21 



Washington, July 8, 1892. 

 Mr. George F. Wright, Present: 



"Sir — On the recommendation of the Director your services as an Assis- 

 tant Geologist @ $5.00 per diem in the Geological Survey Temporary 

 Force are hereby dispensed with from and after July 8, 1892. 



Respectfully, 



John W. Noble, Secretary. 



Through the Director of Geological Survey." 



CONCLUSION. 



Mr. McGee's last comparison of Professor Wright to the harpies brings 

 Virgil's iEneid to mind. The eleventh line ends — 



" Tantaene animis coelestibus irae ? " 



" Can heavenly natures nourish hate 

 So fierce, so blindly passionate?" 



In Juno's case, however, jealousy was the cause of anger. 



Yet one cannot help surprise at such an article. 



Why did Mr. McGee write it ? 



He has published such articles in several papers or magazines. Why ? 



One in the Literary Northwest, for February, 1893, is even more 

 inaccurate than the foregoing, if possible more abusive — adding to his 

 name, to add to the abuse, the title "U. S. Geological Survey." 



The title of the article is "A Geologic Palimpsest." Not seeing at once 

 how the last word applied, I referred to the "Century" and found the 

 first meaning to be a "manuscript written upon another. " But this is 

 a printed review upon a printed book. A second meaning is "a monu- 

 mental brass," and I must say the title fits the paper. 



I am the more inclined to believe in this satire of Mr. McGee upon him- 

 self, because in the same article in the Literary Northwest, he made 

 his finest exhibition of wit. 



It may be remembered that in the article here reprinted he gave Pro- 

 fessor Wright a "Doughty" companion, intended apparently to help 

 McGee's abuse. 



In the Literary Northwest, in similar manner, he gave, as a comrade, 

 the "late" Capt. Willard Glazier, who claimed to have discovered the source 



