152 Memorial of George Brown Goode. 



of whose work in this direction more will be said later, and a considera- 

 ble number of Government collections had come directly into the custody 

 of the Institution — in bulk and value more extensive than those in the 

 Patent Office, those of the exploring expedition excepted. 



In this year, too, the custody of the Patent Office collection was 

 transferred to the Commissioner of Patents, and an appropriation made 

 for their support. 



In 1855, in his report, presented March i, 1856, the Secretary said: 



The lower story of the main building consists of one large hall to be appropriated 

 to a museum or library. It is at present unoccupied, but will be brought into use 

 as soon as the means are provided for furnishing it with proper cases for containing 

 the objects to which it may be appropriated.' 



In another place he expressed the hope that Congress would in due 

 time relieve the Institution from the support of the building, and ulti- 

 mately appropriate the greater part of it to a national museum.'' 



This was the first time that the term National Museum was publicly 

 used by Professor Henry or in the reports of the Smithsonian Institu- 

 tion — a significant fact, and one which shows a step in the progress of 

 the museum idea and a revival of the plan promoted by the National 

 Institute from 1840 to 1846. 



The fact that the Smithsonian museum, in itself, could now claim to 

 be the best general collection of natural history so far as North America 

 was concerned probably stimulated the Secretary's enthusiasm, for he 

 announced the fact in the report with evident pride. 



In March, 1856, the subject of the removal of the collections from the 

 Patent Ofiice was presented to the Regents by the Secretary, but the 

 minutes contain no record of their decision. 



In the Secretary's report for 1856, presented to the Regents January 

 26-28, 1857, the matter came up again for remark, and Professor Henry, 

 as was his custom, spoke of the obstacles to the progress of the Institu- 

 tion caused by the restriction of the charter, and recurring to the museum, 

 said: 



The adverse effects of the early and consequently imperfect legislation ought, 

 therefore, as far as possible, to be obviated; and this could readily be done, if Con- 

 gress would relieve the Institution from the care of a large collection of specimens 

 principally belonging to the government, and purchase the building to be used as a 

 depository of all the objects of natural history and the fine arts belonging to the 

 nation. If this were done, a few rooms would be sufiicient for transacting the busi- 

 ness of the Institution, and a large portion of the income would be free to be applied 

 to the more immediate objects of the bequest. Indeed, it would be a gain to science 

 could the Institution give away the building for no other consideration than that of 

 being relieved from the costly charge of the collections; and, for the present, it may 

 be well to adopt the plan suggested in a late report of the Commissioner of Patents, 

 namely, to remove the museum of the Exploring Expedition, which now fills a large 

 and valuable room in the Patent Ofi&ce, wanted for the exhibition of models, to the 

 spacious hall of the Institution, at present unoccupied, and to continue under the 



'Smithsonian Report, 1855, p. 15. ^Idem, p. 16. 



