Librarian of Congress... LIBRARY OF CONGRESS. AINSWORTH R. SPOFFORD. FREDERIC VINTON, C. H. W. MEEHAN, THEO- An act passed during the first session of the 6th Federal Congress and approved April 24, 1800, was the first provision for establishing the National Library of Congress. Subsequent acts from 1802 to 1811 provided for the appointment of librarian, authorized regulations and restrictions, and appropriated $1,000 annually for the increase of the library. About 3,000 volumes had been collected, when after the battle of Bladensburg, August 24, 1814, the library was burned by the British under General Ross and Admiral Cockburn. Congress, by an act approved January 30, 1815, authorized the purchase of the library of Mr. Jefferson, consisting of 6,700 volumes, for $23,950. This library, which contained many rare and valuable books, was first placed in a room of the building temporarily occupied by Congress, but was removed to the north wing of the capitol in 1818 or 1819. An act approved December 3, 1818, directed that suitable apartments be fitted up and furnished for it, and $2,000 was appropriated for the purchase of books. Additional appropriations were made which from 1820 to 1828 amounted to $26,000, for the purchase of books, and $5,490 for furniture, stoves, &c. Additions of books, maps, charts, and works of art were made from time to time until, in 1851, the number of volumes in the library was over 55,000, and the Library room was the favorite resort of visitors to the metropolis. On the 24th of December, the library took fire and 35,000 volumes of books, and many valuable paintings and works of art were destroyed. An appro priation of $10,000 was immediately made to commence the restoration of the library. Another appropriation of $72,500 was made March 19, 1852, for repairs of the library room. August 31, 1852, $75,000 was appropriated for the purchase of books. The Law Department of the Library, which is in a separate room, contains the largest and best selection of law books in America, and up to 1867, had cost about $63,000. The Library of the Smithsonian Institution was transferred to the library of Congress under an act approved April 5, 1866. There were about 40,000 volumes in this collection, comprising many scientific books, journals, and transactions of learned societies. The whole number of volumes in the Library, December 1, 1867, was 165,467, exclusive of unbound pamphlets, periodicals, manuscripts and maps; 23,915 volumes belong to the Law Department. The library of Peter Force of Washington, comprising with other works, a large collection of early books, newspapers, pamphlets, manuscripts, and maps, relating to America, was purchased in 1867 for $100,000 and added to the library of Congress. The classification of the library has been much improved by Mr. Spofford, the present librarian. A complete catalogue of the books arranged alphabetically under the head of authors, has been prepared and printed under his direction, and a full catalogue by subjects is now (November, 1868), passing through the press. The Library embraces the whole of the western projection of the center of the original Capitol, and consists of a hall occupying the center of the western front flanked by two other halls, one on the north, and the other on the south side of the projection. The west hall, which formerly embraced the whole Library, was 91 feet 6 inches in length, 34 feet wide, and 38 feet high; the other two halls, of the same height, are 29 feet 6 inches wide, and 95 feet long. The halls are lighted by windows and skylights. The ceiling is iron and glass, and rests on foliated iron brackets, each weighing a ton. The pilasters and panels are of iron painted a delicate buff color and burnished with gold leaf. The floor is laid in tessellated black and white marble. There are successive stories of iron cases for books; the upper stories are traversed by galleries, protected by railings and floored with cast-iron plates. Light wire screens prevent the books from being disturbed or stolen. The north and south halls have four galleries, while the west hall has but three. The total length of iron shelving is 21,360 feet, affording space for about 172,000 volumes. If to this be added the shelf accommodation of the Law Library Room (formerly occupied by the United States Supreme Court) and the long attic room communicating with the upper gallery of the main library, the entire length of shelving is 26,148 feet, or nearly five miles, affording space for about 210,000 volumes. There are (November 1868), more than 175,000 volumes in the library. The privilege of taking books from the Library extends to the President and Vice President of the United States, the Cabinet officers, the Judges of the Supreme Court, members of the Senate and House of Representatives, the Secretary of the Senate, the Clerk of the House, the agent of joint committee on the Library, and the Diplomatic Corps. The use of books within the Library is free to all. The Senate and House have also separate libraries of documents kept in other apartments, which, including duplicates, number many thousands of volumes. The President of the United States appoints the Librarian of Congress, and he in turn, the assistants he may require. A Joint Committee of the two Houses of Congress have charge of the affairs of the Library. The Library is kept open every week day throughout the year, from 9 o'clock A. M. until 4 P. M., except during one month at mid-summer, when it is closed for renovation. James Smithson of London, bequeathed his property to the United States for the purpose of founding in Washington an establishment to be known as the Smithsonian Institution for the purpose of increasing and diffusing knowledge among men. Congress accepted the bequest, and Aug. 10, 1846, passed an act incorporating the institution. The original amount of money received from the bequest was $515,169, to which should be added the principal of an annuity received in 1865, amounting to $26,210.63, making in all from the bequest of Smithson, $541,379.63. At the time of passing the act establishing the Institution, in 1846, the sum of $242,000 had accrued in interest, and this the Regents were authorized to expend on a building. But, instead of appropriating this sum immediately to this purpose, they put it at interest, and deferred the completion of the building for several years, until over $100,000 should be accumulated, the income of which might defray the expenses of keeping the building, and the greater portion of the income of the original bequest be devoted to the objects for which it was designed. The permanent fund of the Institution, January, 1868, was $650,000, besides $72,500 in Virginia state bonds, the market value of which was about $30,000. The act of 1846, provides "That the President and Vice President of the United States, the Secretary of State, the Secretary of the Treasury, the Secretary of War, the Secretary of the Navy, the Postmaster General, the Attorney General, the Chief Justice, and the Commissioner of the Patent Office of the United States, and the Mayor of the City of Washington, during the time for which they shall hold their respective offices, and such other persons as they may elect as honorary members, be and they are hereby constituted an 'establishment' by the name of the 'Smithsonian Institution' for the increase and diffusion of knowledge among men." The law also provides for a "Board of Regents" to be composed of the Vice President of the United States, the Mayor of the City of Washington, three Senators, three Representatives, together with six other persons, other than Members of Congress, two of whom shall be members of the National Institute, in the City of Washington, and residents in the said city, and the other four shall be inhabitants of other States, and no two of them from the same State. The Establishment exercises general supervision over the affairs of the Institution. The Board of Regents conducts the business of the Institution, and makes annual reports to Congress. The Secretary of the Institution is elected by the Board. His duty is to take charge of the building and property, discharge the duty of librarian, keeper of the museum, etc., and has power, by consent of the Regents, to employ assistants. The Institution has received and taken charge of such government collections in mineralogy, geology, and natural history, as have been made since its organization. The Institution has also received, from other sources, collections of greater or less extent, from various portions of North America, tending to complete the government series. The collections thus made, taken as a whole, constitute the largest and best series of the minerals, fossils, rocks, animals, and plants of the entire continent of North America, in the world. Valuable collections from other countries have also been received. Three classes of publications are issued by the Institution: 1. A quarto series, entitled "Smithsonian Contributions to Knowledge." 2. An octavo series, entitled "Smithsonian Miscellaneous Collections." 3. Another octavo series, consisting of the Annual Reports of the Institution to Congress, called "Smithsonian Reports." The Institution has devoted special attention to meteorology, and organized a voluntary system of observations, extending as widely as possible over the whole of the North American continent. It has also contributed to other departments of Natural Science, and by its system of international exchanges, has been of great service to institutions and governments. Compilations from the reports of observers are published in volumes, and also by the Department of Agriculture, in its monthly reports. Total number of contributions-in 1865, 102; in 1866, 168; in 1867, 163. Total number of packages received-in 1865, 257; in 1866, 318; in 1867, 320. Number of Smithsonian observers in 1867, 385 in forty-two states and territories, and four foreign countries. Meteorological registers were received from forty-three colleges and other institutions. Number of societies sending their publications in exchange to the Smithsonian Institution— from Germany, 334; Great Britain and Ireland, 194; France, 113; United States, 100; Italy, 70; Holland, 48; Russia, 46; Switzerland, 35; Canada, 20; Belgium, 19; Australia, 15; Denmark, 13: Sweden, 12; Hindostan, 11; Norway, 9; Spain, 7; Cuba, 6; East Indies, 4; Chili, 4; Portagal, 3; Turkey, 3; Mauritius, 2; Africa, 2; China, 2; Brazil, 2; Greece, 1; Egypt, 1; Bogota, 1; Buenos Ayres, 1; Jamaica, 1; Mexico, 1; Trinidad, 1; making in all, 1,081. Number of books, maps and charts received by exchange, in 1867-Octavo, 1,088; Quarto, 383; Folio, 86; total, 1,557. Number of parts of volumes and pamphlets-Octavo, 2,689; Quarto, 1,057; Folio, 200; total, 3,946; maps and charts, 328; making in all, 5,831. UNITED STATES MINT. The Constitution (Article 1, section 8), gives Congress the sole power to coin money, and regulate the value thereof. The act of April 2, 1792, provided that a mint for the purpose of National Coinage should be established and carried on at the seat of government of the United States, which was then at Philadelphia. Subsequent acts continued the mint at the same place temporarily, until by act of May 19, 1828, its location was permanently fixed in that city. The officers of the mint are-a Director, a Treasurer, an Assayer, a Melter and Refiner, a Chief Coiner, and an Engraver. These officers are appointed by the President of the United States, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate. The Director has the control and management of the mint, the superintendence of the officers and persons employed, and the general regulation and supervision of the several branches. The Treasurer receives all moneys for the use or support of the mint, and all bullion brought to the mint for coinage; he has the custody of the same except while legally in the hands of other officers; and on the warrant of the Director, he pays all moneys due by the mint, and delivers all coins struck at the mint to the persons to whom they are legally payable. The Assayer assays all metals used in coinage, and all coins, whenever required by the operations of the mint, or instructed by the Director. The Melter and Refiner conducts the operations necessary to form ingots of standard silver and gold suitable for the Chief Coiner. The Chief Coiner conducts the operations necessary to form coins from the ingots, &c., delivered to him for the purpose. The Engraver prepares and engraves with the legal device and inscription all the dies used in the coinage of the mint and its branches. Besides the mint at Philadelphia, Congress has from time to time estab lished branches and an Assay Office at the following places: At New Orleans, for the coinage of gold and silver. At Charlotte, North Carolina, for the coinage of gold only. At Dahlonega, Georgia, for gold only... At San Francisco, California, for gold and silver. At Denver, Colorado Territory, for gold and silver.. At Carson City, Nevada, for gold and silver.. At New York City, an Assay Office for the receipt, melting, refining, parting, and assaying of gold and silver bullion and foreign coin, and for casting the same into bars, ingots, or disks.. At Dallas City, Oregon, for gold and silver Director. OFFICERS OF THE MINT AT PHILADELPHIA. HENRY R. LINDERMAN Treasurer, and Ex-Officio Asst. Treas. of U. S... CHAMBERS_McKIBBIN*. Assayer.. Melter and Refiner. Chief Coiner. Engraver Assistant Assayer. Treasurer. Assayer. JACOB R. ECKFELDT. .A. LOUDON SNOWDEN.. ........WILLIAM E. DUBOIS OFFICER OF BRANCH MINT, NEW ORLEANS, LA. March 3, 1835. 3, 1852. March 3, 1853. ..July 4, 1864. $4.500 .3,500 3,000 .3,000 8,000 3.000 2,000 .$4,000 $1,500 *The Treasurer also receives $1,500 for additional compensation as Assistant Treasurer of the United States. |