40 



The Smithsoniait Institittion 



Poinsett, when elected to the presidency of the National 

 Institution, was a man of sixty-two. He had lived an event- 

 ful life, full of opportunities for observing the institutions of 

 Europe, Asia, and South America. His culture was broad 

 and sympathetic, and he was better fitted, perhaps, than any 

 of the public men of his time to appreciate the necessity of 

 organizing our institutions in accordance with a liberal and 

 comprehensive plan. In his interviews with those who advo- 

 cated an observatory as the first result of the Smithson be- 

 quest, he showed a full appreciation of the value of such an 

 institution, but seems to have kept before his own mind a 

 much more comprehensive ideal. In his address upon the 

 "Objects and Aims of the National Institution for the Promo- 

 tion of Science," delivered at the first anniversary meeting, 

 January 4, 1841, he referred pointedly to the Smithson be- 

 quest, saying that it offered a favorable occasion for carrying 

 into effect all the important objects connected with the Na- 

 tional Institution, such as that which he was then addressing, 

 enabling the government to afford all necessary protection to 

 the promotion of science and the useful arts,^ without the ex- 

 ercise of any doubtful power. 



Soon after this, in February, Senators Linn, of Missouri, 



marked : "Congress cannot find abetter oppor- 

 tunity to execute the will of that beneficent tes- 

 tator than by laying hold of yourinstitution and 

 making it its own." {Proceedings, page 12.) 

 The Honorable Virgil Maxey, Charge d'Af- 

 faires at Brussels, wrote in December, 1840, 

 that in his opinion no better use could be 

 made of the bequest than to place it under 

 the direction of a society organized for the 

 proper carrying into effect views identical with 

 those contemplated by the philanthropical 

 and philosophical testator. {Proceedings, 

 page 46.) 



See in this connection letters from Richard 

 Rush, on the Smithsonian Bequest {Proceed- 

 ings 0/ the National Institution, 1842, pages 

 201-204); from Peter S. Duponceau, on the 



Smithsonian Bequest (('/.<-//■., pages 204-208); 

 from Honorable Virgil Maxey, Charge d'Af- 

 faires of the United States at Brussels {op. cit., 

 pages 46-47) ; Opening Address by John 

 Tyler, President of the United States, patron 

 of the National Institute {op. r/A, pages 437- 

 438) ; letter from the Honorable Levi Wood- 

 bury, United States Senate {op. cit., pages 

 451-453); Smithsonian Bequest, by the Hon- 

 orable Richard Rush {op. cit., pages 455- 

 460) ; address of Honorable Mr. Preston, of 

 the United States Senate {op. cit., page236); 

 letter of John Pickering, of Boston, Septem- 

 ber I, 1841 {op. cit., pages 107-110). 



1 These were the avowed objects of the 

 National Institution, as can be seen by ref- 

 erence to its constitution. 



