128 SPENCER FULLERTON BAIRD 
From Spencer F. Baird to William M. Baird. 
Car.is.E, Nov 24. 1845. 
Dear WILL, 
I received your letter yesterday, and as you request hasten to 
attend to its contents. I saw Mr. Hamilton just now about the school. 
He says that the board elected Tommy Criswell on trial for four 
months from 1 December to 1 April. If satisfactory he will probably 
be retained. I don’t believe however that he will suit very well. 
I should like very much to have Dana here; is he related to J. D. 
Dana? Talking of him, don’t you want to subscribe for Silliman’s 
Journal a new series of which commences on January next. It will 
appear every two months, & will contain more matter than before, 
particularly miscellaneous science & bibliography. It is § or 6 dollars 
a year. Try and get some body or bodies in Reading to subscribe. 
They are going to publish an index to the 50 vols. of the old series, 
price $3.00, don’t you want this? If you will have either, let me send 
for you, as may be I can get enough subscribers for a gratis copy. 
I have very little to say about Shooting, having hardly been 
out for weeks. Partridges I care nothing about, and Ducks are 
obsolete. I spend my time at hard study. Spanish (South Am; 
Mexico; & California;) Italian & German in the morning, Analytical 
Mathematics, drawing (Landscapes) &c. in the afternoon. I am 
going to study Mineralogy & Chemistry, & Iron Metallurgy also. 
William Watts in consideration of analysing his ores, will buy me 
any apparatus & books I want. I have accordingly sent for Dana’s 
Mineralogy, Fresenius Chem. analysis, Berzelius on the blowpipe 
&c. He will get me blowpipes, mortar, platinum spoon, tests &c. 
this week in Phila. I have got out the old collection of minerals, 
but cannot find the catalogue. Do you know anything of it? I 
wish you were here to see my room. It is the greatest one in the 
country. Every thing fixed off in grand style, Venetian Shutters, 
Sash springs, morticed locks, fine carpet, Crimson curtains (about 
to be) drum‘ &c. Never smokes, very light, easily warmed, &c. 
Nothing new here, at least I can think of nothing. The new bell is 
up in the Court-house, weighs 1020 lbs. If I can raise money I will 
4 A sheet iron cylinder fixed above the stove to increase radiating 
surface. 
