SOLON ROBINSON, 1841 271 



A large meeting at the organization is highly impor- 

 tant, to give tone and effect to the measure, and to en- 

 courage one another. It is probable also that steps will 

 then be taken to found an institution where a course of 

 scientific and agricultural lectures will be delivered every 

 winter, free to every farmer's son or daughter in the 

 United States. 



Many of my friends have expressed a wish that the 

 first meeting might be held in the present autumn. But 

 it is thought by those with whom I have advised here, 

 that the time of a session of Congress would be the most 

 interesting. In fact, every freeman of this country ought 

 to have the opportunity at least once in his life, of visit- 

 ing the Capitol of his country, at such a time. There is 

 then enough to be seen and learned, sufficient to repay 

 all the trouble and expense of such a visit. 



The Patent Office alone is the greatest and best mu- 

 seum of useful curiosities in the Union. 



The Hall of Manufactures, 273 feet long, will be filled 

 with ten thousand curious and wonderful things. It is 

 already worthy of great interest, and before next winter 

 will be much more so. 



No doubt manufacturers and mechanics will take ad- 

 vantage of the time of the meeting of the Friends of a 

 National Society of Agriculture, to make exhibitions 

 that will be sufficient to induce great attention, and from 

 which a mass of useful information will be gathered. 



I cannot but look upon the first meeting of the friends 

 of a National Agricultural Society as an epoch in the 

 history of my country that will long be remembered. 



I hope all of my correspondents to whom I have prom- 

 ised information upon this subject, will take this address 

 as particularly addressed to them. And I hope that every 

 paper in the United States that is friendly to that inter- 

 est which is the base of all others, will make known to its 

 readers what is now doing for the promotion and organ- 

 ization of this Society. I am confident that every agri- 

 cultural paper will afford the information to its readers, 



