THE NATIONAL INSTITUTION. 
91 
1841.] 
them from presiding over your meetings when they shall think proper; and I have 
no doubt that on great occasions you will hardly ever fail seeing at least one of them 
at your head. The temporary accommodations afforded you by Mr. Webster do 
great honor to his head and to his heart. They show that he loves science for its 
sake, and that he is animated by the spirit of the age we live in. You are under a 
very great obligation to him, for, in the present state of your finances, I do not see 
how you could have gone on without that most opportune aid, at the time when 
future success depends in a great measure upon economy. 
I feel the same pleasure in observing that you have placed the learned and ven¬ 
erable J. Q. Adams at the head of your list of actual directors. Minerva herself 
could not have inspired you better. 
You still want a capital to your Corinthian edifice. By the constitution of the 
American Philosophical Society, the Governor of the State, for the time being, is 
ex officio the patron of that Institution. Why could you not adopt a similar rule ? 
None deserve that honor more than our present Chief Magistrate. At the end of his 
term each President would, of course, leave the patronage over your Institution to 
his successor, but, in consequence of having filled that dignified station, he would 
remain an honorary member, ipso facto, and without a special election. In our Phi¬ 
losophical Society we have no honorary members, therefore our Governor, at the 
end of his term, falls into the ranks of a private citizen, and ceases to be connected 
with our Society, unless he was before a member of it. But you can do better in 
the manner which I have taken the liberty to propose. 
In my last letter, I expressed to you my strong hopes of the ultimate success of 
your noble Institution. Permit me now to express to you the grounds on which 
that hope is founded. You have called all the nation to your aid, and it will 
answer your call. The example will be given by the numerous host of persons 
employed in the service of the Federal Government. All the civil and military 
officers, by sea and land, the Army and Navy, the Civil and Military Engineers, the 
Diplomatic and Consular agents, those amongst the Indians and elsewhere, those 
employed in exploring expeditions at home and abroad, and not only those, but all 
aspiring young men and others, through our vast extent of territory, who shall wish 
to make their names conspicuous and attract the notice of the Government, will 
vie with each other to send you their communications, by which they will hope 
places and honors at home and fame abroad, and no doubt many of them will suc¬ 
ceed. These are the grounds of my hopes, and you will agree with me, I believe, 
that they are not altogether imaginary. 
There is another class of citizens to which I would draw your attention—I mean 
that of Americans residing or travelling in Europe and other parts of the world. 
That class is very numerous; it consists, for the greatest part, of young men who 
go abroad to pursue different studies, and of travellers, many of whom go from 
home for the sake of instruction. That class, 1 believe, may be very useful to your 
rising Institution. What if your worthy Px*esident were to address them a kind of 
pastoral letter, explaining to them our objects, and requesting their aid ? That pa, 
per might be printed in a small pamphlet and sent for distribution to all diplomatic 
and consular agents in Europe. I find that you have named Mr. Poinsett to that 
office; he can now serve you only from a distance, and that is precisely a task that 
he will undertake with pleasure and execute with effect. 
No. 2. 4 
