The following is a list of the Titles of Lectures given before the Institution during the last session of Congress, with the names of the distinguished gentlemen by whom they were delivered:

A single lecture on Holland, by the Rev. Dr. George W. Bethune] of Brooklyn, New York.

A course of lectures on the Relations of Time and Space, the Vastness of the Visible Creation, and the Primordial Arrangement of Existing Systems; by Professor Stephen Alexander, of Princeton, New Jersey.

A course of lectures on Science applied to Agriculture; by Professor J. F. W. Johnston, of the University of Durham, England.

Two lectures, one on the Tendencies of Modern Science, and the other on the Spirit of the Age; by the Rt. Rev. Bishop Alonzo Potter, of Pennsylvania.

One lecture on the Ability of the Individual to Promote Knowledge; by the Rev. John Hall, of Trenton, New Jersey.

A course of lectures on the Unity of the plan of the Animal Creation; by Professor Louis Agassiz, of Cambridge, Massachusetts.

A course of lectures on the Tides of the Ocean and their Geological Relations; by Lieutenant Charles Henry Davis, of the United States navy.

A course of lectures on Marine Algæ or Sea Weeds, and also on the Morphology of the Vegetable Kingdom; by Professor William H. Harvey, of the University of Dublin, Ireland.

Two lectures, one on the Origin and Growth of the Union during the Colonial Period, and the other on some points of the History and Peculiarities of the English Language; by Professor Henry Reed, of the University of Pennsylvania.

A course of lectures on the Chemical Operations of Nature; by Professor Lewis C. Beck, of Rutgers College, New Jersey.

The first part of a general course, giving an exposition of the Dynamical Phenomena of Geology; by Professor Henry D. Rogers, of Boston.

Whatever may have been the effect of these lectures in the way of diffusing knowledge, it is evident, from the character of the men by whom they were delivered, that they presented truths intended to elevate and improve the moral and intellectual condition of the hearers.

All of which is respectfully submitted:

JOSEPH HENRY,

Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution.

FIFTH ANNUAL REPORT

Of the Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution, for the year 1851.

To the Board of Regents of the Smithsonian Institution:

GENTLEMEN: Besides the care of all the property of the Institution, and the responsibility of the direction of its operations, under the control of the Regents, the Secretary is required to give an account, at their annual session, of the condition of the Institution, and of its transac tions during the preceding year.

In the discharge of this duty on the present occasion, I am happy to inform the Regents, that the Institution under their care is still in a prosperous condition, and that since their last meeting it has continued silently, but effectually, to enlarge the sphere of its influence and usefulness, and to elicit from every part of the civilized world commendations, not only of the plan of organization it has adopted, but also of the results it has produced.

In my last Report I gave a brief account of the means employed to increase the income, so that in addition to the requirements of Congress in regard to the formation of a library and a museum, and the erection of a building on a liberal scale, operations of a more active character could be incorporated into the plan of organization.

During the past year the same policy has been observed; and though the officers of the Institution have been subjected to the inconvenience of transacting business in an unfinished building, and in rooms not intended for the purpose, yet this has been considered of minor importance in comparison with the saving of the funds. Every dollar now expended on the building lessens the amount of accruing interest, and diminishes the means of producing results which are to affect the world at large; hence the importance of an adherence to the plan of finishing it by degrees. Since the last session of the Board, it has, therefore, not been thought advisable to urge the contractor to a rapid completion of his work, and all the expenditures on account of the building have been made from the accrued interest of the current year, and from a portion of that of the year preceding. There is, consequently, still on hand the two hundred thousand dollars of accumulated interest mentioned in the last and preceding reports. Of this, it will be recollected, $50,000 are to be applied towards finishing the building, and the remainder,to be invested as part of the principal.

The importance of increasing the funds and of gradually developing the operations embraced in the programme, was set forth in the last report. The Institution, it is to be hoped, is not one of a day, but is to endure as long as our government shall last; it is therefore necessary, in the beginning, that we should constantly look to the future, and guard against the temptation, to which we are continually exposed, of expanding too rapidly.

By a resolution of the board, at their session in 1849, the Secretary was directed to petition Congress to take from the Institution $150,000,

and such other sums, not exceeding in all $200,000, as may have been or shall be received in accruing interest or otherwise, upon the same terms as those on which the original bequest had been accepted. This petition was referred to a committee and favorably reported upon; but unfortunately the press of business prevented Congress from acting upon it at their last session. The petition will again be renewed; and it is believed that so reasonable a request will meet with a favorable reception. It is, however, thought important that the amount should be increased, and that the sum of $250,000 be inserted in the petition, instead of that named in the resolution.

In addition to the $150,000 which the Regents thus seek to invest, there is still a portion of the original legacy remaining in England, as the principal of an annuity settled upon Madame De la Batut, the mother of the nephew of Smithson, to whom the property was originally bequeathed. Besides this, I am informed, upon good authority, that the Institution is the contingent legatee of an estate of considerable magnitude, depending on the demise without issue of a single individual. We may also reasonably expect that if the affairs of the Institution are properly conducted, and its funds judiciously husbanded or properly expended on the legitimate objects of the bequest, other trusts will be committed to its care. It therefore becomes important that the limit should be at least $250,000, so that the whole sum, including the original bequest, shall amount to a little more than $750,000. There can surely be no just grounds of fear that the income of this sum will be devoted to improper uses, so long as it is an essential part of the plan to produce fruits, the value of which can be judged by all who are capable of appreciating the advance of knowledge. This request is also in accordance with the policy adopted by the Institution of asking nothing from Congress but the safe keeping of its funds, and the appointment to its Board of Regents of gentlemen of intelligence and high moral principles.

The government has thus far liberally fulfilled the obligations which it imposed upon itself in accepting the trust. Not only has the original sum been permanently invested in the treasury of the United States, but interest has been allowed from the time of receiving the funds. Congress has also made several donations to the Institution, which, though they will not prove as valuable to us as could be wished, indicate a liberal intention. The first gift was the great museum of the Exploring Expedition, for the accommodation of which the larger portion of the present building was originally intended; the second was a grant of nineteen acres of land surrounding the building of the Institution; the third, a copy of every book published in the United States for which a copyright might be granted; the fourth and last gift was that of all the plates, manuscripts, &c., of the Exploring Expedition, for the purpose of publishing a new edition for distribution.

These donations, though made with kindly feelings and in a spirit of liberality, have proved singularly unprofitable. The maintenance of the museum of the Exploring Expedition would subject the Institution to an annual expense which would materially interfere with more important operations. After expending several thousand dollars on the improvement of the grounds, it has been deemed best to return

them to the charge of the general government. Were the copyright act fully complied with, perhaps some benefit might accrue from it to the Institution; but in the manner in which it is at present observed, the expense of postage and of clerk hire in recording the titles and furnishing the certificates of deposit, has more than equalled the value to us of all the books received. Lastly, it has been estimated that the publication of a new edition of the expensive volumes of the results of the Exploring Expedition would cost at least fifty thousand dollars. Fortunately, it has not been considered obligatory on the Institution, except in the case of the copyright law, to accept these gifts.

Publication of Memoirs.

Since the adoption of the plan of organization, nearly fifty original memoirs, purporting to be additions to the sum of human knowledge, have been presented to the Institution for publication. Though a number of these have been returned to their authors, principally on account of not falling within the restricted class of communications accepted for publication, yet they have generally been productions of much merit, and have evinced a surprising activity of mind, and manifest a growing attention in this country to original research. The probable success of this part of the plan of organization was not overrated; for, were the whole income of the Institution devoted alone to publishing the results of the labors of men of literature and of science, which otherwise would never see the light, it could be profitably expended. In this respect, the Smithsonian bequest supplies the wants which in Europe are met by richly endowed academies and national societies.

It will be recollected that each memoir is printed separately, and with a separate title and paging, so that it can be distributed to persons most interested in its perusal as soon as it comes from the press, without waiting for the completion of the volume to which it belongs. In this way, the author is enabled to present a full account of his discoveries to the world with the least possible delay; while, by the rules of the Institution, he is allowed to publish an abstract of his paper in the proceedings of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, or in those of any other properly organized society.

The number of copies of the Smithsonian Contributions distributed is greater than that of the transactions of any scientific or literary society; and therefore the Institution offers the best medium to be found for diffusing a knowledge of scientific discoveries.

Every memoir published by the Institution is issued with the stamp of approval of a commission of competent judges: and in order to secure a cautious and candid opinion, the name of the author, and those of the examiners, are not made known to each other unless a favorable report is given; and, in this case, the names of the commission are printed, as vouchers for the character of the memoir, on the reverse of the titlepage.

This plan secures an untrammelled expression of opinion, while it induces caution on account of the responsibility which it involves.

Besides deciding on the fitness of original memoirs for publication, the Institution is continually applied to for information relative to almost

every department of literature and science. Respectful attention is always given to these applications; and when the desired answer does not fall within the line of study of any officer of the Institution, it is sought for from those in whose knowledge and judgment we have full confidence. No inconsiderable portion of time is occupied in giving the information involved in the answers to these inquiries; but I am happy to inform the Board that in this service, as well as in that of examining memoirs, we have received the co-operation of a considerable number of the most distinguished individuals in our country, and in scarcely a single case has application for assistance in this way been refused. By the operation of the plan adopted, the Institution can command the talents and the learning of the world, and with a small corps of permanent officers, or a sufficient clerical force, can discharge the duty of an association to which subjects relative to all branches of knowledge can be referred.

There is one class of requests which, by a resolution of the Board of Regents, we are directed to refuse, viz: those for the examination and approval of the innumerable inventions by which the ingenious and enterprising seek to better their own condition and that of the public. Were it not for this resolution, originally proposed by General Cass, we would be overwhelmed with applications of this kind, and have forced upon us the business of the Patent Office. Besides this, the principal object of the organization is the discovery of new truths, rather than the application of known principles to useful purposes. Not that we would undervalue the labors of the inventor; but because practical knowledge has a marketable value which always insures its cultivation, provided the higher philosophical truths on which it is founded are sufficiently developed and made known.

The idea is still very generally entertained that Smithson bequeathed his property to this country for the diffusion of useful knowledge among the people, and that his intention would be best consulted by the expenditure of all the income in the publication and general distribution of tracts ou practical subjects. The adoption of this plan would be to dissipate the funds without beneficial effect. A single report of the Patent Office costs, in some instances, more than three times the income of the Smithsonian fund, which itself would be insufficient for the general diffusion of a single octavo page of printed matter. The property, however, was not left to the inhabitants of the United States, but to the government, in trust for the good of man; and not merely for the dissemination or diffusion of knowledge, but, first of all, for creating, originating, increasing it. Furthermore, Smithson does not confine his bequest to the promotion of useful knowledge alone, in the lower sense of the term, but includes all knowledge in his liberal and philosophical design. The true, the beautiful, as well as the immediately practical, are all entitled to a share of attention. All knowledge is profitable; profitable in its ennobling effect on the character, in the pleasure it imparts in its acquisition, as well as in the power it gives over the operations of mind and of matter. All knowledge is useful; every part of this complex system of nature is connected with every other. Nothing is isolated. The discovery of to-day, which appears