n6 SPENCER FULLERTON BAIRD 



away, and spent most of the next day looking over the 

 Doctor's extensive collection of insects and books. The 

 next day he continued his journey to Chickasalunga, the 

 mansion of S. S. Haldeman, a fine large house at the 

 foot of a high hill with a 300 foot precipice near it called 

 Chickies Rock. Haldeman was one of the noted scientific 

 men of that day, who wrote on many subjects, especially 

 conchology and philology, and had a fine library of books 

 on all branches of science and large collections in Natural 

 History and Archaeology. He was noted for his kindness 

 to young students of science, and became for many years 

 a friend and correspondent of Baird. Usually wearing a 

 round fur cap, short, with brilliant black eyes and slightly 

 eccentric manners, he was a personage who lived in one's 

 memory after even a brief interview. On the present 

 occasion he gave books and specimens to his young 

 visitor. On the 9th Baird returned to Carlisle. 



Baird expresses little political sentiment in his Journal. 

 All his family were Whigs and he records spending an 

 evening at his Aunt Julia's helping to fix a banner to be 

 presented to the Whig organization of the town by the 

 ladies of Carlisle. This function came off on August I7th, 

 when thirty carloads of people came from Chambersburg 

 to see the procession, with men working at their trades, 

 on "floats," blacksmiths, coopers, leather dressers, etc. 



On September 6th the Loco-foco party retaliated by 

 holding a grand meeting in Carlisle at which four thousand 

 people were estimated to be present. 



As is natural at his age, Baird saw much of the ladies 

 of his acquaintance in these days, spending most of his 

 evenings at one hospitable house or another, and there are 

 indications that some of them were not indifferent to 

 the cheery, handsome young fellow. 



