330 DAVKNPORT ACADEMY OF NATURAL SCIRNCES. 



I am glad, however, of this opportunity to say that I have never had 

 other than the utmost conftdence in the good faith and integrity of 

 those members of your Academy who have l)een engaged in the study 

 of the reUcs in ([uestion. I deeply regret that the discussion of a sci- 

 entific problem should have become embarrassed by considerations of 

 a personal nature. I assure you that you could not fall into a graver 

 error than to suppose that any "endeavor to fasten the stigma of fraud 

 upon the Academy" could have the sympathy or "seeming support of 

 the Smithsonian Institution." I am, sir, 



Yours very respectfully, 



Spencer F. Baird, Secretary. 



Davenport, Iowa, October 23, 1885. 

 Pr(jf. Spencer F. Baird, Secretary Sinifhsonian Institution, IVash- 



ingtofi, D. C, — 



Dear Sir: In the view I have taken of the connection between the 

 so-called "Bureau of Ethnology" and the Smithsonian Institution. I feel 

 confident I have fallen into no error, but, when confronted with the 

 positive denial in your communication of September i6th last, I de- 

 layed replying until I could find leisure to make a careful reexamina- 

 tion of the records. 



I now find that in the year 1879 Congress passed a law consoHdating 

 the separate Surveys under one management; that previous to that 

 date ethnological investigation had been conducted principally in con- 

 nection with the Rocky Mountain explorations; that under this law all 

 collections thus made were turned over to the Smithsonian Institution, 

 .and that by provision of subsequent acts these explorations were to be 

 continued under its supervision. Thus, the -act of March 3d, 1879, 

 provided: "That all the archives, records, and material relating to the 

 Indians of North America, collected by the Geographical and Geologi- 

 cal Survey of the Rocky Mountain region, shall be turned over to the 

 Smithsonian Institution, that the work may be completed and prepared for 

 publication under its direction.'' 



The various ai)propriation acts subsecjuently passed by Congress 

 contained provisions substantially like the following, taken from the act 

 of August 7th, 1882: 



"For North American Ethnology, Smithsonian Institution : For the 

 ]nu:pose of continuing ethnological researches among the North Amer- 

 ican Indians, under the direction of the Secretary of the Smithsonian In- 

 stitution, including salaries and compensation of all necessary em- 

 ployes, thirty-five thousand dollars." 



And in the Smithsonian Report for the same year (1882) your own 

 views concerning this department are thus clearly stated: 



"As in previous years, I pro])Ose to include in the present report, in 

 addition to matters pertaining strictly to the Institution, a brief account 

 of the operations of the National Museum, and of the Bureau of Eth- 

 nology, which may be considered as part of the Smithsonian Institution." 



