26 JAMES SMITH80N AND HIS BEQUEST. 



of the United States, but only for one of the cities of the District of 

 Columbia, and with this belief he had no difficult}' in voting for the bill. 



Mr. John M. Clayton, of Delaware, also thought a university was in- 

 tended by Smithson. 



Mr. John 0. Calhoun, of South Carolina, was of opinion that the dona- 

 tion was made expressly to the United States, and that "it was beneath 

 their dignity to receive presents of this kind from any one." 



Mr. Samuel L. Southard, of New Jersey, advocated the measure, as 

 he thought Congress had the unquestionable right to establish a national 

 university. 



Mr. James Buchanan, of Pennsylvania, believed that Congress had 

 the power to receive and apply this money to the purposes intended by 

 the testator, without involving the question whether it was for a univer- 

 sity or not. 



Mr. Robert J. Walker, of Mississippi, advocated the bill as a measure 

 of justice to the city of Washington. 



Mr. John Davis, of Massachusetts, argued that the Senators were mis- 

 taken who assumed that Smithson intended his bequest to establish a 

 university. This word was not to be found in the will, and there were 

 other means for diffusing knowledge besides the one referred to. Ho 

 deemed the establishment of institutions for the promotion of knowl- 

 edge a vital principle of republican government. 



After a somewhat protracted debate the resolutions were finally passed 

 on the 2d of May, 183G, by a vote of 31 to 7, and on the 25th of June 

 they were again passed in the shape of a bill as it had come from the 

 House of Eepresentatives. 



The message of the President was referred in the House, on the 2lst of 

 December, 1835, to a special committee, consisting of ]\Ir. John Quincy 

 Adams, of Massachusetts, Mr. Francis Thomas, of Maryland, IMr. James 

 Garland, of Virginia, Mr. D. J. Pearce, of Ehode Island, Mr. Jesse 

 Speight, of North Carolina, Mr. Thomas M. T. McKennan, of Pennsyl- 

 vania, Mr. E. A. Hannegan, of Indiana, Mr. Rice Garland, of Louisiana, 

 and Mr. G. H. Chapin, of New York. In this committee great opposi- 

 tion was manifested at first to the acceptance of the bequest, but this 

 yielded to the arguments and persuasion of the distinguished chairman, 

 Mr. John Q. Adams. A bill was accordingly reported, directing the Pres- 

 ident to appoint an agent to assert and prosecute for and in behalf of 

 the United States iu the court of chancery, England, the legacy be- 

 queathed by James Smithson. The agent was to give bonds in $500,000 

 for the faithful performance of the duties imposed upon him. The Treas- 

 urer of the United States was to take charge of and keep safely all the 

 money received on account of the bequest, and " the faith of the United 

 States was solemnly pledged that the fund should be applied for the 

 purpose of founding and endowing at Washington, under the name of 

 the Smithsonian Institution, an establishment for the increase and diffu- 



