450 



SCIENCE. 



[N. S. Vol. XI. No. 273. 



sorrow that I had been mistaken in hoping I had ac- 

 quired another learned friend. I had anticipated 

 much pleasure from the study with yon of the shells 

 and fossils of y'r fine cabinet, as you tendered — 

 you may now hare that pleasure alone. I wish Con- 

 rad, Troost and others may be found willing to give 

 you for nothing the use of their labors and discoreries, 

 as I had proposed for my own ; but I doubt it ; 

 Few are as liberal as I am. As you neither require 

 my works, nor shells, nor fossils, nor labors now. I 

 have wondered why you asked them before. 



My time will thus be better employed perhaps in 

 continuing my solitary labors. It is a pity that here 

 naturalists will not be friends and labor jointly to 

 increase knowledge. When you return from your 

 intended travels we may resume joint studies, if you 

 require it. 



Respectfully yours, 



C. S. Eafinesque. 



On the 16th Professor Wagner writes : 

 Your note of the 12th was handed me this morning 

 only. You still harp upon the disappointment you 

 reced in my refusal to enter bail as you stated 

 for your appearance only to prosecute an appeal which 

 in reality was bail for debt, squire fees, court expen- 

 ses, etc., in case of final defeat. If your boisterous 

 manner and final departure without an ordinary adieu 

 expresses sorrow (& what I considered anger) why 

 yon show your feelings very differently from anyone 

 I ever saw. I expressly informed you I was retiring 

 from business and this day we have advertised our 

 stock for sale at auction and I have resolved that I 

 would not contract any new liabilities, that I was 

 closing everything and would avoid all new responsi- 

 bilities. Any reasonable man would not have mur- 

 mured at such an explanation. My article of co- 

 partnership independently of all other objections 

 positively precludes my complying with your request. 

 I regret that you should have thrown the obstruction 

 in the way of our scientific intercourse and assure 

 you that I was as much pleased with our friendly 

 interchange of thoughts and opinions as you could 

 possibly have been. You have caused the breach. 

 Therefore it is for you to close it if you desire it. 

 You again speak ol giving for nothing your labor, 

 your discoveries, etc. I never received any of your 

 labors, or discoveries, or anything else. If yon can 

 show I have, send me a bill of it and I will pay your 

 demands. The only transaction we have had was 

 that I loaned you a book and you loaned me one. 

 I cordially agree with you that any interruption of 

 our joint studies by your extraordinary request is as 

 disagreeable to me as it can be to you. 

 Respectfully yours. 



The last letter comes from Rafinesque 

 under date of the 17th of April, 1840. 



Sib: — Y'r letter of yesterday did not require im- 

 mediate answer, but having received two important 

 letters from European geologists which under other 

 circumstances would have been immediately shown 

 to you, it may be proper to impart some of their con- 

 tents. My Geological Fragments have been published 

 by the first Geological Society of Europe. I am in- 

 formed that American fossils (particularly of the 

 oldest formations) are very scarce in European col- 

 lections and wanted for sale and exchange. I am in- 

 stru".ted to apply to you and others for specimens but 

 all of mine are required. Mucbinson (?) and a friend 

 of mine are going to publish jointly the whole Silurian 

 system of Europe and all such American fossils of that 

 age they can procure, therefore as you have stated 

 you no longer want my fossils and have perhaps 

 given up y'r idea of undertaking the American 

 Silurian system — I propose to send to Europe this 

 year the whole of my American fossils amounting to 

 thousands and of great value — of which it is proper 

 you should be apprized in time. If you should go to 

 Europe instead of the South and West and carry your 

 fossils there, I will be able to inform you further. I 

 shall no longer harp as you say on my disappoint- 

 ment I have merely to remark that as a candid man 

 I prefer a direct refusal to pretext. That you may be 

 undeceived ab't your apparent surmise, I must add 

 that I don't owe one dollar to anybody, and pay all 

 just demands. It was never stated that you received 

 any of my labors and I don't send false bills to any- 

 one. My herbarium was all around us at my office 

 and you never asked to peep into it. My fossils 

 and shells are in boxes as I cannot spend large 

 sums like you to display them. They have been 

 tendered for drawings only at y'r own request, 

 a great favor you ought to know ; but next year 

 shall be in Europe where valued and paid for in the 

 equivalents. As I have many duplicates if you will 

 exchange them immediately with some of y'rs I have 

 no objection — Price for price. 



Respectfully y'rs, 



C. F. Rafinbsque. 



These letters ■would seem to be almost 

 childish but for the fact that B-afinesque 

 had been for several years thoroughly ec- 

 centric in his actions and this was probabl}^ 

 the beginning of the miserable end. 



They were probably written when he lived 

 on Race Street in a garret. If he died on 

 September 18, 1840, as is stated by E. E. 



