17 



telligible to the general reader, without destroying its scientific character. 

 Occasionally reports may be obtained from abroad — as, for example, ac- 

 counts of the progress of certain branches of knowledge in foreign coun- 

 tries — and these maybe translated, if necessary, and incorporated into other 

 reports, by some competent person in this country. 



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

 poses to publish 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 intrusted 

 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 insti- 

 tution, sold at a price barely suiRcient 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 reliable 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 limiting 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 building, 

 much good maybe 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 im- 

 portant current literature and science for the use of the collaborators of the 

 reports; most of these, however, will be procured in exchange for the pub- 

 lications of the institution, and therefore will draw but little from the li- 

 brary fund. For other suggestions relative to the details of the library, I 

 3 



