Daily evening star. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1852-1854, 1853-12-10

would offer many practical difficulties
DISCOVERIES, like poets. are not made. bu
born. and it would be difficult to obtair
the proper kind Il men. The other plar
and the one dopted, is to call upon al
persons IN the country capable of advanc
ing knowledge by original research. te
send the result Of their labors to the In
sututlon for examination and publication
and to assist all persons engaged in in.
vestlgations as far as the means of ihe
institution will allow. This plan has
been found eminently practicable. and by
means 1t, the Institution has been en-.
abled to produce results which have made
1T tavorably known in every part of the
civilized world. The communications are
submitted to competent judges, who vouch
for the value and truth of the discoveries
The publications which result from this
plan are presented to all the first class
Ii braries in the world as well as to all col.
lcges and well established libraries in this
country.
The Institution srecciving in return for
IFS own publications, one of the most val
liable libraries in this country. consisting
OF the current and back volumes of trans
actions Of learned societies. No copv.
right Is taken for the contents of the
Smithsonian volumes, andthese are copiel
10y the writers of elementary books, and
are thus diffuSed more generally amono
men. The lecturer next gave an account
OF what the Institution had done in the
several branches Of science. 1t has as
sisted III making important contri buttons
IN astronomy, in eihnology, in geography.
1t has established an extended system Of
meteoroiogy, and has several hundred
jealous observers noting the different
phases of the atmosphere, and is deducing
from the reports of these, important re-
suits relative TO the climate of this
country. 1t has advanced the science of
geology, by original exploration and the
publication Of original papers. 1t has
undertaken to collect all the reliable facts
relative to tie antiquities of this country.
and has published several memoirs on
the subject. 1t has collected and pub
ilShed the statistics of librarians, and in
troducod system OF catalOguing which
will render available as combined whole.
al! the libraries Of the country. 1t has
established system Of literary and sci
entitic exchanges, both foreign and do.
meStlc, and annual Y transmits between
the most widely separated societies and
hundreds of packages.
y particular account was given of the
new magnetic observatory established at
the jolnt expense OF the Coast Survey and
the Smithsonian Institute. The magnet
Ism Of the earth is iii constant state of
and in the new observatory
the changes are registered by the rcfec
ton Of Il pencil and light from small
mirror attached to a suspended magnet
on piece Of paper, moved by clock work.
and rendered sensitive by the Photographic
process.
Though the lecture was extended to an
htefee, ,:..-that'a Iarge portion OF the opera
tons Of the Institution could not be de-
scribcd. The researches made in the In
>tltutlon on natural history,,-the aid
given in fitting out the exploring parties
of the government, and III the reception
and examination OF the specimens collec-
ted, could not be dwelt upon. The lee
turcI expressed the hope that enough had
been given to show that the Institution
was occupying an important field, and
that with a limited income it was carry
lng out TO the letter the intention of its
benevolent founder.