THE GENESIS OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM. 293 



Senator Prefston's bill for Mio Tiiiiou of the two institutions came to 

 naught.* 



During- this session, however, the act to incorporate the National 

 Institute, as it was lienceforth to be called, passed in a much modified 

 form, and was approved July 27, 1842,t and the society now seems to 

 have felt much more secure in its project of retaining the control of the 

 National Museum, and either of gaining" eventually the management 

 of the Smithson fund or of obtaining an appropriation from Congress. 



Senator Woodbury,| in commenting uijon the form of the charter, re- 

 marked that — 



Care was taken originally to make the institute different from all 

 other chartered bodies even in the District, so as to elevate it above 

 every motive of personal gain, dedicating its labors exclusively to ob- 

 jects of a pn.blic character and vesting all the property possessed for 

 this purpose in the Government itself; and thus by rendering it na- 

 tional in substance as well as in name, to obviate any constitutional 

 objection which might arise against measures in its behalf. 



The change of tho name from Institution to Institute seems to have 

 been made in deference to a suggestion by Dr. Duponceau in a letter 

 written April, 1842, in which he said : 



I have seen witli great pleasure the bill brought into the Senate by 

 the Hon. Mr. Preston. It fully coincides with the views that I have 

 expressed. The object, in my opinion, is to preserve the superiority of 

 the National Institution over the Smithsonian, and of the Government 

 over both. 



I would beg leave to suggest whether it would not be advisable to 

 make some small alteration in the name of the National Institution so 

 that it should not bear exactly the same name with the Smithsonian, 

 but one expressive of some degree of superiority. I would recommend, 

 for instance, that of Institute, which appears tome more dignified than 

 that of institution, which is equally applicalde to a school or college as 

 to a great national establishment for the promotion of science. My 

 idea would be to call the national establishment the '' National Insti- 

 tute for the Promotion of Science,'" and the subordinate one the "Smith- 

 sonian Institution," without more. 



No appropriation came, however, and the charter and changed name 

 failed to make the society more prosperous. 



At a meeting June 20,§ 1842, a resolution was passed appointing a 

 committee to solicit private contributions of money and property. 



*It was laid upon the table July 18, 1812, and never again taken up. 



t See Charter of Incorporatioii, Constitution and By-Laws iu Appendix to this 

 report and in Proe. Nat. Inst., i. pp. 388-392. See also "Bill to incorporate the Na- 

 tional Institution," etc., reported by Senator Preston (S. No. 258) Febrnary 17, 1841, 

 in Rhees. Documents, etc., pji. 239-341. See also Memorial of the Officers of the 

 National Institution for the Promotion of Science, January 21, 1842 (House Docs. 

 No. 59, Twenty-seventh Congress, second session, ii), submitting draft of a bill of 

 incorporation. 



t See remarks of Senator Woodbury in full, Proc. Nat. Inst., i, pp. 336, 337. 



§ Evidently not June 13, though so statinl in one portion of minutes. See Pi'oc. 

 Nat. Inst., I., pp. 2,36, 241, 335. 



