1919] Osborn, The Congo Expedition xix 



New York City, 

 April 8. 1909. 

 To His Excellency Baron Moncheur, 

 Legation de Belgique, 

 Washington, D. C. 

 Dear Sir: 



I am instructed by Henry Fairfield Osborn, President of the Board of Trustees of 

 The American Museum of Natural History, to acknowledge the receipt of your most 

 courteous favor of April second, conveying the information that through your kind 

 intervention, and also through the instrumentality of the Honorable James Gustavus 

 Whiteley, the attention of His Excellency the Minister of Colonies of the Kingdom of 

 Belgium has been called to our desires concerning scientific work in the Belgian 

 Colony of the Congo, and transmitting a most welcome series of propositions formu- 

 lated by His Excellency the Minister of Foreign Affairs in the name of His Colleague 

 the Minister of Colonies. 



President Osborn wishes especially that the Colonial Administration of the King- 

 dom of Belgium should be informed that its desire to encourage the success of the con- 

 templated scientific expedition is, in itself, the most important of those factors which 

 will lead to this success. Moreover, he wishes me to say that the contribution of the 

 Colonial Administration — generous, as unexpected — indicates an attitude towards 

 scientific research which is most high-minded and which argues, for those having the 

 affairs of the Colony of the Congo in charge, an administration of caution, of liberality 

 and of wisdom. 



The American Museum of Natural History will consider it a privilege to be 

 permitted to share the scientific results of this Expedition to the Congo with the 

 Musee du Congo, in Belgium, and to do everything in its power to develop the collec- 

 tions from the Congo, exhibited, and to be exhibited at Tervueren — indeed, the 

 Trustees of the American Museum desire that they may do much more than is sug- 

 gested by your formal list of desiderata. 



With the utmost gratitude for your most efficient services, and confident that the 

 combined efforts of the Colonial Administration of the Kingdom of Belgium and The 

 American Museum of Natural History will result in the general promotion of science 

 and thus redound to the benefit of all people, I am, 



Very respectfully yours, 



(Signed) Hermon Carey Bumpus, 



Director. 



It will be observed in the foregoing correspondence that the Govern- 

 ment of Belgium contributed the sum of 6,800 francs ($1,329.13) 

 towards the first year's expenses of field-work (estimated at $11,000) 

 and that the Museum engaged to enrich the collections of the Belgian 

 Colonial Museum at Tervueren. The instructions of the Belgian Govern- 

 ment were carried out in a most courteous and obliging manner by the 

 representatives of the Congo Colonial Administration throughout the 

 duration of the expedition. 



