S66 PROPOSED APPLICATIONS OF SMITHSON's BEQUEST. 



But what is done, is irrevocable — it must not be written in 

 American history, that when this Republic was called upon 

 to aid in the cause of the diffusion of knowledge and virtue 

 among mankind, it made the attempt, and failed from in- 

 competency. 



With the late Mr. Smithson I was never acquainted. He 

 spent much of his time on the continent, and, it is said, was 

 a man of reserved habits. You know already that he cul- 

 tivated with much assiduity chemical pursuits; but very 

 few are aware, that he lu^-ole, to some extent, on these topics. 

 An idea of his feelings and turn of mind may be gathered 

 from these papers. 



His passion for chemistry appears to have commenced 

 early in life, and continued to its close. He seems to have 

 been on terms of familiar acquaintance with Dr. Black, and 

 some of the leading members of the old Scottish school. 

 There is extant a letter from the former gentleman to him, 

 dated 1790 ; its conclusion runs — 



" We have no chemical news — I am employed in examining the Iceland 

 waters, but have often been interrupted — I never heard before of the 

 quartz-like crystals of barytes acrata, nor of the sand and new earth from 

 New Holland. Indistinct reports of new metals have reached us, but no 

 particulars. Some further account of these things from you, will therefore 

 be very agreeable. Dr. Hutton joins me in compliments to you, and wish- 

 ing you all good things, 



" 1 am, dear sir, your faithful, humble servant, 



" Joseph Black." 



The Dr. Hutton here mentioned, was the same philoso- 

 pher who made so distinguished a figure in Geology, as the 

 antagonist of the celebrated German, Werner. 



At the commencement of the present century, there used 

 to be published in London a monthly scientific journal, 

 known under the name of Nicholson's magazine ; it after- 

 wards gave way to the Annals of Philosophy, commenced 

 about 1813 by Dr. Thomas Thomson. To the pages of 

 both these works, Mr. Smithson was a contributor. I re- 

 member formerly to have seen, in a number of Nicholson 

 for 1803, an account of the analysis of a mineral performed ■ 

 by him ; the signature to it is James Smithson, Esq., P. R. 

 S. Whether this is a misprint for F. R. S., or not, I have 

 not now the means of knowing. It struck me, at the time, 

 that it must have been an error, for I have never heard that 

 he had been President of the Royal Society. He was, how- 

 ever, a fellow of it, and very often had communications 

 read before it. Some of your readers who have access to 

 the transactions of the Royal Society, might easily deter- 

 mine this interesting point. 



