political institutions of this Union, the Congress of the United States, 

 in accepting the bequest, will feel, in all its power and plenitude, the 

 obligation of responding to the confidence reposed by him with all the 

 fidelity, disinterestedness, and perseverance of exertion which may 

 carry into effective execution the noble purpose of an endowment for 

 ' the increase and diffusion of knowledge among men." 



Before leaving this able and interesting report, (see Rep. No. 587, 

 27th Congress, 2d Session,) I may state, that from it it appears that 

 subsequent to the investment in the stocks of Arkansas and Michigan, 

 mentioned in my last, $3,800 of the stocks of the State of Arkansas, 

 $3,600 of the State of Illinois, $1,800 of the State of Ohio, have .been 

 invested, as also the sum of $1,291 86, at the rate of 5| per cent, by 

 the Secretary of the Treasury. 



Eight years have elapsed sincethe fact of the Smithsonian Bequest 

 was communicated to Congress by the President of the United States. 

 The said bequest was solemnly accepted by Congress on the 1st of July, 

 1836, and the faith of the United States was by that act expressly 

 pledged for the faithful performance of the trust assumed by the accep- 

 tance of the bequest. An agent was appointed by virtue of this act, 

 who, by decree of chancery, recovered a sum, which, on the 1st of 

 September, 1838, was deposited in gold at the United States Mint at 

 Philadelphia, amounting to $508,318 46. The duty of Congress to 

 comply with the terms of the trust thus created has been urged by Presi- 

 dential Messages at various times. Committees have been appointed 

 on the part of both Houses of Congress, the result of which has been 

 merely the report of the select committee referred to, which has never 

 been acted upon by the House, and a resolution of the 20th February, 

 1839, from the Senator who had been the chairman of the joint com- 

 mittee in question, which on the 1st of March following was laid on 

 the table by the Senate. Our present President has finally brought the 

 subject again before Congress in his late message, and a committee, I 

 believe, has been appointed in the Senate to take the matter into con- 

 sideration. 



Thus this long space of time has been allowed to elapse without any 

 efficient action on the part of the trustee under this humane and noble 

 bequest. Whenever the subject has been brought up for discussion it 

 has been met with indifference, or the constitutional scruples of hair- 

 splitting politicians. And how long, if another and a more worthy 

 spirit do not stir up and animate our Congress, public men, and the 



