490 CONGRESSIONAL PROCEEDINGS. 



institution, a library, to contain 100,000 volumes, a museum on a large scale, 

 a chemical laboratory, lecture rooms for the purpose of delivering lectures, 

 and a gallery of art ; and whereas all of said objects are local in their 

 nature, and confined to the city of Washington and its vicinity, when the 

 design of the liberal donor was not only the increase of knowledge but the 

 diffusion of it amongst men, for the general good ; and whereas said act 

 provides " that there is reserved to Congress the right of altering or amend- 

 ing, adding to, or repealing any of the provisions of this act:" Therefore 

 be it 



Resolved, That the Committee of the Library inquire into the expediency 

 of so changing and modifying said act as to establish a department in said 

 institution for the purpose of collecting and arranging information on agri- 

 culture, common school education, political economy, and the useful arts 

 and sciences ; which information, together with the useful lectures that may 

 be delivered in said institution, shall be published and circulated gratuit- 

 ously among the people, so as to carry out the design of the testator in dif- 

 fusing useful knowledge amongst men, and that said committee report by 

 bill or otherwise. 



House of Representatives, August 8, 1848. 



Mr. Preston, from the Committee ou the Library, to 

 which was referred the resolution of the House, of March 

 13, 1848, relative to the Smithsonian Institution, reported 

 the following resolutions, which were read and agreed to : 



Resolved, That it is inexpedient to change and modify the act establish- 

 ing the Smithsonian Institution in the manner proposed in said resolution. 



Resolved, That the committee be discharged from the further considera- 

 tion of said resolution, and that it be laid upon the table. 



PEOCEEDINGS IN THE SENATE. 



Senate, December 11, 1848. 



Mr. Davis, of Mississippi, on leave, introduced the follow- 

 ing joint resolution, which was read a first time : 



Resolved, <j-c., That the vacancies in the Board of Regents of the Smith- 

 sonian Institution, of the class "other than members of Congress," bo 

 filled by the reappointment of the late incumbents, viz : Rufus Choate, of 

 Massachusetts, and Gideon Hawley, of New York. 



Mr. Davis explained the necessity for the immediate pas- 

 sage of the resolution, as a meeting of the Regents would 

 take place on Wednesday, and it was important that the 

 board should be fully organized. 



The joint resolution was then read a second time, passed 

 through Committee of the Whole, and was read a third 

 time and passed. 



Senate, February 22, 1849. 



Mr. Mason presented the annual report of the Regents 

 of the Smithsonian Institution ; and moved that one thous- 

 and copies be printed for the use of the Senate ; which was 

 agreed to. 



