memoirs of john quincy adams. 783 



January 10, 1842. 



T notified the members of the Committee on the Smith- 

 sonian bequest to meet "Wednesday morning. 



January 12, 1842. 



I was obliged to go to attend at eleven the first meeting 

 of the select Committee on the Smithsonian bequest, in the 

 chamber of the Committee of Foreign Relations. Present, 

 Adams, Habersham, Truman Smith, Underwood, Benjamin 

 Randall, and Charles J. IngersoU ; absent. Hunter, Houston, 

 and Bowne, the last of whom I had not been able personally 

 to notify, he having been yesterday and the day before de- 

 tained from the House by indisposition. I read the com- 

 mission of the members, the reference to the Committee of 

 the part of the President's message relating to the Smith- 

 sonian fund, and that part of the message itself. After 

 much desultory conversation, the committee agreed to meet 

 next Wednesday morning at ten o'clock. 



January 14, 1842. 



I called this morning at the Department of the Treasury, 

 and requested of the Secretary a statement of the present 

 condition of the Smithsonian fund, and copies of the State 

 bonds in which it has been invested, for the information of 

 the committee to which the subject has been referred by 

 the House. I inquired also when the report upon the 

 debts of the States, called for by resolution of the House, 

 might be expected. 



He said he had written to the Governors of the several 

 States, and had received answers from some and not from 

 others. The answers from the heaviest States were re- 

 ceived ; and he directed the Chief Clerk, McClintock Young, 

 to write again to the States whence there are as yet no 

 answers. 



January 19, 1842. 



Meeting of the select Committee on the Smithsonian be- 

 quest, in the chamber of the Committee of Foreign Rela- 

 tions. Present, Adams, Habersham, Underwood, Randall, 

 C. J. IngersoU, Houston, and Bowne; absent, Truman 

 Smith, and Hunter. I had found in the chamber of the 

 committee of manufactures the book containing the minutes 

 of the proceedings of the former committees on this subject, 

 the last entry upon which was of 15th January, 1840. My 

 report of that committee, with an amended bill to incorpo- 

 rate the trustees of the fund, was made on the 5th of 



