The placement of the garden at its present site, he ex- 

 plained, was made "with the expectation that it would be- 

 come an ornamental appendage to the Capitol, and that 

 under the eye of Congress they would be induced to foster 

 it." Whether it became such an "ornament or deformity" 

 largely depended upon the plan the Institute pursued in im- 

 proving the site. Subsequently, the "deformity" cited by the 

 Commissioner was found to be far less serious than origi- 

 nally thought and was quickly corrected. 13 



Plant Collection and Distribution 



Meanwhile, the Institute embarked on a far-reaching effort 

 to broaden its various collections. In March 1826, a three- 

 member committee was appointed to meet with the heads 

 of the various government departments and solicit their sup- 

 port in having our Nation's foreign representatives send the 

 Institute "all subjects of natural history that may be 

 deemed interesting." 14 



Three months later, a committee was appointed to pre- 

 pare a report on collecting and preserving animal, vegeta- 

 ble, and mineral specimens. 15 That September, Secretary of 

 the Treasury Richard Rush, an active Institute member, pre- 

 pared a circular letter emphasizing President John Quincy 

 Adams' personal interest in seeing our representatives 

 throughout the world assist in bringing to the United States 

 any foreign tree or plant that might, with proper cultivation, 

 become useful to the American people. Accompanying 

 Rush's letter was "Directions for Putting Up and Transmit- 

 ting Seeds and Plants," prepared by Dr. James M. Staughton, 

 a longtime member of the Institute 16 



Both documents were sent to: (1) each Member of Con- 

 gress with a request for them to send copies to constituents 

 who might aid the botanic garden; (2) the Secretary of State 

 for transmittal to each diplomat and commercial agent of 



13 Rathbun, The Columbian Institute, pp. 44-45. See also Minutes of 

 the Columbian Institute, July 2, 1827, p. 259; August 13, 1827, p. 261; and 

 November 5, 1827, pp. 272-273. 



14 Minutes of the Columbian Institute, March 4, 1826, p. 206. 



15 Ibid., May 13, 1826, p. 218. 



16 A copy of Secretary Rush's letter and Staughton's instructions appear 

 in Introduction of Foreign Plants and Seeds, National Intelligencer, 

 November 17, 1827, p. 2. Both documents are reproduced in Appendix 1. 



7 



