John Quincy Adams Digital Diary

Friday January 9th.— 1846.

9. V–15—

Cutts R. D.

I attended this morning the second Meeting of the Select Committee on the Smithsonian bequest— Consisting of Robert Dale Owen of Indiana, myself, Timothy Jenkins of New York, George P. Marsh of Vermont, Alexander D. Simms of South Carolina, Jefferson Davis of Mississippi, and David Wilmot of Pennsylvania—seven. Of whom Simms and Wilmot were this day absent— The first meeting of this Committee was held last Saturday, Owen the Chairman had notified me the day before of the Meeting but I forgot the notification and did not attend— The Bill introduced by Mr. Owen had then been taken up and partially discussed but was not printed—it was again taken up this morning, read through, and further discussed, but not seperately considered by Sections—it was the same Bill with some immaterial alterations which passed the Senate at the last Session and the passage of which without discussion or debate I with great difficulty prevented on the last night of the Session— I now enquired if in framing of this Bill any notice whatever had been taken of the Bill reported by the Committee of the House in June 1844 at the first Session of the last Congress— It appeared that there was not and Mr. Owen said that it had been his impression, and he believed that of the Members of the House generally that the purport of that Bill was to apply the whole Smithsonian Fund to the Erection of an Astronomical Observatory though he had since read the Bill and found that it proposed only the appropriation of seven years interest of the Fund to the latter object— It was not however that Bill but the one reported at the preceding Congress which Mr. Owen had read for the Bill of June 1844 proposed to apply ten years of the Interest of the Smithsonian Fund to the Establishment and perpetual support of an observatory— I now said that I had given up all idea of Appropriating any part of this fund to an Astronomical Observatory in as much as Congress had already established one by Law under the austensible provision of a Depot for Maps and Charts, the Observatory was built it had one of the finest Frauenhofer Refractors in the World and skilful Naval Officers for 374Observers— The application of the Smithsonian fund must be devoted to other objects I should propose therefore that at the next meeting of the Committee a Bill introduced by the Chairman and referred to this Committee should be taken up and considered by Sections, which was agreed to—but I observed that the Bill provided an Appropriation from the public Treasury without including any provision for the recovery of the Fund itself, which had been invested in Bonds of the States of Arkansas, Michigan, Illinois, and Ohio upon which excepting a small Portion in Ohio neither Principal nor Interest has been paid— Mr. Owen then recurred to the Bill reported by the Committee of the House in June 1844 and moved to insert into the present Bill the provision entailed in that Bill for the recovery of the money vested in the Stocks of those four States—which was done and the Committee adjourned to meet next Friday— In the House Wentworth of Illinois moved to suspend the rules to receive Bills of which notice had been given and notices of Bills not occasioning Debate— Rejected— Truman Smith offered a Resolution to arrest the scramble for the floor by requiring the members who propose to speak on the Resolution for giving notice of the termination of the Convention of August 1827. should hand their names to the Chairman of the Committee of the Whole on the State of the Union and should have the right to the floor each in his turn—but the House refused to Suspend the rules to receive this resolution— William G. Brown of Virginia moved a Resolution of Enquiry of the Committee of Post Offices and Post Roads about a letter from the Post Master General published in the Union Newspaper of the 6th. instt complaining of the abuse of the Franking privilege by members of Congress—but the suspension of the rules was refused by Yeas and Nays 101. to 65—not two thirds— McKay Chairman of the Committee of Ways and Means introduced two Annual Pension appropriation Bills— Sundry other Bills and Notices were received—the Resolution of Notice was then resumed and Howel Cobb of Georgia and Lewis C. Levin of Pennsylvania delivered two successive hour Speeches in favor of giving the notice, and R. M. T. Hunter of Virginia moved the Committee to rise which was done and the House adjourned— Evening visit from Mr. Richard D. Cutts— My Granddaughter M. Louisa is afflicted with a sore throat, my wife has a horse cough and I myself am all but disabled for the performance of my public duties—