32 THE SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION. 



" Again, the publication of a series of volumes of original memoirs will afford 

 to the Institution the most ready means of entering into friendly relations and 

 correspondence with all learned societies in the world, and of enriching its library 

 with their current transactions and proceedings. But perhaps the most important 

 effect of the plan will be that of giving to the world many valuable memoirs, 

 which, on account of the expense of the illustrations, could not be otherwise pub- 

 lished. Every one who adds new and important truths to the existing stock of 

 knowledge, must be of necessity, to a certain degree, in advance of his age. Hence 

 the number of readers and purchasers of a work, is often in the inverse ratio of 

 its intrinsic value, and consequently authors of the highest rank of merit, are 

 frequently deterred from giving their productions to the world on account of the 

 pecuniary loss to which the publication would subject them. When our distin- 

 guished countrymen, Bowditch, contemplated publishing his commentaries on La 

 Place, he assembled his family and informed them that the execution of his design 

 would sacrifice one-third of his fortune, and it was proper that his heirs should be 

 consulted on a matter which so nearly concerned them. The answer was worthy 

 the children of such a father. * We value,' said they, ' your reputation more 

 than your money.' Fortunately in this instance the means of making such a sac- 

 , rifice existed ; otherwise one of the proudest monuments of American science could 

 not have been given to the world. In a majority of cases, however, those who are 

 most capable of extending human knowledge are least able to incur the expense of 

 its publication. Wilson, the American ornithologist, states in a letter to Michaux, 

 that he has sacrificed everything to publish his work. ' I have issued,' says he, 

 ' six volumes, and am now engaged on the seventh ; but as yet I have not received 

 a single cent of the proceeds.' The following remarks, which are directly to this 

 point, occur in an address on the subject of natural history, by one of the most 

 active cultivators of this branch of knowledge : ' Few are acquainted with the fact 

 that from the small number of scientific works sold, and the great expense of the 

 plates, our naturalists not only are not paid for their labors, but suffer pecuniary 

 loss from their publications. Several works on the different branches of zoology, 

 now in the course of publication, will leave their authors losers by an aggregate 

 of 815,000. I do not include in this estimate works already finished — one, for 

 instance, the best contribution to the natural history of man, extant, the publica- 

 tion of which will occasion its accomplished author a loss of several thousand dol- 

 lars. A naturalist is extremely fortunate if he can dispose of two hundred copies 

 of an illustrated work, and the number of copies printed rarely exceeds two hun- 

 dred and fifty." 



The Smithsonian publications are presented to learned societies, public libraries, 

 and other institutions in all parts of the world, and can be purchased by indi- 

 viduals, at about the cost of paper, printing, and binding. If circumstances 

 admitted, the Regents would give a much more extended circulation to their 

 publications ; but their limited means prevent it. The fact must not be lost sight 

 of that this is only one of their many operations. The cost of the publication by 

 government of the Patent Ofiice Report is more than quadruple the whole in- 



