Founding of the Institution 33 



versity of Virginia, advocated " a central school of natural 

 science," where natural philosophy, chemistry, geology, miner- 

 alogy, philosophy, and all other sciences could effectually be 

 taught, to be supplemented in time by a botanical garden, an 

 observatory, a zoological institute, and other similar agencies. 

 Mr. Rush objected to a school of any kind, and proposed a 

 project which corresponds more nearly than any other of 

 those early days to that which was finally adopted. In a 

 shadowy yet far-seeing way he outlined a system of scientific 

 correspondence, of lectureships, of general cooperation with 

 the scientific work of the government, a liberal system of 

 publication, and collections geological, zoological, botanical, 

 ethnological, and technological. 



Ex-President Adams urged the establishment of a great 

 astronomical observatory, "equal to any in the world," and 

 he continued to urge this from year to year, and to introduce 

 bills in which this feature was included, until, indeed, provision 

 for astronomical work was made by the establishment of an 

 observatory in connection with the navy. The bill consid- 

 ered by Congress in 1839* provided for the establishment of 

 an observatory fully equipped, with provision for the publica- 

 tion of its observations and the annual preparation and pub- 

 lication of a nautical almanac. This, which had evidently 

 been prepared by a minority of the joint committee, was re- 

 inforced by two sets of resolutions proposed by Mr. Adams in 

 the House. 



One, reported from the committee, January 26, provided : 



"That the first appropriations from the interest or income 

 of the Smithsonian fund ought to be for the erection and es- 

 tablishment, at the city of Washington, of an astronomical 

 observatory, provided with the best and most approved in- 

 struments and books, for the continual observation, calcu- 



l House Bill Xo. 1161 ; Senate Bill No. 293. 



