ESTABLISHMENT OF A NATIONAL BOTANIC GABDEN. 149 



In his report to Congress of December 21, 1836, the commissioner 

 of public buildings, Maj. William Xoland, stated that " the extension 

 of the Capitol Square as far west as First Street has engaged much 

 of my attention, and, though the work has been retarded for the want 

 of materials, the whole inclosure will be completed by the last of 

 March." And also, "A part of the materials have been purchased 

 for conveying the surplus water of the Capitol to the Botanic Garden, 

 making a basin, and purchasing a fountain of Hiram Powers; but 

 owing to the failure on the part of the contractor to comply with 

 his contract the work will not be finished before the month of May." 

 It is doubtful from the wording both of the act and of the commis- 

 sioner's report where the basin and fountain were intended to be 

 placed, though they seem clearly to have been associated with the 

 garden. It is certain, however, that the site of the garden was 

 never embellished by a fountain of Hiram Powers, and these im- 

 provements were evidently designed for Capitol Square. 



The civil and diplomatic act for 1837 provided an additional ap- 

 propriation of $10,000 for the enlargement and improvement of the 

 Capitol Grounds, in regard to which the Commissioner of Public 

 Buildings reported on December 15 of that year that, " The extend- 

 ing of Capitol Square to First Street west has been completed, so 

 far as was contemplated by the appropriation of March last, with 

 the exception of a part of the center footway, which has been left in 

 an unfinished state for the want of materials, the contractor having 

 failed to send on the requisite supply of flagging." 



From a contemporary account published in 1837 or 1838 we learn 

 that a stone wall surmounted by an iron railing had been built 

 around Capitol Square, and a reservoir, with a jet d'ea.uj one of the 

 early projects of the institute, had been introduced. The two broad 

 walks or approaches replacing Pennsylvania and Maryland Avenues 

 within the new area of the square were in course of construction, and 

 the laying out of gardens and the planting of trees and flowers were 

 well under way. John Sessford, writing for 1838, stated that : 



The grounds west of the Capitol, under the direction of the commissioner 

 and superintendence of the public gardener, have been improved tastefully 

 and produce a fine effect. Connected with this should be inclosed the grounds 

 west of First Street to Third Street for a botanic garden. — National Intelli- 

 gencer, January 4, 1839. 



Subsequent provisions by Government for the care of living plants. — 

 Five or six years after the abandonment of the botanic garden of the 

 Columbian Institute the Government was called upon to provide for 

 its own use like, though not identical, accommodations. The collec- 

 tions of the United States exploring expedition to the South Seas, 

 1838-1840, deposited at the Patent Office as received in Washington, 

 included a large quantity of living plants and seeds. For a short 

 period in the care of the National Institution, the Joint Committee 

 of Congress on the Library, in July, 1843, appointed the Commis- 

 sioner of Patents, Mr. Ellsworth, to the custodianship of all Govern- 

 ment collections in that building, and in August placed Capt. Charles; 

 Wilkes in special charge of the gatherings of the exploring expedi- 

 tion. Mr. William D. Brackenridge, who had been the horticulturist 

 and assistant botanist of the expedition, was retained in charge of the 

 botanical specimens. In a report to Curator Charles Pickering, of 



186037— 20— pt- 2 7 



