RK-220

[printed letterhead] No. [written] 1517 [printed] Smithsonian Institution, [written] 1 [printed] Washington, D. C.

[handwritten] December 20. 1856.

My Dear Robert.

A great press of business has prevented my replying earlier to yours of the 11' received several days ago.

I understand perfectly Prof. Evans idea. It is to pay you a salary as Curator of the Museum of the University; your services to belong to it. Just as mine do to the Smithsonian. He desires the whole of the results to go to the University. If fully employed, you would of course have no right to sell or give away specimens the property of the University, but you might exchange the duplicates freely as being for the advantage [ink smeared] the University. He could hardly claim ownership of your mind, by interfering with any original investigations or writing for any purpose, unless interfering with your work for the University. Nor could he reasonably claim your

whole time of 24 hours per day unless he pays well for it. Six hours would be the most he could properly require to be spent in actual operations, though the correspondence might be carried on of an evening.

In short the extent to which a monopoly of your services might be secured, should depend entirely on the amount of compensation.

I do not know any man competent to the labor and undertaking who would go to Chicago and make the collections you need for 1000 dollars a year, particularly if they would not guarantee it for a fixed term, but make it an annual thing. I am also perfectly ready to say that I do not know any man who with the scanty means the University would be likely to put at his disposal could do as much as you will under the circumstances. I know of no more diligent and successful collector, and there is certainly no one [illegible] the line of scientific investigation so well acquainted with the state, and

[printed letterhead] No. [written] 1517 [printed] Smithsonian Institution, [written] 2 [printed] Washington, D. C.

[handwritten] the individuals in it most likely to assist in the work. It is not a mere collector or stuffer of specimens they want; such they might get for $1000. or scarcely less; but there would be no vitality in his operations, nor could he command that cooperation of naturalists, which would be freely extended to you.

I am perfectly clear and decided as to the importance nay neccesity of your aquiring a profession, first of all, even if it prevents your making an engagement with the University at all. The position offered is uncertain or may not last; and even if continuing five years you are then cast off without realising the contingency of the Professorship, what and where shall you be? No; get the profession and other things will arrange themselves. Nor would I study medicine merely as a stand by; do it with all your heart and soul.

I dont think $5000.00 per annum should buy your whole time now!

I would give them six months time of actual labor in collecting, for about 80 or 85 dollars permonth, which would be a very fair way of doing the thing. They should also pay the necessary expenses of traveling, transportation of specimens; alcohol, arsenic &c. It might be well however for you to find the outfit. This can be had complete for less than $100.00, and we could probably contribute materially towards this from our surplus. You had better therefore furnish outfit, of permanent things.

They should also pay expense of transportation of specimens to & from Washington. You will add here considerably to your stock from our stores. All your time here will be spent in their service, in fact, as you will be acquiring in a few months what would otherwise require years of painful experience to get hold of.

[printed letterhead] No. [written] 1517 [printed] Smithsonian Institution, [written] 3 [printed] Washington, D. C.

[handwritten] I may be too confident, but I do not believe any museum in the country is conducted in as thorough and scientific manner as ours.

Dont complicate negotiations by talking about a book, unless they should make the stipulation that one should be [illegible] up.

I do not know what the expenses of travel will be, nor the freight on the specimens; this will depend on the gratuitous facilities you might receive; with these exceptions $100.00 would be an ample allowance for alcohol, [illegible], &c. I should think that 250. to 300 dollars would be enough. You would want some jars, (not to carry, but to receive specimens and assort at home). You will also want some drawers & chests. But all these for the most part might be let alone until after you return from Washington. You could bury the collections here pretty much in the original package