other position under the Government. In reply I have to say that this duty has for several years been performed by the assistant superintendent of buildings in the National Museum, whose pay is at the rate of $100 per month. During the last fiscal year the sum received for such inspections for the Museum amounted to $77.36. Yours, very respectfully,

S. P. LANGLEY, Secretary.

ARREARS OF BUSINESS IN PUBLIC OFFICES.

February 18, 1895-Senate.

Mr. F. M. COCKRELL, from Joint Commission of Congress to inquire into the status of laws organizing the Executive Departments, submitted report (S. 952):

The Joint Commission of Congress to inquire into the status of laws organizing the Executive Departments, etc., addressed a communication to the head of each of the Executive Departments and other establishments of the Government situated in the District of Columbia, as follows:

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES UNITED STATES,

Washington, D. C., January 24, 1895.

SIR: I have the honor to request that you will, for the information of the Joint Commission of Congress to inquire into laws organizing the Executive Departments etc., send me at your earliest convenience a statement as to the condition of the business of the—————, showing whether any part of the same is in arrears, if so, in what offices or bureaus of the such arrears exist, the extent thereof, and the reasons

therefor.

Very respectfully,

ALEX. M. DOCKERY, Chairman Joint Commission, etc.

In reponse to this request replies have been received from the various Departments and independent establishments of the Government, which, for the information of Congress, are submitted as an appendix herewith, together with the following synopsis thereof:

National Museum: One bureau and 4 divisions, one of which, the scientific staff, is in arrears.

NATIONAL MUSEUM, SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION,

Washington, D. C., February 6, 1895. SIR: In response to your letter of January 24, asking for a statement of the condition of business in the National Museum, and whether any part of the same is in arrears, I have the honor to say that all current work is and always has been kept promptly up to date, and that in no department can it be said that the work is in arrears, although to accomplish this result it has been necessary to ask many of the employees to work extra hours without compensation. I am speaking, of course, of the routine work of the Museum, which corresponds to the ordinary work of the Executive Departments.

The work of the scientific staff, which is engaged in the development of the Museum and in the utilization of its treasures for public instruction and for the advantage of educational institutions throughout the country, is not going ahead so rapidly as might be desired, owing to the fact that the reduction in the appropriations in 1893 made it necessary to considerably reduce the number of persons employed in this work, and also to the interruption caused by preparations for the great exposition at Chicago. It is going forward satisfactorily, however, though much more could be done if it were possible to employ a larger number of expert assistants. Help of this kind is especially needed to carry on more rapidly the separation of the duplicate specimens from the collections, and their identification and classification for the purpose of distributing them to public institutions in accordance with the authority granted by law, and also for purposes of exchange with museums in other countries. I am, sir, yours, very respectfully, S. P. LANGLEY, Secretary.

Hon. ALEXANDER M. DOCKERY,

Chairman Joint Commission, etc., House of Representatives.

BONDS OF DISBURSING OFFICERS.

February 28, 1895-Senate.

Mr. F. M. COCKRELL, from Joint Commission of Congress to inquire into the status of laws organizing the Executive Departments, submitted report (S. 1022) relative to the bonds of public officers.

Within the jurisdiction of Auditor for State and other Departments:

*

One bonded officer, Smithsonian Institution, $25,000. (Under law 176, 3614 Rev. Stat.)

Special disbursing agent, Smithsonian Institution, $5,000. (Under law 176, 3614 Rev. Stat.)

FIFTY-FOURTH CONGRESS, 1895-1897.

INTERNATIONAL EXCHANGES- ESTIMATES.

December 2, 1895-House.

Estimates for 1897.

For the expenses of the system of international exchanges between the United States and foreign countries, under the direction of the Smithsonian Institution, including salaries or compensation of all necessary employees, $23,000.

January 6, 1896-House.

Letter from the Acting Secretary of the Treasury (Doc. No. 114).

TREASURY DEPARTMENT,

January 3, 1896.

SIR: I have the honor to transmit herewith, for the consideration of Congress, copy of a communication from the Secretary of State dated December 30, 1895, submitting an estimate of appropriation in the sum of $2,000 to carry into effect the provisions of the convention between the United States of America, Belgium, Brazil, Italy, Portugal, Servia, and Spain, concluded at Brussels March 15, 1886, providing for the immediate exchange of public documents.

Respectfully, yours,

S. WIKE, Acting Secretary.

The SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES.

DEPARTMENT OF STATE, Washington, December 30, 1895.

SIR: I have the honor to bring to your attention copies of two notes from the Austro-Hungarian minister, dated April 3 and October 29, 1895, respectively. They relate to the request of his Government that the acts of Congress be sent directly to the House of Deputies instead of through the Smithsonian Institution.

Copies of these notes were sent to the Secretary of that Institution. The correspondence that ensued disclosed the fact that the want of an appropriation by Congress prevented that Institution from carrying out the provisions of the convention concluded at Brussels March 15, 1886, providing for the "immediate exchange of official journals, parliamentary annals, and documents."

In reply to a request from this Department as to the amount thought necessary to effect that object, I herewith inclose a copy of a letter of the 18th instant from Mr. S. P. Langley, Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution, fixing the amount at $2,000, as heretofore recommended, and citing especially Senate Ex. Doc. No. 139, Fiftieth Congress, second session, a copy of which, for convenience of reference, I herewith inclose.

That document contains a proposed joint resolution to meet the object Mr. Langley has in view. The only suggested change therein is that in its last line the appropriation should read "be expended under the direction of the Smithsonian Institution," in order to conform to all other appropriations now made to that Institution.

I urge that this correspondence be brought to the attention of Congress to the end that an appropriation of $2,000 may be made at the present session to enable the Smithsonian Institution to carry into

effect the convention of March 15, 1886, a copy of which will be found in Senate Ex. Doc. No. 139.

I have the honor to be, sir, your obedient servant,

The SECRETARY OF THE TREASURY.

RICHARD OLNEY.

[Translation.]

IMPERIAL AND ROYAL AUSTRO-HUNGARIAN LEGATION,
Washington, April 3, 1895.

MR. SECRETARY OF STATE:

In consequence of an understanding, as your excellency already knows, a reciprocal exchange of parliamentary acts and other official publications of Hungary takes place with those of the United States, and mainly by the method that the mutual shipments are delivered through the channel of the Smithsonian Institution.

Upon this basis the process of the mutual exchange of official publications was further carried out in the manner that the Smithsonian Institution addressed the shipments of books of the American Government, including Congressional documents, and collecting on delivery the transportation charges from the port of shipment to the place of destination, to the royal Hungarian president of the cabinet, by whom the contents of these shipments were distributed to the Hungarian legislature and the different ministries.

The Hungarian exchange was effected in the same manner, and the president of the royal Hungarian cabinet has always sent to the Smithsonian Institution the Hungarian parliamentary acts as well as the publications of the ministries and authorities, collecting on delivery the transportation charges from the port of shipment to the place of their destination.

On every occasion the Smithsonian Institution was advised from Budapest through the imperial and royal legation of the due arrival of the American shipments.

The president of the Hungarian House of Deputies deems it now more expedient respecting the mutual exchange of the parliamentary acts between the Hungarian House of Deputies and the Congress of the United States to adopt a direct intercourse, and already, in 1892, the above-named officer addressed the president of Congress in Washington and indeed since then has sent directly and free of charge to America the acts of the Hungarian House of Deputies.

As the acts of Congress have, nevertheless, until now reached the House of Deputies in Budapest in the former way-that is to say, by way of the Smithsonian Institution and the president of the royal Hungarian cabinet, the latter has requested that steps be taken to cause the acts of Congress, that have heretofore reached the Hungarian House of Deputies through the medium of the president of the cabinet,

to be sent henceforth directly, and likewise free of charges, to the House of Deputies.

I have the honor to inform your excellency hereof, with the request to be good enough to take the necessary steps to bring about this object and to advise me of the result.

I beg to add that, with respect to the other official American publications, no change in the existing mode of exchange with Hungary is contemplated.

In your predecessor's note of May 16 last, No. 28, in answer to my communication of April 3 last, No. 709, regarding the direct reciprocal exchange of legislative documents and other official Hungarian publications with those of the United States, he was good enough to state that the request of the president of the Hungarian Reichstag had been given immediate attention by the competent authority, and that a full reply would subsequently follow.

In compliance with recent instructions, I beg to call your excellency's attention to this subject, with the request to apprise me as to the decision since reached.

Accept, etc.,

HENGELMÜLLER.

SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION,
Washington, December 18, 1895.

SIR: I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of your communication of December 11, 1895, referring to the request of the AustroHungarian minister that the acts of Congress be sent directly to the House of Deputies instead of through the Smithsonian Institution, and inquiring what appropriation by Congress is considered necessary for carrying out a convention concluded at Brussels March 15, 1886, providing for the "immediate exchange of official journals, parliamentary annals, and documents."

The object of the convention being the prompt interchange of the proceedings of the legislative bodies of the respective countries adhering thereto, it becomes necessary that a sufficient number of copies of the documents in question be promptly furnished to the exchange bureau, and that an appropriation be made to meet the additional clerical service and postage that will be required for the immediate dispatch of these documents. The amount of the appropriation, as far as it is possible to estimate for an untried service, I should place at $2,000. England, France, Germany, and Austria did not adhere to the con