44 



of other e(iu<illy urgent affairs, leads us further to request that we may 

 be assured of the appointment, for a period of six months, of an expert 

 superintendent and experienced assistants, who shall be acceptable to 

 the Commissioner, or his repioscntative. as in every way competent and 

 suflHcient for the care of this material under the circumstances existing- 

 and soon to ensue. The destructive consequences to our delicate and 

 perishable collections which must follow upon even a temporary mistake 

 in this matter, and the unfortunate complications likely to arise if a 

 wrong beginning were made, lead us to ask tliat our judgment— greatly 

 enlightened as it has been by the season's experience with the present 

 aquarium plant — may thus be allowed due weight in tlie selection of the 

 temporary a(iuarium staff upon whom the care of the material for tlie 

 winter will fall. As this is perhaps the most difficult ;ind impc>rtant, 

 and at the same time the most urgent, feature of the proposed arrange- 

 ment, I have anticipated the action of the trustees so far as to get tlie 

 consent of the Commissioner to the continuance — for some months if 

 desired — of one of the present aquarium superintendents, a regular ern- 

 ploy6 of the Fish Commission, to whom the Commissioner is willing to 

 give leave of absence for a time, to enable him to help over the emer- 

 gency. I have also ascertained that all the present aquarium assistants, 

 who are now a body of picked and trained men. thoroughly accpiainted 

 with the situation and their duties, would be willing to continue, at 

 least for a time, in their present employment. The existing organiza- 

 tion can thus be carried over, without a break, in a way to secure the 

 safety of our material for the winter, and to give the trustees ample 

 time to mature a permanent organization and select a satisfactory staff. 



"So far as a general zoological supervision of the aquarium is con- 

 cerned, I beg to say that it will be a pleasure to me to serve the trus- 

 tees temporarily in this matter, with the understanding that I shall be 

 relieved as soon as a satisfactory selection of a permanent director can 

 be made. 



"The foregoing statement contains all the conditions precedent to a 

 transfer. It will be seen that they are intended merely to tind a basis 

 of agreement between Commissioner McDonald and the Trustees of the 

 Columbian Museum as to the general purposes and policy of the aquarium, 

 and to secure the safety of the collections during the period of readjust- 

 ment and reorganization. 



"I should add, as an Item of information which may be of interest to 

 you, that it is now agreed that in case the arrangement here proposed 

 is not made, the collections shall be placed in charge of the Illinois State 

 Laboratory of Natural Ilistory (of which I am director) for distribution 

 to the public high schools and educational institutions of the State of 

 Illinois. I very much prefer, however, such disposition of them as may 

 result in a permanent, living, active scientific institution of the first 

 class, so related and supported as to give us a fair assurance of its devel- 

 opment in accordance with the importance of its field and the greatness 

 of the city which it will represent. 



"I am further authorized by Commissioner ^IcDonald to say that if 

 such an institution be provided for in Chicago, lie will be glad to under- 

 take to establish in connection with it a tirs^t-class fishcultural station of 

 the United States Fish Commission, on condition that grounds can l)e 

 found for such an institution. If this idea was carried out, we should 

 have, practically in one institution, a popular aciuarium of the first class, 

 a biological station maintained in the interests of science, and a fish 

 commission station devoted to practical apjilication of aciuatic zoology. 

 Such an association of kindred undertakings would greatly reduce tlie 

 cost of maintaining each, as many of the facilities and much of the 

 apparatus could be adapted to all three as readily as to one alone." 



The museum trustees were eventually obliged to decline the proposed 

 gift, owing to a lack of funds secured and available for either immediate 

 or permanent maintenance, and owing also to the incompleteness of the 

 museum plans and organization at'that early date, and. 1. therefore, made 



