1871] WRITINGS OF JOSEPH HENRY. 473 



not the case however, the next best plan should be adopted, 

 namely, that of publishing papers in full through other 

 channels, such for instance as the Smithsonian Institution, 

 the reports of government bureaus, and scientific journals. 

 In such cases the bulletin should contain references as to 

 where the articles in full are to appear, and in this respect 

 it would do good service in assisting to make more gener- 

 ally known the valuable contributions to science which are 

 diffused through voluminous executive and congressional 

 documents not readily accessible to the scientific world. 



The editing of the bulletin should be under the direction 

 of the secretaries and a committee appointed for the purpose, 

 and a number should be issued as often as material of the 

 proper character and of sufficient quantity is accumulated. 

 It should be distributed to the principal learned societies of 

 this and other countries, and may also be presented to lead- 

 ing journals in this and other cities. Without at least such a 

 publication, the society cannot have a recognized existence. 



I have stated that there is no city in the United States 

 where, in proportion to the number of its inhabitants, there are 

 so many men of education actively engaged in pursuits con- 

 nected with science, as in Washington. In illustration of 

 this remark I may refer to those who are engaged in the Coast 

 Survey, the Office of Weights and Measures, the National 

 Observator}'^, the Nautical Almanac Office, Patent Office, 

 Engineer Department, Hydrographic Office, Ordnance De- 

 partment, Medical Departments of the Army and Navy, 

 Light-house Board, Signal Corps, Agricultural Department, 

 Bureau of Statistics, Census Office, Bureaus of Navigation 

 and Steam Engineering, the Smithsonian Institution, etc., 

 etc. In addition to this, no city in the Union possesses more 

 ample facilities, in the way of books and implements, for 

 the prosecution of scientific research. The library of Con- 

 gress, enriched by the Smithsonian Deposit with the trans- 

 actions of all the principal learned societies of the world, is 

 almost unrivalled in scientific works. If to this extensive 

 collection we add the special libraries of the Patent Office, 

 the Agricultural Departuient, the Coast Survey, the National 



