from its members, and six citizens at large, appointed by a joint resolution of both Houses. To this Board is given the power of electing a Secretary and other officers, for conducting the active operations of the Institution.

Much diversity of opinion existed as to the plan of organization. The act of Congress establishing the Institution, directed, as a part of the plan, the formation of a library, a museum, and a gallery of arts, together with provisions for physical research and popular lectures, leaving to the Regents the power of adopting such other parts of the organization as they might deem best suited for the promotion of the purposes of the testator.

After much deliberation, the Regents resolved to divide the annual income, thirty thousand nine hundred and fifty dollars, into two equal parts: one part to be devoted to the increase and diffusion of knowledge by means of original research and publications; the other half of the income to be applied, in accordance with the requirements of the act of Congress, to the gradual formation of a library, a museum, and a gallery of art.

They were led to this distribution and the adoption of the annexed programme by the following considerations, principally deduced from the will of Smithson:

1. The bequest is for the benefit of mankind. The Government of the United States is merely a trustee to carry out the design of the

testator.

2. The Institution is not a national establishment, as is frequently supposed, but the establishment of an individual, and is to bear and perpetuate his name.

3. The objects of the Institution are-first, to increase, and second, to diffuse knowledge among men.

4. These two objects should not be confounded with one another. The first is to increase the existing stock of knowledge by the addition of new truths; and the second to disseminate knowledge thus increased among men.

5. The will makes no restriction in favour of any particular kind of knowledge; hence all branches are entitled to a share of attention. 6. Knowledge can be increased by different methods of facilitating and promoting the discovery of new truths, and can be most efficiently diffused among men by means of the press.

7. To effect the greatest amount of good, the organization should be such as to enable the Institution to produce results in the way of

increasing and diffusing knowledge which cannot be produced by the existing institutions in our country.

8. The organization should also be such as can be adopted provisionally, can be easily reduced to practice, receive modifications, or be abandoned, in whole or in part, without a sacrifice of the funds.

9. In order to make up for the loss of time occasioned by the delay of eight years in establishing the Institution, a considerable portion of the interest which has accrued should be added to the principal.

10. In proportion to the wide field of knowledge to be cultivated, the funds are small. Economy should therefore be consulted in the construction of the building; and not only the first cost of the edifice should be considered, but also the continual expense of keeping it in repair, and of the support of the establishment necessarily connected with it. There should also be but few individuals permanently supported by the Institution.

11. The plan and dimensions of the building should be determined by the plan of the organization, and not the converse.

12. It should be recollected that mankind in general are to be benefited by the bequest, and that, therefore, all unnecessary expenditure on local objects would be a perversion of the trust.

13. Besides the foregoing considerations, deduced immediately from the will of Smithson, regard must be had to certain requirements of the act of Congress establishing the Institution: namely, a library, a museum, and a gallery of art, with a building on a liberal scale to contain them.

The following are the details of the two parts of the general plan of organization provisionally adopted at the meeting of the Regents, December 8th, 1847, and is now in the process of being carried into execution:

DETAILS OF THE FIRST PART OF THE PLAN.

I. To increase Knowledge, it is proposed to stimulate research by offering rewards, consisting of money, medals, etc., for original memoirs on all subjects of investigation.

1. The memoirs thus obtained to be published in a series of volumes, in a quarto form, and entitled Smithsonian Contributions to Knowledge.

2. No memoir, on subjects of physical science, to be accepted for publication, which does not furnish a positive addition to human knowledge, resting on original research; and all unverified speculations to be rejected.

3. Each memoir presented to the Institution, to be submitted for examination to a commission of persons of reputation for learning in the branch to which the memoir pertains; and to be accepted for publication only in case the report of this commission is favourable.

4. The commission to be chosen by the officers of the Institution, and the name of the author, as far as practicable, conceded, unless a favourable decision be made.

5. The volumes of the Memoirs to be exchanged for the transactions of literary and scientific societies, and copies to be given to all the colleges and principal libraries in this country. One part of the remaining copies may be offered for sale, and the other carefully preserved, to form complete sets of the work, to supply the demand from new institutions.

6. An abstract, or popular account of the contents of these Memoirs to be given to the public through the Annual Report of the Regents to Congress.

II. To increase Knowledge, it is also proposed to appropriate a portion of the income, annually, to special objects of research, under the direction of suitable persons.

1. The objects and the amount appropriated to be recommended by counsellors of the Institution.

2. Appropriations in different years to be made to different objects, so that, in course of time, each branch of knowledge may receive a share.

3. The results obtained from these appropriations to be published, with the Memoirs before mentioned, in the volumes of the Smithsonian Contributions to Knowledge.

4. Examples of objects for which appropriations may be made: (1.) System of extending meteorological observations for solving the problem of American storms.

(2.) Explorations in descriptive natural history, and geological, magnetical, and topographical surveys, to collect materials for the formation of a Physical Atlas of the United States.

(3.) Solution of experimental problems, such as a new determination of the weight of the earth, of the velocity of electricity, and of light; chemical analyses of soils and plants; collection and publication of articles of science, accumulated in the offices of government. (4.) Institution of statistical inquiries with reference to physical, moral, and political subjects.

(5.) Historical researches and accurate surveys of places celebrated in American history.

(6.) Ethnological researches, particularly with reference to the different races of men in North America; also, explorations and accurate surveys of the mounds and other remains of the ancient people of our country.

I. To diffuse Knowledge, it is proposed to publish a Series of Reports, giving an account of the new discoveries in science, and of the changes made from year to year in all branches of Knowledge not strictly professional.

1. Some of these reports may be published annually, others at longer intervals, as the income of the Institution or the changes in the branches of knowledge may indicate.

2. The reports are to be prepared by collaborators eminent in the different branches of knowledge.

3. Each collaborator to be furnished with the journals and publications, domestic and foreign, necessary to the compilation of his report; to be paid a certain sum for his labours, and to be named on the title page of the report.

4. The reports to be published in separate parts, so that persons interested in a particular branch, can procure the parts relating to it without purchasing the whole.

5. These reports may be presented to Congress for partial distribution, the remaining copies to be given to literary and scientific institutions, and sold to individuals for a moderate price.

The following are some of the subjects which may be embraced in the reports.

I. PHYSICAL CLASS.

1. Physics, including astronomy, natural philosophy, chemistry, and meteorology.

2. Natural history, including botany, zoology, geology, &c.

3. Agriculture.

4. Application of science to arts.

II. MORAL AND POLITICAL CLASS.

5. Ethnology, including particular history, comparative philology, antiquities, &c.

6. Statistics and political economy.

7. Mental and moral philosophy.

8. A survey of the political events of the world, penal reform, &c.

III. LITERATURE AND THE FINE ARTS.

9. Modern literature.

10. The fine arts, and their application to the useful arts.

11. Bibliography.

12. Obituary notices of distinguished individuals.

II. To diffuse Knowledge it is proposed to publish, occasionally, separate treatises on subjects of general interest.

1. These treatises may occasionally consist of valuable memoirs translated from foreign languages, or of articles prepared under the direction of the Institution, or procured by offering premiums for the best exposition of a given subject.

2. The treatises should, in all cases, be submitted to a commission of competent judges, previous to their publication.

DETAILS OF THE SECOND PART OF THE PLAN OF ORGANIZATION.

This part contemplates the formation of a library, a museum, and a gallery of art.

1. To carry out the plan before described, a library will be required, consisting, 1st, of a complete collection of the transactions and proceedings of all the learned sciences in the world; 2d, of the more important current periodical publications, and other works necessary in preparing the periodical reports.

2. The Institution should make special collections, particularly of objects to verify its own publications. Also, a collection of instruments for research in all branches of experimental science.

3. With reference to the collection of books, other than those mentioned above, catalogues of all the different libraries in the United States should be procured, in order that the valuable books, first purchased, may be such as are not to be found in the United States. 4. Also, catalogues of memoirs and of books in foreign libraries, and other materials, should be collected for rendering the Institution a centre of bibliographical knowledge, whence the student may be directed to any work which he may require.

5. It is believed that the collection in natural history will increase by donation as rapidly as the income of the Institution can make provision for their reception, and, therefore, it will seldom be necessary to purchase any articles of this kind.