DISCOURSE OF W. B. TAYLOR: NOTES. 411 



institution witli a botanical garden, natural-history cabinet, library, 

 laboratory, lecture-rooms aijd professorships, Mr. Choate in opj)o- 

 sition to the plan, on, January 8, 1845, contended that "we cannot 

 do a safer, surer, more unexceptionable thing with the income, or 

 Avith a portion of the income — (perhaps twenty thousand dollars 

 a year for a few years,) than to expend it in accumulating a grand 

 and noble public library; one which for variety, extent, and wealth, 

 shall be confessed to be equal to any now in the world. Twenty 

 thousand dollars a year for twenty-five years, are five hundred 

 thousand dollars." And he offered as a substitute section, " that a 

 sum not less than , 20,000 dollars be annually expended of the 

 interest of the fund aforesaid, in the purchase of books." * This 

 proposition however was not adopted. 



In the House of Representatives, the Hon. Robert Dale Owen — 

 chairman of a special committee on the subject, presented a bill 

 February 28, and April 22, 1846, establishing a normal educational 

 institution; a feature strongly opposed by Hon. John Q. Adams, 

 and on the 29th of April, 1846, stricken out. On the same day, 

 Hon. Bradford R. Wood moved as an amendment "that the sum 

 of 20,000 dollars of the interest of said fund be and is hereby 

 appropriated annually for the purchase or publication of a library." 

 A substitute bill presented by Hon. William J. Hough on the same 

 day, provided among various specifications, for an appropriation from 

 the interest of ..the fund — ''not exceeding an average of 25,000 

 dollars annually for the gradual formation of a library." Which 

 bill was adopted, f This act passed the Senate, and became a law, 

 August 10, 1846. 



This organic Act of Congress provided (in sect. 3) a directorship 

 for the Institution, to consist of fifteen Regents, — six of whom 

 should be members of Congress, selected equally from the two 

 chambers; and (in sect. 9) authorized the said managers "to make 

 such disposal as they shall deem best suited for the promotion of 

 the purposes of the testator," — of any income not appropriated or 

 required by the provisions of the act. 



The Board of Regents, after considerable discussion, by resolu- 

 tion adopted January 26, 1847, apportioned one-half of the annual 

 income (exclusive of building expenses) to the purpose of forming 

 a library and museum, and one-half for the publication of original 

 researches and for the support of public lectures. This compromise 

 between contending parties, by no means satisfied the judgment of 

 the Secretary. In his first report to the Regents, presented Decem- 



* The Smithsonian Institution: Documents relative to its Origin and History. 

 Edited bj' William J. Rhees. (Smith. Mis. Coll. No. 328,) pp. 262, 312, and 320. 

 t The Smithsonian Institution. By W. J. Rhees. Pp. 355, 366, 462-'4, 469-173. 



