312 AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



1859, a few colonies of Italian bees in Italy, and to ship them to Washington, to 

 the agricultural department, for especial purpose ; that Mr. P. purchased the said 

 bees, but, instead of shipping them " to their proper destination," they were taken 

 to Mr. Parson's home, in Flushing, near New York city ; that the cost to the United 

 States Treasury was about $1,800 ; and that nothing was got out of the enterprise 

 by the United States Government in return for said investment. That is, I think, 

 substantially Mr. Robinson's " bill of complaint." 



Now, I admit that said charges, as given by Mr. R., and without a full and 

 proper explanation, have the appearance of something wrong on the part of Mr. 

 Parsons, but when all the facts are made public, everybody, Mr. Robinson included, 

 will see that no wrong was done to the United States, and that the charge of dis- 

 honesty is a false one. It will then be understood why Mr. Langstroth, of whom 

 Mr. R. complains also, has given Mr. Parsons full credit for-the first importation of 

 Italian bees from their native land, and none worth mentioning to the United States 

 Government. 



On page 624 of the Bee Journal for May 17, 1894, I stated that the United 

 States did not pay Mr. Parsons .'^1,800 to defray the expenses of importing Italian 

 bees ; nor not even one-tenth of that sum, which would be $180. I will now state 

 that the United States did not pay Mr. Parsons for said purpose the one-hundredth 

 part of $1,800, which would be. $18. Nor in fact not even the sum of $1 — simply 

 one solitary dollar ! And I defy Mr. R©binson, or any one else, to record any proof 

 to the contrary. No such proof has been, or can be found among the records in the 

 archives of the United States Treasury Department, nor among the " vouchers" on 

 file there from Mr. Parsons. Simply assertions to the contrary, or lost letters, are 

 not proof, by any means. 



Mr. Robinson says, on page 120, that Mr. Langstroth has recorded that Mr. 

 Parsons paid Mr. Hermann $1,200 for Italian bees. Mr. Robinson also says that 

 said $1,200 " was money out of the United States Treasury, as shown by the indis- 

 putable history of the case." Now this is simply an assertion with no shadow of 

 proof to sustain it. Mr. Langstroth has nowhere said, as intimated by Mr. Robin- 

 son, that said $1,200 " was money out of the United States Treasury ;" nor that 

 he believed it was United States money, for he knew better. 



Mr. Robinson complains that I have misquoted him as follows: That the 

 United States " paid about $1,800 for importing Italian bees, and got nothing in 

 eturn." Mr. R. says : " I challenge him to refer to any record showing that I have 

 made any such positive statement." It is not my purpose to misquote any one 

 intentionally, nor do I think I have done so in this instance. Now here is verbatim 

 what Mr. R. did record in the America')i Bec-Kecper, page 180, 1893 : 



" Dr. Riley did not mention the fact that it cost the United States Government 

 some $1,800 to defray the expenses of the Government — Parsons' importation — but 

 the records are in the archives of the Department, or should be there." 



On page 178, same issue of the American Bee-Keepcr, Mr. R. says that " none 

 of the 20 hives reached Washington, the proper destination, but instead thereof, 

 all of the hives wore taken to Parson's residence, in Flushing, N. Y." 



I think now that the average reader will conclude that I have complied with 

 that harmless challenge. I think also that the average reader has got the impres- 

 sion from the past utterances of Mr. Robinson, that Mr. Parsons played the " green- 

 goods game " upon Uncle Sam, and that Mr. R. has tried very hard, by his so-called 

 historical facts, to instill that as a fact in the minds of bee-keeping readers. 



Now let mo add right here, in reply to the foregoing citation from the American 

 Bee-Keeper, that Mr. Parsons did not purchase "20 hives" of Italian bees, nor did 

 he take that numbisr to his home, in Flushing, at the time Mr. R. refers. When 

 Mr. R. writes history, he should confine himself to recorded facts, and not place too 

 much confidence on an unreliable memory. 



As it is 102^^ in the shade to-day, the foregoing must suffice for the present. 



St. Charles, III. 



