193 PROCEEDINGS OF THE AMERICAN ACADEMY 



" Another branch of the plan for the diffusion of knowledge con- 

 templates the offer of premiums for the best essays on given subjects. 



" The publications of the Institution, of whatever form, are pro- 

 posed to be presented to all the colleges and to the principal libraries 

 and scientific institutions throughout the country, and to be exchanged 

 for the transactions of all scientific and literary societies throughout 

 the world, thus laying the foundation of a valuable library. An ade- 

 quate number are to be preserved to supply the future demand of new 

 institutions, and the remainder are to be placed on sale at a price so 

 low as to render them generally accessible. 



" For carrying out the plan thus sketched for increasing and diffus- 

 ing knowledge, the Regents propose to appropriate one half of the 

 income of their fund. The remainder is to be expended in the forma- 

 tion and maintenance of a library^ a. collection of instruments of re- 

 search in all branches of experimental science^ and a museum. This 

 partition of the income of the fund is stated to be ' a compromise 

 between the two modes of increasing and diffusing knowledge.' 



" A library is one of the objects contemplated in the act of Con- 

 gress, establishing the Board for the management of the trust. It is 

 requisite for carrying out the plan above proposed. At the same time 

 it will be observed, that the distribution by exchange of the publica- 

 tions, which that scheme of operations will call into existence, will 

 rapidly provide the Institution, without farther expense, with the class 

 of works, often of a costly character, which are most directly impor- 

 tant as the means of advancing and diffusing positive knowledge. 

 It is accordingly in these that the Secretary proposes to lay the foun- 

 dations of the library ; forming, 1st, a complete collection of the 

 Transactions and Proceedings of all the learned societies in the world ; 

 and, 2d, a similar collection of all the current periodical publications, 

 and other works necessary in preparing the contemplated periodical 

 reports. In the next place, it is proposed to procure by preference 

 those books which are not found in the other public libraries of the 

 United States, regarding the want of them as of more urgency to be 

 supplied than that of a symmetrical and proportionate collection of 

 books in all the departments of science. Such a library as the plan 

 proposes may be fairly regarded as an important instrument for the 

 increase and diffusion of knowledge. 



" The collection of scientific apparatus and instruments of research 

 is no less needful in the furtherance of the above-ment'oned plan. 



