DAVID LOW: An Inquiry into the Nature of the simple bodies of Chemistry. 1 vol. 8vo, pp. 344. London, 1848.

C. WOODWARD: A familiar Introduction to the study of Polarized light, illustrated by numerous wood engravings. 40 pp. London, 1848.

PROC. AMER. ACAD. ARTS AND SCI. BOSTON.-Jan. 26, 1848. p. 301. Conditions for awarding the medal offered by the King of Denmark.-Feb. 1. p. 302. On the relations of the chemical formulas of sweet substances, also of acid substances; Prof. Horsford.-March 7. p. 307. On ventilating apparatus; M. Wyman.—p. 325. Results on some recent observations on Jupiter, and on the nebulæ of Herschel, Nos. 1357 and 1376, and the great nebula of Orion; Mr. Bond.-Ap. 4. p. 327. On Jupiter, continued; Mr. Bond.—p. 329. A meteor seen at Nantucket; Mr. Mitchell-p. 331. Corrections of the elliptic elements of Neptune; S. C. Walker.-p. 338. Observations on Neptune; Prof. Peirce. [This number closes vol. i. of the Proceedings, embracing from May, 1847, to May, 1848.]

PROC. ACAD. NAT. SCI. PHILADELPHIA, vol. iv.-May 2, 1848. p. 57. On the Dorudon; R. W. Gibbes.-May 30. p. 59. On two new species of Onychocephalus from the west coast of Africa, with a plate; E. Hallowell.-p. 62. Notes of the post mortem appearances of a Cynocephalus papion; E. Hallowell.-p. 63. Notes on some Mexican birds; G. A. McCall.-June 27. p. 65. New birds of the genera Vidua, Euplectus, Pyrenestes and Pitylus; J. Cassin.

ANNALES DES SCIENCES NATURELLES, Paris.-DEC., 1847. On the organization of Vermes; E. Blanchard.-Description and anatomy of a larve of Hydropsichus having external branchiæ; L. Dufour.-Echinodermata; Agassiz and Desor.—— Note on the Oribasia stagnalis, a new Bryozoa; Duchassaing.-Observations on the pith of ligneous plants; A. Guillard (continued).-New plants from Colombia; L. R. Tulasne.-Second memoir on the organogeny of irregular corolla; M. Barnéoud.-On the buds and inflorescence of the linden (Tilia); Brunner and A. de Candolle.-Methodical distribution of the Uredineæ; J. H. Léveillé.-Conspectus of the genus Reaumuria; Jaubert and Spach.-JANVIER, 1848. Structure and functions of the vitelline appendages and umbilical vesicle of the Hen; A. Courty. On the development of the egg and embryon of the "Taret"; A. de Quatrefages.-Researches on Zoophytes ("Les Polypiers"); Milne Edwards and Jules Haime. On the causes limiting species of plants of the coast on the north of Europe and analogous regions; A. de Candolle.-On the adventitious buds of the Cardamine latifolia; A. de St. Hilaire.-On the impregnation of the Dischidia; Griffith.-Development of the embryo of the Orchis morio; H. Mohl.-On the development of the vegetable embryo; C. Muller.-On the Diatomacea; G. H. K. Thwaites.-A new species of the genus Sarothamnus; P. B. Webb.

THE

AMERICAN

JOURNAL OF SCIENCE AND ARTS.

[SECOND SERIES.]

ART. XXVIII-Explanations and Illustrations of the plan of the Smithsonian Institution; by Prof. HENRY, LL.D., Sec. Smithsonian Institution.*

ALTHOUGH the leading propositions of the programme of the Smithsonian Institution have been fully discussed by the Board, yet it will be important to offer some remarks in explanation and illustration of them.

That the institution is not a national establishment, in the sense in which institutions dependent on the government for support are so, must be evident when it is recollected that the money was not absolutely given to the United States, but intrusted to it for a special object, namely: the establishment of an institution for the benefit of men, to bear the name of the donor, and, consequently, to reflect upon his memory the honor of all the good which may be accomplished by means of the bequest. The operations of the Smithsonian Institution ought, therefore, to be mingled as little as possible with those of the government, and its funds should be applied exclusively and faithfully to the increase and diffusion of knowledge among men.

That the bequest is intended for the benefit of men in general, and that its influence ought not to be restricted to a single district, or even nation, may be inferred not only from the words of the will, but also from the character of Smithson himself; and I beg leave to quote, from a scrap of paper in his own hand,

The programme of the Smithsonian Institution, from the recent Report, is published on page 289. The article here presented our readers, follows that programme in the Report.

SECOND SERIES, Vol. VI, No. 18.-Nov., 1848.

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the following sentiment bearing on this point: "The man of science has no country; the world is his country-all men, his countrymen." The origin of the funds, the bequest of a foreigner, should also preclude the adoption of a plan which does not, in the words of Mr. Adams, "spread the benefits to be derived from the institution not only over the whole surface of this Union, but throughout the civilized world." "Mr. Smithson's reason for fixing the seat of his institution at Washington obviously was, that there is the seat of government of the United States, and there the Congress by whose legislation, and the Executive through whose agency, the trust committed to the honor, intelligence and good faith of the nation, is to be fulfilled." The centre of operations being permanently fixed at Washington, the character of this city for literature and science will be the more highly exalted in proportion as the influence of the institution is more widely diffused.

That the terms increase and diffusion of knowledge are logically distinct, and should be literally interpreted with reference to the will, must be evident when we reflect that they are used in a definite sense, and not as mere synonymes, by all who are engaged in the pursuits to which Smithson devoted his life. In England there are two classes of institutions, founded on the two ideas conveyed by these terms. The Royal Society, the Astronomical, the Geological, the Statistical, the Antiquarian Societies, all have for their object the increase of knowledge; while the London Institution, the Mechanics' Institution, the Surry Institution, the Society for the Diffusion of Religious Knowledge, the Society for the Diffusion of Useful Knowledge, are all intended to diffuse or disseminate knowledge among men. In our own country, also, the same distinction in the use of the terms is observed by men of science. Our colleges, academies, and common schools, are recognized as institutions partially intended for the diffusion of knowledge, while the express object of some of our scientific societies is the promotion of the discovery of new truths.

The will makes no restriction in favor of any particular kind of knowledge; though propositions have been frequently made for devoting the funds exclusively to the promotion of certain branches of science having more immediate application to the practical arts of life, and the adoption of these propositions has been urged on the ground of the conformity of such objects to the pursuits of Smithson; but an examination of his writings will show that he excluded from his own studies no branch of general knowledge, and that he was fully impressed with the important philosophical fact, that all subjects of human thought relate to one great system of truth. To restrict, therefore, the operations of the institution to a single science or art, would do

injustice to the character of the donor, as well as to the cause of general knowledge. If preference is to be given to any branches of research, it should be to the higher, and apparently more abstract; to the discovery of new principles, rather than of isolated facts. And this is true even in a practical point of view. Agriculture would have for ever remained an empirical art, had it not been for the light shed upon it by the atomic theory of chemistry; and incomparably more is to be expected as to its future advancement from the perfection of the microscope, than from improvements in the ordinary instruments of husbandry.

The plan of increasing and diffusing knowledge, presented in the first section of the programme, will be found in strict accordance with the several propositions deduced from the will of Smithson, and given in the introduction. It embraces, as a leading feature, the design of interesting the greatest number of individuals in the operations of the institution, and of spreading its influence as widely as possible. It forms an active organization, exciting all to make original researches who are gifted with the necessary power, and diffusing a kind of knowledge, now only accessible to the few, among all those who are willing to receive it. In this country, though many excel in the application of science to the practical arts of life, few devote themselves to the continued labor and patient thought necessary to the discovery and development of new truths. The principal cause of this want of attention to original research, is the want, not of proper means, but of proper encouragement. The publication of original memoirs and periodical reports, as contemplated by the programme, will act as a powerful stimulus on the latent talent of our country, by placing in bold relief the real laborers in the field of original research, while it will afford the best materials for the use of those engaged in the diffusion of knowledge.

The advantages which will accrue from the plan of publishing the volumes of the Smithsonian Contributions to Knowledge, are various. In the first place, it will serve to render the name of the founder favorably known wherever literature and science are cultivated, and to keep it in continual remembrance with each succeeding volume, as long as knowledge is valued. A single new truth, first given to the world through these volumes, will forever stamp their character as a work of reference. The contributions will thus form the most befitting monument to perpetuate the name of one whose life was devoted to the increase of knowledge, and whose ruling passion, strong in death, prompted the noble bequest intended to facilitate the labors of others in the same pursuit.

Again, the publication of a series of volumes of original memoirs will afford to the institution the most ready means of entering into friendly relations and correspondence with all the

learned societies in the world, and of enriching its library with their current transactions and proceedings. But perhaps the most important effect of the plan will be that of giving to the world many valuable memoirs, which, on account of the expense of the illustrations, could not be otherwise published. Every one who adds new and important truths to the existing stock of knowledge, must be of necessity, to a certain degree, in advance of his age. Hence the number of readers and purchasers of a work is generally in the inverse ratio of its intrinsic value; and consequently, authors of the highest rank of merit are frequently deterred from giving their productions to the world on account of the pecuniary loss to which the publication would subject them. When our lamented countryman, Bowditch, contemplating publishing his commentary on La Place, he assembled his family and informed them that the execution of this design would sacrifice one-third of his fortune, and that it was proper his heirs. should be consulted on the subject which so nearly concerned them. The answer was worthy of the children of such a father: "We value," said they, "your reputation more than your money." Fortunately, in this instance, the means of making such a sacrifice existed; otherwise one of the proudest monuments of American science could not have been given to the world. In the majority of cases, however, those who are most capable of extending human knowledge are least able to incur the expense of the publication. Wilson, the American Ornithologist, states, in a letter to Michaux, that he has sacrificed everything to publish his work: "I have issued," he says, "six volumes, and am engaged on the seventh, but as yet I have not received a single cent of the proceeds." In an address on the subject of natural history, by one of our most active cultivators of this branch of knowledge, we find the following remarks, which are directly in point: "Few are acquainted with the fact that from the small number of scientific works sold, and the great expense of plates, our naturalists not only are not paid for their labors, but suffer pecuniary loss from their publications. Several works on different branches of zoology, now in the course of publication, will leave their authors losers by an aggregate of $15,000. I do not conclude in this estimate works already finished-one, for instance, the best contribution to the natural history of man extant, the publication of which will occasion its accomplished author a loss of several thousand dollars. A naturalist is extremely fortunate if he can dispose of two hundred copies of an illustrated work, and the number of copies printed rarely exceeds two hundred and fifty." It may be said that these authors have their reward in the reputation which they thus purchase; but reputation should be the result of the talents and labor expended in the production of a work, and should not in