The daily Minnesota pioneer. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1854-1855, 1855-03-12

History Of the nisn.era institution
.Aom, sfshs Dukes Of Norsbsaber'and, i" the last
e,mury. had ! cod. Who, sakins mother. name
"a, kaoxr = Nh. James Smishsun. He edr
cated stG3sfsd. wbere be took fhAdegr Of A. NJ,
in 17e6. He was man Of qsies. tnassum'"g habits,
with taste for scientific pursus. small property
be Inherited from his moshers and q snsisy se,.lsd
upon him by his father, enabled him to CRAFTY this
taste through life. In 1857 he chosen member
III the Royal Society,", to whnsa Phiioeoph,rsst
Transactions" he communicated several yslpab'e4
papers, He wa. the associate Of many OF the pro"''
.en, scientific ea 81 England and attsined SONS dts-
tinction a chemist. INKS ~
Frugal in bis habit. and prudent in his invest
mens, his competence gradually increased to fortune
He had no fixed residence, and formed no family ties
The latter part Of his ieh spent mostly con-
,ineut. He never visited America, and knew it only
from such reports English travellers at the i,se
were accustomed to give Of it. lie drew up vii
by which he beq,eashed his property TO his next OF
kin, nephew, for LIE. and to his children. absolute
ly and forever. -f s4Hssi sr-i1yls- SO "a
But a. there was remote possibility that the Will
might be frustrated BY the death If the iegRtecs,
.aving clause was inserted. providing that in such
.:ase the property shuuId descend $50, the United
state. Of America 10 found at Washington under the
name Of the Smithsonian Institution, an estabIish-
ment for the increase and diffilsion Of knowId-e
,nong men," 1t contemplated a distant contingency
m ", and probably was inserted from any fixed
Ian, from any confident expectation Of its being
| carried out. ...1tif "tt+'sr1.
1t SO happened, however, that the distant con.n.
gency occurred. Mr.. Smithson died at Genoa N
1929, leaving property to the amount Of fl2O,OOO
sterling. His nephew died without issue. five Or six
years after, at Pisa.
| The United States were then, for the first time,
notified Of the Request which had fallen to them
Congress Immediately passed law authorizing thu
President to appoint an agent to apply to the English
Court Of Chamery for the real and Lrrssmal estate "i
James Smithson, and piedsing "the faith Of the
government " for the application Of the fund tn th
purposes specified. lion. Richard Rush, Of Ph,a
'iephia. accordingly appointed agent. went to
England, obtained the property. and paid it, in gol
sovereigas, into the Treasury Of the United States, in
September Of the year 1888.
1t invested, by order If Congress, in Arkansas
stock. Here it had another narrow chance Of heine
lost. Fer Arkansas stocks soon began to 60 down
down-tlown, and shortly became worth about As
much As Indiana bank bills now are. But Congress
thinking but right repair the consequences Of i.
own error, assumed the stocks par value, and
invested the amount in the United States Skies.
There was no family to take or claim the h'use
hold effects, and what not sold sent tt
America. The visitor at the Patent Office in Wash
ngton will 6ld of the glass cases devoted to the
preservation Of the "personal effects Of the late
James Sm.hson, Esq" Among these relics are hi
plate cane, inksand, chemical apparatus, etc.. etc
: The original fund WIS 1925, 2e9, and the accounts
ated interest ned, in 1916, t" SPA: ,229. Ccn
idering this enough to legin with, Congress, in Au
gust Of that year, passed anothe; act to establish thu
institution. 1t provided for the appointment of {
board Of fifteen regents, ls'utely specifying the quail
fcaons required, and devotes the accruing interes
to delaying the expenses Of erecting building, lib
library, museum, and laboratory, in " arlington
The principal is to be trenched upon, but is to
main permanent loan. The present edi6ce on the
Nall was accordingly commenced. The law forbd'
the Beard to contain two citizens of the same STATE
The building is now nearly completed. The annua
income is $4,000.