PHILOSOPHICAL SOCIETY OF WASHINGTON. 313 



Scientific Observatories. — One of the objects very dear to 

 Henry's heart, was the establishment of a physical observatory 

 (with a physical laboratory in connection) for the systematic 

 observation and record of important points in celestial and 

 terrestrial physics. For the proper maintenance of such an 

 establishment, he thought an income as large as that of the 

 Smithson fund, would not be too large : and on two diflferent 

 occasions he endeavored to enlist the interest of wealthy and 

 public-spirited citizens in such an enterprise. One of these 

 was Mr. McCormick of Virginia ; and a letter on the subject 

 was afterward printed (without its address) in the Report for 

 18T0.* The other was Mr. Lick of California; who after some 

 hesitation, decided in favor of an astronomical observatory. 

 Another allied object of great interest to Henry — and one re- 

 quiring as large an endowment — was a well-equipped chemical 

 laboratory, in which — under judicious restrictions — those really 

 engaged in original researches, should have liberal facilities of 

 appliances and needed materials, furnished them. He considered 

 that an important part of the work to be accomplished by a 

 physical and chemical laboratory, would be the determination 

 and tabulation of " The Constants of Nature and Art" with a 

 much wider range of subject, and on a scale of much greater 

 completeness and accuracy, than had heretofore been attempted: 

 and thus might be realized the great work or works of reference, 

 suggested by Babbage as a scientific desideratum.-\ Had the 

 Smithsonian fund been twice as large as it is, both these great 

 enterprises for the increase of knowledge, would undoubtedly 

 have been successfully inaugurated by Henry. 



Loss by Fire. — Early in the year 1865, (on the 24th day of 

 January,) the central portion of the Smithsonian Building suf- 

 fered from a disastrous fire, the effects of which were aggravated 

 by the extreme severity of the winter cold, which greatly obstructed 

 the efficiency of the engines brought into action. | " The progress 

 of the fire was so rapid, that but few of the contents of the upper 

 rooms could be removed before the roof fell in. The conflagration 



wrote : " I shall show that I am not indebted to him for any discovery in 

 science, bearing on tlie Telegraph:" (p. 9,) — it may be confidently 

 assumed from his known but singular nnfamiliarity with scientific litera- 

 ture, that equally in either case he but echoed the promptings of others, 

 and equally in either case in entire ignorance of the real facts. To his 

 dying day, he probably sincerely failed to appi'ehend the nature of his 

 indebtedness to Henry. 



* Smithsonian Report for 1870, pp. 141-144. 



t Smithsonian Report for 1856, pp. 289-302. 



t The accident resulted from the carelessness of some workmen in the 

 upper picture gallery, who in temporarily setting up a stove, inserted the 

 pipe through a wall-lining into a furring space (supposing it a flue), but 

 which conducted directly under the rafters of the roof. 



87 



