272 WRITINGS OP JOSEPH HENRY. [1847 



single district, or even nation, may be inferred not only from 

 the words of the will, but also from the character of Smith- 

 son himself; and I beg leave to quote from a scrap of paper 

 in his own hand the following sentiment bearing on this 

 point : " The man of science has no country ; the world is 

 his country — all men his countrymen." The origin of the 

 funds, the bequest of a foreigner, should also preclude the 

 adoption of a plan which does not, in the words of Mr. 

 Adams, " spread the benefits to be derived from the institu- 

 tion not only over the whole surface of this Union, but 

 throughout the civilized world." " Mr. Smithson's reason for 

 fixing the seat of this institution at Washington obviously 

 was, that there is the seat of Government of the United States, 

 and there the Congress by whose legislation, and the Execu- 

 tive through whose agency, the trust committed to the honor, 

 intelligence, and good faith of the nation, is to be fulfilled." 

 The centre of operations being permanently fixed at Wash- 

 ington, the' character of this city for literature and science 

 will be the more highly exalted in proportion as the influ- 

 ence of the Institution is more widely diffused. 



That the terms increase and diffusion of knowledge are 

 logically distinct, and should be literally interpreted with 

 reference to the will, must be evident when we reflect that 

 they are used in a definite sense, and not as mere synonyms, 

 by all who are engaged in the pursuits to which Smithson 

 devoted his life. In England there are two classes of insti- 

 tutions, founded on the two ideas conveyed by these terms. 

 The Royal Society, the Astronomical, the Geological, the 

 Statistical, the Antiquarian Societies, all have for their ob- 

 ject the increase of knowledge; while the London Institution, 

 the Mechanics' Institution, the Surrey Institution, the Soci- 

 ety for the Diffusion of Religious Knowledge, the Society 

 for the Diffusion of Useful Knowledge, are all intended to 

 diff'use and disseminate knowledge among men. In our 

 own country, also the same distinction is observed in the 

 use of the terms by men of science. Our colleges, acade- 

 mies, and common schools, are recognized as institutions 

 partially intended for the diffusion of knowledge, while the 



