Founding of the Institution 41 



and Preston, of South Carolina, both members of the Na- 

 tional Institution, proposed new bills for the organization 

 of the Smithsonian Institution, at the same time report- 

 ing a bill to incorporate the National Institution for the 

 Promotion of Science. By these bills, the entire man- 

 agement of the Smithsonian foundation was to be intrusted 

 to the National Institution. Its officers, a superintendent, 

 and six professors, were to be nominated by that society, 

 which was also to prescribe their duties. Provision was 

 made for joint occupancy by the two institutions of build- 

 ings to be erected at the cost of the Smithson bequest, and 

 finally it was required that all collections of works of art 

 and of natural history owned by the United States, not other- 

 wise assigned (or "all works of art, and all books relating 

 thereto, and all collections and curiosities belonging to the 

 United States in the possession of any of the Executive De- 

 partments and not necessarily connected with the duties 

 thereof") shall be deposited in said buildings (or "shall be 

 transferred to said institution, to be there preserved and 

 arranged "). 



Poinsett's enthusiasm was contagious, and his arguments, 

 manifestly based upon careful observations and judicious 

 reasoning and inspired by hopeful patriotism, brought him 

 many sympathizers. Among these the Honorable Levi 

 Woodbury, who had been a member of the same Cabinet 

 with Mr. Poinsett, and was subsequently in the Senate, 

 Senator Preston, of South Carolina, one of the directors of the 

 Institute, Senator Walker, of Mississippi, and Senator Linn, 

 of Missouri, corresponding members, appear to have been es- 

 pecially friendly to the plans of Mr. Poinsett, and on various 

 occasions from 1841 to 1846 promoted the interests of the 

 National Institution on the floor of the Senate. 



In June, 1842, Mr. Poinsett was again in Washington, and 



4 



