196 SPENCER FULLERTON BAIRD 



mostly stones; for but a small portion of the income can be appro- 

 priated for the real objects of the Institution. In accordance with 

 this arrangement the sum which will next year be allowed to the 

 department of collections, after deducting current expenses is $3650.00. 

 Of this $3000 is required to pay for books and engravings bought 

 of Mr. Marsh. Thus, only $650 will be left for the purpose of books 

 and for other operations of the library during the year! I trust, 

 however, this is not the whole of the story. Prof. Henry proposes 

 to ask the Regents to vary a little from their plan, so as to produce 

 the same result with reference to the building fund but to prolong 

 the time from two years to three or four. We might thus draw from 

 the building fund $5000 or $6000 a year for two years and repay 

 it the two following years. In case this is done I consider it quite 

 certain that Mr. Baird will be appointed at the next meeting of the 

 Regents. I cannot tell what doubts and difficulties may arise and 

 I am telling tales out of school, to say what I have said. But I can 

 fully appreciate your desire to know all the probabilities of the case, 

 when the certainty cannot be known. We shall not be able to speak 

 with much confidence until about the time of the meeting of the 

 Regents the first week in January. If anything new occurs, I will 

 inform you. 



From Joseph Henry to Spencer F. Baird. 



SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION, November 1849. 

 MY DEAR SIR, 



During my absence at the North my letters were forwarded to 

 me and among the number was one from you which by accident was 

 mislaid at Princeton and has just now come to light. I regret that 

 it has so long remained unanswered. 



After leaving Cambridge to Professor Bache, I then went to 

 Toronto, U. C. to confer with Capt. Lefroy relative to the co-opera- 

 tion of the observers in the British provinces in our system of meteor- 

 ology, and also to get some instruction in the manipulation of the 

 self-registering photographic magnetic instrument. My visit was 

 highly gratifying. I received all the information I desired and the 

 assurance of a hearty co-operation in all the operations of the Smith- 

 sonian Inst. 



