THIRTY-SIXTH CONGRESS, 1859-61. 667 



pied so large a space that the Government could not afford 

 the room. They needed the room, and had no place to put 

 them in. The Smithsonian Institution happened to have 

 vacant space; but these collections were not connected with 

 the objects of that institution. The institution was willing 

 to give them the room free of rent. They were willing to 

 take charge of the collection, if the annual expenses of the 

 burden thus imposed was borne by the Government. It was 

 ' accepted as a great favor by the Government. I do think, 

 if they are worthy of our encouragement, we ought to pay 

 the actual expenses, no more, of taking charge of these ob- 

 jects of curiosity. Probably there is no object of greater 

 curiosity to the visitor and the stranger who comes to Wash- 

 ington, than this museum thus collected; and inasmuch as 

 they would be an attraction to the institution, they were 

 willing to accept them; but the objects themselves belonged 

 to the Government. The Smithsonian Institution is giving 

 the Government a place in which to keep them. I think, 

 therefore, that we are bound by every consideration of pub- 

 lic policy and duty to make this appropriation. I will not 

 occupy time, for I believe it will be voted almost unani- 

 mously. 



Mr. Cameron. I must say a word in reply to what has 

 been said by the Senator from Maine and the Senator from 

 Illinois. I do not believe that they have studied this sub- 

 ject so well as they usually study questions. It occurs to 

 my mind that all this labor which we have imposed ujDon 

 the Smithsonian Institution they have invited. I remen]- 

 ber when this exploring expedition came in, it was said 

 specimens were brought home that would be valueless to 

 the country, unless we put them in the Patent Office. After 

 a while somebody came, and asked that they should be 

 given to the Smithsonian Institution, because, it was said, 

 it would be an attraction to that building, take people there, 

 make it a credit to the country ; and we voted for it. After 

 a while, they asked us to give them a certain number of 

 books, wdiich scientific persons had written, and we had 

 paid for the printing of. The rule used to be that all those 

 books were sent to Congress, and distributed by members 

 of Congress; but gentlemen here said we ought not to dis- 

 tribute them; we should give them to the Department of 

 the Interior. Then we gave them to the Patent Office ; and 

 then to the Smithsonian Institution; and now these gentle- 

 men ask us to pay them for distributing those very things 

 which they invited us to give them. 



