16 I Senate 



taxes? The purchases of merchandize benefit another class — the 

 merchants; and in turn enables them to pay their rents.' 



These conclusions are irresistible, and deserve a particular notice- 



The late Annual Fair of the American Institute is supposed to have 

 been visited by about 250,000 persons, which is a powerful indica- 

 tion, (apart from private interests,) of the manifestation of public 

 opinion. 



It is further supposed, that at that Fair about 17,000 articles were 

 exhibited; and the immensity of labor and the large number of men 

 evidently employed in their construction, is a calculation which your 

 committee are at present compelled to leave unsettled. Of these ar- 

 ticles — some superior, many inferior, some useful, and others not 

 sufficiently advanced to merit competition — the large and generous 

 number of 644 premiums were awarded, consisting of gold and sil- 

 ver medals, silver cups, works on agriculture, botany, chemistry, 

 &c. &c. including diplomas. 



The awarding of these articles necessarily involves a liberal ex- 

 penditure of money, and the heavy expenses of the Institute in pro- 

 curing and arranging miscellaneous fixtures, places and appurten- 

 ances attendant on their varied exhibitions, materially reduces the 

 amount which it would be supposed should be received from visiters 

 attendincr such exhibitions. 



That the committee may not be misunderstood, they take the liber- 

 ty of inviting attention to the following statement, which was placed 

 in their possession by one of the Trustees of the Institute, and re- 

 lates to the year 1841. 



EXPENDITURE 

 For keeping open the Repository of the American Institute, for the 

 daily display of new machinery, and the Library, free of expense 

 to strangers, visiters, ^c. Sfc. from March 31, 1841, to March 31, 

 1842. 



Salary of superintending agent, $1000 00 



Clerk and messenger, 871 50 



Recording secretary, 126 00 



Carried forward, 1,997 50 



