TJic Genesis of tJie United States National Museitni. 179 



NOTE D. 



Washington, March 10, iS^^. 

 Ilon. RoBiCRT J. Walker, 



United States Senator. 



Dear Sir : We beg leave to call your attention to Senate Document No. 233, of 

 the 28tli ultimo, being a report made by the Hon. Mr. Tappan, as from the Joint 

 Committee of Congress on the Library, to which had been referred "A bill for the 

 preservation of the collection of natural curiosities furnished by the Exploring Squad- 

 ron, and from other sources," together with "remarks submitted by Mr. Markoe and 

 Colonel Abert." 



The "remarks" to which the "report" refers were made, as you will recollect, 

 and, as is distinctly stated in the first paragraph of them, at your request, were intended 

 to satisfy your mind of the propriety of the measure we wished you to befriend, and 

 were addressed to you not only as the well-known friend and advocate of the Insti- 

 tute, but also as the chairman of one of its inijiortant connnittees, and as a director 

 and consequently member of the 1)oard of management. They passed into the 

 hands of the connnittee, of which Mr. Tappan is a member, without any desire on 

 our part, and without our knowledge (certainly, however, with no unwillingness 

 that they should be read by the whole world), and, imder these circumstances, we 

 respectfully submit to you whether the attack upon us by the lion. Senator has not 

 1)een as unprovoked as a referenceto our remarks will prove it to have been unmerited. 



We can not suppose, as Mr. Tappan supposes, that you had not read our " remarks" 

 before you laid them before the Library Connnittee ; and therefore take it for granted 

 that you did not perceive the "direct insidt" to the conmiittee which is so ])alpa1)le 

 to Mr. Tappan, or j^ou woi:ld not have consented to 1ie the mediuin through which 

 the insult was conveyed. On the contrar}', we have every i-eason to suppose that 

 you had made yourself perfectly ac(puiinted with the character and scope of our 

 " remarks" — remarks hastily put together, and meant to afford hints and memoranda 

 for your consideration and use, to illustrate the necessity or advantage of the 

 measure recommended. They were certainly not intended or calculated to give 

 offense in any quarter. We will therefore occupy your time by pointing to two para- 

 gra])hs only of the " report" which we quote in answer to two serious allegations 

 made against us by the Hon. vSenator. You will judge whether they have any just 

 foundation. 



Mr. Tappan .says: "The case jiresents two officers of the Government, one at the 

 head of a l)ureau, the other a clerk in one of the public offices, who ask as a matter 

 of right that they .should have the supervision of a very important literary and scien- 

 tific work, the publication of which Congress has thought proper to intrust to one 

 of its regular connnittees." 



We mu.st deny that au}- such case is presented, or that it can be even inferred from 

 our "remarks." Our "remarks" on this .subject were as follows: "We desire it to 

 be distinctly understood that our reasoning has no reference to the publication of the 

 results of the voyage, but is limited .solely to the preservation, arrangement, and 

 exhibition of the collections. We think, however, that the Institute might be able 

 to give acceptable opinions even in reference to the publication, its form, and .sttyle 

 of execution. But as there is an anxiety to possess this power by others, and as it 

 is already placed elsewhere, we do not seek to interfere with it, not doubting that in 

 all its parts it will equal similar publications l)y other governments, and justify the 

 anticipations that are now entertained of it hy the learned world." 



You are well aware that there are appropriations of two distinct characters in 

 respect to the Exploring Squadron and the publication of its results (the Hon. Mr. 

 Tappan does not appear to be aware of this, in our judgment, to have kept this dis- 

 tinction in his miud): One fur the pul)lication of the history of the voyage, the 



