Audubon Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Iowa) 1894-1925, 1897-05-06

and settling up a counterclaim of in
debtedness against the United States.
The congress then made the Smith
scnian bequest good by placing to the
credit of the Smithsonian institution
in the treasury of the United States the
sum of $53S,000; and so it was that the
Smithsonian institution, as it now Is,
was begun. Its officers are the presi-
dent of the United States, the vice pres
ident, the chief justice of the supreme
court, the members of the cabinet, three
senators, three representatives, two res
idents of the District of Columbia, three
residents of different states, a secretary
and an assistant secretary. The secre-
tary is the chief officer of the institu-
ton.
The first secretary, Joseph Henry,
served from 1916 to 1878. The second
secretary. Spencer Fullerton Baird, from
1873 to 1887, and the third and present
secretary. Samuel Pierpont Langley,
from 1887 until this date. The publica-
tons of the Smithsonian institution
form a library in themselves, and are
called THE Annual Reports" 1.-THE
Smithsonian Miscellaneous Collec-
tons" Bulletins of the National Mu-
seum," THE Annual Reports of the
Bureau of Ethnology," and 1.-THE BuIle.
tin of the Bureau of Ethnology."
These books are given to educational
institutions all over the world. In re-
turn for these, and by purchase, the in
stitution has received a library of 3oO,-
600 volumes, which is deposited in the
congressional library for safe keep
| ing.
In 1881. new library was built, at
cost of $250,000, to accommodate the
growing needs of the National museum,
whose collections of wonderful curiosi-
ties had become so large that the orig
inal building was no longer able to hold
it. The bureau of exchange establishes
communication with scholars in all
parts of the world, by which their pub
LEGATIONS are exchanged for publications
of similar societies.
The bureau of American ethnology
has preserved all the vocabularies of
! the different types of American Indians
IN substantial volumes. Their indefati-
gable author, Powell, who has been in
charge of the bureau since 1879, has
undertaken many important expedi-
lions to the west, notably among the
tribes of Utah, California, Arizona and
New Mexico, by which the stock of
knowledge added to American ethnol-
ogy has been very largely increased.
The important expeditions of the Ste
vensons, Cushings, Fawles and the
Muddeseffs among the Pueblo Indians
and the ruins of the southwest; those
of Holmes, among the prehistoric
quarry cities and villages of the east
ern part of the continents; those of
Thomas, among the mounds of the Mis-
sissippi valley and of the northeast sec
ton, among the Popago and Seri In
dams of the southwest, have also been
conducted under the authority of the
bureau of ethnology.
The Geological park was established
by the aid of congress in the year 1890
for the preservation of such American
: animals as were then on tae verge OF
extinction. The park is situated north
of Washington, in the beautiful pre-
cinct of Rock creek, contains 167
acres, and is the largest If it's kind
IL the world.
Besides the original bequest of Smith.
son, congress every year makes an adj
ditional appropriation for the mainte
nance of the institution.
: SMITH D. FRY.