352 COTfGRESSIONAL PROCEEDINGS. 



respect; the Government of the United States being always respon-. 

 sible for the restoration of this fund, and the devotion of it to the 

 proper objects. The fund was sacred in the Treasury of the United 

 States at this moment, and they were pledged, everj^ one of them, to 

 redeem it. 



And the true question now presented was, What were the intentions 

 of the donor? 



Mr. Ingersoll here — in reference to an allusion by Mr. Owen to 

 the Girard fund — went into an explanation, at some length, of the 

 circumstances and restrictions of that legacy, the manner in which it 

 had been expended, etc., stating that the reason why the school had 

 not ere this, partially at least, gone into operation was an unfortunate 

 proviso placed by Mr. Girard in his will, that none of the orphans 

 intended to be benefited should be received and educated until the 

 entire five buildings were fully completed according to the plan pre- 

 scribed by him. Upon this point Mr. Ingersoll yielded to Mr. Owen 

 for explanation. 



Recurring to the position that the fact that this fund might have 

 been invested by the act of the Government itself in Arkansas stocks 

 principally, and to a «mall extent in the stocks of Ohio, Illinois, and 

 Michigan, in no manner diminished its accountability for the amount 

 of its obligation to appropriate in accordance with the intention of 

 Mr. Smithson. 



Mr. S. F. Vinton interposed and said if any portion of it was invested 

 in Ohio bonds, of which he was not before aware, the interest on them 

 would 1)0 regularly paid. 



Mr. Archibald Yell also (speaking for Arkansas) said we are ready 

 to settle at any time. 



Mr. Ingersoll. 1 have no doubt of it. 



Mr. Yell (in reply to another remark of Mr. Ingersoll not heard 

 by the reporter). Whenever we can bring the Treasury of the United 

 States to a settlement, then we will talk about it. 



Mr. Ingersoll (resuming) said he concurred in the general views 

 of Mr. Owen, especially as at the conclusion of the bill there was a 

 section authorizing Congress to make such changes as from time to 

 time it might deem expedient. 



There was one object which he thought the gentleman had over- 

 looked. He had properly provided against the error of the Girard 

 will by providing that this institution should go into operation on the 

 1st of September next after the passage of the law, as it could go into 

 operation for many of its purposes immediately. But instead of wait- 

 ing the slow process of gathering materials of instruction, he intended, 

 by an amendment at the proper place, to propose that the results of 

 the exploring expedition and the articles of the National Institute, 

 many of which were now being injured for want of a proper place of 



