186 CONGRESSIONAL PROCEEDINGS. 



soon forthcoming, through the hands of an agent specially 

 delegated to Europe, under provision of law for that service,, 

 to obtain a legacy left to the United States, for the express 

 purpose of founding an institution for the "increased dif- 

 fusion of knowledge among men." While, therefore, your 

 memorialist would solicit your honorable bodies to establish 

 by law an institution for the purposes herein contemplated, 

 he would also respectfully submit the propriety of inquiring 

 whether such purposes be not the most appropriate to 

 which the Smithsonian legacy can be devoted, whenever 

 the same shall have been "received in the United States; 

 and should this be determined in the affirmative, then to 

 apply said legacy to the carrying into execution of said law, 

 and to the promotion of the several objects herein sot forth. 

 Respectfully submitted, WALTER R. JOHNSON. 



HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, January 9, 1839. 



On motion of Mr. John Quincy Adams from the select 

 committee appointed on two messages of the President of 

 the United States, in relation to the Smithsonian beqiu-st, it 

 was 



Ordered, That the memorial of Charles Lewis Fleischmann !> printed, 

 and that the drawings accompanying the same be lithographed. 



The following is the memorial : 



PATENT OFFICE, WASHINGTON, December 8, 1838. 



To the Honorable the Senate and House of Representatives 



of tin', United States of America in Congress Assembled : 



The memorial of Charles Lewis Fleischmann, a citi/en 

 of the United States, respectfully represents : 



That your memorialist had the honor of laying before 

 Congress, at their last session, (see Doc. of the House of 

 Representatives, 25th Congress, 2d session, No. 334,) a me- 

 morial on the subject of agriculture, in which he endeavored 

 to show the utility and importance of establishing an agri- 

 cultural school at the seat of Government: \\liile, at the 

 same time, he entertained doubts whether Congress were 

 constitutionally empowered to effect so desirable an object. 

 This object, however, can now be attained without involv- 

 ing any constitutional questions, as Congress lias conic into 

 the possession of the Smithsonian legacy, for "the diffusion 

 of knowledge among mankind ;" a bequest bestowed in terms 

 so general that it cannot fail to embrace the object of this 

 memorial, and it is left solely to the wisdom of Congress to 

 designate the particular branch of knowledge which they 

 , may please to select, for the purpose of carrying into effect 

 the intention of the testator, and thus attain the end of hia 



