Kennicott Documents

You can send the Report by mail to me without prepaying it. The extracts you sent me are interesting and valuable. Such papers can but do good and in time must penetrate into the affections of ever the most stolid worshipper of mere mammon.

In regard to your sending me the eggs I would say that I am in no haste. My family are out of town and my house is closed, so that it would be less convenient to receive them now than by and bye, say the 20th of Sept. If you will pack such as you can spare me in a string box, stuffed with cotton so as to permit neither motion nor friction, you can send them to me by express. Direct simply to me at "Atlas Office, 5 Old State House, Boston". In reference to those you do not know, I dare say I can decipher many of them and will be happy to try my hand at it. If they are sylvicolae however I may be stumped. It would be no "trouble" but a very great pleasure. I could like nothing better. I am very sorry to hear you speak of weak eyes. I assure you I

can sympathise with your therein. In the first place I have but one that is at all serviceable and that often gives out. Last spring I was confined to a dark room for nearly eight weeks and had to read by others eyes and lips and write by others pens, chiefly my wifes. Even now I have to submit to having my lids touched twice a week with sulphate of copper, and to drop borax dissolved in camphor water into them. The latter however is a very grateful application. Perhaps they may suit your case.

I believe we have no entomo-logist in our society but will inquire more on that head.

In regard to the eggs I wish you to keep such as you wish for yourself and friends. The short eared owl I need to have it photographed and engraved from. I will on the next page make out a list of such as I need for exchanges or for further specimens for my own cabinet, marking the first 1, the second 2.

Yours very sincerely J. M. Brewer

[written in two columns] 62 Loggerhead - Shrike 42 Wood Thrush 11 Sylvicola aestiver 22 Fringilla savannasum 11 Bobolink 1 Blue Jay 1 Yellow billed cuckoo when you have more 31 Carolina dove 31 Prairie Hen 702 Rallus elegans 78 31 Virginia rail 3 6, & 2 American Bitten 17 & 2 Sora Rail 7 11 Kildeer 6, & 2 Bartram's Tatler 5 1 King fisher 1 Night hawk 1 Lecost Bitten 1 & 2 Short bille Marsh wren 1 mimus papus 2 King bird 3 Lofisses wilsonii 3 3 Catbird Shortear owl 2 1 Bobolink [column 2] No 1 dark colored bird nest floating in slough No 2 1 3-3 4-2 5-2 6-1 7-3 nest in tree 8-1 9-2 nest in tree 10-1 11-1 12-1 13-1 cedar bird? 14-1 15-2 16-1 17-2

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Libertyville Aug 26"/56

Mr Robert Kennicott

Dear Sir - Accept many thanks for the beautiful boquet I received from you a few days since, in memory of college days. May the memory of those days ever be to us a source of pleasure as well as profit.

I should have acknowledge before, but the Post office has been so much out of order of late here, that we could neither get nor send letters through it.

Hoping for a further acquaintance

I am truly Yours H. Wardner

Cleveland 3^d Sept, 1856

Mr Rob^t. Kennicott

Dear Sir

Our State Fair opens here on the 23^d inst, & continues to the 26^th inclusive My family & myself would be highly gratified to have your Father & family, yourself included visit on the the occasion. We will do every thing in our power to render your stay with us pleasant. Please write & let us know your conclusion.

I have been very busy of late helping to organize our college - faculty. This we have at length completed much to our satisfaction and our institution is now on a better footing than ever before. Much releived by the riddance of Prof. Ackley. His habits are bad. Professional business is keeping

me in full Employment.

Weather extremely dry - with hot days & cold nights. Vegetation suffers.

Fremont is all the rage here.

Truly Yrs J.P. Kirtland

Bloomington Ills. Sept. 10. 1856

Robt. Kennicott.

Dear Sir Your letter found me on the point of addressing you upon the same subject of which you write. My own engagements among the sick have made it impossible thus far for me to visit the fair ground at Seton; and I now find that I shall not be able to get there in season to be of any use. Still, my heart is in the work. I have been troubled to know what was to be done with delicate specimens of Natural History; and on that subject should have written to you. There certainly should have been a place specially provided for these Fine arts of God, at least as suitable as for the works of man. And there must be. Perhaps your sugestion, if carried out, may be sufficient: and to that end, I enclose you a letter to Mr. Miller on the sub= ect; and will be obliged to your father if he will add a note joining his influence in the appeal. If these valuable specimens are not deemed worthy of protection, they should be kept at home.

And now my dear sir, I have an appeal to you. Will you not consent to take charge of my Department? The duties of my profes= sion will prevent me from doing it justice. At least, will you not consent to act as my assis tant? if yes – I will immediately announce it in the “Farmer”. I hope you will not let any slight cause prevent you from doing me this act of kindness. You will see that my

appeal to Mr Miller will in no wise compromise you, as it will me made before your acceptance of the post. Talk with your father on this sub= ject; and write me immediately.

I will of course (if possible) ^be with you at the Fair; and will take pleasure in con= ferring with you by letter in the mean time.

I never I have never known any one to die from the bite of the prairie Rattlesnake.

I am sorry to say, I am not study= ing conchology; but am compelled to devote myself almost wholly to bread-and-butter= ology.

My best respects and warmest sym= pathies to your father.

Write me a long letter, and speak your mind freely on this whole subject.

Your's sincerely E R Roe

Chicago Sept. 12th/56.

Dear Bob.

While waiting for Arny, I shall sieze - Just as I arrived at this interesting junct ure, in stepped the gentleman in question. and as a consequence my letter is cut considerably shorter than I intended.

First I deferred from time to time sending your box, from a multiplicity of causes, till to-day - This, Friday, afternoon at 3 o'clock precisely I started to hunt up the Keys of the College, and natur ally thinking Hollister had them I run round town for him until 1/2 past 4 without find ing him: finally when just about giving it up as a bad job I saw him drive past Clark st on Lake at a good round trot behind that partnership horse of his and Park er's. I started on the run for him and succeeded after an animated and exceedingly well-contested brush of half a block in overhauling him. I proffered my request

though not without some misgivings as to the result. He cut me off short as a steel trap on a goat's tail - "didn't know anything about them"

I was completely non-plussed - started up for the office and rummaged the drawer but they were not there.

Didn't see Andrews until near 7 o'clock - he was as wise as my self but finally after emptying all the drawers in his case, discovered them where you, O sap-ient Bob! had hidden them. Suffice it - I shall send your case (it being too late to get it this evening) by the 4 o cl'k train to-morrow to Des Plaines Depot ^Station - and probably - (if I get my pass, that is to say) shall accom pany it myself. In this view of the case I beg leave to sign myself your's

Very much in a hurry

Frank -

If I don't come myself, which is rather doubtful I shall write again to-morrow and send the letter to Des Plaines Love to all and respects to your the rest Frank