ours. That it is the interest, in every point of view, of our citizens to 

 encourage and facilitate this meeting, by theii immediate countenance 

 and support and hospitality towards these visitors, there can be no doubt 

 whatever. And, inasmuch as we have high and influential names 

 pledged to the execution of the project, and able pens enlisted in the 

 cause, there is every reason to anticipate a favorable issue, not as having 

 any very great or important effect upon the onward march of mind, but 

 as establishing a precedent, and beginning in a course which I trust 

 will not be abandoned without good cause. As the committee appoint- 

 ed at the meeting of December last for the purpose of memorializing 

 Congress and appealing to the public in behalf of the National Institute 

 are well fitted for the task, and their appeal will be published in due 

 course of time, I shall not dwell any longer on the subject for the pres- 

 ent, but pass on to my other points, with the expression of a hope that 

 Congress will, as far as lies in its power, favor and encourage the pro- 

 jected meeting of next April , and that the public will give it their patron- 

 age and support. 



Upon the subject of embracing practical agriculture within the opera- 

 tion of the Smithsonian bequest, I find, fortunately, to my hand, a very 

 interesting and valuable memorial of Charles Lewis Fleischrnann, of this 

 city, in which he urges the utility and importance of establishing an 

 agricultural school at the seat of Government connected with the above 

 bequest. My readers, who may wish to inform themselves about the 

 plan of that gentleman in detail, can do so by referring to Doc. No. 70 

 of 25th Congress, 3d session. The date of the memorial is December 

 8, 1838. 



The memorialist presented a plan of such an institution, with designs 

 for the buildings and estimates for all the requisites, and concludes with 

 the following words: " Such an institution, being the first in the United 

 ' States, would be the nursery of scientific agriculturists for the whole 

 ' Union. Their education should be as perfect as possible, to enable 

 ' them to qualify themselves to serve as directors, professors, and super- 

 ' intendents for similar establishments. This institution is calculated for 

 ' one hundred pupils, and the number should be increased, by degrees, 

 ' from the profit of the farm. The lectures should be free, and the 

 1 price of board moderate, as half of the number of the pupils should be 

 ' practically employed every day on the farm." 



There is no intelligent man in this country who does not admit the 

 importance of agricultural pursuits. There is no one who will deny 



