TWENTY-NINTH CONGRESS, 1845-1847. 337 



of the more important of these may be useful and interesting at this 

 time. 



Professor Wayland proposed a university of a high grade to teach 

 Latin, Greek, Hebrew, and the Oriental languages, together with a 

 long list of other branches, including rhetoric and poetry, intellectual 

 philosophy, the law of nations, etc. A bill substantially based upon 

 this recommendation was introduced in 1839 into the Senate; and, on 

 the 25th of February of that year, after full debate, was laid on the 

 table by a vote of 20 to 15. 



Dr. Cooper proposed a university, to be opened only to graduates 

 of other colleges, to teach the higher branches of mathematics, includ- 

 ing its application to astronomy, chemistry, etc. ; also, the principles 

 of botany and agriculture. No Latin or Greek; no mere literature; 

 no medicine or law. The above recommendations in regard to botany 

 and agriculture, and also those excluding the learned languages and 

 professions, have been adopted in the present Smithsonian bill. 



Mr. Richard Rush proposed a building, with grounds attached suffi- 

 cient to reproduce seeds and plants for distribution; a press to print 

 lectures, etc. ; courses of lectures on the leading branches of physical 

 and moral science and on government and public law; the salaries to 

 be ample enough to command the best men and admit of the exclusive 

 devotion of their time to the studies and investigations of their posts; 

 the lectures, when delivered, to be the property of the Institution for 

 publication. Most of these recommendations are adopted in the bill 

 before 3 7 ou. Mr. Rush also made the excellent suggestion that con- 

 suls and other United States officers might greatly aid the Institution 

 by collecting and sending home useful information and valuable speci- 

 mens from abroad. 



The venerable gentleman from Massachusetts [Mr. Adams], who has 

 labored in this good cause with more zeal and perseverance than any 

 other man, expressed in his reply the opinion that no part of the fund 

 should be devoted "to the endowment of any school, college, univer- 

 sity, or ecclesiastical establishment; " and he proposed to employ seven 

 years' income of the fund in the establishment of an observatory, with 

 instruments and a small library. This proposal was afterwards, at no 

 less than four different sessions, incorporated in a bill, but failed on 

 these occasions among the unfinished business. I believe I am author- 

 ized in saying for the gentleman from Massachusetts that, inasmuch 

 as these his intentions have been since otherwise carried out, and as 

 we have already in this District a Government observatory, at least 

 equal in everything but the experience of its observers to the Royal 

 Observatory at Greenwich, he has ceased to press that proposal. 



Though the plan actually proposed by the gentleman from Massa- 

 chusetts was restricted for some years to an observatoiy, he yet recog- 

 H. Doc. 732 22 



