part of 1872, for the purpose of delivering in a few of our principal cities courses of lectures on physical science, he very generously presented the entire net proceeds of his lectures to trustees for the purpose of promoting science in this country. These popular lectures, eloquently presented and admirably illustrated experimentally, were attended by large and appreciative audiences in Boston, New Haven, New York, Brooklyn, Philadelphia, Baltimore, and Washington.

Professor Tyndall's trust deed, executed in New York, February 7, 1873, just before his departure for England, was forwarded with a friendly personal letter of the same date, to Professor Henry of this Institution, and was published in full in the Smithsonian Report of 1872, pages 104-106. By this grant it was found that he assigned to our people the liberal fund of $13,033, in the following gracious terms,-omitting here all but the more essential passages:

"As an evidence of my good-will toward the people of the United States, I desire to devote this sum of $13,033 to the advancement of theoretic science and the promotion of original research, especially in the department of physics, in the United States.

"To accomplish this object I hereby appoint Prof. Joseph Henry, Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution, Washington City, D. C., Dr. E. L. Youmans, of New York, and General Hector Tyndale, of Philadelphia, to act as a board of trustees to take charge of the above sum-to carefully invest it in permanent securities; and I further direct that the said board shall, for the present, appropriate the interest of the fund in supporting or in assisting to support, at such European universities as they may consider most desirable, two American pupils who may evince decided talents in physics, and who may express a determination to devote their lives to this work. My desire would be that each pupil should spend four years at a German university-three of those years to be devoted to the acquisition of knowledge, and the fourth to original investigation.

"If however in the progress of science in the United States, it should at any time appear to the said board that the end herein proposed would be better subserved by granting aid to students, or for some special researches in this country, the board is authorized to make the appropriations from the income of the fund for such purposes.

"I further direct that vacancies which may occur in said board, by death or otherwise, shall be filled by the president of the National Academy of Sciences."

Even with the wise and far-seeing provision for discretion of judg ment vested in the trustees by the donor, they experienced much greater difficulty in satisfactorily carrying into effect the enlightened purpose of the grant than could have been anticipated. One promising student, in the uncertainty of devoting his life to the career of scientific research contemplated, very honorably returned to the trustees the sum advanced to him. Another, after hesitating as to the condition of remaining for four years in a German or other European university, finally declined to avail himself of the opportunity afforded him. It thus resulted, from the conscientious administration of the trust, and the earnest desire of the trustees to execute the expressed wishes of

Professor Tyndall, that but a small portion of the income of the fund has been expended, and the original sum has been thereby augmented. On the death of two of the trustees-Professor Henry, at Washington, and General H. Tyndale, at Philadelphia,-Dr. F. A. P. Barnard, of • New York, and Prof. Joseph Lovering, of Cambridge, Mass., were duly appointed as their successors; and how judiciously the trustees have continued to husband the resources committed to them is sufficiently evinced by the remarkable fact that the Tyndall fund has now accumulated, by the constant addition to it of the unappropriated income, from the original sum of $13,000, to $32,000.

Under these circumstances the distinguished donor has been induced to modify the original conditions of the gift, so as to divide the increased principal into three separate funds (of nearly $11,000 each), and to give the charges thereof, respectively, to Harvard College at Cambridge, Columbia College at New York, and the University of Pennsylvania at Philadelphia, for the perpetual maintenance in each of these institutions of learning, of a graduate fellowship in the department of physics. There can be little doubt that this change of the direction was, under the peculiar circumstances, eminently judicious; and that the several endowments will constitute brilliant prizes to aspiring American students, and will greatly contribute to the noble purpose of their founder-the stimulation of original research, and the advancement of physical science in the United States.

UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM.

Arrangement of material.-The regular work of the Museum has been considerably interrupted during the six months now under consideration by the participation of the Museum in the World's Industrial and Cotton Centennial Exposition at New Orleans. Several members of the staff were in attendance at this exposition, in custody of the collections of the Museum there displayed, and in May and June ten curators and mechanics were sent to New Orleans to attend to the re-packing and forwarding of the collections sent by the Smithsonian Institution, as well as to care for the numerous exhibits transferred to the Museum by foreign and domestic exhibitors at the close of the exposition. The extent of these accessions was very considerable. One hundred and seventy-six thousand pounds of exhibits were sent to New Orleans. Of this amount 138,624 pounds were sent direct, 19,814 pounds from Cincinnati, and 17,631 pounds from Louisville, at each of which places the Smithsonian Institution had displayed large exhibits during the summer of 1884 320,744 pounds were returned, including 51,267 pounds received from the State Department, whose valuable exhibit, gathered by the United States consuls all over the world, was transferred in bulk to the National Museum with the understanding that a limited number of loan exhibits were reserved for return to their owners. Besides this amount, 74,489

pounds were acquired by gifts from Mexico and other sources. In addition to the collections consigned directly to the Museum from New Orleans, the important collection illustrating the uses of American woods, gathered for the exhibit of the Agricultural Department by Mr. William Saunders, has, since its receipt in Washington, been delivered to the Museum. At the beginning of July a considerable portion of the collections had already been received, and many of the exhibition halls of the Museum, which before this time had been reduced to an appearance of order, were becoming filled up with the unopened boxes and cases. It is however confidently expected that before the end of the calendar year the new material will be unpacked and brought under control. A special appropriation of $7,500 was made by Congress for the packing and forwarding of the new material, and for repairing and reinstalling the original collection. The New Orleans Exposition, although its influence was perhaps less comprehensive than that at Philadelphia in 1876, has nevertheless accomplished a great work in the South and West, both from commercial and educational standpoints, and in my judgment the money appropriated for the display of the Smithsonian Institution (including the United States National Museum and Fish Commission) has been productive of important results to the country. There can be no doubt that the National Museum has been the gainer by the undertaking, although the work of final arrangement has received a temporary set-back.

The general work of the Museum has been for the most part of the same character as that described in my reports for the last three years, and in nearly every department the curator states that decided progress has been made in the development both of the study and the exhibition series of specimens. The work of case-construction has been steadily carried forward, and during the coming year the collections will be more thoroughly classified than has hitherto been possible, by the assignment of definite space for each department in the exhibition halls. The galleries of the main exhibition hall in the Smithsonian building have been cleared of the old exhibition cases, which proved to be inadequate to present needs, and the space is being used temporarily for the overhauling and arrangement of certain large collections in the departments of birds, mollusks, marine invertebrates, invertebrate paleontology, and ethnology. This step has been found absolutely necessary, since the space in the crowded laboratory rooms was not sufficient to admit of any general rearrangement.

Museum Publications.-The various publications of the Museum have been, as hitherto, under the editorial supervision of Dr. Tarleton H. Bean. The seventh volume of the "Proceedings" was finished in February, and of the eighth volume, the printing of which was begun in March, 221 pages were printed prior to the 1st of July. At the present time four Bulletins are in the hands of the printer, No. 23, "Bibliography of the Publications of Isaac Lea, LL. D., by Newton Pratt

Scudder: No. 28, "A manual of American Land Shells," by W. G. Binney: No. 29, "Results of Ornithological Explorations in the Comman der Islands and in Kamtschatka," by Leonhard Stejneger, and No. 30, "Bibliography of Publications relating to the collection of fossil invertebrates in the United States National Museum, including complete lists of the writings of Fielding B. Meek, Charles A. White, and Charles D. Walcott," by John Belknap Marcou.* Circular 32, "Classification of the Materia Medica Collection of the U. S. National Museum, and Catalogue of Specimens," by Dr. James M. Flint, revised and extended by Dr. Henry G. Beyer; aud Circular 33, "Notes on the preparation of rough skeletons," by Frederic A. Lucas, have also been published.

The publication of the special report upon the fisheries of the United States, in quarto, which, in addition to its descriptive, historical, and statistical contents, will in reality constitute a monograph of the American portion of the fisheries collection in the Museum, has been going through the press under the supervision of the Assistant Director and Mr. A. H. Clark, who are rendering this service to the Fish Commission as volunteers.

Museum Library.-The accessions to the Museum library, including books and pamphlets, have been 454. Early in the year Mr. H. W. Spofford was appointed assistant to Mr. F. W. True, the librarian.

Visitors.-The total number of visitors to the National Museum during the first half of 1885 was 107,365, a daily average of 6923.

Meetings in the Lecture Hall.-The lecture hall, as in previous years, has been used for the meetings of several societies, viz, the National Academy of Sciences, the American Fisheries Society, the Biological Society of Washington, the Society of Naturalists of North America, and the Entomological Society of Washington.

Saturday Lectures.-Twelve Saturday lectures, under the auspices of the Biological and Anthropological Societies of Washington, were delivered in the lecture hall on successive Saturday afternoons, and were well attended. Many of these lectures had direct reference to the work of the Museum, and were illustrated by specimens from the cases.

Museum Report.-A special report upon the Museum having been ordered by Congress, the reports of the Assistant Director and curators for the year 1884, together with the accompanying statistics and the scientific papers based upon the collections in the National Museum, have been in a measure separated from the regular Smithsonian report, forming Part II of the same, and being arranged in a separate volume. In accordance with my custom in previous years, I shall here present a brief review of what has been accomplished in each department, referring to the special Museum report for the full discussion of the additions

* These form Parts II and III of "Bibliographies of American Naturalists,” and are shaped in reference to the long contemplated scheme of publishing a complete bibliographical record of all papers relating to the collections in the National Museum.

to the Museum during the first half of 1885, and of the general administrative details of the work of the several executive officers.

Organization of the Scientific Departments.-The organization of curatorships in the several scientific departments is as follows: I, arts and industries, the assistant director, G. Brown Goode, acting as curator, divided into the following sections: (a) materia medica, H. G. Beyer, U. S. N., honorary curator; (b) textile industries, Romyn Hitchcock, acting curator; (c) fisheries, R. Edward Earll, curator; (d) animal products, R. Edward Earll, acting curator; (e) naval architecture, J. W. Collins, United States Fish Commission, honorary curator; (f) foods, W. C. Atwater, acting curator; (g) historical relics, at present under the charge of A. H. Clark. II, A, ethnology, Otis T. Mason, curator, and II, B, American prehistoric pottery, William H. Holmes, Bureau of Ethnology, Smithsonian Institution, honorary curator. III, antiquities, Charles Rau, curator. IV, mammals, Frederick W. True, curator. V, A, birds, Robert Ridgway, curator; and V, B, birds' eggs, Charles Bendire, U. S. A., honorary curator. VI, reptiles and batrachians, H. C: Yarrow, U. S. A., honorary curator. VII, fishes, Tarleton H. Bean, curator. VIII, comparative anatomy, Frederick W. True, honorary curator. IX, mollusks, William H. Dall, honorary curator; X, insects, C. V. Riley, honorary curator; XI, marine invertebrates, Richard Rathbun, curator. XII, A, invertebrate fossils, (paleozoic,) C. D. Walcott, United States Geological Survey, honorary curator; and XII, B, invertebrate fossils, (meso-cenozoic,) C. A. White, United States Geological Survey, honorary curator. XIII, A, fossil plants, and XIII, B, recent plants, Lester F. Ward, United States Geological Survey, honorary curator. XIV, minerals, F. W. Clarke, United States Geological Survey, honorary curator. XV, lithology and physical geology, George P. Merrill, acting curator. XVI, metallurgy and economic geology, Fred. P. Dewey, curator. The departments of exploration and field-work, chemistry, experimental physiology, and vivaria are still unorganized. These twenty-seven departments and sections are administered by twenty-four curators, honorary curators, and acting curators, of which number at present only nine receive salaries from the Museum appropriation. Of the remaining fifteen, five are officers connected with the Geological Survey; one, an officer of the Bureau of Ethnology; two, officers of the Fish Commission; two, officers in the United States Army; one, an officer in the United States Navy; one, an officer in the Agricultural Department; and one, professor of chemistry in Wesleyan University; the remaining two are Museum officers, but receive no salaries for their work in administering upon the special collections under their charge.

Department of Arts and Industries.-In the department of arts and industries several sections have already been organized; that of Materia Medica, under the charge of Dr. H. G. Beyer, U. S. N., who has been de