MEMOIRS OF JOHN QUINOY ADAMS. 791 



one member of the committee, Jacob S. Yost, attended. I 

 read my draft of a bill to him, and we asjreed to meet again 

 next Wednesday morning at half-past nine. 



May 22, 1844. 



The meeting of the select committee on the Smithsonian 

 bequest was appointed for half-past nine o'clock this morn- 

 ing, but, with myself, only three other members of the com- 

 mittee were in attendance — Brengle, Potter, and Yost ; not 

 a quorum, I read to them my draft of a bill for appropri- 

 ating seven hundred thousand dollars from the Treasury 

 for carrying into immediate effect the purposes of the tes- 

 tator — which they all approved ; and they were also willing 

 to report again the bill which was reported in 1842. We 

 adjourned to meet again next Saturday. 



May 23, 1844. 



I began the draft of a report to accompany the bill which 

 I propose to report from the select committee on the Smith- 

 sonian bequest, but made little progress in it. 



May 25, 1844. 



The meeting of the select committee on the Smithsonian 

 bequest was fixed for this morning at half-past nine, but the 

 only members who attended, except myself, were Brengle 

 and French. I read my draft of a preliminary bill to ap- 

 propriate a sum sufiicient to make the fund immediately 

 available for application to the purposes of the testator, to 

 Mr. French, who without hesitation approved it. I have, 

 therefore, the consent of a majority of the committee to 

 report it; but I was not ready with my report. It was 

 agreed, therefore, that when my report is ready I shall call 

 a meeting of the committee, for their final action upon the 

 reference. 



May 30, 1844. 



In preparing the report to the House of the select com- 

 mittee on the Smithson bequest, I found it advisable to 

 ascertain at the Treasury Department whether any further 

 paj'ment of interest upon any of the State bonds has been 

 made into the Treasury since the letter of the Secretary, 

 John C. Spencer, of 1 9th February last, referred to the 

 committee. I called at the Department, and Mr. Young, 

 the chief clerk and acting secretary, informed me that no 

 additional payment has been made. 



