The United States National Museum 39 



troublesome way at this time, for the Library Committee, at 

 that time [not] unfriendly, simply confirmed the choice of cura- 

 tor made by the National Institute, and appointed Doctor 

 Pickering to the position, Doctor Pickering being thenceforth 

 subject to the Congressional Committee, and only by courtesy 

 acting for the National Institute." 



A little later, in 1843, th e Library Committee having no 

 longer any consideration for the Institute, without consult- 

 ing its officers, appointed the Commissioner of Patents to have 

 general charge of the government collections, and Captain 

 Wilkes, the head of the exploring expedition, to arrange 

 and display them. Captain Wilkes proceeded with the work, 

 pushing aside the collections of the Institute to make place 

 for those of the government, yet professing an interest in 

 the welfare of the Institute and the security of its prop- 

 erty. The drift of matters came to the attention of the 

 officers of the Institute only by rumor, but Colonel J. J. 

 Abert initiated a correspondence with Captain Wilkes, in- 

 quiring whether he or his assistants would devote any time 

 to the care of the collections of the Institute, and stating 

 that if such was not the case the attention of the Institute 

 would be immediately called to the necessity of otherwise 

 protecting its property. The replies were not satisfactory. 

 Captain Wilkes held that as he and his assistants were 

 paid by the government they could not spend any time in 

 working upon collections belonging to a private organiza- 

 tion. Nevertheless, he expressed an intention not to dis- 

 turb the collections of the Institute more than should be 

 really necessary in working out those of the government, 

 and to watch over them as far as possible. 



A few months later, in a correspondence relative to the 

 " Ontonagon" copper boulder now in the National Museum, 

 the Commissioner of Patents took the same ground, and held 



