TWENTY-NINTH CONGRESS, 1845-47. 355 



HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, February 28, 1846. 



Mr. OWEN, from the select committee to which was re- 

 ferred the bill II. R. 5, reported a substitute for said bill ; 

 and thereupon Mr. OWEN offered the following resolution : 



Resolved, That this report be printed ; that the substitute herewith re- 

 ported be referred to the Committee of the Whole on the state of the 

 Union, and be printed separately in the form of a bill ; and that the same 

 be made the special order of the day for the second Tuesday in April next. 



Mr. HOUSTON called for a division of the question, so as 

 to take a separate vote on the proposal to make it the 

 special order for a particular day ; which was ordered. 



And the question on the first branch of the resolution 

 was taken, and decided in the affirmative. 



So the bill was referred to the Committee of the Whole 

 on the state of the Union. 



And the question recurring on the second branch of the 

 resolution, 



Mr. OWEN said : I hope the House will suffer me to say 

 one word on the subject. The money appropriated by this 

 bill has been in our Treasury between seven and eight years ; 

 and, in all that time, not a dollar of it has been used in ac- 

 cordance with the will of the testator. We cannot suppose 

 Congress unwilling to act in such a matter. It has hereto- 

 fore failed, because, in the conflict on other important sub- 

 jects, it was delayed, and remained among the unfinished 

 business. This will again be its fate, unless we make it the 

 special order for some day. The committee put it off until 

 April. If even that be too early, let a later day be named. 

 But, at all events, let some day be fixed when we may know 

 that the subject will be taken up ; so that we at last escape 

 the just reproach of receiving money for one of the best 

 purposes on earth, and then doing nothing with it. 



The question was then taken on the second branch of the 

 resolution, and decided in the affirmative two-thirds voting 

 therefor. 



So the bill was made the special order of the day for the 

 second Tuesday in April next. 



Mr. OWEN, from the select committee on the Smithsonian 

 bequest, made the following report : 



The select committee on the Smithsonian bequest, to 

 whom was referred House bill No. 5, entitled a " bill to es- 

 tablish the Smithsonian Institution, for the increase and 

 diffusion of knowledge among men," have had the same 

 under consideration, and have instructed me to report the 



