has been especially directed to ascertain what facilities of exchange, if any, it is proposed to accord to private scientific organizations and individuals, whether in the countries adhering to the proposed plan or in countries outside of its scope. If a practicable basis can be found for the assimilation of the operations of the Smithsonian bureau of exchanges with those of the international bureau, it is conceived that it should secure to the former full freedom of action for so much of its present plan of work as may not be embodied in the contemplated scheme. I am, sir, your obedient servant, Prof. SPENCER F. BAIRD, Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution. WM. M. EVARTS. DEPARTMENT OF STATE, Washington, January 10, 1879. SIR: Referring to my letter of the 14th of November last, addressed to you, in relation to the contemplated assimilation of the Smithsonian system of international exchanges with the plan proposed by the international congress at Paris, I have now the pleasure to transmit herewith copy of a recent dispatch from the United States minister at Paris, inclosing a communication from Dr. William E. Johnston in answer to the specific inquiries of the Department. It appears from Dr. Johnston's report that no essential change has been made in the plan proposed two years ago for the organization of the international bureau and the conduct of the business of reciprocal exchange. The "printed documents" referred to were received with a letter from Dr. Johnston, dated March 15, 1876, and, being sent to the Secretary of the Treasury, were, by that officer, referred to your predecessor, Dr. Henry, whose reply, under date of May 4, 1876, has formed the basis of the subsequent proceedings and instructions of this Department in the matter. For your convenience, however, I transmit herewith the duplicate copy of the "projet de reglement" received from Dr. Johnston. You are already aware of the desire of this Department to secure to the Smithsonian Institution, in event of its admission to the proposed international system, the fullest liberty of action and the utmost enhancement of its utility, without entailing any additional burden on its resources. It is thought that this can be accomplished without diffi culty. To that end, I will, however, thank you to make a careful review of the whole subject, in the light of Dr. Johnston's last report, with a view to determine the precise status of the Smithsonian as an international bureau under the projected plan. I would suggest that a detailed mem orandum setting forth the bases on which your co-operation could be effected, on the plan of the circular of the ministry of public instruc tion and the fine arts which accompanied Dr. Johnston's letter of March 15, 1876, would be very serviceable for submission to the Paris con gress. I am, sir, your obedient servant, P.of. SPENCER F. BAIRD, Secretary Smithsonian Institution. WM. M. EVARTS. [Inclosure 1.] LEGATION OF THE UNITED STATES, SIR: Referring to your dispatch No. 107, of November 14, 1878, I have the honor to inclose here with a copy of a communication from Dr. William E. Johnston (with two documents annexed), which discusses and answers so fully the questions contained in your dispatch that I will only add that I approve the remarks and conclusions of the writer. I have the honor to be, your obedient servant, Hon. Wм. M. EVARTS, EDWARD F. NOYES. Secretary of State. {Inclosure 2.] PARIS, December 9, 1878. DEAR SIR: In reply to your demand for information in regard to the proceedings of the conference for organizing a system of international exchanges of works of science, I have the honor to send you herewith inclosed two copies of the plan drawn up by the conference, and one copy, the only one in my possession for the moment, of the plan of organization of the French bureau for carrying out the French part of the scheme. I beg leave, however, to recall through you, to the memory of the State Department, that I have already nearly two years ago furnished copies of these documents to that Department. I take this occasion to state that no alterations or amendments were made in the subsequent meetings of the conference to the printed documents herein sent. They will be found to cover most of the questions which you desired answered. But in reply to the question of the honorable Secretary of State as to how the exchanges are to be made, I would state that in the discussions of the conference it was assumed as a matter of course that they should be made directly from bureau to bureau without passing through the respective legations, and that in all probability the postal service could be obtained gratis. These points had not been otherwise determined at the last meeting, and I am not able to state at this moment whether any arrangement has yet been made about free transportation or not. This question will undoubtedly come under consideration at the next meeting of the conference, and I will take the earliest occasion thereafter to inform you of the proceedings of the conference on the subject. The great exhibition of this year, and the unusual activity in local and national affairs of the new minister of public instruction and fine arts (at whose office and under whose auspices the conference was held), have prevented any meeting of the conference for nearly a year. It will not, however, be long before another meeting is called. If the honorable Secretary of State of the United States, or the honorable director of the Snithsonian Institution, which has so large an experience in the matter of international exchanges, desire to introduce any modifications into the printed plan herewith sent, or add any new features thereto, I will only be too happy to propose these modifications or amendments at the next meeting of the conference, and can guarantee in advance a favorable hearing. I may add finally that at the last sitting of the conference the only governments which hesitated to give in their adhesion were those of England and Germany. The delegates of these governments demanded time to see the operation of the scheme, but it is expected that they will finally adhere. I have the honor to be, with the highest sentiments of esteem, your most obedient servant, His Excellency General NoYES, Minister of the United States, Paris. WM. E. JOHNSTON, M. D., SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION, Washington, D. C., February 5, 1879. SIR: I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of your letter of the 10th of January in reference to the participation, by the Smithsouian Institution and the State Department, in the proposed system of i international exchanges, suggested and in a measure established by the international congress of Paris, together with inclosures from the American minister at Paris, and a memorandum of proposed regulations and conditions. Apologizing for the necessary delay in my reply, I beg to say that the direct exchange between the Smithsonian Institution and the French bureau has commenced by the receipt of one box of scientific publications from Paris, and the transmission of several boxes by the Smithsonian Institution. The schedules of the contents of the one box already received, and of another not yet to hand, have been forwarded by the Baron de Vatteville, who is in charge of the Paris agency; and it is probable that the work will be continued now without any serious impediment. The Smithsonian Institution is now making up a large sending for Paris, which will fill fifteen or twenty boxes, and be transmitted in accordance with the proposed plan. This, as I understand it, is to be as follows: The Smithsonian Institution, in continuation of its arrangement with the Library of Congress, will forward at least once a year to the agency in Paris a complete set of the publications of the United States Government, provisions having been made to that end by law of Congress directing the Public Printer to reserve fifty sets for international exchange of all works printed by the government office, whether by direct order of Congress or by the departments. This, of course, does not include any confidential papers for the State or other departments, but does embrace their general circulars, reports, &c., prepared for their own use. Secondly, the Smithsonian Institution will receive from the various societies of the United States publishing transactions, and from men interested in research, and maintaining relations with correspondents abroad, whatever they may wish to forward to France. All the parcels for any one address will be concentrated in one or more bundles, each bearing the address of the proper party, and indorsed as sent by the Smithsonian Institution. The parcels will then be inclosed in the necessary number of boxes and addressed to the bureau of the French agency, and forwarded from New York by suitable vessel; steamer, if the amount is small; sailing-vessel, if large. A bill of lading will, of course, be sent to the agency, together with a detailed invoice of the several addresses. The Smithsonian Institution will deliver its boxes at the seaport free of charge; after that, the expense of transmission to Paris will be borne by the French bureau. In return, it is expected that the French bureau will, in the first place, charge itself with the gathering together and transmission of all the public documents of France, and that it will receive all parcels delivered to it by societies, institutions, and individuals in France for transmission to correspondents in America. It is to be understood that, as heretofore, the Smithsonian Institution will include in its transmissions all the publications of the various departments of the United States Government and those of American countries outside of the United States, such as Canada, Mexico, Chili, &c. It will also be willing to receive from the Paris agency corre sponding parcels for Canada and other portions of America. I beg to inclose also certain rules which have lately been put in force by the Smithsonian Institution in connection with its system of international exchanges, in which certain restrictions are indicated, which may properly be followed by the French bureau. The principal of these consists in the refusal to receive any parcels that are in any way dutiable, such as books purchased for the use of private individuals, as well as scientific and philosophical apparatus, &c. It is also proposed to place a restriction upon the transmission of objects of natural history, which are extremely bulky, and the interchange of which is in most cases a matter of pecuniary profit and not for the advancement of science. Special exceptions will always be made in regard to applications for the transmission of articles of the kind sent to any of the leading public museums of the country. It will, of course, be understood by the Department, as previously explained, that the exchange of government publications is directly in the interest of the Library of Congress, and that all the works received by the Smithsonian Institution itself are placed on deposit in the same establishment. If, as suggested by the American minister to France, it becomes possible to send packages of international exchanges free by post, it will greatly relieve the labor and responsibility of the work, permitting the sendings to be made with much greater frequency. I have the honor to be, very respectfully, your obedient servant, SPENCER F. BAIRD, Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution. Hon. WILLIAM M. EVARTS, SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION, Washington City, February 8, 1879. DEAR SIR: In addressing you in regard to the subject of the international exchange between the Smithsonian Institution and the bureau under your direction, I write at much length, even at the risk of repeating the substance of previous letters, being desirous of making complete and satisfactory arrangements for the future prosecution of this important work. As you are doubtless aware, the Smithsonian Institution has for many years been engaged in the development of a system of international exchange, which is now very extensive and complete, and so far has been conducted entirely at its expense, and not by appropriations of the United States Government. The actual outlay amounts to more than $10,000 a year, or to more than one-fourth of the entire Smithsonian in come. This exchange consists of two divisions: The one embracing exclusively the publications of the United States Government, to be exchanged for corresponding publications of other governments. The other consisting of the works of the various learned and scientific societies and of scientific men. The system of government exchanges was initiated by the Smithsonian Institution in 1867, at which time the inclosed circular was issued by my predecessor. It was intended to embrace everything printed at the expense of the United States Government, with the guarantee that nothing whatever should be omitted, however trivial and apparently unimportant. These publications were to be sent to such governments. only as would agree to make an equally exhaustive return, the transmissions to be made respectively at times most convenient to the contracting parties, on the part of the United States about once a year. The Smithsonian Institution agreed to deliver its boxes, free of expense, at New York, or any other convenient point of shipment in the United States, the remaining charges to be met by the recipient. The returns in like manner to be delivered at a seaport in Europe; the remaining expenses to be paid here. Various delays occurred, and it was not until 1873 that the first transmission could be made. At present thirty-two sets of forty-eight, reserved for the purpose, are disposed of to as many governments; sixteen sets remaining on hand, each occupying eleven boxes, of about 300 pounds. As France has received the first eleven boxes of the series, the continuation will consist of the twelfth and succeeding numbers. What we especially desire now from France in return for this sending, is not merely the special publications of some of the scientific bureaus, but a series of everything published by the state, as complete as that which we send, to include the records of the legislation of the republic. its reports upon education, statistics, commerce, navigation, topograph ical and geological explorations, &c. Can we look forward to this through your instrumentality? We do not expect that the series can commence as far back as that which we have sent, and are quite willing to have it begin with the present year, or perhaps with 1878. Will it not be expedient to secure in France some provision like that made by the United States Government, and which alone will accomplish the desired object, namely, that of directing the Public Printer to reserve a certain number of copies of every official document for the purpose of international exchange? The second division of our system of exchanges is that relating par ticularly to learned societies and men of science; it also includes transmissions of separate bureaus of the United States Government to their correspondents. The publications of the latter class are all embraced in the full series of the governmental exchanges included in the first division and are consequently duplicates, very useful, however, for bureaus, public libraries, scientific societies, &c. I beg to inclose the rules lately adopted for the guidance of corre spondents of the Smithsonian Institution. These, you will see, exclude objects of natural history except when especially authorized. There is at present an immense amount of interchange of plants, minerals, and other objects of natural history between amateurs, which is of no special advantage to science. We therefore propose to exclude natural history objects, excepting in the interest of some special scientific research. It is to be noted in this connection that the Smithsonian Institution discharges its function of intermediary of exchange, not merely between the institutions of the United States, but also of all America; and that it is the established agent of exchange for the societies of Canada, as well as of Mexico, of Chili, and other Central and South American States. This policy it is entirely willing to continue, and you can, therefore, without hesitation, send any parcel that may come to your agency addressed to any portion of America, the further transmission and final delivery of which we promise within such time as may be practicable. I now beg leave to make some suggestions for the more thorough ac complishment of the object which we both have so much at heart. In the first place, I would ask that all boxes be addressed "Smithsonian Institution, Washington, care of the Collector of Customs, New York," and that two regular bills of lading of the shipment from Havre or other seaport of France to New York be sent to the Smithsonian In |