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180 



ratio of its intrinsic value; and consequently, authors of the highest 

 rank of merit are frequently deterred from giving their productions to 

 the world on account of the pecuniary loss to which the publica- 

 tion would subject them. When our lamented countryman, Bowditch, 

 contemplated publishing his commentary on La Place, he assembled his 

 family and informed them that the execution of this design would sacri- 

 fice one-third of his fortune, and that it was proper his heirs should be con- 

 sulted on a subject which so nearly concerned them. The answer 

 was worthy of the children of such a father: " We value," said they, 

 ''your reputation more than your money." Fortunately, in this in- 

 stance, the means of making such a sacrifice existed; otherwise one of 

 the proudest monuments of American science could not have been given 

 to the world. In the majority of cases, however, those who are most 

 capable of extending human knowledge are least able to incur the expense 

 of the publication. Wilson, the American Ornithologist, states, in a letter 

 to Michaux, that he has sacrificed everything to publish his work: ^' I 

 have issued," he says, " six volumes, and am engaged on the seventh, but 

 as yet I have not received a single cent of tlie proceeds." In an address 

 on the subject of natural history, by one of our most active cultivators of 

 this branch of knowledge, we find the following remarks, which are directly 

 in point: '' Few are acquainted with the tact that from the small number 

 of scientific works sold, and the great expense of plates, our naturalists not 

 only are not paid for their labors, but sulfer pecuniary loss from their publi- 

 cations. Several works on different branches of zoology, now in the course 

 of publication, will leave their authors losers by an aggregate of ^15,000. 

 1 do not include in this estimate works already finished — one, for instance, 

 the best contribution to the natural history of man extant, the publication 

 of which will occasion its accomplished author a loss of several thou- 

 sand dollars. A naturalist is extremely fortunate if he can dispose of 200 

 copies of an illustrated work, and the number of copies printed rarely exceeds 

 250." It may be said that these authors have their reward in the reputa- 

 tion which they thus purchase; but reputation should be the result of the 

 talents and labor expended in the production of a work, and should not 

 in the least depend upon the fact that the author is able to make a pecu- 

 niary sacrifice in giving the account of his discoveries to the public. 



Besides the advantage to the author of having his memoir published in 

 the Smithsonian Contributions free of expense, his labors will be given to 

 the world with the stamp of approval of a commission of learned men; and 

 his merits will be generally made known through the reports of the insti- 

 tution. Though the premiums ofiered may be small, yet they will have 

 considerable effect in producing original articles. Fifty or a hundred dollars 

 awarded to the author of an original paper, will, in many instances, suf- 

 fice to supply the books, or to pay for the materials, or the manual labor 

 required, in prosecuting the research. 



There is one proposition of the programme which has given rise to much 

 discussion, and which, therefore, requires particular explanation; I allude 

 to that wiiich excludes from the contributions all papers consisting merely 

 of unverified speculations on subjects of physical science. The object of 

 this proposition is to obviate the endless difficulties which would occur in 

 rejecting papers of an unphilosophical character; and though it may in 

 some cases exclude an interesting communication, yet the strict observance 

 of it Will be found of so much practical importance that it cannot be dis- 



