118 SMITHSONIAN BEQUEST. 



presence of the consul and others, who might aid me in as- 

 certaining their contents. When the trunk was opened, 

 several of the articles down upon the list were not in it. I 

 mentioned this to the solicitors, and it produced the explan- 

 atory letter from them of the 13th of July, which I enclose, 

 (marked G.) All the rest of the boxes were filled with 

 things of little intrinsic value, as far as a mere superficial 

 inspection of them, pressed upon me on the eve of my em- 

 barkation, could determine. They seemed to be chiefly old 

 books, pamphlets, manuscripts, and some philosophical or 

 chemical instruments. Of the whole contents, (such as they 

 were,) all were left as we found them, except to have been 

 repacked, with the aid of the consul and his assistants, and 

 put in a better state for crossing the sea than they were 

 when delivered to me. When first opened, it was evident 

 that, time, mould, and careless packing in the first instance, 

 had nearly destroyed many of the articles. 



The freight payable on the gold was not paid in London, 

 not being due until the arrival of the ship at New York ; 

 but the consul agreed with the captain for three-eighths of 

 one per cent., which brought the amount to 393 125. 

 Primage was 19 135. 8d.; and the freight and primage on 

 the 14 Smithsonian boxes was to have been 3 85. 5d. 

 These several charges I was necessarily obliged to assume 

 for the United States, and engaged to pay them when the 

 ship got to New York. On arriving there, I received the 

 instructions of the Secrefary of the Treasury, of the 20th 

 of July, directing me to transfer the gold to the Mint at 

 Philadelphia as soon as practicable ; it being added that the 

 president of the Bank of America at New York had been 

 requested to render me any facilities in his power. The 

 captain of the ship being content to take the bank as pay- 

 ment for these last-mentioned charges, I thought I should 

 best consult the spirit of the Secretary's instructions by 

 leaving the bank to pay them, which its president expressed 

 an immediate readiness to do. I supposed it could make 

 no difference to the Government, in the end, whilst it saved 

 the necessity of opening one of the boxes of the gold at 

 New York, out of which fund alone I could have made the 

 payment if demanded of me under the engagement I had 

 contracted. The bank may have further charges to make 

 for its aid to me otherwise in removing the gold to the Mint, 

 but I know nothing of them in detail. 



Referring, therefore, to that part of the Secretary's letter 

 to me of the 7th instant, which I mentioned in my No. 33, 

 asking a statement of expenses attending the transportation 



