PROPOSED APPLICATIONS OF SMITHSON's BEQUEST. 897 



no doubt that, left to themselves, they would make every 

 exertion, particularly in the inception of your labors, to 

 direct and promote them. They will have to keep up a 

 correspondence with other learned societies at home and 

 abroad ; and I would suggest that, by way of a beginning, 

 they should write to those of America, soliciting their cor- 

 respondence. 



Amongst the officers of your society, those of whom most 

 activity is expected, are your secretaries. You will, there- 

 fore, of course, choose none to those offices but the most 

 active, zealous, and capable of your members. But all 

 must put their shoulders to the wheel, particularly in the 

 beginning, and until the institution is well established and 

 consolidated. 



That will be the work of time. Your institution embraces 

 the whole circle of human science ; therefore there are in- 

 numerable sources from which you may expect aid. But 

 that aid is at first difficult to be obtained. I wish, there- 

 fore, you would think of some method to obtain it. The 

 American Philosophical Society has found great benefit 

 from the publication of a periodical bulletin of its proceed- 

 ings, which is disseminated through all the learned world. 

 Before that, the} 7 found much difficulty in obtaining communi- 

 cations from the learned, to be inserted in their transactions. 

 The reason was, that it was not known how soon those 

 communications might appear before the world. Fame, 

 next to the consciousness of doing good, is the best reward of 

 men of science, and they love to see their names and their 

 productions made known to the public ; but now, although 

 sometime elapses before their articles are published at large, 

 yet, as they are noticed, and a short analysis given of them 

 in the Bulletin, this satisfies them so well that the society 

 are never at a loss for materials for publication. Your 

 society might not probably publish those bulletins immedi- 

 diately, on account of the expense ; but some sketches of 

 your proceedings might appear, from time to time, in one 

 of 3'our papers, so as to keep your institution always before 

 the world, which appears to be necessary for its continued 

 existence. 



As I have spoken of expense, I must now touch upon a 

 subject which appears to me of the highest importance, and 

 of which it might, perhaps, be thought presumptuous in me 

 to speak. I doubt much whether you can ultimately suc- 

 ceed without the aid of the Government. Were there 

 nothing but your current expenses in the printing of your 

 Bulletin, and ultimately of Transactions, which I hope you 

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