears to have risen later than the other,
since it has elevated the limestone and overlying rocks which rest
upon its sides. Evidences are presented of recent oscillations ex-
tending over great areas in the form of terraces.

In the great plain of northeastern China is a delta deposit extend-
ing over nearly eight degrees of latitude, which is yearly increasing
in extent. Through this delta the Hwang Ho varies its course every
few centuries, emptying into the sea alternately to the north and to
the south of a mountainous peninsula, thus presenting the remarka-
ble phenomenon of one of the great rivers of the earth not only
shifting its course through several degrees of latitude, but also of
returning to the same bed after the lapse of a number of years.

The great table-land which lies between China and Siberia, where
the author crossed it, consists of basins of undisturbed strata of sand-
stone, containing beds of gypsum. In the south this table-land gen-
erally terminates in a precipitous wall, formed of an immense devel-
opment of lava, in some places more than 1,500 feet thick.

The abrupt termination of the plateau is owing to a great disloca-
tion which marks approximately the coast-line of a former ocean to
the north, in which the most recent deposits of the plain originate,
and along whose southern shore there existed an extensive region of
volcanic activity. The plateau is terminated on the east by parallel
ridges, which descend by successive terraces to the low land.

Among the more economical results obtained may be mentioneda
large number of extensive coal basins and the deposits of other use-
ful minerals, which are so widely distributed throughout the empire
as to warrant the belief that China scarcely stands second to any

other country in regard to the quantity and quality of its coal and

its other mineral resources.

- Such gifts of nature, says the author, combined as they are with a
variety of favorable circumstances, cannot long be unappreciated.
They are the elements of the civilization of the present age, and in
the natural course of events the country possessing them cannot long
avoid being drawn into the stream of industrial and intellectual pro-
gress.

Among the papers which have been offered for publication is a vo-
cabulary and grammar of the Nootka Sound language, by the Rev. C.
Knipe. This was the result of a residence of a year and a half
among the tribes inhabiting that portion of the northwest coast of
America. The same language extends southward to Cape Flattery,

, and is one upon which very little correct information has been ob-

REPORT OF THE SECRETARY. 39

tained. The present work contains lists of more than twelve hundred
native words; with remarks on the genius of the language, and an ac-
count of roots, terminals, derivations, comparisons, &c. In the report
of one of our collaborators, Mr. George Gibbs, to whom this memoir
was referred, it is stated:

‘‘The Nootka language is an exceedingly interesting one, not only
as the earliest of those of Northwestern America with which we
had any acquaintance, and which enters largely as an element into
the ‘jargon’ of the coast, but also because the people who speak it in
its various dialects form one of five great northern tribes of the Pa-
cific, whose intelligence, courage, and ingenuity have rendered them
conspicuous, and whose industrial arts and physiognomy have fur-
nished an argument with many in favor of their Asiatic origin. The
existing vocabularies of that language are very imperfect and mea-
gre, and the more extended one of Mr. Knipe will be of great value
to comparative philologists.’’

We had decided to put this production to press, when the author
unexpectedly informed us that he was obliged to leave the country
for England, and could not, therefore, give his personal attention to
the work as it was passing through the press. As this was consid-
ered essential, it was thought better that he should withdraw his
manuscript, and endeavor to procure its publication through some
society in England. If he should fail in this, the Institution would
at some future time undertake its publication, since it is intimately
connected with other works of a similar character already given to
the world through the agency of the bequest.

Another paper presented to the Institution for publication is by Mr.
James G. Swan, upon the manners and customs of the Makah Indians
of Washington Territory, a tribe belonging to the Takwaht or
Nootka Sound family, illustrated with many drawings and accom-
panied by a vocabulary of their language. The size and cost of
publication of this work has prevented us from considering its adop-
tion at present as one of our series.

Miscellaneous Collections.—Under the class of publications called
“ Smithsonian Miscellaneous Collections,’’ previous to the war, a series
of manuals, intended to facilitate the study of different branches of
natural history, were projected and a number of them actually com-
menced; but the subsequent diminution of our income, and the ad-
vance in the cost of materials and workmanship in the line of print-
ing, has greatly interfered with the rapid completion of this enter-
prise. Of the works of this series as given in the report for 1860,

. 40 REPORT OF THE SECRETARY.

some have been completed, others are still under way, and one or
two not yet commenced, The following is a statement of eet
present condition:

1. Land and Fresh Water Shells—part I. Terrestrial Palmsatad
By W. G. Binney. Of this work the manuscript is entirely com-
pleted and the woodcuts engraved.

2. Land and Fresh Water Shells—part II. Fresh Water and Ma-
rine Pulmonata. By W. G. Binney. The whole of this work has
been stereotyped, and will soon be ready to be issued.

3. Land and Fresh Water Shells—part II]. By W. G. Binney.
Including all the water-breathing univalve shells except the Mela-
niade. This work has ikewise been stereotyped, and is ready for
publication.

4. Land and Fresh Water Shells—part IV. Melaniade. By G. W.
Tryon. The manuscript of this has been completed and most of the
woodcuts engraved.

5. Land and Fresh Water Shells—part V. Corbiculadx. By Tem-
ple Prime. Of this the stereotype plates are almost completed.

6. Land and Fresh Water Shells—part VI. Unionidae. A work
by Mr. Lea, of Philadelphia, supersedes for the present any other
publication on this subject.

7. Marine Shells—partI. From the eastern coast of North Amer-
ica, by Dr. W. Stimpson.

8. Marine Shells—part 1]. From the western coast of the same
continent, by P. P. Carpenter. The last two works have been com-
menced and numerous woodcuts drawn or engraved to illustrate
them; but no definite period can be fixed for their completion.

9. Bibhography of North American Conchology to the year 1860,
by W. G. Binney, parts land II. This work, which is a supplement
to those previously mentioned, has been stereotyped and copies dis-
tributed to institutions.

Another work belonging to the octavo series, but not included in
the above list, is the Review of American Birds in the Collections of
the Smithsonian Institution—part I. Northern and Middle America.
By Professor 8. F. Baird.

This work is intended to present a descriptive account of the very
large collection of American birds in charge of the Smithsonian In-
stitution, with an enumeration of such other specimens as may serve
to illustrate the geographical distribution of the several species.
In 1858 Professor Baird prepared an account of the birds sent to the
Institution by the different expeditions for surveying the railroad

REPORT OF THE SECRETARY. 41

routes to the Pacific, which was published in the series of reports
ordered by Congress. To this was added an account of all the birds
of the Atlantic States, and it thus formed a systematic and descrip-
tive work on the ornithology of North America, which has since be-
come the principal standard manual on this subject. A reprint by
the Institution, from this volume, of the catalogue of species has
been widely distributed and much used for labelling collections and
preparing lists for distribution of specimens.

The number of specimens of birds of America in the collection of
the Institution at the time the work was published, and upon which
it was based, was less than 10,000; it now exceeds 40,000.
Many portions of North America unexplored at that time—the
whole arctic region, the recesses of the Rocky mountains, Cape St.
Lucas, &¢.—have since been investigated; the migration and distri-
bution southward in winter of the species have been established by
numerous collections from the West Indies, Mexico, Central and
South America, and information generally has been collected, during
the interval of seven years, which tends to complete the knowledge
of the ornithology of North America. In this same period the spe-
cimens received from all parts of Mexico and Central America and
the West Indies are so numerous as to represent nearly all the
known species, and to embrace many new ones, forming, according
to Professor Baird, an aggregate of species much larger than that of
any other single collection.

In order, therefore, to bring up the subject to the present date,
and at the same time to exhibit a connected account of the birds of
Mexico, Central America, and the West Indies, Professor Baird un-
dertook the work referred to, and 320 pages of it have thus far been
published, each signature being dated,to show the time of actual is-
sue. The portion printed embraces an account of the oscine or sing-
ing birds, with synoptical tables and detailed descriptions of the
families, genera,and species, excepting where these have already ap-
peared in the Pacific Railroad Report. As the account of each family
is completed, the duplicate specimens are set aside for distribution
to the principal museums at home and abroad as types of the ‘‘re-
view.”’

The work of Professor Baird has met with much commendation
from ornithological writers in this country and Hurope. The editor
of the London Ibis, a journal devoted exclusively to ornithology, re-
marks: ‘‘that it will be the book of authority on North American
ornithology for along time to come, there can be little doubt. The

*

42 REPORT OF THE SECRETARY.

immense series of specimens, whether only temporarily lent or de-
posited permanently, (but the latter out of all proportion to the for-
mer,) in the collection of the Smithsonian Institution, gives him an
advantage, such as probably no other ornithologist of what country
soever has at any time previously enjoyed; and the professor, as our
readers need not be told, is not the man to neglect opportunities of
this kind. We are almost inclined to regard this work as the pre-
cursor of a new era in natural history. Hitherto a zoologist has
thought he has done very well if he has closely examined some half
dozen specimens, presenting the different appearances depending
upon age, sex, or the lke, of one species. He will now find, from
an inspection of Professor Baird’s labors, that an acquaintance with
a much larger number of individuals, especially from different iocal-
ities, is requisite if he intends to advance his science. One result of
this attention to increased material,if generally followed, we suspect
will be the very desirable one of nullifying the species makers—
species makers, of course we mean, in a bad sense, for there are no
more useful men, if they will but keep their hobbies under com-
mand.’’

From the limited funds of the Institution and its plan of organiza-
tion it cannot afford to support individuals while they are devoted
exclusively to the advance of any branch of science; and were this
to be done in one case, it might be demanded in many. But there
can be no objection to an officer of the Institution availing himself of
the materials which are gathered through its agency for prosecut-
ing as an extra labor any investigation to which he may be inclined;
provided that at the same time he faithfully discharges all the essen-
tial duties which pertain to his position. In the preparation of the
work above mentioned every facility has been given to Professor Baird
which the establishment could afford, and with this view special
attention has been paid to the collection of specimens of ornithology,
with the view that, after this work has been completed, similar atten-
tion will be given in succession to other branches of science.

Another paper in the Miscellaneous Collections is entitled
Researches upon the Hydrobiine and allied forms, chiefly from mate-
rials in the collection of the Smithsonian Institution, by Dr. William
Stimpson. This memoir gives the results of an investigation relative
to the structure of agroup of small and little known fresh-water Gaster-
opods, which Dr. Stimpson had undertaken to study with a view to their
classification and arrangement in the museum of the Institution. Un-
der the name of Gasteropods are included mollusks, with a distinct

REPORT OF THE SECRETARY. 43

head, and which generally have a flat foot, adapted to crawling, and
are also usually provided with a univalve shell. The search for the
affinities and relations of these animals led to an examination of the
allied types inhabiting the sea and brackish water. The results of
the investigation were a more exact definition of the family to which
they belong, and the extension of it so as to include otber forms pre-
viously scattered; also the establishment on anatomical bases of a
number of subordinate groups or sub-families, and the suggestions as
to many new genera distinguished by peculiarities in the structure of
the soft parts as well as the shell. This memoir not only furnishes
an interesting addition to descriptive natural history, but a method
of investigation which may be advantageously applied to other fami-
lies of the class.

Dr. Stimpson, who was the naturalist to the Northwest Pacific
Exploring Expedition, under Commodore John Rodgers, is now in
charge of the Museum of the Chicago Academy of Sciences. He has
spent several years, while preparing his report on the collections of
the expedition, in the building of the Institution, and, without salary
from the Smithson fund, has rendered us essential service in the clas-
sification and naming of specimens.

The work on the Myriapoda of North America, by Dr. H. C. Wood,
jr., mentioned in previous reports, was completed and was awaiting
its turn for publication, when it was unfortunately destroyed by the
fire. It was subsequently rewritten, and as our funds did not per-
mit its being immediately put to press, it was, with the consent of
the Institution, offered to and accepted by the American Philosophi-
cal Society, and printed in the thirteenth volume of its transactions.
The wood-cuts (about sixty) which had been prepared for the work
were lent to the society to facilitate the publication. These facts are
stated in the memoir, and full credit given to the Smithsonian Insti-
tution for the aid thus rendered.

The close of the war having released Dr. John Le Conte from his
medical duties in connexion with the army, he has resumed his labors
in entomology, and has already written a considerable portion of his
‘‘List of North American Coleoptera,’’ andthe ‘‘ Description of New
Species,’’ which will be published during 1866. When these works
are completed, he will commence the second part of his classification
of coleoptera.

Reports.—During the last three years the government printing office
was so busied with the preparation of documents connected with
the war that the Annual Report of the Institution was inciden-

44 REPORT OF THE SECRETARY.

tally delayed, but the report for 1864 was finished and distributed
at an earlier period than had been possible for several previous
years. The demand for these reports is every year increasing, and we
learn from the members of both houses that no document printed by
Congress is more frequently called for.

It is greatly to be regretted that the extra copies of all the volumes
of the reports previous to 1863, which were stored in the rooms of
the towers, were destroyed by the fire, and that we are therefore
unable any longer to furnish complete sets or to supply missing vol-
umes to various institutions and correspondents that have applied for
them. The reports since 1861, inclusive, have been stereotyped, so
that at any future time an edition of any of these volumes may be
printed; but with the high price of paperand press-work, and with
the heavy demands on the Institution, this is at present impracti-
cable.
The report for 1864 contains in the appendix a eulogy of Delambre,
the eminent astronomer, translated by C. A. Alexander, esq., and a
continuation of the series of memoirs of distinguished members of the
French Academy of Sciences; an essay on the velocity of light, by
M. Delaunay, translated by Professor A. M. Mayer; an original com-
pilation on ozone and antozone, made for the Institution by Dr. Charles
M. Wetherill; translation of Jamin’s essay on vegetation and the at-
mosphere; extract of a memoir on the preservation of copper and
iron in salt water, by M. Becquerel, furnished by Admiral C. H.
Davis, United States navy; translations of articles on the preservation
of wood and caoutchouc and gutta-percha, from the German periodi-
cal ‘‘ Aus der Natur;’’ an article on gun-cotton by Lieutenant Von
Karolyi, with notes by Dr. B. F. Craig, of this city; a translation by
Professor Ten Brook of a description of Pettenkofer’s apparatus for
testing the results of perspiration and respiration; a translation by the
late Professor Hubbard, of the Naval Observatory, of Lamont’s report
on the solar eclipse of July 18, 1860; a report of the transactions of
the Society of Physics and Natural History of Geneva, 1861 and
1862, translated by ©. A. Alexander; a letter from F. Troyon on the
crania Helvetica, with illustrations; a continuation of Plateau’s
researches on the figures of equilibrium of a liquid mass withdrawn
from the action of gravity, with numerous illustrations; an original
article on the artificial shell deposits in Monmouth county, New Jer-
sey, and a continuation of Baegert’s account of the aboriginal inhabi-
tants of the California peninsula, translated by Professor Charles Rau;
an article on the ‘‘intermixture of races,’ by George Gibbs; a lec-

)

REPORT OF THE SECRETARY. 45

ture on the first steps in the study of high antiquity in Europe, pre-
pared for the Institution by A. Morlot, of Switzerland; the prize
questions proposed by various scientific societies in Hurope; a report
on the French scientific exploration of Mexico; an account of a jour-
ney to the Youcan, by W. W. Kirby, of an exploration in Upper
California, by John Feilner, of an exploration of Western Missouri,
by Dr. P. R. Hoy, with tables of weights and measures and chemi-
cal equivalents.

From this list 1t will be seen that the articles in the appendix con-
sist principally of translations from foreign scientific publications not

generally accessible to readers in this country, and of original articles

prepared especially for the Institution.

At an early period it had been proposed to establish a printing
office in connexion with the Institution, and the experiment was
eventually tried. The result, however, conclusively proved that the
expense of keeping up an establishment of this kind was far greater
than the cost of having the printing done elsewhere. The ‘‘Contri-
butions’? and “Miscellaneous Collections’? have principally been
printed by Mr. T. K. Collins, of Philadelphia, whose execution of the
work has been highly satisfactory, and who has had at his disposal
unusual facilities for performing the various kinds of printing required
in our diversified series of publications.

In consideration of the high price of paper and printing, and in
order that it might be always in our power to issue new editions of any
of our works, it has been thought advisable for the last four years to
stereotype all our publications, and, for the security of the plates, to
store them in a fire-proof receptacle. In view of this latter object,
application was made to the Academy of Natural Sciences of Phila-
delphia for the use of a portion of the extensive fire-proof basement
of its building. This proposition was cordially acceded to by the
curators of the academy; a separate room was set apart for our ac-
commodation, and all the plates not in actual use by the printer are
now deposited in an apartment entirely secure from fire, and under
the exclusive control of the Institution. The favor thus conferred
by the academy is an illustration of the friendly relations which
exists between this Institution and other establishments for the ad-
vancement of knowledge; and I scarcely need say that special thanks,
in behalf of the Board of Regents, have been given to the society for
its liberality and kindness in this matter. ae

ss

|

Ethnology.—As we have stated in previous reports, this has beena
subject to which the Institution has given particular attention. In-

‘46 REPORT OF THE SECRETARY.

deed, it is one which especially commends itself to the science and
literature of this country, since it is intimately connected with our
history and politics. Unfortunately, however, the subject of races
is one which involves questions as to their origin and characteristics
which can scarcely be discussed at the present time with that dispas-
sionate logic and strictness of induction which is necessary to the
establishment of truth. Still, much can be done in the way of col-
lecting and recording facts which may serve as the basis of future in-
vestigation. Some of these, such as those relative to the Indians,are
rapidly passing into oblivion; and others, which regard the negro,
require to be disentangled from much prejudice and misrepresenta-
tion. The peculiarities of these races should be critically examined
and truthfully recorded; to do this is a duty we owe to science and
humanity.

One of the most important clues we have to guide us in the laby-
rinth of ethnological research is language; and this is essentially the
case with regard to the aboriginal races of this continent. The re-
mains of their implements, and even their earthworks, may, in a
considerable degree, be referred to the common wants and instincts of
humanity, as in the use of the bow and arrow; but their language affords
indications of affiliation or diversity not otherwise attainable. It has
therefore been considered an important object to devise a system of
general characters which would express to philologists in every part
of the world identity of sounds. Unfortunately, however, though
much labor has been expended on attempts to construct such
a system, none has yet been presented which is entirely sat-
isfactory, or has been generally adopted. Indeed, either from trans-
mitted peculiarities or acquired habits, commencing with the instinct-
ive use of the mother tongue, men of different languages apparently
become incapable of accurately discriminating particular vocal sounds
with which early usage has not familiarized them, and on this account
a system of characters as a general alphabet which will give universal
satisfaction is scarcely to be hoped for. We must therefore be con-
tent, at least for the present, to represent the sounds of the remains
of the language of the red men of our continent in such characters as
shall best serve to preserve their general features, with a view to fu-
ture comparison and discussion. Such an alphabet has beenadopted
on the recommendation of Professor Whitney, of Yale College, and
Mr. George Gibbs, of this city, to whom the subject was referred.
It is accompanied by a vocabulary to be filled up with the equivalent
words of the dialect under consideration, expressed in common letters,

REPORT OF THE SECRETARY. AT

the sounds of which are fixed by reference to well-known English
words in which these letters occur. In this way an attempt is made
to express the several sounds without Confusing the inquirer with
new characters or numerous marks.

That the number of dialects which exist on this continent should
be great is not surprising, when we reflect on the condition of the
people previous to the advent of the Europeans. They had, without
_ doubt, for a long time occupied the soil, and bad probably arrived at
that condition as to numbers in which the struggle for life is carried
on with the greatest intensity, and in which sufficient food from the
chase can only be obtained by separation into small tribes, or even
families; a condition in which various dialects of one prevailing lan-
guage would necessarily be produced.

Instructions for researches relative to ethnology in general have
been prepared by Geo. Gibbs, esq., and were published in 1863, and
a large number of copies distributed to officers of the United States
government and others, particularly to those residing in the western
portion of the continent. During the past year an appendix to these
instructions, together with blank forms for systematic records, has
been prepared by the same author and published by the Institution.
The instructions and blank forms which have been sent out have
produced a valuable return in vocabularies, weapons, implements,
dresses, and other illustrations of the arts, manners and customs, and
mental advancement of the aboriginal races of this continent. The
vocabularies received have been given in charge to Mr. Gibbs, to
whom the Institution is largely indebted for months of labor gratui-
_tously rendered. |

lt is proposed, as soon as the funds will permit, to publish a descrip-
tive catalogue of all the ethnological specimens in the possession of the
Institution. These include, beside those from different parts of this
country, those collected by the United States Exploring Uxpedition un-
der Captain (now Admiral) Wilkes, from the islands of the Pacific, the
Hast Indies, Africa, China and Japan, and Central and South Amer-
ica. Such a catalogue, properly illustrated with wood-cut engravings,
from photograph drawings, would be an acceptable addition to the
literature of ethnology.

At the commencement of ey war preparations were made by the
Institution to obtain records of the physical characteristics of the
soldiers composing the army of the United States, embracing a large
number of measurements of different parts of the body, to ascertain
the peculiarities of the different nationalities represented, This work

48 REPORT OF THE SECRETARY.

was afterwards prosecuted on a much more extended scale than was
compatible with the means of the Institution by the Sanitary Com-
mission, and the observations have since been discussed by Dr. B. A.
Gould, of Cambridge, who has deduced from them a series of novel
and interesting results, which were lately presented to the National
Academy. It is proposed to extend similar measurements to the
Indian tribes, and it is very desirable that the negro should be em-
braced in the same investigation. We have in this country at _
the present time a better opportunity to study the peculiarities of
a number of races than is perhaps to be found in any other single
portion of the earth, and the most casual observer cannot but be
struck with the marked difference which exists between the Indian,
the negro, and indeed between the descendants of the civilized in-
habitants of different parts of Hurope, thousands of whom are now
flocking to our shores.

The stubborn self-reliance and impatience of control of the Indian
are strikingly contrasted with the docility and imitative qualities of the
negro. ‘The inflexibility of the characteristics of the former, with the
gradual changes and amelioration of the character of the latter in his
association with the white man, are worthy of special attention.

It may be proper here to mention that we have received a commu-
nication from Dr. EH. H. Davis, one of the authors of the first volume
of Smithsonian Contributions, pointing out an error in Lubbock’s ac-
count of Smithsonian publications on ethnology, copied from the Nat-
ural History Review, of London, in our report for 1862. In this
article (page 322) the sculptured stone pipes found in the mounds are
classed under the head of pottery. This error, says Dr. Davis, does
injustice not only to American aboriginal art, but also misleads Kuro-
pean ethnologists in regard to a series of sculptures pronounced by
all who have seen them to be illustrations of the highest stage of art
attained in the stone age of America. The same mistake is now re-
produced in the publications of the Anthropological Society of Lon-
don, and in Lubbock’s Prehistoric Times. The fact is that the pipes
described in the first volume of the Smithsonian Contributions were
not of terra-cotta. None of this kind were found in the mounds, and
but few anywhere in the country. *

Intimately connected with ethnology and anthropology is arche-
ology, or the study of remains of the ancient inhabitants of a coun-
try. To those who have paid any attention to the subject, it is well
known that recently very interesting discoveries have been made of
the remains of lacustrine villages in Switzerland, Italy, and Germany;

REPORT OF THE SECRETARY. 49

and also that memorials of the early inhabitants of the Scandinavian
peninsula have been recognized in the,extensive heaps of shells,
mostly those of the oyster, which were for a long time considered as
formations of the sea, but which have been shown by the Danish
savans to be the accumulated household refuse of populations who
lived in ages ascending beyond the records of history. ‘The indica-
tions of the artificial origin of these accumulations consist in the
total absence of stratification which always characterizes marine de-
posits, and in the fact that the rubbish contains rude flint imple-
ments, charcoal cinders, and the bones of various animals, some of
which are, at present, extinct in the districts in which these mounds
exist.

In our own country, besides the well-known Indian mounds con-
structed for special purposes, such as for sepulture and religious
observances, and as monuments of events, there are found on various
parts of the coast shell mounds, which, like those of Denmark, are
composed of -the refuse of the repasts of the aborigines, and which
will undoubtedly reward the research of the archeologist with inter-
esting facts in regard to the ancient inhabitants of the land we now
inhabit. Among the first essays in this line are those of Mr. Charles
Rau, of New York, published in the last report of this Institution.
They relate to an examination of mounds of this kind on the shores
of New Jersey. These indicate the places where the aborigines
were accustomed to feast upon the spoils of the neighboring beach,
remarkable for the abundance of oysters, clams, and other edible
mollusks. The places selected for this purpose were at some dis-
tance inland, and sufficiently elevated to be out of reach of high
tide. The direct evidence that these shell accumulations are of an
artificial character consists in the presence of numerous fragments of
pottery and stone implements.

In one of the heaps and in the adjacent fields Mr. Rau obtained
more than 300 specimens of Indian manufacture, consisting of stone
axes, arrows and spear points, flint knives, and many pieces of broken
crockery. The axes are of greenstone, or of sandstone, of the usual
shape, and encircled by a groove forthe attachment of a handle., That
the manufacture of arrow heads was carried on in this place is evi-
dent from the great number of flint chips and unfinished arrow heads
which lie scattered among the shells. These places were probably
camping grounds at certain seasons of the year. It is said that
similar shell-beds occur on Long Island, where the shells are used
for burning lime. They also exist in Georgia, on the coast of Mas-

48

50 REPORT OF THE SECRETARY.

sachusetts, in Newfoundland, and in California; and now that atten-
tion has been specially directed to the subject, they will probably,
be found and examined in various parts of this continent.

The occurrence of the Danish shell-heaps, whose history i is merged
in the twilight of civilization, and those of a similar character in
America, show that the early condition of man is everywhere essen-
tially the same, while the rude implements which are obtained
from them indicate a similarity of wants and an identity of mental
characteristics by which these wants are supplied.

The Institution has given special attention to the collection of
specimens to illustrate the archeology of this country, and now pos-
sesses, with those procured by the Exploring Expedition under Cap-
tain Wilkes, those obtained from the various expeditions under the
auspices of the Institution; and from the Hudson’s Bay Company, a
more valuable series than any to be found elsewhere in the United
States. An effort will be made during the present year to properly
arrange and fully display them for study. The comparison of the
early savage implements in different countries is full of interest. We
see from this that what is called the stone age is not a period of
absolute time, but a stage of civilization, long past in one portion of
the earth, while existing at present in another.

Meteorology.—It has been aptly said that man is a meteorologist by
nature. He is placed in such a state of dependence upon the atmo-
spheric elements, that to watch their vicissitudes and to endeavor to
anticipate their changes become objects of paramount importance.
Indeed the interest in this subject is so absolute that the common
salutation among civilized nations is a meteorological wish, and the
first introduction to conversation among strangers is a meteorological
remark. Yet there is no circumstance which is remembered
with so little exactness as the previous condition of the wea-
ther, even from week to week. In order that its fluctuations
» may be preserved as facts of experience, it is necessary that they
should be continuously and accurately registered. Again, there is,
perhaps, no branch of science relative to which so many obser-
vations have been made and ‘to many records accumulated, and
yet from which so few general principles have been deduced. This
has arisen, first, from the real complexity of the phenomena, or, in
other words, from the number of separate causes influencing the pro-
duction of the ordinary results; second, from the improper methods
which have been pursued in the investigation of the subject, and the
amount of labor required in the reduction and discussion of the ob-

i

‘REPORT OF THE SECRETARY. 51

servations. Although the primary causes of the change of the
weather are, on the one hand, the alternating inclination of the sur-
face of the earth to the rays of the sun, by which its different parts
are unequally heated in summer and in winter, and, on the other, the
moisture which is elevated from the ocean in the warmer and precip-
itated upon the colder portions of the globe; yet the effects of these
are so modified by the revolution of the earth on its axis, the condi-
tion and character of the different portions of its surface, and the
topography of each country, that to strictly calculate the perturba-
tions or predict the results of the simple laws of atmospheric
equilibrium with that precision which is attainable in astronomy, will
probably ever transcend the sagacity of the wisest, even when as-
sisted by the highest mathematical analysis. But although such
precision cannot be looked for, approximations may still be obtained
of great importance in their practical bearing on the every-day
business of life.

The greater part of all the observations which have been recorded
until within a few years past has been without system or co-ordina-
tion. It is true that the peculiar climate of a given place may be
determined by a long series of isolated observations, but such obser-
vations, however long continued, or industriously and accurately made,
can give no adequate idea of the climate of a wide region, of the
progress of atmospheric changes, nor can they furnish an approxi-
mation to the general laws of the recurrence of phenomena. For
this purpose a system of observation must be established over widely
extended regions within which simultaneous records are made and
periodically transmitted to a central position, where, by proper
reduction and discussion, such general conclusions may be reached as

the materials are capable of yielding.

In discussing the records,the empirical method does not suffice. It
is necessary that a priori assumptions should bé provisionally adopted,’
not, however, at random, but chosen in strict accordance with well-
established physical principles, and that these be finally adopted, re-
jected, or modified, as they are found to agree or disagree with the
records. Itisonly by this method that the different causes which co-

operate in the production of a series of complex phenomena can be dis-

covered, as is illustrated in the history of astronomy, which, previous to
the investigations of Kepler, consisted of an unintelligible mass of
records of observations. But even with the application of the best
possible process of discussion, the labor necessary to be expended
on such large masses of figures, in order to deduce simple results, is.

52 REPORT OF THE SECRETARY.”

far beyond any individual effort, and can only be properly accom-
plished by governmental aid.

The importance of a combined system of meteorological observa-
tions extending over a large area, and the peculiar advantages pre-
sented by our country for this object, were early appreciated, and
such a system was commenced in 1819, under the direction of Dr.
Lovell, Surgeon General of the army. The stations embraced the
principal military posts, from which reports were made at the end
of each month as to the temperature, the pressure, and the moisture
of the air, the amount of rain, the direction and force of the wind,
the appearance of the sky, besides casual phenomena, such as the
aurora, thunder-storms, shooting stars, &c. In 1825 a similar system,
of more numerous stations in proportion to the area embraced, was
established in the State of New York, the points of observations
being the several academies, under the direction of the board of
regents of the university, an establishment having charge of the

higher institutions of learning in that State.
Jn 1837 the legislature of Pennsylvania made an appropriation of
four thousand dollars for instruments, which were distributed to vol-
untary observers. This system was continued about ten years; that
of New York has been kept up with more or less efficiency until the
present time; while the army system was continued until the com-
mencement of the war.

The lake system, established by the engineer department, under
the superintendence of Captain (now General) Meade, consists of a
line of stations, extending from the western part of Lake Superior to .
the eastern part of Lake Ontario, and has been efficiently continued
for several years.

The Smithsonian meteorological system was commenced in 1849,
and, with occasional aid in defraying the expenses, has continued in
operation until the present period. It was, however, much diminished
in efficiency during the war, since from the southern States no records
were received, and many of the observers at the north were called to
abandon such pursuits for military service in the field. The efforts
of the institution in this line have been directed to supplementing and
harmonizing all the other systems, preparing and distributing blank
forms and instructions, calculating and publishing extensive tables for
the reduction of observations, introducing standard instruments, and col-
lecting all public documents, printed matter, and manuscript records ©
bearing on the meteorology of the American continent, submitting
these materials to scientific discussion, and publishing the results. In

my

REPORT OF THE SECRETARY. 53

these labors the Institution has been in continued harmonious co-ope-
ration with all the other efforts. made in this country to advance
meteorology, except those formerly conducted by the Navy Depart-
ment under Lieutenant Maury. These were confined exclusively to
the sea, and had no reference to those made at the same time on land.
Without desiring to disparage the labors of Lieutenant Maury, I may
say that his: results would have lost nothing of their value by the
adoption of a less exclusive policy on his part. The meteorology of
the sea and that of the land pertain to a connected series of pheno-
mena which can only be properly studied by a combined system of ob-
servations relating to both. The method pursued by Lieutenant Maury
consisted in dividing the surface of a map of the ocean into squares of
ten degrees on a side, and in recording within each of these the di-
rections of the winds obtained from the log-books of the vessels which
had traversed the several regions. In this way he accumulated a large
amount of data, which, though published in connexion with many
crude hypotheses, are of great value in the study of the meteorol-
ogy of the globe.

In 1853 a meteorological system was commenced in Canada, the
senior grammar school in each county being provided with instru-
ments, and the observations have been continued to the present
time. In regard to this system, Mr. Hodgins, of the educational de-
partment, remarks: ‘‘ We have never lost sight of the great practi-
cal importance to a new and partially settled country, of establish-
ing early in its history, before its physical condition is materially
changed, a complete and comprehensive system of meteorological
observations, by which may be tested theories of science which are
yet unsettled,and which may be solved, relating to natural phenomena
which have long remained among the sealed mysteries of nature.’’

The observations thus far have béen taken without remuneration,
but the importance.of the system has become so well recognized
that the Canadian government has decided to establish ten perma-
nent stations, in addition to the observatories at Toronto and Kings-
ton, distributed so as to afford the most complete information relative
to the climatic features of the whole province. The points selected
are Windsor, Goderich, Stratford, Simcoe, Barrie, Hamilton, Peter-
borough, Belleville, Pembroke, and Cornwall; that is, two stations
on Lake Erie, one on Lake Huron, three on, Lake Ontario, one on
Lake Simcoe, one on the Ottawa river, one on the bay of Quinté,
one on the St. Lawrence, near the eastern extremity of the province,
and two in the interior of the country. The records made at the
public schools of Canada have been furnished to the Smithsonian In-

54 REPORT OF THE SECRETARY. °

stitution, as well as to the committee on immigration of the House
of Assembly, for the purpose of furnishing facts relative to the
climate, of importance to settlers, and recently the department of
royal engineers has applied for the returns, with a view to the con-
sideration of their bearing on questions of defence.

To secure a greater degree of responsibility, and to promiee the
efficiency of the system, the government has provided for the pay-
ment of fifty cents a day to the teachers of the grammar schools at
the stations before enumerated, as remuneration for the service ren-
dered.

Under the direction of the distinguished academician Kupfer, there
is established over the vast Russian territory a network of thirty
meteorological stations, where are noted the various changes of the
atmosphere as to temperature, pressure, moisture, &c. The most
northern of these stations is at Hammerfest, in 70° 41’ north latitude,
21° 26’ east longitude from Paris, and the most southern is at Tiflis,
in.41° 42’ north latitude, and 42° 30’ east longitude. A similar
system of simultaneous observations has been for several yeats in op-
eration in Great Britain and Ireland, in connexion with the Board of
Trade, and under the direction of. the late Admiral Fitzroy. Other
and like systems have been established in France, Italy, and Holland.
From these different organizations, as well as from insulated observa-
tories, telegrams of the weather are sent every morning, at seven
o’ clock, from the principal cities of Europe to Paris, where, under the
superintendence of the celebrated Leverrier, they are discussed, and
the results transmitted by mail to all parts of the world in the suc-
cessive numbers of the daily International Bulletin. A similar publi-
cation is periodically made in Italy, under the direction of M. Mat-
teucci, so well and favorably known by his discoveries in physics.
The British government has als established a system of observations
for the sea, and furnished its navy with accurate instruments, care-
fully compared with the standards of the Kew observatory. It is es-
timated in a report to Parliament that, through an annual appropria-
tion of about fifty thousand dollars, statistics may be collected in
fifteen years sufficient, with what has already been obtained, to deter-
mine the average movement of the winds on every part of the ocean.

From the great interest which has been awakened in regard to me-
teorology throughout the world, and the improved methods which
have been adopted in its study, it can scarcely be doubted that in a
few years the laws of the general movements of the atmosphere will
be ascertained, and the causes of many phenomena of the weather,
which have heretofore been regarded as little else than the. capricious

REPORT OF THE SECRETARY. 55

and abnormal impulses of nature, will become adequately known; al-
though, from the number of these causes, and the complexity of the
resultant effect, it may never be possible to deduce accurate pre-
dictions as to the time and particular mode of their occurrence.

Indeed, the results which have been already derived from the series
of combined observations in this country, fully justify the wisdom and
forethought of those who were instrumental in establishing them.
Although their organization was imperfect, the observers, in most
cases, untrained, and the instruments of an inferior character, yet
they have furnished data which, through the labors of Redfield, Espy,
and Hare, whose memories are preserved in the history of science,
have led to the establishment of principles of high theoretical inter-
est, as well as of great practical value. Among these I need here
mention only the fact now fully proved that all the meteorological
phenomena of at least the middle and more northern portions of
the temperate zone are transmitted from west to east. The passage
of storms from one part of the country to the other was noticed by Dr.
Franklin on the occasion of observing an eclipse of the moon. He
showed that our northeast storms are felt successively later and later
as the point of observation is further to the northeast; that they
arrive last at the extreme northeastern portions of our continent.
We now know, however, that the successive appearance of the
storm at points further along the coast is due to the easterly move-
ments, sideways as it were, of an atmospheric disturbance, greatly
elongated north and south, and reaching sometimes from Canada to
the Gulf of Mexico. Hence to persons residing along the seaboard
the phenomenon would appear to have a northwardly progression, on
account of the northeasterly trend of the coast; yet the storm not un-
frequently reaches Bermuda simultaneously with Nova Scotia.

Few persons can have failed to observe the continued motion of the
higher clouds from the west, or to have recognized the just meteor-
oscopy of Shakspeare in a well-known passage:

‘‘The weary sun hath made a golden set,
And by the bright track of his fiery car
Gives token of a goodly day to-morrow.’’

The breaking forth of the sun just before his setting shows that
the rear of the cloud which has obscured his beams has, in its east-
erly course, reached our horizon, and will soon give place to an un-
obscured sky.

It must be observed, however, that all the storms which visit our
coast are not of this nature; those denominated cyclones, and which sel-
dom extend far into the interior, are probably of arotatory character.

56 REPORT OF THE SECRETARY.

These usually commence in the Caribbean sea, move first toward the
northwest, and gradually curving round before they reach our lati-
tude, take an easterly direction, as has been shown by Redfield and
others. .

The first practical application which was attempted of the prin-
ciple we have mentioned was made by this Institution in 1856;
the information conveyed by telegraphic despatches in regard to
the weather was daily exhibited by means of differently colored
tokens, on a map of the United States, so as to show at one view the
meteorological condition of the atmosphere over the whole country.
At the same time publication of telegraphic despatches was made
in the newspapers. The system, however, was necessarily discon-
tinued at the beginning of the war, and has not yet been resumed.
Similar applications have since been made in other countries, par-
ticularly in England, under the late Admiral Fitzroy; in France, un-
der Leverrier; and still later, in Italy. In the last-mentioned country
tabular statements are to be published annually, comparing the pre-
dictions with the weather actually experienced.

The British government has also recently introduced the system of
telegraphic meteorological predictions into India. The cyclone of
October, 1864, which did such damage to the shipping in Caicutta
and destroyed the lives of sixty thousand persons, called special at-
tention to the subject. The Asiatic Society of Bengal estimated the
cost of such a system at 67,000 rupees, (about $30,000,) a sum which
the government hesitated to appropriate, though it decided to fur-
nish the necessary instruments and an allowance of fifty rupees a
month to the assistant at the telegraph station at Saugor, on the sea-
board to the southward of Calcutta, in the direction from which the
most severe storms approach that port.

It must be evident, from what we have said in regard to the move-
ment of storms, that a system of telegraphic meteorological predic-
tions would be at once more reliable and of more benefit to the
eastern coast of the United States, than those made in England and
France, on the western coast of Europe, could possibly be to those
countries, since the disturbances of the atmosphere which reach them
advance from the ocean, while the majority of those of asimilar nature
which visit especially the middle and eastern portions of our coast,
come overland from a westerly or southwesterly direction, and their
approach may be telegraphed in some cases many hours before their
actual arrival.

But the expense of the proper establishment of a system of this kind

REPORT OF THE SECRETARY. 57

can only be defrayed by the general government, or some organiza-
tion in possession of more ample means than can be applied by the
Smithsonian Institution to sucha purpose. This will be evident from
the fact which we have mentioned of the cost of the establishment
of a similar system in India, and from a report of a committee of the
two houses of Parliament appointed to consider certain questions
relating to the meteorological department of the Board of Trade. —
From this it appears that the amount expended during the eleven
years ending with 1865 was 45,000 pounds sterling, or an average
of about $20,000°a year. The same committee recommend that
meteorological observations at sea be continued under the diree-
tion of the hydrographic office of the admiralty, and an appropria-
tion of £1,500 annually be made for instruments, and for discussion
and publication of results, £1,700; making a total of £3,200.
For weather statistics on land, the annual sum of £4,250, includ-
ing instruments, discussion, and publications, is recommended, and
for telegram storm warnings, £3,000; making a total annual ex-
penditure of £7,450 for the land, and a grand annual total for land
and sea of £10,450, or $52,250.

The present would appear to be a favorable time to urge upon
Congress the importance of making provision for reorganizing all the
meteorological observations of the United States under one combined
plan, in which the records should be sent to a central depot for dis-
cussion and final publication. An appropriation of $50,000 annually
for this purpose would tend not only to advance the material interest
of the country, but also to increase its reputation. It would show
that although the administration of our government is the expression
of the popular volition, it is not limited in its operation merely to
objects of instant or immediate utility, but that, with a wise prevision
of the future, it withholds its assistance from no enterprise, ‘however
remote the results, which has for its end to advance the well-being of
humanity.

It is scarcely necessary at this day to dwell on the advantages which
result from such svstems of combined observations as those which the
principal governments of Europe have established and are now con-
stantly extending. I may, however, in passing, briefly allude to some
facts which may not at once occur to the mind of the general reader.
They enable the mariner to shorten the time and diminish the danger
of the passage from one port to another by indicating to him the
route along which prevail, at a particular season of the year, the
most favorable winds for his purpose. They also furnish the means

58 REPORT OF THE SECRETARY.

by which the sailor is taught the important lesson, which has saved
thousands of lives and millions of property, namely, that of finding
the direction of the centre of the cyclone, and of’ determining the
course in which he must steer in order to extricate himself from the
destructive violence of this fearful scourge of the ocean. ‘To the
agriculturist they indicate the character of the climate of the country,
and enable him, with certainty, to select the articles of culture best
adapted to the temperature and moisture of the region, and which,
in the course of a number of years, will insure him the most profita-
ble returns for his labor. They furnish the statistics of the occur-

rence of sterile years and of devastating storms, which may serve as

the bases on which to found insurance institutions for protection
against the failure of crops, and thus give to the husbandman the
same certainty in his pursuits as that possessed by the merchant or
the ship-owner. ‘They may also afford warning of the approach of
severe frosts and violent storms in time to guard, at least in some
degree, against their injurious effects. To the physician, a knowledge
of such results as can be obtained from an extended system of obser-
vations is of great importance, not only in regard to the immediate
practice of his art, but also to the improvemeut of his science. The
peculiar diseases of a region are principally dependent on its climate;
an extreme variation of temperature in a large city is invariably at-
tended with an increase of the number of deaths. The degree and
variation of the moisture at different times and in different places
have also a great influence on diseases, and the more the means of
studying the connexion of these elements and the corresponding con-
dition of the human body are multiplied, the more will the art and
the science of medicine be improved. I may mention that scarcely
a week passes at the Institution in which application*is not made for
meteorological information relative to different parts of this country,
with the hope to improve the condition, if not restore the health, of
some patient. The knowledge, however, which at present exists as
to the connexion of climate and disease, particularly in relation to
our Own country, is, in comparison to what might be obtained, of
little significance.

No other part of the world can at all compare with this country in
the conditions most favorable to the advancement of meteorology, by
means of a well-organized and properly sustained system of combined

observations ; such a system extending from east to west more than °

two thousand miles would embrace in its investigation all the phe-
nomena of the great upper current of the return trade-wind, which,

&

REPORT OF THE SECRETARY. 59

continually flowing over us at a high elevation, carries most of the
disturbances of the atmosphere eastward. It would also include the
effects produced*by the polar and equatorial currents as they contend
for the mastery along the broad valley which stretches without inter-
ruption from the arctic circle to the Gulf of Mexico, and would settle
with precision the influence of the great fresh-water lakes in amelio-
rating the climate of the adjacent regions. But above all, in a popu-
lar view, it would furnish the means more effectually than any other
system of predicting the approach of storms and of giving the ships
of our Atlantic coast due warning of the probability of danger.

Collections.—In the preceding reports an important distinction has °
been made between the collections of the Institution intended for
the immediate advance and diffusion of a knowledge of natural his-
tory, and the museum intended for popular exhibition; while the for-
mer is in strict conformity with the catholic spirit of the bequest,
and can be prosecuted in due relation to the various other branches
of knowledge, having each an equal claim on the bounty of the fund,
the latter is principally local in its character, and demands a per-
petual outlay of a pgrtion of the annual income, which tends contin-
ually to increase with the additions to the number of objects exhib-
ited, and finally to absorb all the resources of the establishment.
Although the museum has been principally restricted to the mainte-
nance and exhibition of the articles of the exploring expeditions of the
government, and to such type specimens as might serve to illustrate
the publications of the Institution, yet its cost has exceeded that of
all the active operations which have rendered the name of Smith-
son favorably known in every part of the civilized world. This
statement will not be thought incorrect when it is considered that to
its account may justly be charged the absorption of the annual inter-
est of the money expended on the building, a sum which will now
be greatly enhanced by the cost of the restoration.

I have thought it important to refer to this point in almost every
annual report, in order that what I deem a fundamental policy of
the Institution should be kept constantly in view, namely, the preser-
vation of the income of the Smithsonian fund as untrammelled as possi-
ble, and free to be applied to assist in the solution of any scientific
problem which may present itself, or in any other way. to extend the
present bounds of human knowledge. A well replenished purse, un-
incumbered with debt and free to be applied to any purpose, is a
source of power as important to an establishment for the advance or
diffusion of knowledge as it is to an individual. '

60 - REPORT OF THE SECRETARY.

By these remarks I do not intend to disparage the value of public
museums; so far from this, I can freely say that I consider them of
great importance as a means of intellectual improvement, of rational
enjoyment, and:as receptacles of interesting materials for the use of
the student in any branch of learning. By the foregoing remarks I
merely wish to urge the fact that an establishment of this kind,
worthy of the seat of government of the United States, can only be
supported by appropriations from Congress, and to express the
opinion that so large an expenditure in the imperfect attempt to
found a museum by means of the Smithson bequest will in time be
abandoned, and the whole of the income devoted to-the more cosmo-
’ politan objects of the Institution.

In the last report a general account is given of what has been
done by the Institution towards forming such collections, and
during the past year this portion of the general operations has been
carried on with unabated success.® Although it might appear that
the older settled portions of the country had been thoroughly laid
under contribution, yet new questions are continually arising, and
attention is devoted to less obvious features, ag the subject of natural
history is more minutely pursued. But still tltere are vast portions
even of the United States which remain in a considerable degree un-
explored. In the easternsportion the explorations in 1865, under
the auspices of the Institution, have been chiefly confined to the col-
jection of materials for the illustration of the work on North Amer-
ican Oology, in preparation by Dr. Brewer. In the west, the labors
interrupted by the death of the lamented Captain Feilner have been
resumed, under the direction of General Sully, in the neighborhood
of Devil’s lake, Dakota. ‘From Idaho, collections made by Dr. Hitz have
been received, and from Arizona the valuable series collected by As-
sistant Surgeon Coues. The latter consist of mammals, birds, rep-
tiles, insects, and plants. Doctor Coues has also made minute notes
on the habits and peculiarities of the animals of the region explored,
and is now engaged upon a report of the results of his labors.

It has been frequently stated in previous reports that the Institu-
tion has entered into friendly relations with the officers of the Hud-
son’s Bay Company, and, from the active co-operation which has taken
place, large collections of interesting specimens relative to the nat-
ural history of the country, valuable meteorological observations, and
ethnological records have been derived.

In March last the Institution received upwards of thirty large cases
from this source, containing immense numbers of specimens illustra-

REPORT OF THE SECRETARY. 61

ting the flora, fauna, and the anthropology of these northern regions.

' For the larger portion of these collections we are specially indebted

2

to Mr. R. R. Macfarlane of Fort Anderson.

The services of Governor Mactavish, in forwarding his own and
other valuable notes which accompany the collections, were also of
great importance, and, as in previous cases, the boxes were delivered
by the Hudson’s Bay Company at Fort Garry, after thousands of
miles of transportation, free of charges.

The opportunity afforded of adding to tHe collections of the Insti-
tution by the expedition to connect the United States and Russia by
a line of telegraphic communication, was too important to be neg-
lected. The directors of the company engaged in this enterprise
early called upon the Smithsonian Institution for information in re-
gard to the contemplated route, and besides receiving maps and
other data relative to the geography and climate of the country,
Mr. Kennicott, who had spent several years under the auspices of
the Institution in Arctic America, was warmly recommended to them
as a person well qualified to assist in the undertaking. The company
also received valuable suggestions as to the best line from Professor
Baird, and, in return for these services, facilities have been afforded,
under Colonel Bulkley, in charge of the expedition, for making col-
lections in natural history, &c., on a liberal scale. A prominent po-
sition was given to Mr. Kennicott in the survey, and a number of
assistants were selected from young men who had also been in
training in this Institution; the notes and collections which may be
made by them will be transmitted to Washington for discussion and
the publication of such results as may be important in the advance of
science.

The telegraph company not only afforded facilities for making the
collections, but also contributed, as did the Chicago Academy of
Sciences, to lessen the expense to the Smithsonian fund in the pur-
chase of the necessary articles comprising the outfit of the natural.
ists of the expedition. The first set of duplicate specimens will
properly belong to the Chicago Academy, and the remainder will be
distributed in the manner best adapted to facilitate the researches of
those who are engaged in the study of the special branches of science
to which the specimens may pertain.

In the southern part of the continent, erations have continued
to be made. Colonel A. J. Grayson, who has previously been a
contributor, has examined the islands off the coast of Mexico, and
has discovered a number of new species of birds; also Mr. Charles

62 REPORT OF THE SECRETARY.

Laszlo and Dr. Sartorius, to whom we have been indebted for me-
teorological observations, have continued ine contributions to the *
natural history of Mexico.

A scientific survey of the Isthmus of Yucatan has been undertaken
by Governor Salazar y Ilarregui, and, on the recommendation of the
Institution, Dr. Arthur Schott was engaged to superintend the nat-
ural history branch of operations; and the collections, of which many
packages have already reached us, are all to be sent to this Institution
for examination previous to the publication of an account of the re-
sults obtained.

Dr. H. Berendt has commenced, under the auspices of the Insti-
tution, an exploration of British Honduras and the interior of Gua-
temala. The outfit of physical instruments and apparatus, and
supplies, for collections of natural history, were principally furnished
from the Smithsonian fund, while the personal expenses were borne
by a subscription of a number of gentlemen interested in the advance
of science, and by the Academies of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia
and Chicago.

The explorations in Costa Rica by Dr. Von Frantzius and Mr.

Carmiol have continued to add large numbers of specimens to our
collections, no region of America, according to Professor Baird, hav-
ing yielded of late years so many new species of birds.

Valuable collections have been made by Mr. Holland, Captain Dow,
Mr. Hicks, and Mr. Chapman, in Central America.

From South America collections have been received from Mr.
Walter S. Church and Professor W. H. Nation, in Peru; Dr. Her-
ing, from Paramaribo; Mr. De Lacerda, Mr. Goodwin, and the Natural
History Museum of Rio, in Brazil? For the latter donation, made by
order of the Emperor of Brazil, we are specially indebted to the
kindness of Mr. Lisboa, former Brazilian minister to the United
States.

Large collections have also. been received from the West Indies,
principally made by Mr. Charles Wright, Mr. N. H. Bishop, Dr.
Gundlach, Mr. March, Professor G. N. Allen, Mr. Robert Swift, and
Mr. George Latimer, the deficiencies in our series from this région _
having been largely supplied during the year.

In accordance with the policy of the Institution, collections are not
generally requested from the Old World, except in certain cases where
they are desired for comparison by those who are engaged in special
investigations. We have, however, during the last year, received a
series of the eggs and skins of the birds of Palestine, presented by
Mr. Tristram.

REPORT OF THE SECRETARY. 63

- Distribution and use of Specimens.—The policy of rendering the
specimens as conducive as possible to the immediate promotion of sci-
ence has been constantly observed, and for this ‘purpose not only
have new specimens been furnished to those engaged in original in-
vestigations, but the duplicates of such as have been examined have
been made up into sets for distribution.

From the materials principally furnished by the Institution, Dr.

Gill has prepared & synopsis of North American seals, about to be
published by the Essex Institute of Massachusetts, and has continued
the description of new species of fishes. He has also examined the
skulls of Mammals in the collection, and among them has made the re-
markable discovery of a peculiar generic type of tapirs, still living
on the Isthmus of Panama, but which has escaped the notice of pre-
vious investigators.
_ Ample materials have also been furnished Professor Baird for the
preparation of an additional part of his review of American birds,
and the means have been furnished Dr. Bryant, Mr. Cassin, and Mr.
Lawrence, for prosecuting their investigations in relation to orni-
thology. A large number of reptiles have been sent to Professor
Cope, of Haverford College, Pennsylvania, including:a series from
Arizona and Central America; the new species will be described in
the proceedings of the Philadelphia Academy of Natural Sciences,
and amore elaborate monograph of the whole is to be pgesented
for publication to the Institution. Dr. Brewer has been supplied with
eges and nests of birds, for the continuation of his work on North
American Oology, the first part of which was published in the elev-
enth volume of Smithsonian Contributions.

In all cases where assistance is thus extended to individuals in the
prosecution of their particular studies, there is an implied understand-
ing that full credit shall be given to the Institution for the facilities
afforded. This condition has generally been properly observed, al-
though in some few cases the acknowledgment has not been quite so
explicit as the benefits received would appear to demand.

So extended has become the field of modern science that divi-
sion of labor is here as essential as in the mechanic arts, and a mas-
tery of principles and details can only be the reward of attention con-
centrated on a few branches; as, therefore, the organization of this
Institution does not contemplate the support of a corps of professors
engaged in a comprehensive cultivation of science in all its branches,
but would rather invite the aid and procure the collaboration of
those who may be disposed to render gratuitous service for the fur-
therance and advance of knowledge for its own sake, many of the

&

64 REPORT OF THE SECRETARY.

specimens which are sent to us for identification, particularly those
of a rare character, are forwarded for examination to persons at a
distance. During the past year the insects received, as usual,
have been placed in charge of the Entomological Society, of Phila-
delphia; the plants have been sent partly to Dr. Torrey, and partly
to Dr. Gray, for study and arrangement. The minerals have been trans-
mitted to the School of Mines of Columbia College, New York. In all
cases the specimens are to be assorted and labelled, the most perfect
suite to be returned to the Institution, and the remainder properly
divided into sets for distribution.

References have also been made during the past year of questions
in the line of natural history to Professor G. J. Brush, Isaac Lea,esq.,
Dr. Jos. Leidy, A. Avassiz, J. P. Lesley, Dr. Haldeman, Dr. Allen,
Thos. Bland, W. G. Binney, G. W. Tryon, jr.. Dr. W.Stimpson, Dr.
J. Le Conte, S. H. Scudder, P. R. Uhler, W. H. Edwards, Hdw.
Norton, E. T. Cresson, and Dr. H. C. Wood, jr.

It is gratifying to be able to state that in no case has a favor of
this kind been refused by any one qualified to render the desired ser-
vice ; indeed the time and labor bestowed on the affairs of the Insti-
tution by its collaborators might well be a matter of surprise to
those who are themselves scarcely influenced by other motives than
the pursuit of gain. In this respect the liberalizing tendency of sci-
entific Studies is strikingly manifest.

In the winter of 1859-60 Mr. P. P. Carpenter, a well known con-
chologist, who had been requested by the British Association for the ©
Advance of Science to prepare a report on the shells of the northwest
coast of America, visited Washington, and was requested to arrange
and label the extensive collection of shells of the Smithsonian Insti-
tution, preparatory to the distribution of the duplicates. These con-
sisted of the specimens collected by the United States Exploring
Expedition, under Captain Wilkes, and other expeditions instituted
by government, together with those collected by individuals under
the direction of the Institution:

The work, however, proved far too extensive to be completed by
Mr. Carpenter before his return home,and it was therefore concluded
to send the collection to him in England, where he would have an
opportunity of performing the work under the more favorable con-
dition of comparison with the great collections of that country. The
boxes were transported across the Atlantic gratuitously, through the
kindness of Sir E. Cunard, passed through the English custom-house
without search, and arrived safely at the Warrington Museum, of

REPORT OF THE SECRETARY. 65

which Mr. Carpenter was at the time one of the scientific cura-
tors.

“In one respect,” says Mr. Carpenter, “it was fortunate for the future
interests of American malacology that the work was undertaken at
the time. It was part of the plan to duplicate, for American stu-
dents, names in the celebrated Cumingian collection, the largest in
the world, and containing the principal part of the types described
and figured in the modern monographs. Mr. Cuming himself liber-
ally and kindly undertook to compare the shells of the Institution
with his own. This great and wearisome labor he performed gra-
tuitously, in order that he might give a fair starting point to Ameri-
can students. The only expense was that of transportation and
celerk-hire. Shortly after the completion of the work, Mr. Cuming
died, to the irreparable loss of the students of malacology, to whom
he was always ready to render assistance whenever the interests of
science would be thereby advanced.’’ ‘‘ When the duplicates of the
Smithsonian collection shall have been distributed to the schools, col-
leges, and museums of the American continent, and students not yet
born shall be thereby enabled to make an accurate beginning in this
interesting and useful branch cf study, it is hoped that the name of
Hugh Cuming will be remembered with grateful respect, as the man
to whose incessant labors during a long life is due the gathering
together of the largest series of known forms of shells, and to»ewhom
they owe the naming of the principal part of their collection.’’

Mr. Carpenter does not claim for the naming of these specimens
entire freedom from error; the names given represent simply, neither
more nor less, those in Mr. Cuming’s cabinet, as identified by him-
self during the years 1861 to 1865,that is, the names of the more re-
cent monographer, whether right or wrong. It is believed, however,
that there is no other collection of shells on the continent of Amer-
ica of an equal number of species which can lay claim to even this
moderate standard of accuracy. _

The several objects to which Mr. Carpenter’s attention was directed
were as follows:

First. To make the permanent collection of the Institution as com-
plete as possible by advantageous exchanges in England and else-
where.

Second. To arrange the first-class duplicates of those which had a
special scientific value for distribution to the establishments where
they would be most generally useful.

58

66 REPORT OF THE SECRETARY.

- Third. To make up the remaining specimens into series for dis-
tribution to colleges and other educational establishments.

Of the first-class series, the following distribution has been made,
viz: Museum of Comparative Zoology, Cambridge; Academy of Sci-
ences, Philadelphia; State Cabinet of Natural History, Albany; Geo-
logical Survey of Canada, Montreal; Academy of Natural Sciences,
San Francisco. The specimens of these sets, as we have said before,
are of great scientific value for original comparison in the way of
determination of species, since they have been labelled after careful
comparison by Mr. Carpenter and other authorities-in conchology.

A very inadequate conception was at first entertained of the amount
of labor which would be required to complete the-assorting and la-
belling this part of the Smithsonian collection of natural history. It
was thought that it might be completed in the course of a few
months. Mr. Carpenter has, however, devoted to it about four years
of continued labor. It must be observed at the same time that per-
haps a considerable portion of this period was devoted to a comple-
tion of the series intended to be preserved in the Smithsonian mu-
seum.

The specimens examined by Mr. Carpenter have all been returned
to the Institution, made up into sets, in accordance with the arrange-
ment previously described. The number of these sets and of other
collections of shells for distribution to colleges, academies, &c., is
about 1,000, the whole including about 60,000 species and 250,000
specimens. Of these about one-fourth have been distributed.

According to the statement of Professor Baird, the whole number
of specimens, including shells which have been distributed, amounts
to upwards of 124,000, of which 19,000 have been presented to va-
rious establishments during the past year. ;

Museum.—-As the public museum of the Institution occupied the
portion of the building constructed of fire-proof materials, it escaped
destruction by the fire; yet the smoke and water to which they were
exposed caused some damage to the specimens, ‘and much labor and
expense were requisite to restore them to their proper appearance.

The museum has continued to be an object of interest to the citi-
zens and visitors of Washington, and should the library of the Insti-
tution be transferred to the Capitol, space will be found in the cases
of the west wing for increasing the number of articles placed upon
exhibition. Among the collections we have a large number of speci-
mens to illustrate ethnology. In addition to those collected by the —
Exploring Expedition under Captain Wilkes, are all those which

REPORT OF THE SECRETARY. 67

have been obtained in the various explorations across the continent;
from the Hudson’s Bay Company; from the region of Nootka sound,
Mexico, Central and South America. We regret that on account of
the additional labor required in the renovation of the museum, and
for want of space, these interesting collections have not yet been fully
arranged and labelled for exhibition.

. We may add, in this connexion, that if Congress shall adopt foe
proposition now under consideration to take charge of the library,
we shall entertain the hope that it will in due time make provision
for the establishment and care of a museum worthy the government
ef the United States, and thus relieve the Smithsonian fund of a bur-
den to which, in strict accordance with what I have always conceived
to be the proper interpretation of the will of the founder, it ought
not to be subjected.

. In the report for 1863 mention is made of the presentation of a
large and remarkable meteorite to this Institution, to which the name
had been assigned in California of the ‘‘ Ainsa’’ meteorite. Ac-
knowledgments were duly made to Dr. J. D. Irwin, surgeon United
States army, for his services in behalf of the Institution in procuring
this interesting specimen; but from additional facts which have come
to our knowledge we are induced to add the name of this gentleman
to the specimen, and to label it the ‘‘ Irwin-Ainsa meteorite.”’

_ For an account of the work done in the museum, a complete list of

‘donors to the museum and collections since the commencement of the

Institution, I would refer to the annexed statement of Professor Baird.

- Laboratory and experiments.—The conflagration which destroyed
the cabinet of apparatus of physics did not extend to the chemical
laboratory, and consequently the operations connected with the latter
have not been interrupted. The series of experiments which were
mentioned in the last report in relation to the examination of the air
of the Capitol has been continued by Dr. C. M. Wetherill, anda
very elaborate report prepared on the subject to be submitted to the
Secretary of the Interior. This report not only gives the result of the
observations made in the halls of Congress, and the experiments at
this Institution, but also a synopsis of all the authentic facts from the
bibliography of the subject, which it is believed will be considered
of value to those who are practically engaged in those departments
of mechanical construction which require attention to temperature |
and ventilation. From the investigations it appears that there is an

abundant supply of fresh air forced into the chambers of the Capitol,

but that in winter this is greatly deficient in the quantity of moisture_

6
*

68 REPORT OF THE SECRETARY.

necessary to form a comfortable and salubrious atmosphere. It must
be evident that if in an isolated space in winter we desire to have
air of the same salubrity and temperature as in an open space in
pleasant weather in summer, we must artificially impart to this air
not only the same degree of heat, but also an equal amount of mois-
ture.

In an atmosphere entirely devoid of moisture the human body ex-
hales with great energy from every pore of the skin, and especially
from the lungs, and all the more delicate parts of the mucous membrane.
Such an exhalation of moisture in the ordinary condition of the body
would be far too great to allow of a healthy equilibrium between the
natural excretion and assimilation, and it is witb prevision, derived
from long experience, that the savage anoints his body when exposed
to an atmosphere rendered arid by refrigeration, to prevent excessive
exhalation. The tendency of vapor to exhale from the body diminishes
with the force of vapor already in the surrounding atmosphere, and a
perfect equilibrium can only take place with air entirely saturated, at
a temperature of 98°. Butat the temperature of zero almost all the
moisture of the atmosphere is condensed, and hence the tendency of the
body in the open air in winter to give off its vapor would be excessive,
were it not for the condensation of the vapor immediately around the
body and retained in the interstices of the clothing. If, however, the
surrounding air, without additional moisture, be heated to 70°, all
obstruction to evaporation is removed, and excessive exhalation is
the consequence. Beside this the equalization of the temperature is
much more perfectly effected in case of air properly supplied with
moisture.

These considerations, we think, are very much neglected in the
processes which are adopted for warming and ventilating in this
country. At least in the public buildings in the city of Washington,
the means of supplying an adequate amount of moisture have not
been provided, or, if provided, are not habitually employed. It is
intended, however, during next winter, to continue the observations
in regard to this matter, and to extend them to the principal public
buildings connected with the government.

It has been mentioned in previous reports that a series of experi-
ments was made in regard to the physical qualities and economical
values of different kinds of illuminating materials for light-house pur-
poses. Unfortunately all the notes of the experiments which had
been made on this subject were destroyed in the fire, and during the
past year the principal portion of time which I could spare from

t
s

REPORT OF THE SECRETARY. 69

other duties was devoted to the reproduction and extension of the re-
sults previously obtained.

During the past year I devoted about three weeks, in connexion
- with Commodore Powell and Mr. Lederle, of the light-house service,
to investigations in relation to sound as applicable to fog signals,
and obtained results of ,sufficient practical value to determine with
considerable precision the policy of the Light-house Board in regard
to this branch of aids to navigation.

As usual, various questions have been referred to the Institution by
different departments of the government for solution, and these have
in all cases received proper attention, and such reports have been
made as would suffice to an intelligent decision in regard to them.

The Institution is constantly applied to for the examination and
analysis of specimens of ores. Where such examination requires no
special labor, the information has been gratuitously given; but where
quantitative analysis is desired, and the information is for the ad-
vancement of private interests, a charge is always made sufficient to
repay the actual cost of the investigation

Exchanges.—The system of international scientific and literary
exchanges has been maintained and extended by the Institution dur-
ing the past year. Seventy-seven large boxes,containing 1,176 par-
cels, were sent to our foreign agents in 1865, and 60 boxes, contain-
ing 5,000 parcels,received from them.

These packages, as in former years, contain the publications of the
Institution, public documents, transactions of societies, and scientific
works, by individuals, besides specimens of natural history. The
cost of this branch of the general operations is very large, and would
indeed far exceed the means of the Institution were it not for the
liberal aid received from various parties interested in the advance of
science. lor favors of this kind thanks continue to be due to the Bre-
men, the Hamburg, the Cunard, and the Pacific steamship lines, and
to the Panama Railroad Company; all these have generously transport-
ed the packages of the Institution free of cost. Acknowledgments are
due to the Adams, Harnden, and Wells & Fargo express lines for
the carriage without charge of smaller packages, and of larger ones
at a very reduced rate. To Sir. Cunard, F. Probst & Co., Oelrichs
& Co., and Kunhardt & Co., of New York, and to Leffman & Gut-
heil, of Vera Cruz, thanks have been tendered for important privi-
leges granted by them or through theirinfluence. Mr. George Hillier,
of New York, and Mr. Samuel Hubbard, of San Francisco, agents of
the Institution in those cities, have continued their valuable services.

It may be proper to state that great care is exercised in the

70 ; REPORT OF THE SECRETARY.

tions have been given to our agents to transmit nothing in the boxes
to the Institution which is not a donation, all purchases being exclu-
ded on account of the present tariff regulations.

For the statistics of the exchanges see the annexed tables in the
report of Professor Baird.

Library.—The library has received during the past year, through
our system of exchanges, 547 octavo, 201 quarto, and 19 folio vol-
umes, 3,256 pamphlets and parts of volumes,and 183 maps and charts,
making a total of 4,206.

The work on the catalogue of transactions of learned societies and
of scientific journals has advanced so far that all those of foreign
countries have been finished, while those of America are now in the
hands of the printer.

The suggestion has been made in previous reports that consid-
erable relief might be afforded to the Institution by the transfer of
its library, under certain conditions, to the new and spacious halls
which Congress is providing for its own library, and the importance
of the proposition has been much enhanced by considerations con-
nected with the recent disaster. The west wing of the building, in
which the library is now contained, is not fire-proof, and is already
filled to overflowing. To provide another depository for it, which
shall render it entirely secure from fire and be sufficient for its con-
tinued increase, wili far exceed the means of the Institution, and,
although some inconvenience would be experienced in regard to
ready access to the books, yet, in consideration of the great value
of the collection, by far the most perfect of its kind in the United
States, it has been thought proper to ask Congress to allow the de-
posit of this library to be made in one of the new fire-proof rooms
preparing for the extension of its own collection of books.

Iam informed by Mr. Spofford, the librarian of Congress, that
these two new rooms will be sufficient to accommodate the Smithson-
ian library and to. furnish space for the growth of the Congressional
library for the next fifteen or twenty years. The object of the
transfer is, of course, not to separate this unique and highly prized
collection of books from its relations to the Smithsonian Institution,
for it must still bear its name and be subject to its control, but merely
to deposit it where its preservation will be more certain and its use-
fulness more extended .*

* Since the preparation of this report an act of Congress has been passed authorizing the
deposit of the library in one of the new rooms of the Capitol. This arrangement, while it
secures the safety of the books, will facilitate the researches of the student, since, in the same
suite of apartments, he will have free access to two libraries. (See Proceedings of the Board
in this volume. )

®

REPORT OF THE SECRETARY. tw

*' Personnel” of the Institution.—In the annual reports for a number

of years past no other account has been given of the personnel of the
Institution than a reference to the principal assistants or a casual
allusion to the others ; but as special inquiry on this point has been
made by some of the new Regents, and as some changes will probably
take place on account of the fire and the transfer of the library, it is
deemed advisable on this occasion to give the official position and the
duty of the several persons connected with the establishment. This
information is perhaps the more necessary in order to prevent mis-
apprehension, and in some cases to protect the public from the
representations of designing persons, who, though never having had
any connexion with the Institution, or only a very temporary or sub-
ordinate one, have assumed to belong to the corps of its officers.

The act of Congress which organized the Institution directed the
appointment of but one executive officer, who, under the name of
the Secretary, should have ‘‘charge of the building and property
of said Institution,’’ be keeper of the museum, and perform the duties
of librarian, thus confiding to him the general direction of affairs,
under the control of the Board of Regents, and investing him with the
sole responsibjlity for the judicious and the efficient conduct of all
transactions of the Institution within the prescribed conditions. In
order, however, better to enable him properly to discharge the im-
portant and arduous duties devolved upon him, he is allowed, with
the consent of the board, ‘‘ to employ assistants.’’ By the adoption
of such an arrangement it was no doubt intended to secure unity of
action and efficiency of co-operation among all who might be actually
engaged in carrying out the novel and interesting objects of the be-
quest. The importance of this provision of the law was, however,
either not apparent at first or was lost sight of in the early proceed-
ings of the board. The Secretary, instead of being allowed the selec-
tion of assistants upon his own judgment and responsibility, when
permission had once been obtained for making the appointments, was
required to submit his choice to the approval of the Regents, and thus,
In a considerable degree, to abridge his power of control. As might
have been anticipated, this deviation from the original intention of
the act did not succeed in practice; dissensions soon arose as to the
exact apportionment of the income by the Secretary to the several
objects of the programme, in which the superintending parties were
differently interested, as well as in regard to the direction which each
assistant might exercise as head of a department, and maintaining a
separate and independent direction and official correspondence. To

72 REPORT OF THE SECRETARY.

obviate these difficulties, and to determine for himself and his
successors the character of his official position, the Secretary was con-
strained to resort to a rightful exertion of his authority, as plainly ex-
pressed in the law, and, without an appeal to the board, to reorganize
his corps of assistants. The majority of the Regents fully approved
of this course, and, to prevent difficulty in the future, repealed the
regulation relative to the division of the income, adopting at the same
time a resolution offered by the late Judge Douglas, that no official
letter or communication pertaining to the affairs of the Institution
should be written except under the authority and by the direction of
the Secretary. Under this arrangment, which has now been in opera~
tion twelve years, all the affairs of the Institution have been con-
ducted with harmony, and, as I venture to think, with an efficiency
which evinces the wisdom of the provision for securing confor my
of purpose and unity of action.

In the reorganization of the personnel of the establishment, the
Secretary employed as his first assistant Professor Spencer F. Baird,
and as chief clerk William J. Rhees, each of whom receives a perma-
nent salary, affixed by a resolution of the Board of Regents to their
respective offices. Other assistants are employed on such terms as
the Secretary may think just. :

It is evident, from the plan of organization, that the duty required
of the assistants is of a clerical rather than a scientific char-
acter, since service of the latter kind, as has been fully shown,
can always be obtained from the collaborators without charge, or
from experts employed for the occasion and paid in proportion to the
time of engagment. Although the terms of the reappointment of Pro-
fessor Baird prescribe that he shall render assistance in any line of
duty in which the Secretary may require his aid, yet on account of
his zeal in the cultivation of natural history, and his skill and expe-
rience in the collection and arrangement of specimens, his labors have
principally been assigned to such objects. He has likewise had
charge of the business of exchanges, and in part also of the print-
ing and correspondence. To Mr. Rhees has been assigned the duty
of superintending the accounts and auditing all the bills of expendi-
tures made by the Secretary and authorized under the general ap-
propriation of the Regents, while he has at the same time acted as
paymaster and assisted in the official correspondence.

Another assistant, Mr. William Q. Force, of this city, who has
been for several years connected with the Institution, has charge
of the meteorological materials which are constantly accumulating,

REPORT OF THE SECRETARY. * 73

and of the preparation of the monthly account of the weather for
publication in the bulletins of the Agricultural Department ; one half
of his salary is paid by the Commissioner of Agriculture and the
other half from the Smithson fund.

An assistant is also required to attend to the care of the books in the
library, and another to prepare the catalogue of the transactions of
learned societies now in the press, and to perform the clerical duties
connected with the system of foreign exchange. The former ser-
vice for the last few years has been rendered by Dr. Theodore Gill,
who, at the same time, has continued his investigations in regard to
zoology. The latter duty has been performed by Miss Jane Turner,
the sister of the lamented Professor Turner, whose name occurs so
frequently in the previous reports of the Institution.

As one of the maxims to be observed in the policy of the Institu-
tion, but few persons are to be permanently supported by its funds.
This maxim has been strictly observed in regard to the principal as-
sistants, but it must be evident that, in the case of so large a building
and its contents, and so many and various operations to be attended
to, a number of employés will be constantly required. The con-
nexion of these, however, with the Institution is considered of
a temporary character, their numbers being increased or diminished
as circumstances may indicate. Of this class the following is an
enumeration of those employed before the fire. The number has
since been reduced:

1. A janitor, who resides in the building, on the grounds, gives
information to visitors, acts as messenger, and has a general care of
the property at all times. 2. A curator of the museum, who keeps
the specimens in a proper condition for exhibition, performs the work
of a taxidermist in setting up specimens of birds, mammals, and
other animals. 3. A machinist, who assists in preparing experi-
ments for the illustration of lectures or for original research, who
has charge of the apparatus,-the gas and water pipes, the furnaces,
and the repairs of the metal parts of the building. 4. A carpen-
ter, to make cases, trays, packing boxes, furniture, and to attend to
the repairs constantly required for the building. It has been found
from experience that the salaries of the last two employés are much
less than the annual cost of repairs of carpentry and metal work by
the employment of outside parties. 5. Night watchmen. Previous
to the fire but one of these was employed, but it was found that
the service was too much for the health of an ordinary individual,
and consequently it has been necessary to employ another, the whole

Th * REPORT OF THE SECRETARY.

twenty-four hours being nearly divided between them. 6. Laborers,
daily required for cleaning the building after.the hours in which it is
open to the public, attending to fires, &c.

Besides the assistants who receive a salary, a large amount of labor:
has been given the Institution, without pay, by persons interested in
the study of natural history, or who have been engaged in explora-.
tions and make use of the facilities afforded by the library and col-.
lections in preparing their reports. To most of these, rooms, warmed |
and lighted, have been assigned in the building, and lodging apart-.
ments in the towers.’ Among these we may mention the names of. |
Mr. F. B. Meek, Dr. W. Stimpson, Dr. Gill, Mr. R. Kennicott, Dr. .
E. Coues, Dr. H. Allen, Dr. HE. D. Cope, and Mr. A. D. Brown.

The laboratory has been under the care, for the last few years, of.
Dr. B. F. Craig, now of the medical department of the army, and
also of Dr. Wetherill, just appointed Professor of Chemistry in the;
new college at Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. ‘The remuneration they
received was either from the government or from private parties, on ;
account of researches principally of an economical character.

For the purpose of conducting the foreign exchanges, it has been
found necessary to have agents in such central positions as may en-_
able us to distribute the books and specimens most effectually to,
various parts of the world, and to collect the returns intended for .
this country. The following are the agents at present employed :
Dr. Felix Flugel, Leipsic; Gustave Bossange, Paris ; William eee
ley, London ; Fred. Muller, Amsterdam.

The cpliboratora to whom references have so frequently been
made, include all the prominent cultivators of original science in this
country. They have all, with scarcely an exception, rendered assist-
ance in supporting, directing, and advancing the Institution. Its op-
ponents have been mainly those who have been misinformed as to its
character and labors, or have been disappointed in the desire to ad-
vance personal interests through its means.

Respectfully submitted.
JOSEPH HENRY,
Secretary Smithsonian Institution.
JANUARY, 1866.

REPORT

OF THE

SECRETARY, PROFESSOR HENRY, FOR 1866.

GENTLEMEN: It again becomes my duty to present to your honorable
board the history of another year of the Institution founded on the be-
quest of James Smithson, and intrusted by the Congress of the United
States to yourcare. In presenting the following account of the events
of the year 1866 I am gratified in being able to state that the fire
which occurred at the beginning of the previous year, and which, at
the time, appeared so disastrous, has, in reality, led to the adoption
of measures for the increase and better security of the funds, and of
changes of importance to the future efficiency of the means of carry-
ing out the intentions of the benevolent testator.

Tt will be seen by the report of the executive committee that, by
judicious investments and the sale of coin received from England as
the residuary legacy of Smithson, as well as that of the annual
interest from the United States, not only have the operations of the
Institution been maintained, and the reconstruction of the building
carried on without any aid from government, but the finances have
been improved and are now in a better condition than at any former
period. If the petition to Congress to permit additions to be made
to the principal on the same terms as those on which the original be-
quest was received into the treasury of the United States be granted, *
then the extra fund, at the present market value of the stocks in
which it is invested, will be sufficient to increase the endowment from
$515,169 to $650,000, and still leave enough to complete the general
restoration of the building, provided the cost of the restoration be
limited to $150,000. For these results the Institution is much in-
- debted to the personal exertions and influence of the Chancellor,
' Chief Justice Chase, to whom constant reference has been had during
the past year in the management of the finances of the establishment.

Although the present condition of the fund is a matter of congrat-
ulation, yet there is another fact belonging to the history of 1866 of

* Congress passed an act February 8, 1867, in ee with the above, aioe the
Regents to increase the capital by savings, donations, and otherwise, to a million dollars.

14 REPORT OF THE SECRETARY.

equal if not greater importance, in regard to the future efficiency of
the Institution. TI allude to the transfer of the Smithson library for |
safe-keeping and support to the library of Congress. To those who
have not fully considered the subject, it might, at first sight, appear
that this transfer of a large number of rare and valuable books from
the building of the Institution would be attended with serious
inconveniences, and be a virtual relinquishment of the control of
property procured at the expense of the Smithsonian fund. But it
will be evident, on a statement of the facts, that the advantages ac-
cruing to the Institution and the public from the transfer far outweigh
any inconvenience which may arise on account of it ; and that it will
tend to increase the efficiency of the funds, while it adds to the
security and even facilitates the general use of the library.
Although the removal of the books renders them somewhat less
accessible to those engaged in study and researches at the Institution,
yet all the current transactions of the scientific Societies of the world,
which constitute the principal part of the library, will be still received
at the Institution. An opportunity will thus be afforded of noting their
contents before they are sent to the Capitol, and such books will per-
manently be retained as are of most constant reference. In addition
to this, the Institution is to have, at all times, the free use of the books of
the congressional library as well as those of its own, and for this pur-
pose, and the better accommodation of the public, the library of Congress
is to be open throughout the year, with the exception of a month for
cleaning and examination. Hence the general student, instead of being
debarred any important privilege, will find increased facility for re-
search in having access, in the same building, to both libraries. Again,
the east wing of the Smithsonian building, in which the books were
deposited, is not fire-proof, and is liable to destruction by accident or
the torch of the incendiary, while the rooms of the Capitol are of in-
combustible materials. This wing was, moreover, filled to overflowing,
and a more extended and secure depository could not be obtained,
except by another large draught on the accumulated funds intended to
form part of the permanent capital. Besides this, by the terms of
the transfer, the cost of the care, binding, and cataloguing of the
Smithsonian books is provided for by government, ahd an important
part of the annual income of the Institution is thus saved for other
purposes.
* But the advantages of the transfer are not confined to the Institu-
tion. The library of Congress has secured such an addition as can-
not be obtained by purchase, since many of the books are presents
from the duplicates of the old libraries of Europe, consisting of trans-

REPORT OF THE SECRETARY. es:

_actions and other publications of the learned societies of the world,
‘forming a special collection, not only ranking as first in this country,

but one of the best anywhere in existence. Neither is it alone the value

of the books that have actually been transferred which is to be con-

sidered, but also the means which are offered, through our system of
exchange, for the perpetual increase of the several series of works
which contain the record of the actual progress of the world in all
that essentially pertains to the mental and physical development of
the human family. The transfer of the Smithson library has fur-
thermore tended to awaken an interest in the library of Congress,
which cannot fail, under the energetic superintendence of the pres-
ent librarian, Mr. Spofford, in a few years to render it worthy of the
national Capital. An appropriation of $100,600 has been recommend.
ed* by the Joint Committee of the two houses of Congress for the pur-
chase of the library of Mr. Peter Force, consisting of books relative
to America. With these additions the library of Congress will be
the largest in the United States, and the necessity of a separate
building is even already foreshadowed.

But above all, the act authorizing the reception, care, and support

of the Smithson library may be considered as an approval by Con-

gress of the general policy adopted and the course pursued by the
Institution. It will be recollected that at the commencement a num-
ber of influential literary men warmly advocated the expenditure of
the larger portion of the income of the Smithson fund in the establish-
ment and support of a library. This plan was opposed on the ground
that the Institution by the terms of the bequest should be of a cosmo-
politan character, and produce results, the benefits of which would
not be confined to one city, nor even one country, and which could
not be accomplished bya library. The act of organization, however,
was so expressed as to give color to the idea that a large library was
intended by Congress, and much complaint was at one time made be-
cause more of the income was not expended in the purchase of books.
The late legislation of Congress will leave no ground for further cavil
in regard to this point, and while the Institution will be relieved
from a large expenditure on account of the library, a national collec-
tion of books will be formed far more extensive than could possibly be
supported by the Smithson fund.

Moreover, while thus relieving the Institution froma charge which
has borne so heavily on its resources, Congress has afforded most en-
couraging evidence of an important advance in public opinion regard-

* An act has been passed in accordance with this recommendation, and the library of Mr.
Force is now the property of the government.

16 REPORT OF THE SECRETARY.

ing the right interpretation of the terms of the Smithson bequest. It
is substantially a recognition by the national legislature of the fact that
the Smithson fund ought not to be burdened with the support of objects
which, while they absorb the income, are locally restricted in their
influence, and neither essentially connected with the design, nor au-
_ thorized by the language of the trust. Since Congress has eventually
thought proper to assume the care of the library we may cherish the
hope that in due time it will also make provision for the separate
maintenance of a collection of objects of ‘‘nature and art,’’ not un-
worthy of the National Capital; and that the proceeds of a fund, now
generally recognized as having been intended by the testator for ob-
jects of a higher order than those confined to local or even national
benefit, will be entirely devoted to the system of operations which
an experience of nearly twenty years has abundantly shown to be
the best and most practical means of realizing the design of the tes-
_tator.

It is much to be regretted that views of this kind did not prevail
at the time of the organization of the Institution, for had this been
the case no small amount of the funds would have been saved, and un-
pleasant discusssion been averted, the tendency of which could only
be to obstruct and retard the full development of a system which now
constitutes the distinctive and approved policy of the establishment.
It is, however, scarcely a matter of surprise that Congress was not, at
the time mentioned, prepared to appreciate the significance of the
terms of the Smithson bequest, since the world generally has failed to
recognize the importance of abstract scientific truths. Although these
truths constitute the most important elements of modern civilization,
since they give man power and control over the inherent forces of nature,
and enable him to render these the obedient slaves of his will ; yet,
there is even at this time no country, however intelligent it may ap-
pear in other respects, that has made adequate provision for the dis-
covery and development of these important principles. Our own
legislators can give no better evidence of enlightened views and wise
policy than a free acknowledgement of the claims of science, and a
liberal provision for its encouragement and support.

The propriety of making provision for the separate maintenance of
a national museum, and of relieving the Smithson fund from the
burden imposed upon it in this way, will be evident when the fact
is recalled that the plan of the present expensive building was _
adopted to accommodate the museum of the Wilkes’ exploring expe-
dition, the care of which had been devolved upon the Institution by
the law of Congress. But the Board of Regents, after the building

REPORT OF THE SECRETARY. 17

was completed, decided that the keeping of this museum ought not
to be a charge on the Smithson fund, and before assuming the care
of it asked an appropriation, at least equal to the cost of keeping the
articles while in the Patent Office. Congress recognized the pro-
priety of this position, complied with the request, and has appro-
propriated since the transfer, annually, $4,000. This sum, however,
has not sufficed to defray the cost of attendance, even during the
| period of low prices previous to the war, without aliowing for any
: increase in the number of articles, or for the interest of the money
expended on the building.
It is highly gratifying to observe that a more liberal spirit at
present exists. Congress has recently made provision, on an
ample scale, for the accommodation of an Army Anatomical Museum,
and for a Museum connected with the Agricultural Department, and
it can scarcely be doubted, that on a proper presentation of the sub-
ject, the same enlightened consideration which prompted the appro-
priations for these kindred objects, will also induce Congress either
to appropriate the Smithsonian building to the use of a National
museum, under a separate organization and endowment, or else to
make an annual grant of money, which, expended under the direction
of the Board of Regents, shall be sufficient properly to support an
establishment of this kind.

The reconstruction of the building has been carried on during the |
past year as rapidly as the funds at command and a due regard to the i]
character of the work would allow. The considerations which have |
governed the building committee have been to render the work en- |
tirely stable in regard to materials and construction and thoroughly
fire-proof, first completing such parts as were necessary for the safety of |
the structure, and next those most wanted for use in the operations of |
the establishment.

One of the most important points to be determined during the year
was the kind of roof to be adopted for the main building, and, after
full inquiry, the preference was given to one consisting of an iron
frame with slate covering, The contract for the iron work was made
with the Phoenix Iron Company of Philadelphia, but owing to unex-
pected delays the frame was not received in time before the setting |

® in of frost to complete the covering with slate. The walls of the

large south tower were found in a worse condition than wasat first

supposed, thirty feet of the height having to be removed anden- ©

lirely rebuilt, the facing of cut stone being of new material. To se- |

oure the front towers and furnish supports for the iron beams and j
28

nO ES aes Cae

a

18 REPORT OF THE SECRETARY.

| brick arches for the floors, a lining of brick, laidin cement, has been
' constructed from the bottom to the top. The inner lining of the
- walls of the upper story of the main building, which was exposed to
the fire, hasalso been entirely renewed with similar materials. The
‘masonry of the whole building is now completed, and it is expected
during the next season to finish all the rooms except the main hall
‘over the museum. The future use of this room, which is 200 feet
long by 50 feet wide, has not yet been settled. It will not be wan-
ted for the uses of the Institution, and unless devoted to a National
Museum or to some other purpose, it will probably remain for an in-
definite time, unfinished. The reconstruction of the building, exclu-
sive of this room, will cost about $150,000, and if to this be added
the sum previously expended on the erection of the building, we shall
have a total of $475,000, of which, at least, $400,000 might have been
added to the principal, or expended in the promotion of knowledge.
The superintendence of the work is still under the direction of the
architect, Mr. Adolf Cluss, and every part of the construction and
all the plans have been critically examined and discussed by General
Delafield, chairman of the building committee, who has taken great
interest, since his appointment, not only in the restoration of the
. building, but in all the operations of the Institution.

Publications. —The amount expended for printing during 1866 has
been fully equal to that in any previous year, although the number
of new works which have been issued is less. This has been occa-
sioned by the high price of paper and printing, and by the necessity
of issuing new editions of works for which the demand was more
pressing.

The following is a list of the works in quarto, forming part of the
series entitled ‘‘Smithsonian Contributions to Knowledge, ’? published
during the year 1866:

1. An Investigation of the Orbit of Neptune, with general tables of
its motion, by Professor:Simon Newcomb, U. S. navy, pp. 110.
(Published January, 1866.)

2. Geological Researches in China, Mongolia, and Japan during
the years 1862 to 1865, by Raphael Pumpelly, esq., pp. 161, 9 plates,
18 wood-cuts. (Published August, 1866.)

3. On the Fresh-water Glacial Drift of the Northwestern States, —
by Charles Whittlesey, esq., pp. 32, 2 maps, 11 wood-cuts, (Pub-
lished December, 1866.)

Of other quarto works in press the following are nearly ready for
distribution:

REPORT OF THE SECRETARY. 19

_ 1. Astronomical, Magnetic, Tidal, and Meteorological Observations
within the Arctic Circle, by Isaac I. Hayes, M. D.

2. Meteorological Observations made at Brunswick, Maine, for
fifty-two years, by Professor P. Cleaveland, from 1807 to 1859.

The memoirs of Newcomb, Pumpelly, and Hayes were fully de-
scribed in the report for 1865. It therefore remains to give the ac-
count of that of Mr. Whittlesey on the Fresh-water Glacial Drift of
the Northern States, which will be found at the end of this report.

The following works in octavo were also published in 1866:

1. Catalogue of publications of societies and of periodical works
belonging to the Smithsonian Institution, (January,) 596 pp.

2. Monograph of American Corbiculade, recent and fossil, by
Temple Prime, (January,) 91 pp.

3. List of works published by the Smithsonian Institution, (Jan.
uary,) 11 pp.

4. New species of North American Coleoptera, by Jno. L. Lo-
Conte, pages 87 to 177, of part I, (April,) 90 pp.

5. List of the Coleoptera of North America, by Jno. L. LeConte,
pages 50 to 78, (April,) 30 pp.

6. Check-list of the Invertebrate Fossils of North America, Hocene

* and Oligocene, by T. A. Conrad, (May,) 45 pp.

7. Review of American birds in the collection of the Smithsonian
Institution. By Prof. S. F. Baird. Pp. 321-450 ; (May and June,)
130 pp.

The memoirs actually completed and issued in the year therefore
embraced 303 quarto pages and 993 octavo pages, which, with the
annual report, 496 pages, makes an aggregate of 1,792 pages printed
within the year.

New editions of the following works have been issued during the
same period: Allen’s Bats; Binney’s Land and Fresh-water Shells, parts
II and III; Instructions for collecting specimens of Natural History;
circular relative to nests and eggs; check-list of shells; comparative
vocabulary; ethnological instructions; catalogue of minerals; check-
list of fossils ; Draper on the Telescope.

- The most expensive octavo publication during the past year has
been the catalogue of the transactions of learned Societies and other
public bodies, as well as of encyclopedias and other serial works in the
library of the Institution. The printing of this work was begun in
1863 and completed in 1866. During its passage through the press
proof-sheets were sent to the principal Societies abroad, for the pur-
pose, first, of securing accuracy in the titles; second, of showing the defi-

20 REPORT OF THE SECRETARY.

ciencies in our series, and thus enabling the Societies, as far as possi-
ble, to supply them. This work forms a large octavo volume of 596
pages. It has been stereotyped, and copies have been distributed to
the principal libraries in this country and Europe, with a view mainly
to obtain from them such duplicates as they may possess which may
serve to render more complete the Smithson collection of transac-
tions. The catalogue of the works thus obtained will be printed in
an appendix, accompanied by proper indexes, when the whole will be
issued and more generally distributed as one of the series of volumes
of Smithsonian miscellaneous collections. From the stereotype plates
an edition of this work has been struck off at the government print-
ing office for the use of the library of Congress. This catalogue is
considered the most complete work on the bibliography of publica-
tions of learned societies which has yet appeared in the English lan-
guage.

Another article belonging to the octavo series is a catalogue of the
eocene fossils belonging to the series of check-lists of invertebrate
fossils of North America, prepared at the request of the Institution by
Mr. T. A. Conrad, of Philadelphia. It contains an enumeration of all
the species described from the eocene formation up to the date of
publication, and is intended to facilitate the labelling of collections
and the distribution of duplicate specimens.

The publication of two other parts of this series, prepared by Mr.
F. B. Meek, namely, on the miocene, and on the cretaceous and ju-
rassic species, were mentioned in a previous report.

The different series of check-lists published by the Institution haye
fully answered the purpose intended, in supplying a want long felt by
students of natural history; and successive editions from the stereo-
type plates are required, the cost of which has formed a large item of
the expenditure for printing during the past year.

Besides the foregoing articles 92 pages of an addition to the descrip-
tion of new species, and 30 pages of an addition to the list of coleop-
tera of North America, by Dr. John LeConte, have been printed
during the year. These additions bring the works mentioned to the
sale point in regard to completeness as the first part of the classifi-
cation of coleoptera by the same author, published by the Institution
several years ago.

Another article, which will form a part of the miscellaneous collec-
tions, and printed during the year, is a list of all the works published
by the Institution up to the beginning of the year 1866, enumerating
203 distinct titles, arranged under the following heads:

REPORT OF THE SECRETARY. oT

Vols.

General series—Smithsoaian Contributions ------ sence eee mee 5)
Smithsonian Miscellaneous Collections.--..+-. 5

Smithsonian Reports --+-++ .+seee esse dealer 14

No. of
papers

Ty gb GVAMEHE GE! Oichck We GICIENG COUR CREEL EAI ie SPE ioe te eas rr oon 1
Astronomy Beta ate a aires are te ee lelte ate ee e's Bleale Bia tole Ele) Se Bale Steak a1
Meteorology PEP eMtaanewc vey ete e(fan/e vel dialer ccutrele we @ elm iste ac atece:dreeteve. cvemmieleds ney
Terrestrial Magnetism Boe LCOS SEC ECC REE IE mes epic cake Say SRN 11
Physics Peer ener aionat cl ewreis Mieial(otel “ale le eles c(eieve a etotalederieleiata: ehercucvete 3
General Physics of the Globe..---...--- Gn Gis eee eabe hone! Stutale 9
Chemistry and Technology Hees ees ateecsss A Ha le a aaUPalete eee Nites 3
Ethnology and Philology RP cP eN ees) Sa isate ree televel a o's soc Semele fo ere 16
Mifecoscapical Science -: Ut... e bee sce) tess t Uielness slelaclas 4
General Natural History -----. ---. esse cece sete e cee ce eeee 3
Physiology BOE ct) 6-0: DGROMOESIONO. 6/410 ORCI ECR EO ACSC RCLCRC UO RRCRPAEER CG. Ocha RCH RE ee 5
Zoology Pees Hic A a ee WED lila © eee tael at love folds 'a le 6 o bt Menthe Stale ere ote 3T
Botany SCHOOL OG OS CicO ROIS HON Gt CS SCD ICRI MA CnS OH BRERA RO. G GC OCRCRDIC 9
Paleontology Sd CG, SAREE OIOR GiGi CLICRERE EE GIALC io anne RES 5 PhS ae mae 9
Geology and Physical Geography Be er eiitere so aS SRST acai 4
Bibliography APNE ATT cet ARON opelPer eal gM Pelee. dhe te’ Glaus (teice detelt ehremaveaeoiteh 8
PMEeMItectUler se sales aelee 6s 56.0.0 004 CICLO D De OBO Oot o.CloGic 1
Miscellaneous---. »-- 1

Of many of the earlier of the separate publications the edition has
been exhausted. Of those that remain copies can be procured, at the
prices mentioned in the list, by institutions and individuals who do not
come within the following rules of gratuitous distribution:

1. They are presented to all learned Societies of the first class
which publish transactions, and give copies of these, in exchange, to
the Institution.

2. To all foreign libraries of the first class, provided they give in
exchange their catalogues and other publications, or an equivalent,
from their duplicate volumes.

3. To permanently endowed colleges in actual operation in this
country, provided they furnish in return meteorological observations,
catalogues of their libraries and of their students, and all other pub-

~ lications issued by them relative to their organization and history.

4. To all States and Territories, provided they give in return
copies of all documents published under their authority.

5. To all incorporated public libraries in this country, not included
in any of the foregoing classes, now containing 10,000 volumes; and

22 REPORT OF THE SECRETARY.

to smaller libraries, where a whole State or large district would be
otherwise unsupplied.

Institutions devoted exclusively to the promotion of particular
branches of knowledge receive such articles published by the Insti-
tution as relate to their objects. Portions of the series are also given
to institutions of lesser grade not entitled, under the above rules, to
the full series; and also to the meteorological correspondents of the
Institution.

The Reports are of a more popular character, and are presented—

1. To all the meteorological observers and other collaborators of
the Institution.

2. To donors to its library or museum.

3. To colleges and other educational establishments.

4. To public libraries and literary and scientific societies.

5. To teachers or individuals who are engaged in special studies,
and who make direct application for them.

In consideration of the growing expenses of the Institution, and the
increasing demand for its publications, it may become necessary to
restrict the gratuitous distribution, and to take measures to secure a
larger sale by the usual methods adopted by publishers.

Reports.—The usual number of extra copies of the Report for 1865
was ordered by Congress, and, as has been the case for several years
past, was stereotyped, so that future editions may be printed if re-
quired. ;

This volume contains, in addition to the report of the Secretary
and the proceedings of the Board, the following articles:

A eulogy on General Joseph G. Totten, late Chief Engineer of the
United States army, and a Regent of the Smithsonian Institution from
its organization, delivered by Major General J. G. Barnard before
the National Academy of Sciences; a Memoir of De Blainville, by
Flourens, translated from memoirs of the the French Academy of Sci-
ences; a report of the transactions of the Society of Physics and Natural
History of Geneva for 1863 and 1864; an original article on the aurora
borealis, with illustrations, by Professor E. Loomis; a translation from
the German of an article on the senses of feeling and smell; a translation
of a course of lectures by Professor Matteuci on electro-physiology;
an essay on the palafittes or lacastrian constructions of the Lake of Neu-
chatel, by Professor E. Desor, of Switzerland, with notes and illus-
trations furnished by the author; a continuation of Plateau’s re-
searches on the figures of equilibrium of a liquid mass withdrawn
from the action of gravity; an outline by Professor W. Lilljeborg, of
Upsala, of the latest views of ornithologists in reference to the

—_

REPORT OF THE SECRETARY. 23

ssification and arrangement of the higher divisions of birds, and
uch as has been adopted in the museum of the Smithsonian Institu-
tion; prize questions proposed by various scieutific societies in
Hurope; and an article on the metric system of weights and measures,
with tables intended especially for the use of teachers and authors of
arithmetics, prepared for the Institution by Professor H. A. Newton.

The translations are from French, German, and Italian scientific
publications, not generally accessible to readers in this country, and
most of them have been made by C. A. Alexander, esq., of this city,
who has devoted much of his time, almost gratuitously, fo. a number
of years, to this part of the literary work of the Institution.

We have found from experience that to obtain proper scientific
translations is a very difficult matter. It is rare to find an individual
having so critical a knowledge of languages, united with other requi-
site qualifications,as to render with fidelity and spirit such discursive
popular explanations as are conveyed in the articles in the appendix
to the Report for 1866 on the Senses. In this respect Mr. Alexan-
der has evinced much ability. The meaning of the original is not
only rendered with great accuracy, but with reference to peculiari-
ties of expression on the part of the authors, and with a critical re-
gard to the precision and correctness of the English.

It is proper to mention in this connection that we are indebted to
the Superintendent of Public Printing for greater facilities than usual
in the publication of the report, which, on account of the character
of the articles, and their translation from foreign languages, requires
more than ordinary time and care in revision.

Meteorology.—The system of meteorological observations inaugu-
rated by the Institution, which was much interrupted by the war, is
gradually being re-established, and as soon as the expenses for the
restoration of the building are diminished we hope to carry it on more
efficiently on an improved basis. The meteorological system under
the direction of the Surgeon General is also in process of reorgant-
zation, and as soon as the military posts are permanently established it
will be recommenced with improved instruments, and in harmonious
relations with that of the Institution.

_ The following is an exhibit of the number of observers during 1866,
as derived from the list given in the appendix: British America, 6;
Mexico, 1; Central America, 3; Bermuda, 1 ; Alabama, 5 ; Arkansas,
2; California, 4; Colorado, 1; Connecticut, 5 ; Delaware, 1 ; Florida,
4; Georgia, 1; Illinois, 32; Indiana, 12; Iowa, 28; Kansas, 9; Kentucky,
5; Maine, 11; Maryland, 6; Massachusetts, 17; Michigan, 13; Minne-

paid REPORT OF THE SECRETARY.

sota, 9; Mississippi, 5; Missouri, 9; Montana, 1; Nebraska, 3; New
Hampshire, 7; New Jersey, 14; New York, 35; North Carolina, 4;
Ohio, 32 ; Oregon, 2; Pennsylvania, 23; Rhode Island, 2; South Caro-
lina, 1; Tennessee, 3; Texas, 3; Utah, 5; Vermont, 7 ; Virginia, 2;
Washington, 1; West Virginia, 2; Wisconsin, 16.

The whole number of observers is 352; of these 67 are furnished
with complete sets of instruments, including barometer, thermometer, ©
psychrometer, and rain gauge ; 331 with thermometers, 137 with ba-
rometers, 72 with psychrometers, and 227 with rain gauges, while ten
report the face of the sky, direction of the wind, and casual phenomena
without instruments. , .

The income of the Institution has not been sufficient to furnish in-
struments to observers, and hence from many of the stations the re-
sults are not strictly comparable with one another. There are, how-
ever, in almost every part of the country, one or more stations fur-
nished with standard instruments, constructed by James Green, of
New York, the observa tions with which may serve to determine the
absolute variations of temperature, pressure and moisture at different
localities, while the observations from the remainder give results
comparable with themselves, and serve to determine the relative
character of different seasons, as well as the data necessary for tra-
cing the transmission of waves, as it were, of atmospheric disturb-
ance with regard to wind, pressure and temperature.

The Institution has endeavored to collect the records of all meteoro-
logical observations which have been made on this continent, and has
succeeded in obtaining a large amount of material, which will serve
as the basis of an isothermal map of the country, as well as that of
the peculiarities of climate of different sections. A portion of this,
that, namely, which relates to the mean temperatures of years and sea-
sons, was to have beer published as the second part of the second
volume of ‘‘ Meteorological Results,’’ issued some years ago by order
of Congress, but the pressure of business on the public printing
office in consequence of the war has as yet prevented the completion
of the work. It will probably be published during the next year,
either by Congress or the Institution.

Another portion of the material relates to long series of observa-
tions made at particular places. Of these we may mention the fol-
lowing : Those made by Prof. Caswell, at Providence, Rhode Island,
for twenty-eight and a half years; Dr. N. D. Smith, at Washington,
Arkansas, for twenty years ; Prof. Cleaveland, at Brunswick, Maine,
for fifty-two years; Dr. S. P. Hildreth, at Marietta, Ohio, for forty-

4

REPORT OF THE SECRETARY. 25

one years; Prof. Z. Thompson, at Burlington, Vermont, for twen-

ty-six years; Samuel Rodman, of New Bedford, Massachusetts, for

thirty-six years.

: Of the series, those of Caswell and Smith have been published in fuil,

and those of Cleaveland and Hildreth are now in the hands of the prin-

ter, and will form a part of the sixteenth volume of the Contribu-
tions to Knowledge.

The ‘‘ Monthly Bulletin of the Agricultural Department’ still con-

tinues to contain a large amount of meteorological information derived
from the reports of the Smithsonian observers. In preparing the
materials for this a part of the time of Mr. Force, the assistant in
charge of meteorology, has been occupied every month. This publica-
tion still continues to be of value to the farmer, and of interest to
our observers, since it gives them a ready means of comparing their
observations with those made in other parts of the country.

The anemometer, which for many years recorded the direction and
intensity of the wind on the top of the high tower of the Institution,
was destroyed with other instruments in the fire. As soon as the re-

construction of this tower is completed, one of Osler’s anemometers
will be erected in the same place. The use of one of these instru-
ments, belonging to the National Observatory, has been kindly granted
to us by the Secretary of the Navy. A standard barometer, by New-
man, belonging to the Institution, now in the possession of Professor
Guyot, will also be placed, with other instruments, in the same tower,
and the full series of observations resumed.

The break in our series, however, is not of so much importance as
at first sight it might appear, since a similar series has been kept up
continually at the Observatory, which is a mile west of the Institution.

Eachanges.—The extensive system of international, scientific and
literary exchanges, so long carried on by the Institution, has been
fully maintained during the year. Highty-three boxes, containing
1,170 packages, were sent to our foreign agents in 1866, and over
8,000 parcels received from them. These packages, as in former
years, contain the publications of the Institution, public documents,
transactions of societies and scientific works by individuals, besides
specimens of natural history. ,

Acknowledgments are again due to the various steamship, railroad
and express companies mentioned in the last report who have for a
number of years contributed materially to the advance of science by
the free freights and important privileges granted by them to the
Institution in carrying on its system of exchange.

26 REPORT OF THE SECRETARY.

The agents of the Institution still continue to be Dr. Frtix FLuext,
Leipsic, Gustave Bossance, Paris, Wm. Westey, London, FREDERIC
Mouuuer, Amsterdam.

Besides these gentlemen, Mr. James Swaim, now residing in Paris,
has been appointed a special scientific agent for the purchase of phi-
losophical apparatus and the transaction of other business, the duties
of which he discharges gratuitously and to the great advantage of
the Institution. We regret that notice of this fact was inadvertent-
ly omitted in the last annual report.

Explorations and collections.—As has been stated in previous reports,
it is an important part of the operations of the Institution to en-
courage, assist and organize explorations for such portions of North
and South America as have not been thoroughly investigated in re-
gard to physical geography, climate and natural history. _ During the
past year this part of the operations has been prosecuted with un-
abated energy, principally under the immediate supervision of Prof.
Baird.

Those which have been made directly or indirectly under the guid-
ance of the Institution, and more or less at its expense, are as fol-
lows:

British America.—Explorations and collections of specimens by
officers of the Hudson’s Bay Company in continuation of those of
former years, especially those of Mr. Robert MacFarlane on the An-
derson river, and of Mr. W. Brass, at Fort Halkett; Jas. Flett, at
La Pierre’s House; C. P. Gaudet, at Fort Good Hope; William L.
Hardisty, at Fort Simpson; Strachan Jones, at Fort Rae; Jas. Lock-
hart, at Resolution; John Reed, at Big Island; Jas. Sibbiston and
Rev. Jas. MacDonald, at Fort Yukon, and Donald Gunn, west of Lake
Winnipeg; also in Labrador by Messrs. Henry Connolly and Donald A.
Smith.

Russian America —The explorations of the Collins extension of the
Western Union Telegraph Company under Col. Charles L. Bulkley
have been continued, and a large amount of interesting matter in re-
gard to the ethnology, topography, and natural history of the country,
collected principally by the following gentlemen has been received:

Colonel Bulkley, Captain Scammon, Dr. Fisher, Captain Sands,
R. Kennicott, W. H. Dall, H. M. Bannister, J. T. Rothrock, Charles
Pease, F. Bischoff, Lt. Davison, &. Some of the collections in
natural history were made by the members of this company in
Kamtschatka and the western side of Behring straits.

REPORT OF THE SECRETARY. rat

Pacific Coast of the United States.—The explorations of J. G.
Swan at Neeah bay, Puget sound, have also been continued with in-
teresting results, as also those of Dr. C. A. Canfield at Monterey.
Other explorations have been those of W. F. Schwartz, San Luis
Obispo, Dr. Elliot Coues, San Pedro, and W. H. Dall, at Monterey.

fiocky Mountain Region of the United States.—The explorations of
Dr. Coues and Dr. EH. Palmer, in Arizona, mentioned in the last re-
port, have been continued and completed. Dr.J. R. McKee, in New
Mexico, Dr. Wernigk, in Colorado, have also made collections.

astern United States.—The explorations by Dr. H. B. Butcher on
the lower Rio Grande, at Laredo, Texas, and by Dr. Redfield Sharp,
at San Antonio; J. T. Cleu, at the Louisiana Salt Mines of Petit Anse
island; in Illinois, by Joel Reeves, Robert Ridgway and Professor
Elenry Shimer, have all furnished interesting results.

West Indies.—The explorations here have been those of Charles
Wright, in Cuba; A. E. Younglove, in Hayti; Mr. Geo. Latimerand Dr.
Henry Bryant, in Porto Rico; Dr. Bryant, in the Bahamas; W. T.
March, in Jamaica, and Mr. Allen, in Bermuda.

Mexico.—The explorations in this country have been those of Col.
A. J. Grayson about Mazatlan and on the west coast; Dr. Charles
Sartorius and Mr. Floretin Sartorius, at Mirador; Professor Sumichrast
and M. Botteri, at Orizaba; Dr. Strebel, at Vera Cruz.

Yucatan.—The explorations in Yucatan of Governor Salazar, under
direction of Dr. Arthur Schott, have been continued and completed.

Explorations have been made in Honduras by Dr. H. Berendt and
D. B. Parsons; in Guatemala, by Mr. Henry Hague, about San Ge-
ronimo; in Nicaragua, by Dr. Harl Flint; in Costa Rica, by Dr. A.
Von Frantzius, Hon. C. N. Riotte, Julian Carmiol, Juan Cooper and
A. Zeledon; in Panama, by Captain J. M. Dow, J. and T. Rhoads,
Dr. Totten and Dr. J. P. Kluge; in the Sandwich Islands, by Mr.
Valdimar Knudsen. In South America, explorations have been made
and collections transmitted by Mr. W. H. Hudson, in Buenos Ayres;
Mr. A. De Lacerda, at Bahia, and Hon. A. A. Burton, at Bogota,

It should be stated in this connection that the expenses of the ex-
ploration in Honduras of Dr. Berendt have been principally met by
contribution from the Chicago Academy of Sciences, Philadelphia
Academy of Sciences, Dr. Henry Bryant, and Messrs. Geo. W. Riggs,
W. A. Haines, H. Van Nostrand, C. M. Wheatly, R. L. Stuart, Prof.
B. Silliman, Robt. L. Swift, J. H. Redfield and Thos. Bland.

For a more particular account of the nature of the contributions in
natural history and ethnology reference may be made to the lists

28 REPORT OF THE SECRETARY.

and tables furnished by Prof. Baird inthe Appendix. From these it
appears that the number of entries during the year in the catalogues
of specimens received is 7,254, which is about the usual annual aver-
age. Of these, nearly 4,500 were of birds.

As has frequently been stated in previous reports, the collections
which are the result of the explorations made by the Institution or
by the voluntary contributions of individuals, are not, primarily, in-
tended to enlarge its museum, but for distribution to all the principal
museums in the world and to furnish the materials for special re-
searches. In accordance with this policy a distribution of over one
hundred thousand labelled specimens, including 53,166 species, has
been made during the year 1866 to museums and colleges where they
were required for comparative investigation or as materials for in-
struction. Besides these distributions a large number of specimens
have been intrusted to individuals for special study, viz: the insects
to Baron Ostensacken, Dr. G. H. Horn, Edw. Norton, esq., W. H.
Hdwards, esq., and H. Ulke, esq.; the shells to P. P. Carpenter,
esq., Thomas Bland, esq., Isaac Lea, esq., and George W. Tryon,
esq.; the minerals to Prof. T. Egleston; the plants to Dr. John Tor-
ry; the bats to Dr. H. Allen; infusorial earths to S. A. Bailey, esq. ;
birds to Jno, Cassin, esq., Geo. N. Lawrence, esq., and D. G» Elliot,
esq.; nests and eggs to Dr. T. M. Brewer; reptiles to Prof. H. D.
Cope; fossils to Dr. Jos. Leidy and F. B. Meek, esq.

In all cases in which specimens are presented to institutions or to
individuals for investigation, full credit is required to be given to
the name of Smithson for the benefits thus conferred.

Library.—During the past year the library has abuened from ¢x-
change and donation—

Volumes:
Octavo.s: = see sete sees Or ee es oe eiraue en crea ents 922
Qari - 2’ sc plement eee eGR ore wie decent 226
PP O]1O 2%» ways 015%) sre ct ehegstes us inte ote mieiieta save aus toes aueloiuereete 95
| 1,243
Parts of volumes and pamphlets:
GAO 2 es soo 26 le e ies ee eee Secs + (einibs sii s\| tw sketeela 3,128
Quarto Five 6 ie,© o/s bb's <i e-svelete st rereesrel eveleneihic erate Nt isletotehere 1,103
MedliS) 0 S565 Cd ROME Pe a et eRe rH te eee ts 983
4,509
Maps BEG! (3). 4) 6 eRe Re ne ee Ot CRORE NRO RCE OC WOM
RETA oils asdaie.s «ies. a PAR 5 of IOs utes aie 5,873

Showing a large increase over the receipts during the previous year.

REPORT OF THE SECRETARY. 29

The following are some of the larger donations received in 1866:
From the Genevese National Institute, Geneva, 17 volumes, com-
pleting the ‘‘Memoirs’’ and ‘‘ Bulletin;’’

Royal Statistical Bureau, Munich, ‘‘ Contributions to the Statistics
of the Kingdom of Bavaria,’’ vols. 2-15;

Society of Emulation for the study of the History and Antiquities
of Flanders, Bruges—23 volumes. of their publications;

Numismatic Society, London, ‘‘The Numismatic Chronicle,’’ 21
. volumes; ;
| Ministry of Public Instruction, Paris, ‘‘ Description of Egypt, pub-

lished by order of Napoleon the Great,’’ 21 volumes folio, and several
other valuable works;

Library of the Parliament, Melbourne, 51 official documents, 1st
volume of ‘‘ Plants Indigenous to Victoria, Australian Mosses, No. 1,’’
_and other works;

Society of Agriculture, Sciences, Arts, and Belles-Lettres, of the
Department of Indre and Loire, ‘‘ Annals,’’ 12 volumes;

Friesland Society of History, Antiquities,and Philology, Leuwarden,
10 volumes and 25 pamphlets;

Government of the Netherlands, 34 volumes and 45 pamphlets;

Belgian Entomological Society, Brussels, ‘‘Annals,’’ vols. 1-8;

University of Chili, Santiago, 10 volumes;

Charles Kessler, Reading, Pa., ‘‘The Naturalist,’’ vols. 1-22,
1774-1787;

Dr. G. J. Fisher, Sing Sing, N. Y., medical journals and other
medical books, TT volumes;

Dr. K. Koch, Berlin, 5 volumes and 336 pamphlets;

Professor C. J. Tornberg, Lund, Sweden, 11 volumes and 8
pamphlets.

From the Royal Library of Dresden we have received a series of
232 original discourses or theses and tracts, most of which were writ-
ten by Luther, and the remainder by his contemporaries, and nearly
all of which were published during the lifetime of the great reformer.

These tracts were referred to Rev. Dr. Morris, librarian of the
Peabody Institute of Baltimore, for a translation of the catalogue, to
whom we are indebted for the following remarks in regard to them:

‘The majority of these brief treatises can be found in almost any

] entire edition of Luther’s works, and are therefore not rare; but
what renders this collection interesting to the bibliographer is, that
they are all jirst impressions, and not reprints. The proofs were
doubtless revised and corrected by his own hand, as most of them

30 REPORT ‘OF THE SECRETARY.

were printed at places where he resided. They present specimens
of paper and printing which are very creditable to the artisans of
that day, ranging as they do from 1518, the year after the Reforma-
tion began, to 1546, the year of Luther’sdeath. These writings have
come to us in the same type and paper in which they were distributed
by thousands over the land at the dawn of the Reformation. While
the language in which they are written, both German and Latin, is
not as refined as that employed by scholars of the present day, and
while the pictorial illustrations are coarse, yet these productions show
the extraordinary progress which the typographic art had already
made in the early part of the 16th century. Many of them have the
title pages ornamented with a broad margin of wood-cut figures, most
of them mythological and grotesque, and all curious. They are speci-
mens of the engraving of that day, exceedingly interesting to the
student of the history of art, for these are undoubted originals, which
collectors of ancient prints prize so highly. A few of them are un-
skilfully illuminated, probably executed by some incipient artist, who
tried his hand on these coarse and cheap wood-cuts. The subjects of
the pamphlets are diverse and curious, and the titles of many of those
which are controversial, as was the general custom of that day, are
expressed in language more forcible than refined.’’

Under the act of Congress mentioned in the last report, previously
alluded to, the Smithsonian books have been transferred to one of the
fire-proof rooms in the extension of the library of Congress, where they
will be catalogued under the direction of Mr. Spofford, the librarian, and
the large number of volumes in sheets will be bound at the government
bindery. The continued new accessions to the library from foreign
exchanges and otherwise are received and recorded at the Institution
as formerly. The accessions from abroad do not alone consist of
transactions of societies, but also, as has been shown in this and pre-:
vious reports, of some of the most costly publications of foreign gov-
ernments, and rare duplicates in the older libraries of Europe.

Correspondence.—A large amount of labor connected with the ope-
rations of the Institution is devoted to correspondence. Besides
those relating to official business, hundreds of letters are received in
the course of a year, containing inquiries relative to the various sub-
jects on which the writers desire information. If these cannot be
forthwith answered, without much research in the Smithsonian library,
they are referred to our collaborators, who are experts in the differ-
ent branches of knowledge, and who can readily supply trustworthy
information in regard to the subjects within the range of their special
studies.

REPORT OF THE SECRETARY. 3l

During the past year we have made references of this kind to the

' following gentlemen, viz: Dr. Torrey, of New York; Prof. Agassiz,

Dr. Gray, and Prof. Wyman, of Cambridge; Dr. Leidy and Mr. Isaac
lea, of Philadelphia; Professors Dana, Whitney, Brush, and Newton,
of New Haven; Drs. Woodward and Craig, of the Surgeon General’s
office; Prof. Schaffer and Mr. W. B. Taylor, of the Patent office; Ad-
miral Davis and Prof. 8. Newcomb of the Naval Observatory: and
Mr. George Gibbs, and Mr. J. H. Lane of Washington.

Investigations. —During the past year a considerable portion of my
own time has been devoted to investigations connected with the rev-
enue service, light-house board, and other branches of the govern-
ment. These services, as well as those of a similar character in
former years, have been entirely gratuitous, and may be considered
in some degree as having tended to repay the care bestowed on the
Smithson trust by the government in its character of guardian and
trustee.

Lectures.—Since the burning of the upper story of the building in ‘
which the lecture room was situated, the public lectures have been
discontinued. I have given, however, a course on electricity to the
telegraphic association of this city, and also accepted, last autumn, an
invitation to deliver the opening course of lectures at the Peabody
Institute, in Baltimore. I was induced to accept this invitation con-
trary to my general habit, in order to present, from the experience
gained in the management of the Smithsonian Institution, some sug-
gestions which might be of importance in organizing the interesting

- establishment so liberally endowed by our distinguished countryman.

The endowment of the Peabody Institute is $1,000,000, nearly double
the original Smithson fund, and sufficient, if the trust be wisely ad-
ministered, to render the favored city celebrated throughout the
world as a centre of literature and science. But I trust I shall be
pardoned for saying, that in the case of the organization of a new in-
stitution, of which the purposes are not clearly defined, and which is
entrusted to a board of trustees, it can scarcely be possible that the
best course can be adopted at once. There will always be honest

differences of opinion, and these will lead to compromises incom-

patible with a unity of plan, giving rise to difficulties in the
future. The wisest course, therefore, in such cases, is to proceed
cautiously, and on no account to adopt a plan which cannot be modi:
fied, or which shall call for any considerable expenditure of the prin-
cipal of the endowment. I may, perhaps be allowed to say, that the
publication of the remarks in full would probably be of importance in

a

32 REPORT’ OF THE SECRETARY.

diffusing information derived from the experience of the Smithsonian
Institution, especially wanted at this time, when so many new institu-
tions are about to be organized ; but they would be out of place in
this report, though they may be given in the appendix or elsewhere.

Whittlesey on the Drift.—The following is an account of the paper
on the drift before mentioned which has not yet been described.

The term drift, as employed in geology, includes the collection of
gravel, sand, clay, and stones occurring over portions of the conti-
nent without stratification or order of arrangement, and which have
evidently been transported and distributed without the agency of
rivers. or the study of this formation in the territory north of the
Ohio river and east of the Mississippi to the national boundary, Mr.
Whittlesey claims to have had special opportunities during the past
twenty-five years. The length north and south of this areais about
eleven degrees of latitude, from the 38° to the 49°, its breadth being
quite irregular. Its eastern boundary isa line passing through the mid-
dle of the system of North American lakes, and to the west it extends at
least to the Lake of the Woods. Over this space he has found what he
considers but one formation, belonging to the post-tertiary, wholly of
fresh-water origin, no remains as yet having been found of a salt water
character, while to the eastward of Lake Hrie, in the valleys of Lakes
Ontario and Champlain, and the River St. Lawrence, the shells which oc-
cur are wholly marine. Further examination he supposes will show that
the fresh-water formation overlaps the marine, and is consequently more
recent. The thickness of the fresh-water drift is variable, in some
places from 600 to 1,000 feet, though it seldom exceeds 200 or 300
feet. The author uses the term glacial drift to describe this forma-
tion as expressing what he conceives to be its origin in accordance
with the theory originally proposed by Professor Agassiz, viz., an im-
mense sheet of ice, at first. principally confined to the pole of
greatest cold, but gradually increasing its area by accumulations of
snow in winter on its central part, and by the thawing in summer of
the surface, the subsequent freezing ‘and expansion of the infiltered
water producing a slow but almost resistless motion outward in
every direction from the centre. This sheet of ice, like the modern
glacier, having fragments of hard stone imbedded in its lower sur-
face, would furrow and grind the rocks underneath—would bear on
its upper surface, and within its interior, boulders and fragments of
rocks which fell on it in its passage through mountain gorges, or
which it tore from their sides, and, in addition to these, would carry.
with it the materials eroded in its passage; and finally, on melting,

. REPORT OF THE SECRETARY. 33

would leave the whole in a condition identical with that in which the
drift formation is found. This formation, according to the author,
may be divided into three members, in the order of superposition,
from the surface downward, composed as follows: The first of coarse
4 sand, gravel, loam, and hard-pan, with large boulders from northern
rocks, exhibiting little stratification. The second of sand and gravel,
less coarse than the preceding, with irregular bands of clay some-
what laminated, and smaller boulders. The third of fine laminated
sand, of marly clay of great thickness, of various colors, with few
boulders and little gravel. Wherever a sufficient thickness of drift
occurs these divisions can be readily traced, and always in the same
order. The first occupies the highest points of land, and frequently
lies upon the rock formation without the intervention of the other
beds, and in it occur moraine hillocks and depressions intermingled
with the underlying strata at different points, indicating the move-
ment of ice, which, while it brought materials from a distance,
ploughed up and pulverized the previously existing surface.

This upper member of the drift contains the coarsest material and
the largest and most numerous boulders, a fact inexplicable on any
other theory excepting that of their deposit by the melting of glaciers
carrying on their surface the heavier masses. The surface is pitted
with cavities extending below the general level ten, fifteen, and even
a hundred feet, their outline being rudely circular, and their sides as
steep as is compatible with the stability of the soil. In travelling
through this region the explorer frequently finds these hollows so
near together that he no sooner rises out of ove than he is obliged to
descend into another. They seldom contain water, but boulders are
found at the bottom, on the sides, and on the surface around. In the
prairie regions of southern Wisconsin, timber grows within the cavi-
ties, as well as on the adjacent surface, in clumps, known as oak
orchards. The formation of such a system of depressions of so uni-
form a character, and over so large an extent of country, while the
rocks beneath, wherever uncovered, are found polished and grooved,
also indicates the movements and subsequent melting of large masses
ofice. In various places there occur patches of boulders from among
which the finer materials have been washed away. Near Twin Falls,

B on the Menomonee river, in Michigan, on the northern slope of a
mountain, such a collection occurs nearly a mile across, covering the
surface like a pavement with large masses smoothed and polished by
attrition. Along the heights of land collections of boulders also fre-

quently occur. After passing northward, above Lake Winnebago,
38 :

nee
a EY

34 REPORT OF THE SECRETARY.

tle portion of sand increases, and also the size and number of the
boulders, which are mostly of igneous origin.

The second member of the glacier drift is not as readily made out
as the other two. In general it is thin, passing into the first member
above, and into the third below. Its characteristics are the finer
condition of the material and more distinct stratification in the alter-
nate layers of clay and sand. It is seen in its greatest development
at the Grand Sable of Lake Superior, east of Grand island, where the
coarse sand forms a stratum of from three to four hundred feet in
thickness, overlying a thin stratum of clay. The prominent moun-
tains and dunes along the eastern shore of Lake Michigan belong to
this member of the drift formation.

The third member consists of the ash-colored, the red, and the blue
laminated clays, the difference of color being probably caused by
varying portions of oxide of iron. These strata are not, strictly
speaking, formed of clay, but of finely comminuted sand, marl, and
oxide of iron, with alumina enough to cause adhesion. On the sum-
mit of the land whence the streams flow northwardly into Hudson’s
bay, southerly into the gulf of Mexico, and southeasterly into Lake
Superior, the three members of the drift period are conspicuously ex-
hibited—the third occupying the lower level. On Lake Superior the
lower member attains its greatest thickness. The rocks on which the
glacial drift rests, wherever uncovered, exhibit markings and indica-
tions of scouring and striz with variable distinctness, depending upon
the capability of the rock to retain the impressions. In some cases
the movement was parallel, or nearly so, to the strike of the strata,
and in such instances sandstone beds have been carried away to a
considerable depth, leaving long, narrow ridges of material better
able to resist the grinding action. The general movement, as indi-
cated by the striz, was from the northeast to the southwest, the same
as that observed in the northern part of Europe. In New England,
markings of this kind on the rocks have been observed at 3,000 feet
elevation, in Ohio at from 1,300 to 1,400 feet, and at Point Keewenaw,
in Lake Superior, at from 1,400 to 1,600 feet. These elevations indi-
cate the great thickness which the glacial ice must have attained.
In various parts of the drift, boulders and nuggets of copper occur,
which, in some cases, have been transported a long distance south-
ward. Those found near Lake Superior, which have not been carried
far from their origin, are of great size, and not as much rounded by
attrition as those found at a greater distance. One of the former,
from the clay on the west fork of the Ontonagon river, now in the

q REPORT OF THE SECRETARY. 35

“museum of the Smithsonian Institution, weighs 3,000 pounds, pre-
senting angular points. :

One of the characteristics which denotes the unity of the drift
is the presence of wood, leaves and other vegetable matter. The im-
bedded timber is the same throughout the formation and is similar to
that of the present growth of a more northern latitude, consisting of
pine, spruce, willow, and white cedar, the latter being most abundant.
At Cleveland, Ohio, the entire trunk of a white cedar, twenty feet in
length, filled with proto-sulphide of iron, was found imbedded in the
drift eighteen feet below the surface, and many wells in that city are
rendered unfit for use by the layer of vegetation through which the
Water passes.

Animal remains, such as those of the elephant, mastodon, and horse
are found in the same formation, in addition to various varieties of

fresh-water shells.

Through the western country there are bluffs and terraces com-
poséd of solid rock, but besides these there are others composed of
boulders, gravel, hard-pan, clay, or sand. The former were the re-
sult of geological causes more ancient than the drift, while the latter
are contemporaneous with this formation, and are probably due to
parallel currents. What are commonly known as lake ridges, accord-
ing to the author, are not ancient beaches, but the result of lateral
currents distributing the drift. All the rivers and streams cut through
these ridges and exhibit the drift clay frequently down to the rock
below, while the beaches evidently belong to the alluvial period.
Ancient lake ridges must not, therefore, be confounded with lake
beaches. The distinctive feature of the latter is that they are narrow
and steepest on the lake side, resembling terraces.

In the prairie region of IHinois, Wisconsin, Iowa, and Missouri the
general surface is very uniform, but little elevated above the north-
ern lakes. A rise of only twenty-six feet in Lake Michigan would
turn its surplus waters across the summit into the Illinois river. Over
a territory embracing Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Iowa and part of Ken-

_tucky, Tennessee, Missouri, Wisconsin, Michigan, and Canada West,

there are no considerable elevations. This space is an extended

basin with a rolling surface, in which glacial action, unobstructed in
3 its movement, would tend to produce but little change in the general
topography, and therefore the position of valleys, rivers, and lakes
is about the same at present as it was before the glacial period.
The motion of the ice, however, must have removed a large portion
of the broken fragments of the northern rocks to positions further
south. The appearance would indicate that, as the glacial period

36 REPORT OF THE SECRETARY.

drew towards its close, the transporting material changed from one in
which ice predominated to a modified one of ice and water.

Remarks are also made in this paper on the encroachment of the
water upon the land, as indicating the slow but constant changes to
which the surface of our earth is subjected. The clay bluffs of the
lakes are continually worn away by the action of springs, rains, winds,
and waves. They are attacked at the base, partially undermined,
and finally precipitated into the water with the trees and whatever
may be resting upon them. In due time they are spread over the
bottom of the lake, forming new strata to be, perhaps, investigated
by future geologists. Lakes Erie and Michigan, the shores of which
are composed of drift clay, are fillmg up more rapidly than Lakes
Huron and Superior, the coasts of which are more rocky.

Another phenomenon noticed is that of lines of boulders within
and parallel to the shores of shallow lakes, presenting, in some cases,
the appearance of a rude wallor fence of large stones. Forexample,
in Mille lake, Minnesota, there are lines of this kind rising five and
six feet above the water level, and formed of stones far too heavy to
have been moved by the action of the waves. More than fifty years
ago a similar appearance was described by President Dwight, of Yale
College, as observed at Salisbury, Connecticut. The movement of
the stones towards the shore was in this case clearly indicated by the
troughs left in the bottom of the lake, visible in clear water. The
phenomenon is now satisfactorily referred to the expansion of ice in
which the boulders are imbedded in winter. This takes place in
every direction from the centre of the lake outward, and is exerted
in the case of ice of considerable thickness with almost irresistible
energy. The stones are carried forward, and on the thawing of the
ice are left in their new position.

The last section of the paper refers to examples of erosions, also
referable to the movement of the ice of the glacial period. These
are particularly exhibited in the great projection into Lake Superior
from the southern shore called Point Keweenaw, in which are scooped
out depressions, forming the basins of lakes, inlets, and harbors, ex-
hibiting evidence of the direction and intensity of the transforming
force, and it is probable that the shore line, and form of the bottom of
tne great lakes must have been modified by the action of the same
cause. This work is illustrated by a map of North America, a pro-
file of the deposits from Lake Hrie to the Lake of the Woods, aud
eleven wood cuts.

Respectfully submitted,
JOSEPH HENRY,
Secretary Smithsonian Institution.

AP PEN DIX

TO THE

Peony OF THE SECRETARY.

REPORT OF THE ASSISTANT SECRETARY, SPENCER F. BAIRD, RELATIVE TO
EXCHANGES, COLLECTIONS OF NATURAL HISTORY, ETC.

During the past year 763 principal packages have been received at the In-
stitution by the various channels of transportation, and 768 sent out from it—
being a considerable increase over the numbers of last year.

The principal statistics of the exchanges will be found in the following tables
marked A, B, C, and D:

A.
Receipts of books, &c.. by exchange in 1866.
Volumes :
Weta er hiss sweet Meas io ale'o os we 0 Sjx,3'= 3 MBE Ho 922
UTR) OCU aa 2” 2 a eR ae an Se 226
SE pa eae ear Ue aif Pe i Mahiaray ain Sa wa 0! s6)/00 aja ap aie sa 95
1, 243
Parts of volumes and pamphlets :
Deroy. sss eas eae Sais Sardi ZL loys are, 6 SR 3,123
HON 5 Sic esas) auaina iis wa aye RE Se SCRA A Wk a oi 1; 1038
JIOUSIG) oS Bee ESS A eer RE RR a Ge a 283
4, 509
Bee sie ae a No wn Sha epel an 121
“Tira al di. a a Nig ee a Rg aT EA Ie 5, 573

The corresponding receipts for last year were 4,206, showing an increase
of 1,667.

8
B.

APPENDIX TO THE REPORT OF THE SECRETARY,

Table showing the statistics of the exchanges of the Smithsonian Institution
im 1866.

j i
d Y iS o
3 2 S G43 | x 6
48) e¢ | B¢ | Se | ae
Agent and country. mB saen | “a ae ote
ey one 5.2 | 62 ite
S : 1 2 of gy
5 S| A =o Calne)
5 5 S 2
A A fe) =
Dr. FELIX FLUGEL, Leipsic—
Sweden: ss. jcjceiecicteee cie eee see Ue 11 27 lil Rs ees ec alle 56556
INOTWaly)- eerste steerer ee ome 5 MQ syle a Oy FESS Sara eaten
Wenmankeiajs Vas sees eee a ee 11 Ds oie oe hil ei ee | See
iceland en Shcc sos) Smet ee 2 SM 1 hye akg alll |e
TRUSS arse aise 2c Ree 44 AQ Res 3 eaye He 3 ern bs oy eng aes
Germanygens) Le ae canes =. Gee ac 311 B35) | ee Se Shee See
Switzerland]: 2 scope ieee 33 BSe een. ii CR ere
Specialisending 1m May-.....-.-....-2-22||-sae-- oi 1011) Seared el tae = 55 Ser
AO pean Sc) 6 cl ee ee A16 584 29 203 7,290
FREDERICK MULLER, Amsterdam—
EVO Wana eos. 5 epee os ce 45 Balai s sy ee eee eee ga
DelP UM. see... ee Le et eS 11 Wao he a ee ee.
Mota es oc 2 ce ee a 56 67 “D 30 J, 250
GUSTAVE BOSSANGE & Co., Paris— \
ATaN CO Los s/s eee ee eats areal « 101 104) po ds S A es ee
1 2) baer ress oa ae 59 oT al Meier aE 4325 See
Spain's 2 ee ey OE Ee aca ei 7 Bi Seek Sa ee =
onbu gall see aren ase I 3 AY ai ol ea | sododsae
Special sending in May............|.--....- AQ: | 225 gece Seen ere
Totalieee me ase eens isha cick. BO) hu ola 15 |. 105 | 3,750
W. WESLEY, London— |
Great Britain and Ireland........-.--. | 186 DOT | eT Se | Re amas epee Shee
ASUS Gallia Sis Sealer eee een ea 19 QM) co. s Buss) ea | Seats ee
Mote ass ce aAe esi eee Ne a 205 226 12 96 3, 000
Restiof the worlds.) <2 hac See yer ae 70 76 22 132 2, 800
Grand fotal es eye a eae 827 | 1,170 83 O71 | 18,050

Addressed packages recewed by the Smithsonian Institution from parties in
America for foreign distribution in 1866.

Albany, N. Y.—
Dudley Observatory

New York State Agricultural Society
New York State Homeopathic Society

Prof. James Hall
Ann Arbor, Mich.—

Prof. A. Winchell

ee id

a ee ee

Number of packages.

Ce |

were eee ee eee we eee te

REPORT OF THE ASSISTANT SECRETARY.

Boston, Mass. —

American Academy of Arts and Sciences......./5....--2-+--
Hoard Of, State WMaritiess 2 \0heh ci) 2. .c. see nce ee eee aoe
Boston Society of Natural History..-........+.---2+.--+---
tis dio, LEO RTOITUE: Tar. ul ea ga al ge ye ae Sa EU

Buffalo, N. Y—
SEM eEO binkomers Ne emia ee Ae ee Saas a ee ai Ge ds slays aie eee
Cambridge, Mass.—

Wrmprid cetObsernvatony -)2.(0 0-0) .- 2 < ... - -|s se stein oe BRET
leisinjanel (Oligo. 2 RE: Sea eee: AS Ps Cel a 8
Museum of Comparative Zoolosy SE 8 6 alent CB
NautiealpAlnmanaci@licems 6.21)... ... eee
Prof ERI We lar lee ic Ameen Seah. aR.
Jeirorig e\Say( Crean ges A. TAA Gee SS a ee. I

Chicago, Iil_—
Chicagawicademy ot erences... 8.2... =.) eee oe ein

Columbus, Ohio—

Ohio State Board of Aeticulture....-....--... ee
NSS a epuibicamt .emees. eT ee ‘ces

Dorchester, Mass.—

DD remenloee nen Vist Se mee SUN SM eis ob ok el Re ea
Hillsboro’, N. C—

i AUN marisa ee MN el a

lowa City, lowa—
Diaemiversity, of lower -\i2. oii. es se ee ai vee eee

Janesville, Wis.—

Mieiiiotionstorthe Blind ae Ve ol ook done Ss eg oe ok eee
Lowell, Mass.—

SPU RMR I SNe UNI) cis bo Sid bse wales © a meu cuore
New Haven, Conn.—

AMmMencamcournal Of SCIENCE.) = aj. css sae p owe ob eee
umenteamy Ouiemtal Societys... <.5- -65 6-14 eer eee
Hemrotewel PMN ese oe. clea a Sie doce diclie & ogee tere ai Spee
eae OMS MEOH eerste kn Siehes wie aroietd 2 Gee Wls We RR aa
New York—
Aumiencan Mthwolorical Society .\.. 1. <4 escise sens ae) ae
New Vernksliyeeum”ot Natural! History -- 2.225255 225s
United States Sanitary Commission..-............. aaa
TM porisie WI GTer a2 Re ann a er eee Het mnen ey eporatieal sry Sia 0A a
6 Bho ON ATE) TE ES Be At MP ERRORS es STUN A

Philadelphia, Penn.—

Academy Natural’ SCienCes .-,</0jn, aj nie\ a edeeeeed a cia: a oa-5) « craic
American Pharmaceutical Society......... 2) eh a ORR

Dr 2 Pola Ee MEW onto sais he ae ea ala seo Nin SS

40 - APPENDIX TO THE REPORT OF THE SECRETARY.

Providence, R. I—

State of Rhede Tslamde eu coy Mae ea eee Ce 6
Rock Island, Ill._—

Bobs: Walshe i ny ee IU a 1
San Francisco, Cal.—

(Profs Wb Blake Saison ee 15

Dre Newcomlbrse oe. ose ai se he 50
St. Louis, Mo—

PACAGEHIY OL SCIENCES 2125 5 .c\o\c ope orale) sles) ate Vela) setae = 165

DeGeorse Eneelmamn) 32) 5552 cae es We asda = jes 30

Dr. B. FE. Shumard.....2..-2.2.-- PMO DOAN Ne SSE URW yas. 9

DrwAe Waslizenus Qh on bo sei US ca, 2 iS ne a 90
Toronto, Canada—

Canadian snstitutier 2)40.< 0 Ge aan ee Sania | Esai I aU 5

Dri@woe Bethumess. .. oge. ake. . Cee ee ee 5
Washington, D. C—

CernsuspBureau ieee 2. OS ea, OR 2 4

Surzeon General Wmited States army... 2.2.52... --.5eeeeee 392

iProtaNew comb i228 Sa. oesg 5 2 a a ee ee or 85

DravWWetherill 2 Oe ee es 25
Wilmington, Del.— i '

NW OME: Camby.) Rete a one a cseiate nie a ele liese edge aap 2

The preceding tables show a large increase over the numbers of 1865, there
being a difference of 1,574.

REPORT OF THE ASSISTANT SECRETARY. 41

D.

_ Addressed packages received by the Smithsonian Institution from Europe in
1866 for destribution in America.

n i)
3 © & 5 Ep
2 es eee
a ag
om =)
ALBANY, NEW YORK. BRUNSWICK, MAINE.
nay Mnstitute :.....2..250. 052... 3) || Bowdoin College... -: 2-25-22. -.----- 8
Dudley Observatory ..-.-.---.------| 10
New York State Agricultural Society - 19 BURLINGTON, VERMONT.
New York State Library -..-.--.-..-| 22
New York State Medical Society -.-.- 2 || University of Vermont....-.....-.-- 1
New York State University.-.......- 2
State Cabinet of Natural History. .--- 1 CAMBRIDGE, MASSACHUSETTS,
AMYERST, MASSACHUSETTS. American Association for Advance-
MeEMiZO4) SClen Ceseeeee ieee sels ee 27
Amherst College ....--.---.-------- 6 |) Astronomical Joummalee 2-22.25). 7 2
Elanvard (Collese)eemeeyen= setae =e) 17
ANNAPOLIS, MARYLAND. Museum of Comparative Zoology .--. 8
National Academy of Sciences ..---- 22
- United States Naval Academy .....-.. 1 || Observatory of Harvard College -..- 14
Perkins’ Institution for the Blind-..--| 1
ANN ARBOR, MICHIGAN.
CHARLESTON, SOUTH CAROLINA.
BOS EG MALLY: acsieerioianla. cine 6 a\ase eee 3
Astronomical Observatory ..-------- 4
AUSTIN, TEXAS. | Elliott Society of Natural History...; 103
Sroeieivy nl eiy eS oeocso goss décor 13
UaLO LEAD TALy, j-th ee 15 || South Carolina Historical Society - -- 5
BALTIMORE, MARYLAND. CHARLOTTESVILLE, VIRGINIA.
Maryland Historical Society ........- 2 || University of Virginia -.-----..-.-. 19
MLA Le WLU AI) <acieles claic cicie sistejarcie cet 10)
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.
BLACKWELL’S ISLAND, NEW YORK.
: Chicago Academy of Sciences......- 2)
New York City Lunatic Asylum -..... 1
CINCINNATI, OHIO.
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS.
Astronomical Society .....----.-.-- 2
American Academy of Arts and Sci- Dental Rerister 2.225 see 1
MCCS /ia/-.2 a/v Gee ota ps aeall Seay di 98 || Mercantile Library Association --..- 1]
Christian Examiner -.-.-..----- 2... On| Observatory cess sees ee eres 4
American Statistical Association....-. li
American Unitarian Association...-.. 3 COLUMBIA, MISSOURI.
Boston Christian Register .......---. 3
Boston Society of Natural History....| 197 || Geological Survey of Missouri.----- 9
Bowditch Library -----..----..----- J
Geological Survey of Massachusetts -- 1 COLUMBIA, SOUTH CAROLINA.
Historical Society of Massachusetts -. 2
New England Historico-Genealogical South Carolina College .-..-..--.-. 10
SLOG Ais SUES 6 oie eee ee OW! “State Gibrany, a= sia )aclo sere 10
. | North American Review...----.----- 2
| Prison Discipline Society.......----- 2 COLUMBUS, OHIO.
EAMG MUU NAN Ye ee sole Sele Sac eee wi 14
rane ud breiiygieis mie otis 2 a. Si 6 |; Ohio State Board of Agriculture. -.... 58
Technological Institute ...---..----. 1
CONCORD, NEW HAMPSHIRE.
BRATTLEBORO’, VERMONT.
' New Hampshire Historical Society .- 2
. State Lunatic Asylum -..--.-......... 1 || State Lunatic Asylum ....-....---- J

42

APPENDIX TO THE REPORT OF THE SECRETARY.

D.—Addressed packages received by the Smithsonian Institution, §¢.—Contin’d,

No. of
packages.

No. of
| packages.

DES MOINES, IOWA.
Stateminibranygeneecedseeericaece cise
DETROIT, MICHIGAN.
Michigan State Agricultural Society. .
FRANKFORT, KENTUCKY.
Geological Survey of Kentucky...---
GAMBIER, onto.

Kenyon College...-..----- nea < SSne
GEORGETOWN, D. €.
Georgetown College ...-2.-.-2-. 22 --

HALIFAX, NOVA SCOTIA.

Nova Scotian Institute of Natural Sci-
ences

HAMPDEN SYDNEY, VIRGINIA.
Hampden Sydney College. ..-...-..-
HANOVER, NEW HAMPSHIRE.

Dartmouth College

HARRISBURG, PENNSYLVANIA.

State Library
State Lunatic Hospital....---..-----.

HARTFORD, CONNECTICUT.

Trinity Colleseretete ec) soca.
Young Men’s Institute....--...--.--

HUDSON, OHIO.
Western Reserve Colleges 2.7. 22.27.20.
IOWA CITY, IOWA.

Iowa State University

JACKSON, MISSISSIPPI.

State Library

JAUKSONVILLE, ILLINOIS.

Tllinois State Lunatic Hospitat....-..
Institution for Blind

10

—

27

2

JANESVILLE, WISCONSIN.
Institution for Blind...........---.

JEFFERSON CITY, MISSOURI.

| Historical Society of Missouri. .~----

KINGSTON, JAMAICA.

| Jamaica Society of Arts...-... ee

LEXINGTON, KENTUCKY.
Kastern Lunatic Asylum ..---.-....

LITTLE ROCK, ARKANSAS,

State Library
State University

LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY.
University .2454522\is3-5. 2 Gee

MILLEDGEVILLE, GEORGIA.

Oglethorpe University
State Library 22 2-2.se- eee eee

MONTGOMERY, ALABAMA.

StateWbibrary =. 32 See eee eee

MONTPELIER, VERMONT.

State Library

MONTREAL, CANADA.

NEW BRUNSWICK, NEW JERSEY.

Geological Survey of New Bruns-
wick

NEW HAVEN, CONNECTICUT.

American Journal of Science and Arts
American Oriental Society....------
Connecticut Academy of Sciences. - -
Yale College .-..-....2: eA So ee

{

167

Cu

19
13

se

No. of
packages.

NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA.
New Orleans Academy of Sciences---| 23
NEW YORK, NEW YORK.

American Ethnological Society ..---.
American Geographical and Statistical

Society sashes Sate la
American Institute... - rot aidedie Surctateate
Astor Library..--- fod etna ec HAS
Austrian Consulate .....--.---------
Columbia College ......---..---..--.
Mercantile Library Association ...---
‘New York Academy of Medicine-..--.
New York Christian Inquirer ..-..--.
New York Lyceum of Natural History -
United States Sanitary Commission -.
University. 2252500 eee ieee!

cw)

On

WE WMWWEH WHS on

OLYMPIA, WASHINGTON TERRITORY.
State Librany so. scscec eect eset 1
OMAHA, NEBRASKA.

State Library 2-2. ste eres woes 1

OXFORD, MISSISSIPPI.
University of Mississippi ..---...-.-- ]
PENFIELD, GEORGIA.

Mercer Wmiversitiviset sins =)sels >> 1

PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

Academy of Natural Sciences -...--.. 131
American Journal of Conchology -.-. 1
American Pharmaceutical Association 9
American Philosophical Society... --. 59
Central High School..-...----.-- eee
Entomological Society ....---.-.----
Franklin Institute -.....-------.---- 1
Girard ‘College... 2.2. 022+. 222 ose
Historical Society of Pennsylvania. - -
Hospital for Insane..----.-----.2-2-
Philadelphia Library Company -..--.
Pennsylvania Horticuitural Society --
Pennsylvania Institution for Blind -..
Wagner Free Institute ....-.-....-..

WH Vee Pe QOe

PORTLAND, MAINE.
Portland Society of Natural History .-| 18
PRINCETON, NEW JERSEY.

Princeton College ........ susie ia oie 5

REPORT OF THE ASSISTANT SECRETARY.

43

D.— Addressed packages received by the Smithsonian Institution, §&¢ —Contiu’d,

g
S to
-&
S 14
e3
PROVIDENCE, RHODE ISLAND.
Brown University - . 022522. 5<.t7. 6
Secretany oti state ae eeeese eee 1
QUEBEC, CANADA.
Literary and Historical Society of
Quebec-.222 nse ee 2
RALEIGH, NORTH CAROLINA.
State Library, \.s52338S2.-g4 es ost 13
RICHMOND, VIRGINIA.
Historical Society of Virginia-..-.--- 6
State ibrany 223 e eee gee 2
SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA.
State Wbyany 22-2 eee tt ae I
ST. JOHN, NEW BRUNSWICK.
Natural History Society.......-- ee 1
ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI, |
Deutsches Institut zur Beforderung
der Wissenschaften -...---..----- 2
St. Louis Academy of Sciences -.-.- 92
Winlversttyes-se~ sect = oe er eet 3
SALEM, MASSACHUSETTS.
Essex Institute... 222-222 ery. - 11
SAN PRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA.
California Academy of Natural Sci-
Gnas -Gbbdo sede4 leone eee eens 45
Geological Survey of California. ..--. 1
SAVANNAH, GEORGIA.
Georgia Historical Society.----.---- Buy el
SPRINGFIELD, ILLINO{S.
Illinois State Agricultural Society. - - 1
STAUNTON, VIRGINIA.
Western Lunatic Asylum ...-.----- sie!
STOCKTON, CALIFORNIA.
California State Lunatic Hespital - -. 1

.

44 APPENDIX TO THE REPORT OF THE SECRETARY.

D.— Addressed packages received by the Smithsonian Institution, §:c.—Contin’d.

S & S &
oy O 44
Ag Ay
= =
TAUNTON, MASSACHUSETTS. WASHINGTON, D. ¢.—Continued. |
State Lunatic Asylum ....-----.-.-- 1 || Ordnance Bureaalelas=2-4---2aeen 2
Secretary of the Interior.--......--- 1
TORONTO, CANADA. Secretary of the Treasury .......-.- 1
Secretary of War..---..----.------ 2
Canadian Institute..-.....-..--..--- 11 || Topographical Bureau ...---.------ 1
Obsenvatonys yes Mie a5 ee ee sce 1 | Treasury Department--..-.-.------ 8
,University College -........---.---- 2 || United States Coast Survey -.---.--- 16
. United States Navai Observatory ---- 72
TUSCALOOSA, ALABAMA. United States Patent Office........- 136
University of Alabama .......--.-..- J WATERVILLE, MAINE.
UTICA, NEW YORK. Waterville College..-.-..------ .-.- 2
American Journal of Insanity ....--. 2 WILLIAMSBURG, VIRGINIA.
New York State Lunatic Asylum-.... 1
Eastern Lunatic Asylum...-....... 5
WASHINGTON, D.C.
WINDSOR, NOVA SCOTIA.
Bureau of Ordnance and Hydrography 2
Census Buneaul. 22.0). eee 3) Kane’s ‘Colleges... <= (2 = eee 4
Department of Agriculture -...-....- 35 .
Library of Congress ...-..- Soaiuessae 3 | WORCESTER, MASSACHUSETTS.
Medical Department ...-2....222--:- 32 | :
Navy Department .........--------. 2 | American Antiquarian Society....-.. | 6
Total addresses: of institutions....../.-s4-2--02-6.-c2-.--------= be pital i 169
Potaladdnesses, of andinddugises so 038 je he ool cot oe emp ee 160
329
Total numbex of pancels)to mstitutionsa.25 6.20002 6202 eset eee 2, 200
Total. number of parcels tomdivaduals....2..2/.20 s.-2-2 2-52 45-cenceeeee 498
2, 703

ADDITIONS TO THE COLLECTIONS OF THE INSTITUTION IN 1866.

The total number of distinct donations in 1866 amounts to 220: the number
of donors being 168. This exhibits a considerable increase over the figures of
1865, which are 155 and 102, respectively. ‘The number of different packages
received was 318, as compared with 257 of 1865.

The precise character of the collections received will be best gathered from
the list of donations given further on. As will be seen they come from many
different localities throughout the continent of America; the most important,
oe being those from the officers of the Hudson’s Bay Company, in Arctic

merica.

WORK DONE IN MUSEUM AND COLLECTIONS IN 1866.

Much labor has been expended during the year in cleaning the specimens on
exhibition, and otherwise repairing the damage of the fire of 1865. The difii-
culty of preventing the rain and melted snow from coming through the tempo-
rary roof has caused great trouble from mould, requiring energetic measures of
relief. No mounted specimens have been added to the collection.

As usual the collections received have been regularly entered and catalogued.
The following table shows what has been done in this respect :

REPORT OF THE ASSISTANT SECRETARY. 45

Table showing the entries in the record books of the Smithsonian Institutoon in
1865 and 1866.

Class. 1865. 1866.

Skeletons and skulls...--..----.------.- 7 MS ae Ae Sra 6, 669 7,100
MEARS Ve eons a eee oes Cet ae nee Ba osomodiaueouce 8, 416 8, 685
© JENWPEISS SSM SBA RS EAU Ee ee 40, 554 45, 000
JASONS Soe ds Oe Ee ee ee ae 6, 544 6, 582
TB SIN eS 3 So AE EN TORS N li athe RS At e 5, 588 5, 591
ILEDS OL UTR OM Eee 9, 939 10, 400
( Chrys eee as I a aE Ca 1, 287 oe)
Soy mug as ee eg AE OR LSE IG ya le 18, 103 18, 500
Tipe iGTiets Lu) 8 SAS Ney ies er An Ae aa rie 2,725 2, 725
pAlerrro ee spe pay nes eee eae y RS RI OM CN tale Sek tls 110 110
IPQSSHIS GOSORS cle Coa eese o Meta ae = Ae ee a a 5907 5, 920
vitervete) epee crea ece ane nua VN aM NE I sd, wat aks 4,940 4,941
Mitmmaloesical Specimens sen ianec-- mere. = -aee as anes. 2 5 ia25 2, 260
Spo tenia wey eae IMSS UE I 111,847 119, 101

The comparison of the two columns shows that the number of entries during
the year in the catalogues of specimens amounts to 7,254, about the usual an-
nual average. Of birds alone the entries were nearly 4,500.

The following table exhibits the distribution of duplicate specimens in 1866,
as compared with previous years:

Approximate table of distribution of duplicate specimens by the Smithsonian
Institution to the end of 1866.

se
Total to end : Total to end of
La tee of 1865. He. 1866.
Class. 4 A a j a
eee sa |e a ie E

Merde ye 1 i. 64 «= 64| 40) Ol roa) 104
Migmamails 2. 2s eee ee ee 21 33 770| 1,543 24 31 794| 1,574
TESORCIS) MED Niet es cee 233] 1,038] 7,497) 11,530} 582 756} 8, 079] 12, 286

Be piMlesK es 23h eee Geka els 74| 126] 1,631) 2,591 10 18} 1,641) 2,609

1 MISES ANON ios ne Maal es. | 756} 1,200] 2,393) 5, 149 1 1) 2,394) 5,150
eos of birds) 4550.52.25... - 893] 2, 421} 3,603; 9, 162 96 217) 3,699) 9,379
MSIE SUD ESS Rate eng A le a a Ua 5, 780/11, 086/15, 212) 59, 663.49, 200/102, 551) 67, 412)162, 214

Tia Ghianiee) SRY SRG. Laas Sea at es II as aaa ae 551 PY Al ees real ieee cele dol 727
Wrristaceams ae Ou eee Soe a I OSs Coy (i ga4 sae lheiacae 3 1,013} 2,516
Marine invertebrates generally 206} 550) 1,800) 5, 060 38 92} 1,838} 5, 152
‘Pe sa iis eT ay een 10, V00]12, 975/10, 000) 12, 975) 3,058) 5, 328) 13, 058) 18, 303
Bossilg oc. jacaiaties at Brood S19) 2-971 7 Satie eee: | 2,971| 7,557
Minerals and rocks ........-. 250) 600) 1,321) 5,554 25 25| 1,346) 5,579
BTMINOLO Prypee act eyes MIS ease 58 58 92 92 150 150

Ss Total distribution. ...-. 20, 426/35, 349/51, 884/124, 14953, 166/109, 151)105, 050/233, 300

* Of shells 390 sets were made up, and distributed to over 100 different institutions.

From the table it will be seen that the distribution of specimens in 1866 has
amounted to nearly as much as in all previous years put together, the number
of species being, indeed, greater. This is due to the extensive and final distri-
bution of shells of the United States exploring expedition, &c.

="

46 APPENDIX TO THE REPORT OF THE SECRETARY.

The following assignment of Smithsonian materials for investigation or con-
servation has been made during the year 1866:

Dr. H. Alven, Philadelphia—Collections of cheiroptera, especially thoze
gathered by Dr. Coues in Arizona.

S. A. Bailey, Utica —Specimens of infusorial earths.

Thomas Bland, New York.—Collections of land shells, made by Mr. Charles -{
Wright in Cuba, Mr. Strebel in Mexico, Mr. Stearns and Dr. Flint in Nicaragua.

Dr. T. II. Brewer, Boston.—Nests and eggs of American slender-billed oscine
birds.

Dr. P. Ps Carpenter, Mca —Collections of shells, made by Mr. John —
Xantus at Manzanillo, Messrs. W. H. Dall and Dr. C. A. Canfield at Monterey,
California, James G. Swan in Puget sound, and various other west coast series.

John Cassin, Philadelphia.—Icteride of the general Smithsonian collection.

Prof. E. D. Cope, Philadelphia—Reptiles collected by Mr. D. B. Parsons at
Belize, Dr. A. Schott in Yucatan, Mr. Kennicott and others in Nicaragua, Prof.
Sumichrast in Mexico, and Mr. A. KE. Younglove in Hayti.

W. H. Edwards, Newburgh.—Lepidoptera, collected in Russian America,
by the Russian telegraph expedition, by Drs. Coues and Palmer in Arizona,
and Mr. Botteri and Prof. Sumichrast in Mexico.

Prof. Thomas Egleston —All the unlabelled boxes of minerals.

D. G. Elliot, New York.—Various species of North American birds, to be
figured in his work.

Dr. G. H. Horn, Philadelphia —Various exotie coleoptera.

Lsaac Lea, Philadelphia—Mexican and other unionide.

R Ostensacken, New York.—Mexican diptera, collected by Mr. Botteri.

Edward Norton, Farmington, Conn—Hymenoptera, collected in Mexico by
Prof. Sumichrast.

Dr. Joseph Leidy, Philadelphia. ee Naious specimens of Assi mammal re-
mains.

George N. Lawrence, New Wrode S00 Rican and other birds.

Dr. John Torrey, New York.—Plants of western America, collected by Mr.
Brydges, and ether botanical specimens.

George W. Tryon, ts —Melaniade of the United States and
Mexico.

HI. Ulke, Washington.—Colcoptera, collected by the Russian telegraph ex-
pedition.

ADDITIONS TO THE COLLECTIONS OF THE SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION
IN 1866.

Al:hurst, John —Skin of mouse, Brooklyn.

Aldyich, Mr.—Rattlesnake in alcohol, from Maryland.

Allen, C. M —Series of birds breeding in Bermuda.

Ayres, Dr. W. O.—Types of California fishes.

pannister, FL—(See Bulkley.)

Beadle, Rev, E. 2 —Fossil echinoderms from desert of Sinai, and recent shells.

Bell, J. G—*kins of South American birds.

Berndt, Dr FE—Two boxes zoological collections from Belize. :
Bland, Thomas —¥ifty species West Indian land shells.
Boardman, G, A.—WBox of birds from New Brunswick. é.
Bode, Mrs.—Skins of South American birds.

Botteri, Vi —Birds and mammals of Mexico.

Bradford, U. 8. A., Dr. G. H.—¥ncrinite from New Mexico.

Brass, W.—Zoological collections from Fort Halkett.

Brevoort, J. C.—Specimen of Tragulus from Java; died in captivity.

Brigham & Mann, Messrs. —Series of Hawaiian plants.

Bryan, O. N.—Albino blackbird, and fossils from Prince George county, Md. \

eo rh ct? ok wo wae mS". 4 eee bat eee

REPORT OF THE ASSISTANT SECRETARY. 47

Bryant, Dr. Henry —Birds of Belize and Bahia
Brydges, Mrs.-—Box of plauts co!lected in Chile and Bolivia by Mr. Brydges.

Bulkley, Co'onel C. S—Collections of Russian telegraph expedition, in various

departments of natural history, made by Robert Kennicott, Dr. Fisher, Cap-
tain Sands, Captain Seammon, W. H. Dall, Henry Bannister, and J. I. Rotb-
rock.

Bulkley, Colonel C. S—Tusk of mammoth from Behring straits.

_ Butcher. Dr. H. B.—Collection of birds, &c., of the Lower Rio Grande, Texas.

he

Canfield, Dr. C. A.—ollection of birds, eggs, and marine invertebrates of
California.

Carmiol, J—Birds and butterflies of Costa Rica.

Clarke, O —Silicious cinder from burning of wheat bran.

Clee, J. &.—LULarge masses of rock salt, portions of tusks and teeth of fossil ele-
phant, and pieces of cane-matting found below the elephant remains, at a
depth of thirteen fect, and just above the salt. From Petit Anse island, Ver-
million bay, Louisiana.

Chicago Academy of Sciences. — Specimens of Amblystoma luridum.

Chute, R.—Infusorial earth, St. Anthony’s Falls.

Collier, D. C—Chalk from a bluff seventy-five fect high, on the Smoky Hill
river, Colorado.

Collins, Colonel W. O.—Skull and horns of Cervus macrotis, and dress of In-
dian chief, from Fort Laramie.

Connolly, Henry.—Skins and eggs of birds from Labrador.

Cooper, Dr. J. G.—Hesperomys californicus, and skin of hammer head shark,
from California; skull of Indian from Santa Catalina.

Cooper, Juan.—Skins of birds of Costa Rica.

Copenhagen, Royal Zoological Museum.—Nine specimens of skins of North
Kuropean seals.

Corse, Mr.—T wo bottles reptiles, Fort Tejon. ,

Coues, U. S. A., Dr. S. H-—Four huudred skins of birds, and other collections,
from Arizona and California.

Creamer, David —Lignite from near Baltimore.

Curtis, Dr. M. A.—Skins of Sorex and Hesperomys.

Dall, W. H—Shells collected at Monterey, and types of Helix chersonella.

Dall, W. H—(see Bulkley.)

Darby, Dr. J. EH —Melaniade from Tennessee river.

Davis, Henry —Fresh-water shells from Lowa.

Dean, Henry C.—Gray fox, ( Vulpes virginianus,) in flesh.

Dolbech, James.—Gold-bearing quartz from Great Falls of Potomac.

Dorman, O> M—Shells, Michigan.

Dorr, R. R.—Nest of Geoth! om trichas and insects.

Dow, Captain J. M.— Zoological specimens from Panama.

Dow, Captain J. M—(See Totten.)

Dresden, Royal Mineralogical Museum of —(Through Professor H. B. Gei-
nitz,) two boxes of fossils and minerals.

Eilisworth, Captain E. D.—Piece of oak from the hull of Congress Galley, sunk
in Lake Champlain, 1776, near town Panton, Vermont.

Engelmann, Dr. Geo—Head of surf duck: Pelionetta perspicillata.

Fisher, Dr—(See Bulkley.)

Fictt, James —Zoological collection from Fort Good Hope, Arctic America.

“Flint, Dr. Earl.—Birds, shells, insects, and plants from Nicaragua.

Foreman, Dr. Ed.—Salamander from Maryland.

_ Foster, Hon. L. F. S—Scalp of Navajo chief Ganado Blanco, from Fort Sum-

ner, New Mexico.

Frantzius, Dr. A. Von.—Skin of birds of Costa Rica.

48 APPENDIX TO THE REPORT OF THE SECRETARY.

Gatchell, Dr. H. T. F —Dried toad from Kenosha, Wisconsin.

Gaudet, Charlies P.—Zoological collection trom Peel’s river, Arctic America.

Geinitz, Professor H. B.—(See Dresden.)

Gi/pin, Dr—Skin of Sorex; Halifax.

Glover, Professor T-—Two mounted birds. po

Goss, B F.—Skins of Retthroden and Arvicola, Kansas. €

Grayson, Colonel A. J—Box of birds of Mazatlan.

Grier, Colonel—BScale of fish from Loess, near Vicksburg.

Gruber, Ferd.—Box of birds of California, and egg of “* Mexican wren.”

Gundlach, Dr. J—Caercba and Myiadestes in alcohol, from Cuba.

Gunn, Donald.—Zoological collections from lakes west of Lake Winnipeg.

Haldeman, Professor S. S—Three boxes of fossils invertebrata, and types of
American fresh-water shells.

Hardesty, W. L.—Ethnological and other collections from Fort Simpson.

Harper, Professor L.—Ceratites americanus, from Alabama.

Hawon, #’—Box of grasshoppers, Fort Leavenworth.

Hayes, Dr. I. I—Skin of walrus in salt.

Hague, Henry —Box of birds, San Geronemo, Gaateney.

Heade, M. J—Head of Savannah blackbird Cone te va sulcirostris,) Virgin
bay.

Hepburn, Jas——Birds of Nicaragua. Box of birds and eggs, California.

fill, M. S —Specimens of 17-year locust, Ohio.

Hubbard, Dr.—Specimens of Helix blandii, from Cherokee nation.

Hubbard, Sxmuel.—Keg of alcoholic specimens, and nest of Mygale, from Cal-
ifornia.

Ilges and Sauter —Skins of South American birds.

Jewett, Colonel H.—Ancient pottery, from Chiriqui.

Jones, Strachan.—Zoological collection from Fort Yukon and Fort Rae.

Kelsey, S. C—Living spider from Nashville.

Kennicott, Robert.—(See Bulkley.)

Kluge, Dr—Jar of crustacea from Aspinwall.

Knudson, Valdemar—Oollection of birds from the Sandwich Islands.

Krider, John —Collection of mounted hawks.

Latimer, George.—Pair of living Loxigilla Perea from Porto Rico.

Lewis, M.—Pachnolite from Greenland.

Latile, Major T. E.—Skull and vertebral column of mink, (Pu/orius vison.)

Lackhart, James.—Zoological collection from Great Slave lake.

London, Royal College of Surgeons —Two mounted sterna of birds.

MacDonald, R.—Zoological collections from the Rocky mountains west of the
Lower Mackenzie. ©

McDowell, U 8. A., Major General—(See Wallen.)

MacFarlane, Robert—Thirty -five boxes of zoological, ethnological and other
collections from the Arctic coast of America, between the mouths of the
Mackenzie and Coppermine rivers.

McKee, U.S. A. Dr. J. R—Skin of Meleagris mexicana from New Mexico.

Magruder, Miss —Large moth from Washington.

Mann.—(See Brigham: and Mann.)

March, W. T.—Collection of birds and shells of Jamaica. :

ee ic Dr. £.—Arvicola and osteological specimens from Martha’s Vine- £
yar

Merrick, Mr.—Stone arrowheads from Long Island.

Michener, Dr. E.—Sterna of birds.

Neufchatel Zoological Muscum.—Twenty-seven species of birds, types of
Tschudi, Fauna ; Peruane.

Palmer, Dr. S.—Insects, plants, and fossils of Arizona.

Parsons, D. B.—Series of turtles from Belize.

REPORT OF THE ASSISTANT SECRETARY. 49

Parsons, J. H—Fossil shell from New York.
Pease, U.S. A., Captain W. B.—Two specimens of Sesia, Texas.
Philadelphia Academy of Natural Sciences—Six mounted birds in exchange.
Portland Natural History Society —Series fresh-water and land shells of Maine.
» Potts, John.—Large living moth from Washington.
Prentiss, Dr. D. W.—Skin and skeletons of birds.
Pumpelly, .—Two boxes of shells from China and Japan. -
_ Putnam, F. W.—Gasterosteus Wheatlandii, from Salem.
Randall, F. A—Five living Menopoma Allegheniensis.
' Reeves, Mr. and Mrs. Joel—Egegs of birds from Ualumet marshes, Illinois.
_ Regenhofer, Dr—(See Vienna.)
Rhoads, J—Collection of birds of Panama.
Ridgway, A. £.—Monstrous chicken.
Ridgway, Robert —Box of nest and eggs of birds, Ilinois.
Ried, John.—Zoological collection from Great Slave lake.
Riotte, C. N—Antiquities from Costa Rica.
Roome, J. H—Porpoise skull and bird skins.
Rothrock, J. T—(See Bulkley.)
Royall, Jos.—Marl from Vicksburg.
Salazar, Governor—TIwo boxes of zoological collections made by Dr. A. Sheott
in Yucatan. .
Salem, Essex Institute—Head of Diomedea culminata.
Samuels, E. A—Goshawk, (Astur atricapillus,) in flesh.
Sands, Captain —(See Bulkley.)
Sauter.—(See I/ges.)
Sartorius, Dr. Charles —Zoological collections from the vicinity of Merador,
Mexico.
Sartorius, Florentin Collections of birds from near Merador, Mexico.
Scammon, Captain—(See Bulkley.)
Schaufuss, L. W.—dAitherea from New Grenada, and four types of new co-
leoptera.
Schee, Dr. H. M—Box of shells, Iowa.
Schott, Dr. A—(See Salazar.)
Schwariz, W. F.—Birds and eggs, California.
Sclater, Dr. P. I.—Skin of Peucea boucardi.
Shaffer, D. H—Box of living ferns.
Sharp, U.S. A., Dr. Redford—Specimens of reptiles, insects, &c., in alcohol,
from Texas.
Sibbiston, James —Zoological collections from Fort Youkon.
Siler, A. .—Skin of Centia rubrizona, Utah.
Skidmore, M.—Heads of ducks.
Slagle, M—Box of eggs of birds.
Smith, Donald A.—Five skins of Labrador birds.
Smith, W.—Living horned owl, ( Budo virginianus.)
Stearns, Rk. HE. C—Shells from Nicaragua, California, and South America.
Steindachner. Dr. F—(See Vienna.)
Stickney, Mr.—Starch made in Florida from seeds of coontee, ( Zamia integri-
- folia.)
ey Dr. M.—Box of shells, Vera Cruz.
Sumichrast, Professor F'.—Birds, mammals, and alcoholic specimens of Mexico.
Swan, J. G.—Indian curiosities and zoological specimens from Puget sound.
Tiffany, Rev. C. C—Bottle reptiles, Arabian desert.
Totten, Dr. G. F’.—Skeleton of Procyon cancrivora, Aspinwall.
Totten, Dr. G. F., through Captain J. M. Dow.—Skeleton of Elasmognathus
Bairdii from Panama railroad.
48

59 . APPENDIX TO THE REPORT OF THE SECRET

Vienna Zoological Museum., through Dr. Regenhofer.—Series of Austrian Lep-

idoptera.
Vienna Zoological Museum, through Dr. F. Steindachner.—Series of European
fishes in alcohol.
Vuille, W—Skins and eggs of birds of California. ‘
Wallen, U. 8. A., Colonel H. D—Skin of Heloderma horridum, Arizona ; re- *

ceived through Major General Irvin McDowell.
Wallis, J. Willie-_Sign of albino swallow, from Bladensburg.
Warren, General G. K.—Mounted head of Elk.
Wait, D. A—Fishes from St. Lawrence river.
Weeds, U. 8. A., Dr. James F.—Living horned frog ( Phrynosoma crbeilagee
New Mexico.
Wernigh, Dr.—Zoological collections, Colorado and Montana.
Woltz, T. N—Tges of pigeons.
Woodward, Rk. B.—Mounted birds of California,
Wright, Charles—Shel!s and insects of Cuba
Young, John F.—Remora, or sucking fish, from Potomac river.
Younglove, A. H.—Box of birds and reptiles, Hayti.
Zeledon, A—Skins of birds of Costa Rica.

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