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That the institution is not a national establishment, in the sense in whDsh 

 institutions dependent on the government for support are so, must be evi- 

 dent when it is recollected that the money was not absolutely given to the 

 United States, but intrusted to it for a special object, namely: the estab- 

 lishment of an institution for the benefit of men, to bear the name of the 

 donor, and, consequently, to reflect upon his memory the honor of all the 

 good which may be accomplished by means of the bequest. The operations 

 ot the Smithsonian Institution ought, therefore, to be mingled as little as 

 possible with those of the government, and its funds should be applied ex- 

 clusively and faithfully to the increase and diffusion of knowledge among 

 men. 



That the bequest is intended for the benefit of men in general, and that 

 its influence ought not to be restricted to a single district, or even nation, 

 may be inferred not only from the words of the will, but also from the 

 character of Smithson himself; and I beg leave to quote, from a scrap of 

 paper in his own hand, the following sentiment bearing on this point; 

 '^ The man of science has no country; the world is his country — all men, 

 his countrymen." The origin of the funds, the bequest of a foreigner, 

 should also preclude the adoption of a plan which does not, in the- words 

 of Mr. Adams, "spread the benefits to be derived from the institution not 

 only over the whole surface of this Union, but throughout the civilized 

 world." " Mr. Smithson's reason for fixing tjie seat of his institution at 

 Washington obviously was, that there is the seat of government of the 

 United States, and tkere the Congress by whose legislation, and the Ex- 

 ecutive through whoso agency, the trust committed to the honor, intelli- 

 gence, and good faith of the nation, is to be fulfilled." The centre of 

 operations being permanently fixed at Washington, the character of this 

 city for literature and science will be the more highly exalted m proportion 

 as the influence of the institution is more widely dift'used. 



That the terms iitcrf-ase and diffusion of knowledge are logically dis- 

 tinct, and should be literally interpreted with reference to the will, nuistbe 

 evident when we reflect that they are used in a definite sense, and not as 

 mere synonyines, by all who are engaged in the pursuits to which Smithson 

 devoted his life. In England there are two classes of institutions, founded 

 on the two ideas conveyed by these terms. The Royal Society, the Astro- 

 nomical, the Geological, the Statistical, the Antiquarian Societies, all have 

 for their object the increase of knowledge; while the London Institution, the 

 Mechanics' Institution, the Siu'ry Institution, the Society for the Diffusion 

 of Religious Knowledge, the Society for the Diffusion of Useful Knowledge, 

 are all intended to difluse or disseminate knowledge among men. In 

 our own country, also, the same distinction is observed in the use of the 

 terms by men of science. Our colleges, academies, and common schools, 

 are recognised as institutions partially intended for the diffusion of knowl- 

 edge, while the express object of some of our scientific societies is the pro- 

 motion of the discovery of new truths. 



The will makes no restriction in favor of any particular kind of knowl- 

 edge; though propositions have been frequently made for devoting the 

 funds exclusively to the promotion of certain branches of science having 

 more immediate application to the practical arts of life, and the adoption of 

 these propositions has been urged on the ground of the conformity of such 

 objects to the pursuits of Smithson; but an examination of his writings 

 will sliow that he excluded from his own studies no branch of general 



