THIRTY-THIRD CONGRESS, 1853-1855. 597 



For one, sir, I suppose that Smithson regarded the foundation of a 

 "Smithsonian Institution" from his property as only a possibility. 

 Look at the facts. He left the income of his property for life to a 

 nephew, and the property ''absolutely and forever" to the descend- 

 ants of the nephew, if he had any, "legitimate or illegitimate." The 

 nephew was a young man leading a roving life in France and Italy. 

 What was the chance that the contingency would ever arrive when 

 the United States could claim the legacy that of failure of descend- 

 ants of the nephew? A sentence has been quoted from one of his 

 papers to the purport that his name would live in the memories of 

 men when the titles of the Perc} r s and Northumberlands were extinct 

 or forgotten, and it seems to be inferred that he was then thinking of 

 this Institution. But it is altogether more likely he was thinking 

 of the articles which he had published in the Philosophical Transac- 

 tions. Every scientific man deems the acceptance of his articles there 

 a sure passport to immortality; and this view is rendered more proba- 

 ble by what is asserted, that he took such offense at the rejection of 

 one of his papers by the Royal Society as to change his will. But I 

 do not, after all, see the applicability of this; for the name of Smith- 

 son would be as much attached to the Smithsonian Institution, and live 

 with it as long and as honorably if that Institution becomes what Con- 

 gress intended, as if it becomes anything else. Is not the British 

 Museum or the Bodleian Librar\' as well known as any other institu- 

 tion in the world? 



To the phrase "active operations" I will devote a passing word. 



The publication of books and the assumption of researches have been 

 called "active operations," as if everything else were in comparison 

 but standstill. I should have liked to see activity in finishing the build- 

 ing and in filling it with the stores of knowledge. Active operations of 

 this kind would have tended "to stimulate and invigorate the mind 

 for original thought, and supply important materials for investiga- 

 tion," to use the language of one of the gentlemen who has been quoted 

 to show that anything but an exclusive devotion of this fund to science 

 is a "gross perversion" of the trust. It has been repeated to me that 

 another of these gentlemen was in the habit a few years ago of saying, 

 "You can do nothing for science in this country till you have books 

 large libraries;" and this he said in special reference to the Smith- 

 sonian library. But then, sir, the Smithsonian question had not 

 become one of physical science versus everything else. 



One gentleman refers to the great Humboldt as not the possessor of 

 a private library. But he had constant access to the Royal Library of 

 Berlin, one of the best in the world. Now, what we want is to fur- 

 nish scientific and literary men in this country with such public facili- 

 ties for research that they will not, on the one hand, be obliged to 

 expend their limited means in buying 1 themselves, nor, on the other, 



