THIKTY-THIRD CONGRESS, 1853-1855. 559 



laborious, and patient examination, by direct inspection, of the records, 

 tables, maps, and other papers or documents, in which he avers that he 

 has rights that are withheld, and claims for compensation beyond what 

 he acknowledges to have received, will be found absolutel}^ indispensable 

 to enable anyone to understand precisely what he means, or to deter- 

 mine whether there is any foundation for his claims, either of author- 

 ship or for compensation. The committee would have been willing to 

 encounter the task; but the want of time absolutel}^ forbids the attempt, 

 and, after all, it would, perhaps, have been useful scarcely for any 

 other purpose than to satisfy their own minds. They could not 

 advise, in any event, the action of Congress upon the subject, as the 

 whole transaction, according to ]Mr. Blodget's owm account, was, from 

 tirst to last, placed and kept by him in the discretion and decision of 

 the Board of Regents. 



In discharging the main part of their duty, relating to the manage- 

 ment of the Institution, whether it has been in accordance with the 

 law, and to the question whether any further legislation is necessaiy, 

 the committee will, in the first place, present such a history of the 

 whole matter as will, in conjunction with the evidence presented in 

 the appendix to this report, enable every member of the House to form 

 a judgment on the subject. 



[The committee then reproduce the will of James Smithson and the 

 act to authorize the President of the United States to accept the 

 bequest, and pledging the faith of the United States to use the funds 

 as directed ia the w^ill of the testator, and proceed:] 



It will be perceived that in the foregoing act the Government of the 

 United States pledged itself that "any and all sums of money and 

 other funds which shall l)e received for or on account of the said legacy 

 shall be applied in such manner as Congress may hereafter direct," etc. 

 It is presumed that it is our duty to consider, not w^hether the funds 

 have been applied to such objects and in such way as Congress ought 

 to have directed, in the opinion of an}- individuals, but to such objects 

 and in such a way as Congress, in fulfillment of the foregoing pledge, 

 has directed. The next step, therefore, is to ascertain w^hat was the 

 determination of Congress on the subject. 



Great caution and deliberation were exercised in determining the 

 matter. The countrv felt that it w^as a solemn and momentous trust. 

 The gratitude, pride, honor, and wisdom of the nation were involved; 

 not onh" the then present generation, but future ages were interested. 

 The field to be surveyed was the whole country, and the whole world 

 beyond the limits of the countiy. It was obvious that the nature of 

 our institutions presented some peculiar difliculties in the way of 

 executing the trust. If the testator had understood, as indeed but few 

 foreigners ever have done, those difliculties, he might, perhaps, have 

 made some arrano-ement to avoid them. It is clearlv not within the 



