Founding of the Institution 53 



library and incidentally the museum. The bill as finally pre- 

 sented contained several special provisions not harmonious 

 with the spirit of Smithson's bequest as at present under- 

 stood. These were, for the most part, eliminated in the final 

 discussion, and the Act finally passed by Congress, and ap- 

 proved by the President, August 10, 1846, while broad enough 

 to permit almost any work for intellectual advancement, was 

 fortunately expressed in such general terms as to allow a 

 large degree of liberty to the governing board. 



The Board of Regents was appointed without delay, and 

 their meeting was held on September 7 in a room in the 

 General Post- Office Building set apart for their use by 

 direction of the President of the United States. Though 

 many wise men participated in the councils in which the man- 

 ner of executing the trust of Smithson was decided, there are 

 certain names which are especially significant as those of the 

 statesmen and patriots who made the interests of the infant 

 institution their own special care, and who, by their wisdom 

 and earnest advocacy, shaped its destiny. It seems proper 

 that in this memorial volume an attempt should be made to 

 show what each of these contributed to the final result. 



John Quincy Adams was perhaps the most influential in 

 securing the acceptance of the bequest and in creating a high 

 ideal for its administration. He antagonized the idea of using 

 it to found a university, and defeated Owen's project for a 

 normal school, which was only eliminated from the bill a few 

 minutes before final action. He opposed all projects for 

 making its work directly practical. His influence was limited 

 by his pertinacious advocacy of the idea that the founding 

 of an observatory was the only proper distribution of the first 

 income of the fund. His position in this matter has been 

 misunderstood. He wished that the income for seven suc- 

 cessive years should go to found an observatory. " During 



