Abstract
THE last report issued by the U.S. National Museum furnishes abundant evidence of the energy with which America is now conducting scientific inquiry, and of the zeal with which she is augmenting the rich and varied collections preserved at Washington. Like most collections of the same character, the National Museum owes its origin to the generosity and enterprise of private individuals; and it was only after some years of precarious existence that it obtained due assistance and recognition from the State. The society organised in 1840, and called the “National Institute,” may perhaps be regarded as the parent of the present Museum. Though prosperous during the first few years of its existence, it failed to interest a wide body of the public, and it was reserved for the Smithsonian Institution to obtain official recognition as the only lawful place of deposit for the national scientific collections. In 1846 such recognition was accorded by Act of Congress, and from that year until the present time the work of collecting and exhibiting new material has been carried on without interruption.
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The United States National Museum1. Nature 60, 225–226 (1899). https://doi.org/10.1038/060225a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/060225a0