National Research Council.— This body was organized in 1917 and consists of scientists devoted to research. After the declaration of war by the United States, this council was called upon to co-operate with the Council of National Defense, and several of its committees were given special accommodations under the latter council: notably the committees of chem istry, engineering, medicine, hygiene, physics, agriculture and psychology. A foreign service committee was also organized as a °direct aid in acquainting investigators in this country with the scientific problems which have been con fronted both in military and industrial pur suits in England and France." Objects of the Institution.— The broad purposes of the institution are named in the words of the founder —"for the increase and diffusion of knowledge among men." This was interpreted by Henry in the following words: °To assist men of science in making original researches, to publish them in a series of volumes, and to give a copy of them to every first-class library on the face of the earth.° It has supplied apparatus, made grants for experiments and furnished information to many thousands of persons. The institution also maintains a table at the biological station at Naples. It initiated, from the income of its own fund, all of the activities imposed upon it by the fundamental act, though as these i gradually grew beyond this income, they were greatly aided by appropriations from Congress, through which the various bureaus are at pres ent maintained.
Publications.— There is no restriction as to the subject of publications, and they consist of memoirs upon archaeology , astronomy, eth nology, botany, zoology, geology, paleontology, meteorology, magnetics, physics, physiology and philology and many other branches of investi gation. They cover the following series: (1) 'Annual Report of the Regents to
Since 1884 the 'Report of the Museum' has been printed in a separate volume, Part II. (2) 'The Smithsonian Contributions to Knowl edge); (3) 'The Smithsonian Miscellaneous Collection,' 28,000 pages. A 'Quarterly Is sue' of this series was begun in 1903. The foregoing publications are maintained at the expense of the original fund; (4)
Library.—The publications noted above have been, since the beginning, distributed through out the world, mostly to scientific and literary establishments and libraries; and in return the institution has received the publications of like organizations, forming a collection of books which in the departments of publications of learned societies and periodicals is one of the richest in the world. In 1865 the library was
deposited with the Library of Congress and is now installed in a special hall upon the second floor of the new Library building. A working library of some 30,000 volumes has gradually grown up in connection with the institution and its dependencies. Much attention was given to cataloguing and bibliography by the first assist ant secretary of the institution, Charles C. Jewett. Henry likewise was greatly interested in this subject, and it was due to his initiative that the Royal Society of London took up its catalogue of scientific memoirs, which has since developed into the International Catalogue of Scientific Literature. For this latter work the Smithsonian Institution is the representative of the United States. In addition to the main Smithsonian Library, smaller collections are maintained in the various branches of the in stitution and 35 sectional technical libraries in the various offices for the use of the scientific staff.
The collection of objects of art was one of the original purposes of the institution, though it has been to some extent beld in abeyance. The valuable collection of prints and art books of George P. Marsh was, however, purchased, and a room devoted to prints and art books is set aside in the Smithsonian building.
National Museum.— The Smithsonian In stitution is the only lawful custodian of gall objects of art and of foreign and curious re search, and all objects of natural history, plants and geological and mineralogical speci mens belonging, or hereafter to belong, to the United States, which may be in the city of Washington" Out of this provision in the fundamental act there grew the National Mu seum. See UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM.
International Exchanges.— The system of international exchanges, begun in 1850, was de signed for a free interchange of publications between men of science in various parts of the world. It established a body of correspondents which now numbers nearly 44000, mostly abroad. In 1867 Congress assigned to the insti tution the duty of exchanging for the benefit of the Library of Congress 50 sets (a. number since increased to 100) of all government pub lications, and in 1889 a treaty was entered into between the United States and other countries, in which this entire matter of exchange of sci entific and government publications was fixed. This branch of the service, while not having a large space in the public eye, has been of great convenience to scientific men, of use in devel oping the libraries of this country, and indi rectly has stimulated scientific research and publication, since by relieving scientific socie ties and individuals of the expense of exchang ing their own publications, it has set large sums of money free for research. During the war in Europe it became necessary to suspend ship ments to about 10 countries.