NalioiialSiit'iililir ami /'i/iKd/im/d/ I iisliliilioiis. 303 



St) i"t)ii,i;(.'iii;il lo his lastrs ;iii(l s\ iii|>:il hits lliiit In- did not lu'sit:ili- to s;i\' 

 lli;il lie pii/rd it iiioic hi;;ld\ lliiiii llic vVw'i iiiiir.isl 1 :i(\ of llir iiiitiou. 

 lit- coiisidc'ivd his most iuiporlaiil ;u'liir\ciiK'iil lo Ik- Ihc Report oil 

 Weights and Mcasuivs, i)rc'i)aivd for (.'oiij^irss in iSiS, and was justly 

 ])roiid of it, lor il was a x'cry athiiiiahlc yi'wcv ol srii-ntilic work, and is 

 still i-oiisidcivd the most important treatisr on I he suhjeel ever wrilleii. 



Joliii Ouiiicy Adams re\'i\'i-d Washington's national university project, 

 and nuuK' haltU- \-aliantl\' for an astronomical ohsciA'atoiy. 



In his Ihsl messaj^i' to Cc)ii};i'ess al'tci \\ ards, he said: 



AiiiDii); the liist, inMli.ips llu- very fust, iiisl riniuiil I'm llic iiiiproxiiiuiil of the 

 eoiiditidii of iiii-ii is ktiowlcilj^f, niid In llic ;ic(|iiisili()ii of iiiucli ol' llic 1. now IciIjm- 

 a(l;il)tiil tu till- wiuits, till- i-uiiilorls, mid cMJoj'iiifiils i>l' Innii.ni life ])ul)lic iiislilii- 

 tioiis Mild si'iiiiiiarii'S of leaniiiij^ are essential. S<> cdiu iiucd <>!' liiis uas llu- liist of 

 my ])irdci-essors in lliis olViee, now fnst in llu- iiiriiiors , as, livinj.;, he was fust in the 

 hearts, of onr eountry, tlial once and aj.^iiii in ids addrc-sses lo the Conj^resses vvilli 

 whom lie cooperated in llic- puhhc srr\icf lie cai ncstly rei-onnneiidrd llic istahlisli- 

 nirnl of seminaries of Icaniin)^, lo pirpair loi- nil llu- t-nierj^iMU-icsoi' peace and war 

 a nalion:d nni\ersity and a mihlarv academ\ . Willi icspecl lu llic Inllci, li:id lie 

 li\ii| to tile pifseiil ilay, in Imiiiiii; his eyes lo Uie iiisl il iil ioii al West Toiiil lie 

 wiaiid lia\e enjoyctl the j^ralilicalioii of his most eariiesi wishes; hiil in smveyin^ 

 llic ill \ w liieh has hi-iai honored w illi lli^. iiaiiic he would have seen llic S])ol of caitli 

 whicji lie hid dt'slineil and he(|iieallicd Id the use :ind jiiaiclit of his connlr\' as llu- 

 site I'lir ail iiiii\a'rsity st ill hare and haireii.' 



And av;ain: 



I'oiinecled wilh the eslalilishmcnl ol an niiiversil \-, or sejiai ale IVdiii il,miL',ht he 

 iiiidcrlakcii the iTectioii of an aslroiioinical olisei \ alor\ , w ilii piosisioii for the snp- 



' John (Jnincy Adams, in his diar\ loi Ndvcmlx 1 , iS.-^, descrihes an iiiler\'icw with 

 his Cahinel, and the <liscnssion which loljowcd the leadiii;; of his niessa;;e hcJMie ii 

 was finally revised for sending lo t'oiij^ress. 



" Mr. Clay wished to ha\e the recommendations of a National nnivi-rsitv 

 strneU out . . . 'I'lic 1 'iii\ ei sit s , Mr. Clay said, was i-ntiicU hopiless, and he 

 thonj^hl Ihcri- was somethiiij; in the coiisliliilional objection to il. . . . I con 

 emicd ciitiridy in the o])iiiiiin Ihal no ]irojccls .ah.solntch impi.iel icahlc onj^ht to hi' 

 recommended; hnt I wonld look to a i)racticahility of a loiij^er ran).;i' than a simpli- 

 session of Coiij^ress. (iiaieral \\'ashinj.;l()n had recommended Ihe Militarv Acadi'iny 

 nioic Ihaii ten years heforc il was ohlained. 'The ]ilaiil ma\' come late, Ihoiijdi the 

 seed shonld hesowii i-arly. And I had not lecom mended a 1 'nivcisil \ 1 had id'ei red 

 1(1 W,ishinj.jtoii's ri-cominciidations, and ol)sci\ed tluy had nol hecii cart icd into 

 elli-cl." 



.Siuh opinions as tluse of Mr. Clay were evidciilly xciy mncli at \;iriancc with 

 those of John (Miincy A<l,iiiis and of his illnslrions fallici, whose action in the con 

 slilntioii.il coiivciilion of Massachnsi'lts has already heeii icfciied to, and ,il \aiiance 

 as well, il wonld seem, with tin- opinion of llu- I'arly Ri'ijnhlicans, as with lho.se of 

 the I'Vderalists. 'Phe views of Washinj^ton and Madi.son, as widl as those of JelTer- 

 soii ami Harlow, on Ihcsi- snhji-cls have alread\' been refi-rri-<l to. 



Mr. Adams, in i-omnienlin^ ii])on an address delivered hy I'',ilw:iid IvmicII lufore 

 the Colnnihian Instilnlc, ).iiiiiar\- U), iSy), nanarks: 



1 regretted lo hear ... a seeming .idinission that the powei' of j^ivinj.;^ 

 enconra).iian<-nl to litcralnie and science was much j.;rcatcr .it least in the Slate 

 Clovernments than in Ihal of the 1 'iiioii. .Memoirs of John < )ninc\' .\dams \'ll 1, |). I 71. 



