TWENTY-EIGHTH CONGRESS, 1843-45. 323 



the Committee on the Library, it would recei\'e more atten- 

 tion than it was possible to bestow upon it when there before, 

 in consequence of the absence of some of its members ; and 

 he had no doubt the propriety of providing for the establish- 

 ment of a complete library on a liberal scale — he would not 

 say to the extent of purchases amounting annually to twenty 

 thousand, fifteen thousand, or ten thousand dollars, but to 

 an extent commensurate with the wants of science and the 

 arts in this country at present, to be hereafter enlarged as 

 might be found necessary. He should be sorry to see the 

 eighth section of the bill stricken out, for he thought there 

 were important provisions in it which ought to be^-etained. 

 The professors, and everything going to the principle of 

 having a college or school connected with the institution, 

 should be dispensed with, but the plan of employing emi- 

 nent lecturers should be retained. These lecturers could 

 very well perform all the experiments required by the bill 

 of professors. If lecturers of great attainments, even from 

 Europe were deemed necessary, the}^ could be procured and 

 paid liberally. The donor of this fund was too well in- 

 formed not to know that in this country the most ample 

 provisions in school lands had been made for elementary 

 education, and that this fund was at least equal to a stock: 

 yielding a million and a half of dollars annually for pur- 

 poses of education. His intention doubtless was to devote 

 his bequest to that increase and diffusion of knowledge 

 among men which was not to be attained at existing insti- 

 tutions of learning in this country ; and it was obvious this 

 intention could be best accomplished by a harmonious blend- 

 ing of the propositions of the two Senators, properly modi- 

 fied. There was, however, one part of the plan he strongly 

 objected to as unnecessary ; it was that relating to the estab- 

 lishment of a salaried board of managers. The whole thing 

 of balloting in Congress for this board of manag-ers was ob- 

 jectionable, and would lead to loss of time and other incon- 

 veniences ; besides, the persons so chosen might be the mos:). 

 unfit. There was no occasion whatever for that descrip- 

 tion of management. A jSTational Institute was already in 

 existence in the capital of the government, ci'eated by Con- 

 gress, and the objects of which were peculiarly appropriate 

 to those of the trust now under consideration. The otficers 

 of this institute are the ex officio officers of the government 

 itself, the scientific residents of the cit}-, and the most emi- 

 nent professors of many of the learned institutions of the 

 country. These are all gentlemen of high attainments and 

 character, to whom the pursuit of knowledge and its difiu- 



