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expose ourselves to be denied our just title of a moral, 

 religious, intelligent, and enlightened people, by refu- 

 sing to inscribe the United States of America among the 

 names of the civilized nations of the earth which will 

 be found engraved upon the columns of this magnifi- 

 cent temple? Are we not a navigating and commer- 

 cial people ? Does not our flag float on every sea, and 

 visit every accessible region of the world ? And shall 

 we not have our national observatory, our astronomical 

 archives, and our celestial ephemeris ? Shall we any 

 longer leave our navigators exposed to the disgrace of 

 acknowledging that, without the astronomical epheme- 

 rides published in Europe, they could not with safety 

 navigate distant seas ? I hope not. I believe it to be 

 only necessary to point out to the intelligent people of 

 this country the usefulness, not to say the necessity of 

 such an establishment, for them immediately to appre- 

 ciate the object, and, so far as the powers of the Go- 

 vernment extend, to furnish the means to carry it into 

 effect. I am aware that this has already been ably 

 done in a report on the proper application of the Smith- 

 son bequest, presented to Congress, at its last session, 

 by a gentleman with whom I am happy to be associ- 

 ated in promoting the progress of science. His long 

 continued efforts to establish a national observatory 

 will, I trust, be finally crowned with success, and I shall 

 always reflect with satisfaction on having, on the first 

 occasion that presented itself, seconded, however feebly, 

 his liberal and enlightened views. 



Second to astronomy in its importance to the wants 

 and interests of navigation, and essential to those of 

 commerce, is Geography ; a science which equally re- 



