Mis. No. 48 3i 



small ; like the poet, they are " born, not made," and, like Iiim, must be 

 left tociioose then- own subject, and wait the fittini^ time of inspiration 

 In case a person of this chiss has tlillen on a vein of discovery, and is'pnr- 

 sumg It with success, the better plan will be to grant him a small sum of 

 money to carry on his investigation, provided they are considered worthy 

 of assistance by competent judges. This will have the double effect of en- 

 couraging hmi m the pursuit, and of facilitating his progress. The Institu- 

 tion, however, need not depend upon cases of this kind, even if they were 

 more numerous than they arc, for the application of its funds in the line of 

 original research. There are large fields of observation and experiment, 

 the cultivation of which, though it may afford no prospect of the discovery 

 of a principle, can hardly fail to produce results of importance both in a 

 practical and a theoretic point of view. As an illustration of this remark, 

 I may mention the case of the investiirations made a few years ago by 

 committees of the Franklin Institute, of Philadelphia. The Secretary of 

 the Treasury of the United States placed at the disposal of this society a 

 sum of money, for the purpose of making experiments with reference to 

 the cause of the explosion of steam-boilers. A committee of the society 

 was chosen for this purpose, which adopted the ingenious plan of writinf^ 

 to all persons in the United States engaged, in the application of steam, and 

 particularly to those who had observed the explosion of a steam-boiler. 

 In this M-ay opinion^ and suggestions in great variety, as to the cause of 

 explosions, were obtained. The most plausible of these were submitted to 

 the test of experiment : tke results obtained were highly important, and are 

 to be found favorably mentioned in every systematic work on tlie subject 

 of steam which has appeared, in any language, within the last few years. 

 New and important facts were established; and, what was almost of as much 

 consequence, errors which had usurped the place of truth were dethroned. 



In the programme, examples are given of a few subjects of original re- 

 search to which the attention of the Institution may be turned. I will men- 

 tion one in this place, which, in connexion with the contents of our first 

 memoir, may deserve immediate attention. I allude to a small appropria- 

 tion made annually for researches with reference to the remains of the an- 

 cient inhabitants of our country. This is a highly interesting field, and 

 what is done in regard to it should be done quickly. Every year tlie pro- 

 gress of civilization is obliterating the ancient mounds, cities and villages 

 are rising on the spots they have so long occupied undisturbed, and the 

 distinctive marks of these remains are every year becoming less and less 

 legible. 



In carrying out the spirit of the plan adopted, namely, that of affecting 

 men in general by the operations of the Institution, it is evident that the 

 principal means of diffusing knowledge must be the press. Though lec- 

 tures should be given in the city in which Smithson has seen fit to direct 

 the establishment of his Institution, yet, as a plan of general diftusion of 

 knowledge, the system of lectures would be entirely inadequate ; every vil- 

 lage in our extended country would have a right to demand a share of the 

 benefit, and the income of the institution would be insufficient to supply 

 a thousandth part of the demand. It is also evident that the knowledge 

 diffused should, if possible, not only embrace all branches of general inter- 

 est, so that each reader might find a subject suited to his taste, but also that 

 it should differ in kind and quality from that which can be readily obtained 

 through the cheap publications of the day. These conditions will 1^ fully 



