THE SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION. . 139 



ample, accounts of the progress of certain branches of knowledge in 

 foreign countries — and these may be translated, if necessary, and in- 

 corporated into other reports, by some competent person in this country. 



Besides the reports on the progress of knowledge, the programme pro- 

 poses to pubhsh occasionally brief treatises on particular subjects. There 

 are always subjects of general interest, of which brief expositions would 

 be of much value. The preparation of these, however, should be in- 

 trusted to none but persons of character and reputation, and should be 

 subjected to a revision by competent and responsible judges before they 

 are given to the public. They may be presented in the form of reports 

 on the existing state of knowledge relative to a given subject, and may 

 sometimes consist of memoirs and expositions of particular branches of 

 literature and science, translated from foreign languages. The reports 

 and treatises of the Institution, sold at a price barely sufficient to pay the 

 expense of printing, will find their way into every school in our country, 

 and will be used not as first lessons for the pupil, but as sources of re- 

 liable information for the teacher. 



The second section of the programme gives, so far as they have been 

 made out, the details of the part of the plan of organization directed by 

 the act of Congress establishing the Institution. The two plans, namely, 

 that of publication and original research, and that of collections of objects 

 of nature and art, are not incompatible, and may be carried on harmoni- 

 ously with each other. The only effect which they will have on one 

 another is that of hmiting the operation of each, on account of the funds 

 given to the other. Still, with a judicious application, and an economical 

 expenditure of the income, and particularly by rigidly observing the 

 plan of finance suggested by Dr. Bache, in the construction of the 

 lauilding, much good may be effected in each of the two branches of 

 the Institution. To carry on the operations of the first, a working library 

 will be required, consisting of the past volumes of the transactions and 

 proceedings of all the learned societies in every language. These are 

 the original sources from which the most important principles of the 

 positive knowledge of our day have been drawn. We shall also require 

 a collection of the most important current literature and science for the 

 use of the collaborators of the reports ; most of these, however, will 

 be procured in exchange for the publications of the Institution, and 

 therefore will draw but little from the library fund. For other sugges- 

 tions relative to the details of the library, I would refer you to the 

 annexed communication from Professor Jewett, Assistant Secretary, 

 acting as librarian. 



The collections of the Institution, as far as possible, should consist of 

 such articles as are not elsewhere to be found in this country, so that the 

 visitors at Washington may see new objects, and the spirit of the plan 

 be kept up, of interesting the greatest possible number of individuals. 

 A perfect collection of all objects of nature and of art, if such could be 

 obtained and deposited in one place, would form a museum of the 

 highest interest ; but the portion of the income of the bequest which 

 can be devoted to the increase and maintenance of the museum will be 

 too small to warrant any attempt towards an indiscriminate collection. 

 It is hoped that in due time other means may be found of establishing 

 and supporting a general collection of objects of nature and art at the 



