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of other planets— than what roll over us in northern skies; learned new 
languages and customs among tribes of the Pacific ; and gathered up all 
which is curious, interesting, or useful in the whole, and published them 
to mankind, with great care and expense, as national contributions to 
science, no less than commerce, both for us and the world. Nor has the 
government been slow to avail itself of the intelligence of the votaries of 
science in various other ways — such as the geological surveys of some of 
the public domain, to ascertain and increase its value; the astronomical 
observations and base lines to fix doubtful latitudes and longitudes, so as 
to settle boundaries, and save millions of treasure and life from ship- 
wreck; the accuracy and uniformity of all the weights and measures, 
both State and national, so as to secure exact justice as well as a proper 
revenue; and the publication widely among the community, for the 
common benefit, of many of the results of such scientific efforts, and 
especially of the numerous local surveys of harbors, roads, and rivers ;, 
the explorations of the mineral treasures of our public lands, and the ex- 
periments so interesting, by Johnson, on the useful qualities of many 
descriptions of our coal, and by the Franklin Institute and others, on the 
best methods of guarding against explosions of steam. 
In short, the Government, as a government, having a deep interest in 
every improvement connected with its own operations, has gone still 
farther, and liberally rewarded several scientific men merely for such 
improvements. This has been the case for valuable inventions as to 
gun carriages, locks for cannon, the form of the rifle, and machinery for 
turning the gun-stock, as well as making of a similar size the various 
parts of different arms. To these have been added large appropriations 
for testing, no less than publishing, the plans before referred to, to in- 
crease public security in the use of steam, and ascertain the qualities of 
different kinds of coal ; and beside these, for trying fulty — what has 
seized on the public mind so strongly — the practicability of the electro- 
magnetic telegraph. 
The public usage, if not sound theory, in aiding this whole subject* 
seems to have been settled with some commendable liberality, and with 
much more uniformity than many suppose. 
Our Government, though one of limited powers, and in my view re- 
quiring the grant of them to be strictly construed, yet, in carrying out 
what is expressly granted, and in legislating for matters within the Dis- 
trict of Columbia, where its jurisdiction is exclusive, has been accustom- 
ed, under all administrations, to do every thing in discharge of its duties 
