THE YOUNG PROFESSOR 189 



Bibb, started July ijth for western Virginia, on a collect- 

 ing expedition. They visited Kennedy's father in Clarke 

 County, then proceeded in a carriage from Harrisonburg 

 to Stanton and the Shenandoah Valley, dragging every 

 stream with a small seine for fishes. On the 22nd they 

 reached the White Sulphur Springs, Baird very ill with 

 dysentery, which had been coming on for several days. 



He was critically ill, but medical attendance and the 

 faithful nursing of his companion carried him through the 

 crisis, and on the ist of August he was able to be moved 

 and on the road to recovery. By the time they reached 

 Newtown, Kennedy was down with the disease and had 

 to be left. Baird and Bibb finally reached Carlisle on 

 the yth of August. He was well enough by the i6th to 

 start for the meeting of the American Association at 

 Cambridge, where he stayed with Professor Agassiz, with 

 Haldeman, Gibbes of South Carolina, John Le Conte 

 and the Holbrooks. After the meeting he returned to 

 Carlisle August 25th, and went to work again on the 

 encyclopedia. 



From ] . D. Dana to Spencer F. Baird. 



NEW HAVEN, CONN., August 27th, 1849. 



. . . As to your application to Professor Henry. The fact 

 is that Henry has no idea of requiring, yet a while, a curator. He 

 intends to have nothing to do with the Exploring Expedition Collec- 

 tions or any other government property. I regret that he takes this 

 stand, for collections are better than books to the naturalist; they 

 contain the whole that was ever put in words on the subject, and they 

 illustrate a thousand times more. He is more interested in the library 

 and publications, both very important purposes, but the plan is 

 one sided and not of the wide comprehensive character I had 

 expected from Henry. I wish there was a chance to establish you 

 here at Yale, but that is out of the question. Your industry must be 



