1848.] Miscellaneous, 155 



I lost no time in sending it to my house, but, alas ! not before the 

 inscription was nearly erased. Such as the fragment was then how- 

 ever, i. e. iu 1843, it is now; for I have preserved the stone with much 

 care, and shall have much pleasure in sending it for your museum, 

 having failed in establishing one, as I hoped to have done, in Singa- 

 pore. I am happy in thus far meeting your wishes, and in assuring 

 you that I shall always be ready to forward the views of the Asiatic 

 Society." 



3. — Extract of a letter from Professor Henry, to Dr. O'Shaughnessy. 



" I have for some time past been able to do but little in the way of 

 science, my time, during the present year, has been completely absorbed 

 in the organization of an Institution lately established in Washington, 

 by the munificent request of the late James Smithson, of England. 



Smithson was the illegitimate son of the Duke of Northumberland, 

 and in his day was considered a chemist of some merit. He was a 

 frequent contributor to the transactions of the Royal Society and to 

 the pages of the Philosophical Magazine. He died at Genoa in 1829, 

 leaving all his property, in case of the death of his nephew, to the 

 United States, to found at Washington (such are his words) an esta- 

 blishment under the name of the Smithsonian Institution for the In- 

 crease and Diffusion of knowledge among men. The money (500,000 

 dollars) came into the Treasury of the United States about 8 years ago, 

 but Congress could not agree on any proposition for the organization of 

 the Institution until last year, when an act was passed giving some 

 general directions and placing the Institution under the care of a 

 Board of Regents. This Board chose me the Secretary, or active 

 executive officer, of the Institution ; and they adopted, provisionally, 

 the plan of organization of which you will find a programme in the 

 package I send you. 



I suppose you receive all the Journals and keep yourself posted up, 

 in a knowledge of all the discoveries of science. One of the most won- 

 derful additions to medicine is the effect of the inhalation of ether. I 

 send you a pamphlet on the history of this discovery, made by an ac- 

 quaintance of mine, Dr. Jackson of Boston. Some of the effects would 

 appear to be similar to those of your extract of hemp. 



