Stephen Elliott Chancellor Papers Box 1 Document 2

Bp. Polk Nov. 4, '59 Washington, D.C. Nov. 4th.

My dear Elliott:

I find it will be impossible for me to get to you so soon as I expected. I shall therefore, appoint the 25th of Nov. as the day of the meeting of the Com. in Savannah. I shall notify others of the day.

I had a very interesting and for our work useful visit to Lexington. I got out of Smith and his associates some very useful hints. He has a noble institution there and is doing a good work for the State of Va. and the whole South. He can and will be of great use to us.

I came here day before yesterday. Since I have been here I have been constantly employed in collecting useful matter in various departments. I have failed in the affair of the lanscape gardner [sic]. He would be perhaps the man we want but his mother forbis [sic] his coming to us. We must look elsewhere.

I examined with my friend Col. Anderson of the Army the public buidings going up under the care of my old friend Capt. Bowman of the Engineers in the Treasury Department and have obtained a good many important ideas in that line and established a connection for future uses.

Yesterday I spent the day and dined with Professor Bache of the Coast Survey, another of my West Point associates and friends. He invited Professor Henry of the Smithsonian to join us and we went very freely into educational matters and discussed our plans very fully. They are both very deeply impressed with the importance of our work and enter into

(Letter to Bishop Elliott from Rt. Rev. Leonidas Polk) -2-

its devotement with strong sympathy and generous offers of service. Henry invited me to the Smithsonian to-day. I went and examined his work thoroughly. It is a very extended affair; it is accomplishing a great work for the increase and diffusion of knowledge and is far in advance of anything I had conceived of. Many of the best of his plans may be appropriated with great advantage by us. I leave in the evening for Philadelphia and shall hope to meet my daughters the first of the next week from Europe. I shall spend a few days with them in Philadelphia then go to West Point and if I can to Harvard for a day or so thence to join you at Savannah. I exceedingly regret you could not be with me in this visit to West Point and Harvard especially, and if I saw any way by which it could be done in time for our uses before the preparation of our report at a later day I would propose it to have you aid in the work of inspection but this I do not see.

Don't you think we may find it useful to have some man acquainted with German and French to read those French books for us and make abstracts of such things in English for our use? This would help us very greatly and is a legitimate change on the Board. We may find just the man we want in my Diocese in every way eminently qualified - a German clergyman of our church - Rev. Dr. Vollar. Write me immediately on this point to Phila.

With my kind regards to Mrs. E. and the little ones, Yours very truly L. Polk.