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1 t w copy  
 
One Copy. C.R.
Nov 6th '86

Department of Mollusks 
Dall I6 upper 85-86 envelope

In the report of the Asst. Director of the U.S. National Museums for 1882, pp. 139-142, a short summary of the vicissitudes of the Department of Mollusks was supplied by the Curator. For the present occasion it has been thought worth while to go a little more fully into the matter from an historical standpoint, in order that there might be a record to which the enquirer [[strikethrough]] of the future [[/strikethrough]] might turn to learn the chief facts in regard to this rapidly growing department of the Museum.

In 1846 the collections of the [[strikethrough]] Wilkes [[/strikethrough]] United States Exploring expedition, commanded by Capt. Wilkes U.S.N. which were in part exhibited to the public in the Museum of the U.S. Patent Office, Washington, were assigned to the custody of the Smithsonian Institution by Act of Congress. The Smithsonian building being incomplete, the act not being construed as mandatory, and the policy of the Institution being to employ its income in methods more strictly in consonance with the objects [[strikethrough]] for [[/strikethrough]] which the founder was believed to have in view than is the maintenance of a large museum - the trust was not accepted by the board of Regents. However, as aid was extended to explorers, collectors and correspondents, with the avowed object of facilitating special researches, material began to come in from other sources.