156 SPENCER FULLERTON BAIRD 
Much to his surprise, Baird received the following 
letter: 
From James Dwight Dana to Spencer F. Baird." 
New Haven, Conn., January, 1847. 
Dear Barrp, 
I have just written Dr. Pickering 1* that you would make a good 
curator for the Smithsonian Institution. What do you say to it? 
Salary, $1500.00, with house rent, as I understand. If you wish 
such a situation you should write at once and send your credentials 
to Professor Henry, and enclose a copy also to Hon. R. D. Owen, 
who is one of the Regents. I would give you all of my influence 
and the best recommendation. 
From James Dwight Dana to Spencer F. Baird. 
New Haven, Conn., February 7, ’47 
Dear Barrp, 
By your credentials I mean any recommendations you 
could obtain; and a word from a Political man is perhaps quite as 
important as from Scientific, since much depends on favor in all 
Washington appointments. I know nothing with regard to the candi- 
dates or the state of the question. The day on which I wrote you 
I had a letter from Dr. Pickering desiring to know if I wish it, and 
advising me to make my application at once; whereupon I wrote a 
negative reply, and mentioned your name to Pickering. I suppose 
that Peale is looking for the place, and no doubt there are many 
other applicants. But I know of none that I should prefer to your- 
self, 
Evidently Baird took immediate action, and while 
only drafts of letters sent are among the papers accessible 
to me, they are doubtless correct in essentials. He put 
1 The reply to this is not preserved. 
18 Charles Pickering, M.D., born in 1805, and a graduate of 
Harvard in 1823, was distinguished for his contributions to the 
knowledge of the geographical distribution of plants, animals and 
man. He died in 1878. 
