United States Account-Continued.

By amount of Warrant No. 83 in favor of the Treasurer, dated November 13, 1856, for amount of principal of the stock of 1856 and interest thereon from July 1 to November 12, inclusive, 1856, viz:

Principal...

Interest

$19,200 00
422 61

By amount received for interest accruing on said stocks to 31st December, 1856, covered by the following warrants in favor of the Treasurer:

CR.

$19,622 61

By amount of the following warrants in favor of the Treasurer

By amount received for interest accruing on said stocks and

covered by warrants in favor of the Treasurer, viz:

Part of No. 18, dated January 14, 1862...
Part of No. 181, dated September 9, 1862-

$2,443 85

2,443 85

Part of No. 27, dated February 11, 1863

1,002 00

DR.

THE UNITED STATES, under the act to establish the "Smithmen, approved August 10, 1846, in

Auditor's Report, No. 103,882:

To amount of money belonging to said Institution, received into the Treasury on the 1st of September, 1838, and treated by 12th section of said act as lent to the United States Treasury at 6 per cent. interest, from said 1st September, 1838, payable in half-yearly payments on the 1st January and 1st July in each year

$515,169 00

To interest on said sum from 1st September, 1888, to 31st December, 1849-11 years-.

350,314 42

$865,483 42

CR.

sonian Institution" for the increase and diffusion of knowledge among account with the Smithsonian Institution.

By amount of the following warrants drawn on the Treasurer
of the United States, in favor of the officers of said Institu-
tion, on account of interest accrued on principal of said
fund, for the erection of suitable buildings, and for the cur-
rent and incidental expenses of said Institution, viz:
In favor of W. W. Seaton, Chairman of the Ex-
ecutive Committee and Disbursing Officer of

the Board of Regents

No. 6252, dated September 16, 1846
No. 7220, dated December 21, 1846-
No. 8017, dated February 25, 1847.
No. 139, dated July 5, 1847.-.

No. 2034, dated January 15, 1848.
No. 4313, dated July 7, 1848

No. 6823, dated January 5, 1849

15,455 14

PROPOSED APPLICATIONS OF SMITHSON'S
BEQUEST.

Letter addressed by Hon. John Forsyth, Secretary of State, by direction of President Van Buren to Messrs. Thomas Cooper, South Carolina; Richard Rush, Philadelphia; Professor Francis Wayland, Providence, Rhode Island; Albert Gallatin, New York; Rev. Stephen Olin, Boydton, Virginia; Philip Lindsley, Nashville, Tennessee; Professor Davis, Charlottesville, Virginia.

DEPARTMENT OF STATE,

WASHINGTON, July 19, 1838. SIR By the will of James Smithson, late of London, deceased, property to a considerable amount was bequeathed to the United States, for the purpose, as expressed in the language of the will, of "founding at Washington, under the name of the Smithsonian Institution, an establishment for the increase and diffusion of knowledge among men."

The United States having, under the authority of an act of Congress, approved the 1st of July, 1836, accepted the legacy, pledged their faith for the performance of the trust, in such manner as Congress may hereafter direct, and recovered the proceeds of the bequest, to the amount of about one hundred thousand pounds sterling, the President is anxious, in presenting the subject to Congress for their consideration and action upon it, to aid his judgment by consulting the views of persons versed in science and in matters relating to public education, as to the mode of applying the proceeds of the bequest, which shall be likely at once to meet the wishes of the testator, and prove most advantageous to mankind.

The President will be pleased to have, if agreeable to you to give it, the result of your reflections on the subject, communicated through this Department, at as early a day as convenient.

I am, sir, very respectfully, your obedient servant,
JOHN FORSYTH.