The daily union., 1852-11-10
what has the smithsonian Institution Done
loOns.ponasnes o. ,As New York Daily Times

Correspondence Of New Daily Tnnes.l
WAsHISeToS Oct O. 1864.
II is lille singular that the very points in
which the Smithsonian Institution is supposed 10 fall be-
mad It's duties those 10 which IL rs devong most at
t1nn"n The impuation has been made OF paftially TO
subjects oil natural and physical science, and OF neglect
ing ethical and meaphy scal All sides assail the nst
tuition Tor not doing forgetting that while numerous
interests have equal claims, small amount OF money,
patoned among many goes but little way. IL Is ham
peied by The construction oi an expensive building or
dered by Congress, and protested against BY Prof Henry
and IN this large portion OF lis funds absorbed
indeed scarcely more than one hall OF the entire income
Is available for actual operations With S25 900
per annum IT is obliged TO maintain the corps OF officers
and employees buy books meet expenses OF lectures and
carry on all IT'S other operations.
The Smithsonian Institution has always been ready
and active in aiding the general interests OF science The
single subject OF meteorology will serve as an example.
he institution has corps oil trained, Intelligent men,
between two and three hundred in number, extended
over lhe entire continent and making frequent obseVa
uons--many with standard instruments All the obser
vaons al the military posts and naval stations, well
as IN ihe vessels OF The mercantile and government
rine (hrough the Observatory freely al its com
mand and used The States OF Massachu seits and
New YORK pay men 10 observe, and furnish instru-
menls Tor observation whose results transmitted
TO IT, The returns for each month fill large folio
volume. Nor does this matter accumulate unused.
competent gentleman has been long engaged in
j, letting down The observations for particular days
and the Atlantic developing laws OF great import
ance, which would have been presented this years
meeting of the American Association, had it taken place
No institution nor government In The world is doing
anything like as much for meeoroogy the Smithsonian.
has planned and executed The great system OF obscrva
tions has imported standard instruments, and rated and
constructed hundreds OF barometers, and thermometers
used all over the continent. 1t has published full direc-
tons Tor observing has now in press series of hygro
metrical, baromerca, hypsomeiTcal, and many other
tables oil prime importance, amounting TO upwards of
three hundred pages. This and much more, for meteor
The missionary and philoogist have their works on
the Dacota and Chociaw languages OF much Importance
as means OF clvllizlng the Indians
The astronomer has his annual occultaons OF fixed
stars for determining the longitude published by the In
sulion and used throughout North America Tor the ad
vancement of geographical knowledge-these almost the
first of their kind in this country. He has the memoir,
ephemers, and history OF Neptune-three works known
the world over The geologist has his extraordinary
fossil mammals and reptiles from the Upper Missouri,
first developed by the institution, and publishing
der its auspices. The geographer and naturalist have
the report OF Mr.. Cubetson to the Institution, the
lille known regions OF the Upper Missouri the results
obtained by Wright. Fender, and Lndheimer, in Texas
and New Mexico, and of Adams in Jamaica, Cuba and
Panamainvestigaiion all fosteredl by the Institution
Aid has been rendered 10 the astronomical expedition 10
Chill, in supplying expensive instruments indispensable
TO success at time when no funds forthcoming
for their purchase. Nor can omit the explorations
OF the remarkable antiquities oil the West, Tor the first
time presented proper form and IN authentic history
BY The Smithsonian. In fact there IS no interest OF SCI
in lis broadest which is not protected by the
Institution Look for instance at what the Librarian Is
doing in the way OF spreading information and OF simp
flying the great labor OF cataoguing as shown in the
reports calaogung and on Libraries. As also as his
grand 0e9 O streOtypnR Inc TUES OF DOCKS separately
10 Be used in many different combinations, as we'll
in publishing catalogues OF any or all Libraries
throughout the country trifng cost, not 10 mention
his general catalogue OF all the books in the United States
Take TOO The matter OF foreign exchange well as
domestic. This summer the Institution sent 10 Europe,
ASIA and Africa, the following amount OF books i
Ss5 lbs contained in IS boxes and 572 parcels addressed
to 362 institutions and individuals These contained the
publications OF the Institution, public documents OF in
teresi, (among them $50 copies OF Schoocrats Indian
work. and all The transactions Of the various literary
and scientific bodies OF the United States. Transmitted free
OF cost 10 ihem 10 The recipients OF The parcels The
from abroad also received for such institutions
his feature obviates all the practical difficulties the
way OF scientific intercourse between the New World
and the Old
In facl, the Smithsonian is fast rising importance
second only to that OF the post office as agent in
uniting the learned institutions and individual of the two
worlds in bonds OF close communion. Much the largest
portion OF the scientific exchanges crossing the
passes through its hands the greater part OF which would
have remained al home but Tor It's agency. Packages
bearing the stamp OF the Smithsonian Institution pass
free OF duty or question into all the ports OF Eu-
rope England stringent IN her custom house regu
iaons, granted this permission nearly two years ago, at
time when i was steadily refused 10 her own societies
Now, thanks IN great measure 10 the agency of The In
stullon, all addresses borne certain lists kept and fur
n.hed by the Royal Society, enjoy the exemption
As 10 The foreign appreciation OF doings in this depart
and Others you should read the letters on file from
Humboldt Won Ritter, Liebg, Brewster, Babbage, Saoiae
Faraday. aud host of Others OF which there whole
volumes
As for publications OF practical character the work OF
Booth and Moht, recent improvements in the chemi-
cal arts, will furnish illustration. Among them is
the forest trees OF America, treated eco
nomical as well as scientific view by Dr. Gray
breadsluis one on recent progress IN electricity and
magnetism; one on the progress and present state OF
American geography one making collections and
observations sclence-somewba hat resembling tie Ad-
miray Manual, but prepared expressly for America and
host Of others too numerous to mention all derived
from original sources, prepared by The most competent
men, and posting up our knowledge 10 the latest dates
furnished by the journals and transactions daily received
al the Institution.
The collections Of the Smithsonian Institution are OF
great value lis library contains of the best of
scientific transactions and periodicals in this country
Its gallery of art embraces the fullest series OF Indian
portraits in the world Its museum is the richest in
North American vertebrate animals skins skeletons and
alcoholic preparations (ncuding hundreds of unde-
soribed species) OF any in the United States All these
u the unfinished state OF the building, are by the world
large scarcely known exist, being mostly packed
away in basement rooms.
The lectures constitute very small portion of The ope
n,ons OF the Institution And yet they may and do ac-
oomplish much good The is filled TO overhowna,
by varying crowd gathered from all paris OF the Union
and each carrying away with him modcum, at least OF
Information Reports OF these lectures will be published
in the monthly or weekly bulletin of the Institution,
shortly appear and intended TO contain lists OF articles
in scientific and literary journals and transactions, REQ
ords OF facts derived from such sources books pro-
ceedings OF the Institution, and other Items
To send the Smithsonian publications INTO every house
IN the land, demanded by some, the publication fund
(not S5 900 per annum) of the institution would be en-
rey inadequate Say there 900 houses to be sup
Piled This number OF copies oil sing octave sheet would
least 500 Five sand dollars would then pub
ish 81 such sheets The Patent Office Report this year will