1850 TO 1865 367 



In 1864, the Atlantic cable not having met expecta- 

 tions, the Western Union Telegraph Company began to 

 consider plans for an overland line via northwest America 

 and eastern Siberia to connect with Russian lines already 

 extended to the mouth of the Amur river. The diplomatic 

 difficulties having been smoothed away, the Company 

 was in search of a leader for the exploration of a route 

 through the almost unknown regions of western Hudson 

 Bay Territory and Russian America to Bering Strait. 

 Through the influence of Dr. Cutting and Professor Baird 

 attention was drawn to the capabilities of Robert Kenni- 

 cott for the work. After some deliberation he accepted 

 the offer subject to the provision of permission to take 

 along a number of young scientists who, while liable to 

 be called on for Telegraph work and paid a nominal 

 salary, should have an outfit supplied and be afforded 

 opportunity for collecting specimens of Natural History 

 for the Smithsonian Institution. 



In her reminiscences, Miss Lucy Baird records the 

 following notes on Kennicott: 



"Robert Kennicott came to Washington in December, 

 1857. His correspondence with my father began in 1853, 

 when Kennicott himself was a mere boy of seventeen. 

 I imagine the acquaintance originally came through 

 Doctor Kirtland in whose family Kennicott was intimate. 







"Robert Kennicott's tour through the territories of 

 the Hudson Bay Company, extending within the Arctic 

 Circle and into what was known then as Russian America, 

 opened a tremendous field for collection. Besides the 

 collections which he made himself, he interested the 

 officers of the Hudson Bay Company in the matter; and 

 my father's large correspondence was further augmented 



