should see that the Institute actually receives a gum equal to those 

 received by the before mentioned seminaries of education. This 

 assistance, if given promptly, will be sufficient to snatch the Insti- 

 tute from the perils and difficulties with which it is surrounded, and 

 give it the means and spirit to go on with accelerated pace in the 

 path of honor and usefulness. It thus being clearly a right in the 

 National Institute to have the same justice at least meted out to it 

 as was the case in the preceding instances, I would advise the gen- 

 tlemen (if the idea shall not have already presented itself to their 

 minds) who compose the committee detailed to draught a memorial 

 to Congress in behalf of the association they represent, to adopt 

 these acts as precedents and vouchers, and to bring the matter in 

 the proper shape strongly and warmly before our National Councils, 

 thus called upon to assist and encourage a national establishment. 



The urgency of the case the past services of the National Insti- 

 tute in the march of intellect the materials collected from every 

 quarter of the globe for giving additional impulse to that onward 

 march of mind the numerous influential, well-informed, and scien- 

 tific men who have the honor of calling themselves members, and 

 their daily contributions to the stores of human knowledge and 

 the pressing necessities of the infant establishment all these con- 

 siderations, which will, beyond doubt, be feelingly and ably urged 

 in the forthcoming memorial, must, it is to be sincerely hoped, pro- 

 duce the desired effect upon the minds and hearts of those under 

 whose care the National Treasury is placed, and convince them 

 that justice, policy, humanity, and good sense all unite in instruct- 

 ing them how they should act in a case having such strong and irre- 

 sistible claims upon their kind attention and liberality. 



I have the honorable member from Philadelphia as my endorser 

 when I state, that the contributions to the cabinets of the National 

 Institute are valuable and numerous; that, unfortunately, there is 

 no place where the boxes can be deposited, or their contents be seen 

 or preserved; so that rare and most interesting specimens from far- 

 off countries are actually going to decay, and lie hidden in out-of- 

 the-way corners and cellars, for want of the adequate means to 

 procure a fit place for their safe-keeping and exhibition. I have 

 myself received the assurances of gentlemen, whose word cannot 

 be doubted, and who have personal knowledge in the matter, that 

 the importance, size, number, and value of the collections now 



