48 The Smithsonian Institution 



the "Memorial of the Friends of Science who attended the April 

 meeting of the National Institute," signed by nearly forty rep- 

 resentative scientific men and college presidents from all parts 

 of the United States, speaking in terms of high commenda- 

 tion of the National Institute, and particularly of the extent 

 and value of its museum material, and expressing the hope 

 " that the enlightened and intelligent members of Congress 

 will distinguish the present session by the appropriation of 

 funds to an object so truly national and so truly republican." 



The hopes of the promoters of the Institute were doomed 

 to disappointment. Congress adjourned without making any 

 provision for its needs. 



In July a new scheme was proposed for collecting money 

 from private sources by the efforts of trustworthy agents, and 

 in December a committee was appointed to again memorialize 

 Congress.^ The movement had, however, received its death- 

 blow. The failure of the tremendous effort of April, 1844, 

 disheartened all its friends. At the next annual meeting Mr. 

 Poinsett declined reelection to the presidency. The society's 

 publications were discontinued, and even the annual address 

 of Senator Woodbury, solicited for publication by the society, 

 seems to have remained in manuscript unprinted. No more 

 meetings were held, and the list of 350 resident and 1250 cor- 

 responding members began to grow shorter. An effort was 

 made to revive it in 1847, and a meager report was made 

 once afterward by the corresponding secretary. In 1855 it 

 was brougfht into existence for a time as a local scientific so- 

 ciety,^ and issued a new series of proceedings. Its glory de- 

 parted, however, with the first annual meeting, in 1844, and 

 the attention of Congress was directed exclusively to the or- 

 ganization of the Smithsonian Institution. 



1 Proceedings of the N'ational Institute, page 375. 

 2 Professor Henry was for a time an officer, and endeavored to have its name changed to 



"MetropoUtan Institute." 



