MEMOIRS OF JOHN QUINCY ADAMS. 771 



with which I proceed with a heavy heart, from a presentiment 

 that this uohle and most munificent donation will be fil- 

 tered to nothing, and wasted upon hungry and worthless 

 political jackals. 



Just after dinner I had a long visit from Dr. Chapin, the 

 President of the Columbian College, who came to ascertain 

 if the college could obtain any assistance from the Smithso- 

 nian fund. His wish seemed to be that the Government 

 should take the college under its own charge, as an appen- 

 dage to the Smithsonian Institution. I said that, without 

 knowing what were the views of others, mine were that no 

 part of the Smithsonian fund should be applied to any school, 

 college, university, or seminary of education ; but that, equal 

 -care should be taken to avoid doing any injury whatever to 

 any such institution. lie said the condition of the college 

 at present was such that unless it could receive assistance 

 from some quarter it must go down and its concerns 

 must be closed. They had been several years struggling to 

 raise a subscription from the Baptists throughout the United 

 States to pay the debt of the college ; but in accomplishing 

 this they had failed. There had been a project for trans- 

 ferring the whole concern to Richmond, Virginia, where 

 there was already a flourishing Baptist school; but the 

 principal difficulty in the way of that was that it might for- 

 feit the subscriptions which they had obtained to pay the 

 debts here. 



I said that if the Faculty thought there was any prospect 

 of their obtaining anything from the Smithsonian fund, they 

 might apply to the President of the United States, or to any 

 other member of the committee; and if there should be 

 any disposition in Congress to aid the college from the fund, 

 I would immediately withdraw from the committee and 

 leave the whole arrangement to be made by others. As I 

 deprecated above all things the application of the funds to 

 purposes for the benefit of individuals, I had determined at 

 least to be disinterested myself, and would in no shape or 

 form receive one dollar of the fund to myself. And as the 

 principal debt of the Columbian College was to me, I could 

 be instrumental to no arrangement which would result in 

 the payment of the college debt from the Smithsonian 

 fund. 



He said lie had conversed with Professor Ruggles on the 

 eubject. They were aware that there was some clelicacy in 

 my position with regard to the college debt; but they had 

 ample means for the payment of their debt, as preliminary 

 to the receiving any assistance from the Goverimient. 



