The Cuiicsis of tJw IJiiilcd Slates National Miisciiiii. 127 



I can not but admire your course in refusing to act, or be the medium of bringing 

 them forward for discussion or action before an appeal was made to the best authority. 

 I therefore feel nuich pleasure in answering the cjuestions as coming from yourself, 

 and do it particularly with a view that yovi may connnunicate it to any of the gentle- 

 men, your associates, who may have been instrumental in getting up and giving cur- 

 rency to the reports which you inform me are in circulation. 



1st. The law places the collections of the United States Exploring Expedition in 

 the upper hall of the Patent Office building and under the care of the Joint Library 

 Conmiittee of Congress for the purpose of arranging the whole for description, publi- 

 cation, and exhibition. The Library Com [mitt] ee have appointed me to superintend 

 them to this end. In pursuance of my duties the whole is undergoing arrangement. 

 When I took charge on the ist of August a few specimens and articles were pointed 

 out to me as l)elonging to the Nat[ional] Inst[itute]; those have not been disturbed 

 further than became necessary in the arrangements, and an equal care has been 

 bestowed upon them that others have received. 



2d. All the persons employed and paid by the Government are required to devote 

 themselves entirely to the Government work; when there is no longer employment 

 for them, or they do not give satisfaction, they will be discharged. It is believed 

 that their time is now fully employed, and that their duties require all their time 

 and talents to be devoted to the collection of the Expedition in order to perform 

 them to the satisfaction of the Library Committee and myself. They are under the 

 same system as if employed elsewhere by the Government. From this it follows 

 that their time and services for which the Gov[ernmen]t pays can not be devoted 

 to or divided with any incorporated association. 



Although believing that the above embraces an answer to all the enquiries made 

 of me I will go further and assure you that there is every disposition on the part of 

 the Library Com [mitt] ee of Congress and myself to have the few things belonging to 

 the Nat[ional] Inst[itute] that are now in the hall taken care of, and due notice will 

 be given to the Institute should the little room they occupy be required for collection 

 of the Exp[loring] Exp [e]d[ition], which it is now confidently believed will entirely 

 fill the hall when they are fully arranged. I will now close with a few words respect- 

 ing the last clause of your letter relative to my feeling any "unkindness" towards 

 the Nat[ional] Inst[itute]. It is rather improbable that any unkindness or hostility 

 should exist on my part considering that the labour of the Expedition, combined 

 with the exertion of your gifted president (Mr. Poinsett), were the origin of it, and 

 that in all probability it may one day become the depository of the large and valuable 

 collection of the Exp[lorin]g Expedition, therefore I can not but feel deeply inter- 

 ested in its welfare — everything compatible with the performance of my public duties 

 will always be done to accommodate and assist its rise and progress. 

 Believe me, with great respect, your obt. svt., 



Chari,es Wii,ke;s. 



Col. J. J. Abert, 



(J. S. Corps Top. Engrs. 



LETTER FROM COLONRI. ABERT TO CAPTAIN WILKES, SEPTEMBER, 1S43. 



Dear Sir : Your letter has been duly received. As well for our own justification 

 and for your satisfaction, I will go into some length in a reply. 



Abstractly speaking, there may be no right in the Institute to enquire into the 

 course of your official action, but if under any circumstances this action be hazard- 

 ous to the property of the Institute, or to that deposited and placed under its care, 

 there can be no doubt, I think, that the Institute has a right to enquire if such be 

 the case and why. 



