THE MUSEUM HIS HEADQUARTERS 39 



have been placed at his disposal by the different rail- 

 road companies, stage lines and steamboats. He finds 

 himself, therefore, so pleasantly placed near Rio, and 

 enjoying so many facilities for transportation, that he 

 has been tempted to remain much longer there than 

 he intended, and has already accumulated considerable 

 material. He has been quite successful in his investiga- 

 tions about Glaciers, and the geographical distribution 

 of Fishes, the two main points of interest to him, and the 

 prospects are at present that his absence will extend far 

 beyond the time originally intended for his return. Our 

 political affairs are little by little getting into shape and 

 I hope we shall yet show to Europe that if we have been 

 able to fight through a crisis which would have over- 

 turned any European Government, we shall pass through 

 in safety the greatest political crisis and solve the great 

 problem of universal liberty in a satisfactory manner. 



TO J. J. KATJP 



Cambridge, Sep. 12, 1865. 

 I have just received your letter of August 23d an- 

 nouncing departure of several boxes for us. As soon as 

 I get everything which has accumulated during this 

 vacation to rights, I shall make you an invoice of the 

 things I had offered you and which I hope you will 

 like. I wish I had received your note a few days earlier. 

 I should have had the chance of securing for you a 

 skin of a Bison. I shall, however, keep my eyes open and 

 the next chance I get I shall remember you as well as 

 the Bison. I hope before long to have duplicate skins 

 of both Bison and Elk, as we have now no less than 

 three parties at different places in the Rocky Moun- 

 tains who have promised to do what they could for us 



