34 REPORT OF THE SECRETARY. 



The promotion of knowledge was peculiarly a cliaracteristic of tlie 

 period, and Smitbson was undoubtedly impressed with this idea. 



Full details of the will and afac simile of it are given. 



Mr,. Ehees then traces the steps taken by the United States Govc^rn- 

 ment to secure the bequest, the various acts of Congress, the debates, 

 resolutions, messages of Presidents, «S:c., in relation to the subject, and 

 finally the reception, on the 29th of August, 183S, of £104,960 8s. Gd, 

 which, converted into American gold, realized $508,318.46 as the Smith- 

 son foundation. 



A recapitulation is next furnished of the legislation of Congress in 

 relation to the disposition of the Smithson fund, and a brief abstract of 

 the notable speeches made from time to time in which various plans 

 for establishing the Smithsonian Institution were advocated. These 

 speeches are given in full in the " Documents relative to the history of 

 the Smithsonian Instttution," published in 1879; but in the iiresent vol- 

 ume the narrative is continuous and the references to the names and locali- 

 ties of the Senators and members of Congress more minute and explicit. 

 In an appendix additional facts are given relative to the ftither of 

 Smithson, the first Duke of Northumberland ; the half brother of Smith- 

 son, Earl Percy, who commanded the British re- enforcements at the battle 

 of Lexington, 177a 5 notices of some of Smithsou's i)apers; extracts from 

 his writings : a catalogue of his library now deposited in the Smithso- 

 nian Institution ; and notices of the city of Washington found in Smith- 

 sou's books. 



The whole forms an octavo of 70 pages, with the following illustra- 

 tions : 



Portrait of Smithson. Heliotype ; from an oil miniature by Johns. 

 181G. 



Portrait of Smithson. Heliotype; from an oil painting. Cabinet 

 size ; full-length figure, sitting, in the costume of an Oxford student. 

 1786. 



Portrait of Smithson. Profile; engraved on steel; from a medallion. 



Tomb of Smithson, at Genoa, Ital3\ \Yood-engraving; from a recent 

 photograph. 



Fac simile of Smithson's visiting card, and of his dinner invitation 

 card. 



Silhouette portrait of Henry James Hungerford, nephew of Smithson. 



Fac simile of Smithson's will. Two sheets, of four quarto pages. 



Portrait of Smithson's father, Sir Hugh Smithson. From an engrav- 

 ing belonging to James Smithson. 



JS^orth view of the Smithsonian Institution building at Washington. 



The Memorial Volume in honor of the late Professor Henry, author- 

 ized to be published by Congress, thougli somewhat delayed, has been 

 comi)leted, and is now practically ready for distribution. It forms a 

 handsome octavo book of 528 pages, of which the main subject-matter 



