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Mr. G. Brown Goode,
Assistant Director, U.S. National Museum.

Dear Sir:---I send you herewith my report of the operations of my department during six months of the year 1885, from January to June, inclusive.

Respectfully,

R. Hitchcock

October 12, 1885

During the first six months of the year 1885 especial attention has been given to the exhibit of textile [['A' in left margins]] fibres and fabrics [[two vertical lines indicating full stop]] 
[[^This section]] has been largely increased by donations from abroad, but especially through collections made by [[striked through]] myself [[/striked through]] [[?]] while preparing for the exhibition at New Orleans. The object of these collections is twofold; first, to afford an exhibit of the various textile fibres available for use in this country and abroad, with specimens of articles made therefrom, such as cloth, rope, twine, mats, etc.; second, to provide a series of specimens of every fibre that can be used in the arts to be used for scientific examination, tests of tensil strength, and especially to serve as type specimens for the identification of other fibres by microscopical examination.

A number of collections that have been received are worthy of special mention; among these a particularly fine set of fibres from Brazil, collected by Dr. J. Charles Berrini, of Quissaman, who has devoted unusual care and labor to the