THIRTY-THIRD CONGRESS, 1853-55. 647 



kind to assist the student and the master in natural studies, 

 and enable them to pursue their inquiries to the full extent 

 of attained results, that they may increase the amount of 

 that kind of knowledge, may add to what is. already known ; 

 and when they shall have completed that commission, and 

 their reports shall have satisfied the institution that some- 

 thing is contributed to the previous amount of knowledge 

 in their particular branches, then the institution shall cause 

 those contributions to be printed in an appropriate manner, 

 and copies to be distributed to the various libraries of the 

 country and the scientific associations throughout the world; 

 thus DIFFUSING knoioUdge among men. 



One result of this transmission of the publications of the 

 institution is eminently worthy of regard, in considering 

 the means of administering the will of the testator. These 

 books thus sent out are regarded as " exchanges," and thus 

 they insure to the institution returns from every corres- 

 ponding society in the world that publishes its proceedings; 

 and a single publication of a thousand copies of any me- 

 moir by the Smithsonian Institution is likely to insure to 

 the shelves of its library numerous copies of different sci- 

 entific works from sister associations abroad, so that the 

 very expenditure in that branch of the institution is the 

 means of supplying the books for a library instead of its 

 becoming the occasion of diminishing the means of supply- 

 ing that branch. And it should be added that the w'orks 

 received in exchange are those which go to supply to the 

 institution a portion of the very kind of information most 

 suited to its character and objects, and insuring to its offi- 

 cers and frequenters detailed reports upon branches of sci- 

 ence that might otherwise have remained undeveloped. 



The city of Washington may rejoice in the multiplication 

 of general libraries, and the young may frequent the Smith- 

 sonian Institution for duplicates of amusing volumes which 

 they have seen in the Congressional Library ; and the latest 

 novel or the last essa}' may find its place on its shelves, to 

 the augmentation of its catalogue, and the diminution of 

 its funds ; but it will scarcely be claimed, in behalf of such 

 a collection, that it is a selection suited to the views of Smith- 

 son, or in accordance wdth his will. 



The committee, unable at present to pursue further their 

 inquiries into a subject of so much importance to the hopes 

 of the scientific, beg leave to present the following resolu- 

 tions : 



Resolved, That having accepted the trust conferred by the last will and 

 testament of James Smithson, and having experienced inconvenience from 



