THE GENESIS OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM. 283 



of the select coiiimittoe of the House, to re))oit u}>oii the Sinitbsou 

 bequest, appears to have taken a deep interest in its fate, and to have 

 felt personally responsible for its judicious administration. In his letters 

 to the Secretary of State, October 8 and 11, 1838, he brought forward 

 with threat vigor the proposal that the ftrst use to be made of the fund 

 was the establishment of a great national astronomical observatory, 

 and in January, 1839, as chairman of the House committee, acting 

 jointly with a similar committee from the Senate, he reported a bill 

 (House bill 11(11, Senate bill 203) providing for the establishment of an 

 observatory fully equipped, with provision for the publication of its 

 observations, and the annual composition and publication of a nautical 

 almanac. 



This bill, which was evidently a minority report of the joint commit- 

 tee, was reinforced by two sets of resolutions, i^roposed by Mr. Adams 

 in the House, one reported from the committee, January 26, providing — 



That the first appropriation from the interest or income of the Smith- 

 sonian fund ought to be for the erection and establishment, at the city of 

 Washington, of an astronomical observatory, provided with the best 

 and most approved instruments and books, for the continuing observa- 

 tions, calculation and recording of the remarkable phenomena of the 

 heavens, for the periodical i)ublication of the observations thus made, 

 and of a nautical almanac for the use of the mariners of the United 

 States and of all other navigating nations. 



The second, reported February 0, recited the opinion — 



That the education of the children of these United States is a duty 

 of solemn and indispensable obligation incumbent upon their parents 

 and guardians, not for the increase and diffusion of knowledge among 

 men, but to qualify them for the enjoyment of their rights, and the 

 l)erformance of their duties throughcmt life (and therefore), that no part 

 of the Smithsonian fund ought to be applied to the education of the 

 children or youths of the United States, uor to any school, college, uni- 

 versity, or institute of education. 



The latter resolutions were evidently intended as a counterpoise to 

 the view still held by many members of the Senate, which was brought 

 forward by the speech of Senator Asher Bobbins, of Rhode Island, 

 January 10, 1839, in which he urged "that this institution should 

 make one of a number of colleges, to constitute a university, to be es- 

 tablished here, and to be end<iwed in a manner worthy of this great 

 nation and thus increase resources." 



On the 18th of February Senator Bobbins produced an antidote to 

 Mr. Adams's anti-university resolution in the following: 



1. Befiolred, That it is the duty of the United States, they having 

 accepted the trust under the will of Mr. Smithson, of Loudon, to exe- 

 cute that trust bona fide according to the true intent and meaning of 

 the testator. 



2. Besolved, That the trust being to found an institution in the city of 

 Washington for the iiicrease and diffusion of knowledge among men, 

 the kind of institution which will have the eft'ect intended and described, 

 in the most eminent degree, will be the kind of institution which ought 



