Cambridge,  11a®  a; 
Tfy  dear  friend  Blasohka,- 
Your  good  letter  i»  Just  at  hand  and  1  hasten  te 
reply.  Accept  mgr  thanks  far  the  clear  statement  which  you  hare  seat.  Of 
course  it  is  very  hard  for  me  to  understand  clearly  the  conditions  which 
surround  artistic  work  in  dermay  at  present,  for  1  do  not  knew  the 
future  of  your  taxes  on  income  and  output. 
£  will  endeavor  to  make  plain  the  conditions  here,  and  2  will 
ask  you  to  let  ae  knew  at  you r  early  convenience,  Whether  they  are  stated 
ina  manner  fully  meeting  all  the  points  at  Issue. 
first  of  all:  it  is  perfectly  obvious  that  Director  Honshaw 
does  not  foci  willing  to  add  any  zoological  models  to  these  which  he  has 
on  hand.  Bo  dews  not  have  any  room,  and  therefore  we  must  give  up  all 
idea  of  constructing  any  marine  xnrer tsbrata  to  add  to  hie  collections. 
Vs  must  therefore  turn  again  to  Botany. 
M*  Kin  lhm*is  collection  of  pi  sill  ho  conoid*  rod  finish- 
sd  when  we  receive  in  the  future  the  model e  whioh  you  now  have  on  hand 
and  which  are  now  marooned  in  your  studio  on  ao count  of  the  impossibility 
of  export  in  bond  to  Boston.  Those  models  cannot  be  safely  entrusted  te 
barbarous  treatment  at  the  hands  of  the  Mew  York  Custom  House  officials. 
They  must  wait  for  safe  times. 
3rd.  Shat  can  we  suggest  for  a  oontlnuanoe  of  your  artistic 
work  which  will  satisfy  Viss  fare,  Who  is  willing  to  have  a  supplementary 
botanical  collection  placed  in  an  adjoining  room,  and  for  the  construct* 
ion  of  Which  2  must  sock  a  new  source  of  remuneration  for  yeuf 
£  suggest,  as  I  said  before,  an  adequate  representation  of  gr— inoae. 
Tor  this  proposed  collection  1  could  send  you  dried  specimens^ "sasTiy ' 
prepared  by  seeking  in  hot  water,  for  duplication. 
4th,  If  you  should  be  willing  to  undertake  this  new  work,  1 
shall  enter  at  once,  on  receipt  sf  your  letterof  approval,  upon  a  campaign 
for  procuring  funds  for  you.  Times  are  very  hard  here,  but  £  think  that 
2  can  secure  enough  money  for  the  purpose.  The  following  Is  my  proposal 
subject  to  your  approval. 
A.  The  construction  of  models  illustrating  the  (Jra  dneae, 
the  artist//  to  have  absolute  freedom  as  to  the  rapidity  of  modelling. 
J».  The  artist  to  receive  semi-annually  the  sum  of  ono 
thousand  dollars  in  American  •noney  payable  in  Dresden  to  the  order  ©f 
Rudolph  Bias ohka, and  the  contract  to  run  for  a  term  of  five  years  from 
its  commencement.  It  is  understood  that  1  or  my  successors  «ouid  be  re¬ 
sponsible  for  the  payment  of  expenses  for  packing  and  freight.  Xf  the 
foregoing  should  moot  your  approval ,  £  shall  set  myself  at  once  to  the 
difficult  task  of  interesting  friends  of  the  ’5fua«um  in  the  living  of  this 
sum  of  money  for  your  artistic  work  in  the  construction  of  models  of  the 
grasses  (and  perhaps  the  sedges.)  Write  me  freely  and  let  me  know  as  soon 
as  convenient  about  it,  and  £  shall  buckle  down  to  the  arduous  enterprise 
here. 
it  is  with  regret  that  £  have  to  state  that  my  health  is  far 
from  good,  owing, to  Diabetes,  eta. ,  but  X  have  good  oourage.  But  at  my 
time  of  life,  8k  years  of  age,  one  has  to  be  very  careful  about  making 
promises  of  any  kind,  and  £  should  therefore  have  guard  against  contin¬ 
gencies  by  plaoing  in  the  hands  ef  our  College  treasurer  the  whole  of  the 
son tract  funds,  sey  eleven  or  twelve  thousand  dollars  to  cover  your 
salary  and  the  shipping  expenses.  >,  / 
a  .  US" 
[_{a£X. 
