PHILOSOPHICAL SOCIETY OP WASHINGTON. 285 



This interesting digest presents one of the earh'est and clearest 

 theoretical statements we have, of the correlation and transforma- 

 tion of the physical forces ; including with these the so-called 

 organic forces. 



ADMINISTRATION OF THE SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION. 



By an Act of Congress approved August 10, 1846, the liberal 

 bequest to the United IStates, for the promotion of Science, by 

 James Smitlison of London, England, was appropriated to the 

 foundation of the Institution bearing his name ; the establish- 

 ment being made to comprise the chief dignitaries of the Govern- 

 ment as the supervising body, and a Board of Regents being 

 created for conducting the business of the Institution after com- 

 pleting its organization. As the testator had bequeathed his 

 fortune,* in simple terms "for the increase and diffusion of 

 knowledge among men," there arose riot unnaturally a great 

 diversity of opinion both among Congressmen, and among the 

 Regents, as to the most desirable method of executing the pur- 

 pose of the Will : and the organizing Act was itself a sort of 

 compromise, after many years of discussion and disagreement in 

 both branches of Congress. To literary men, no instrument of 

 knowledge could be so important as an extensive Library : — to 

 the professional, a seat of education or public instruction — general 

 or special — supplemented by elaborate courses of public lectures, 

 appeared the obvious and necessary means of diffusing useful 

 learning, — to the " practical," a large agricultural and poly- 

 technic institute — supplemented perhaps by a museum, was the 

 only fitting plan of developing the resources of our country : — 

 to t;he artistic, extensive galleries of art were the most worthy 

 and instructive objects of patronage. The Regents sought 

 counsel from the distinguished and the learned : and several of 

 them applied to Professor Henry for his opinion. He gave the 

 subject a careful consideration ; and announced very decided 

 views. As Sraithson was a man of scientific culture, a Fellow 

 of the Royal Society, an expert analytical chemist, and devoted 

 to original research, Henry held that the language of his Will 

 must receive its most accurate and scientific and at the same 

 time most comprehensive interpretation ; that the words " in- 

 crease and diffusion of knowledge among men" were deliberately 

 and intelligently employed ; and that no local or even national 

 interests were as broad as its terms, — that no merely educational 

 projects of whatever character, no schemes of material and 

 practical advancement however useful, could justly be regarded 

 as fulfilling the obvious intent — expressed by a scientific thinker 



* The whole amount of the bequest was a trifle over 100,000 pounds, 

 or about 540,000 dollars. 



59 



