aaithsonlaai Notes by David G. Graham^ 01i#iig:tm^ Sasechuan^ OMaa 



On Sept# 30 I reached GhengtUt after a hard journey up the Yangtee and 

 the Min Rivera. One boat was wrecked about 8 miles below Chengtu and some 

 of my books were spoilt. 



1^ house on the caiiiqc^s i was to be ready for us to occupy on our arrival 

 but this is the Orient, and it was not ready. It had not been occupied for 

 three years and ims out of repair very badly. She entire inside of the house 

 had to be painted. Painters were en^ged to do so in June. A conanittee of 

 foreigners had been appointed to see that house was ready. Mien I arrived 

 I found that the painters had actually been busy two or three days on the 

 house and the kitchen and the second story was so freshly painted that it 

 could not be occupied for two days. 2he attic was entirely full of other 

 peoples* furniture and the entire first floor was so full that only the front 

 hall was vacant, fhe front hall had to be painted soon. We therefore could 

 not put a single article of furniture where it belonged. We had to stack 

 everything on the poreht which leaked very badly in several places, so that 

 our things got wet. As a result we have been slower getting settled, and 

 have had a much harder time than we should* 



Soon after I arrived I was elected curator of the University Museum. 

 The Museum has very valuable mterials but nothing at all has been properly 

 labeled and recorded, ly first job will be to get blanks printed and classify 

 all the artifacts in the Museum, numbering them and completing all possible 

 records, classifying the materials, eto«, etc. 



The himter^, Yang Fang Tsang rejoined me at Suifu, and also the skinner 

 Ho Yang had a few specimens which I will mail soon, fhe ^jamais I will 

 number from 1000 on. These include numbers from 1000 to 1009. There are 

 about thirteen snakes, a dozen birds and a few insects. The rats ate up 

 most of Yang*s insects. 



October 9. Ho and Yang have gone to E!uaJ\Shien to loofc over the grounds 

 and to make plans for future work. 



October 14. The caarpenters have been making boxes to contain specimens* 

 I escpect to mail some specimens soon* I wrote to Dr. Crook at Yachow, re- 

 questing him to forward the Smithsonian speciroens to mm* 



October 25. Three armies are entrenched in Chengtu. Ntambers of soldiers 

 are quartered in temples, in inns and in private homes. Laborers are being 

 coimandeered to work for the armies and other Chinese to become soldiera. 

 War has been expected at any time and last Saturday fighting actually broke 

 out on one of the streets. Mr. Franels, a foreigner, had a number of bullets 

 hit his home. Panic spread all "over the city. Today all the shops are closed 

 as a protest against the disturbing of the peace by the armies. It is hardly 

 safe for a foreigner to move about in Chengtu and less so for Chinese. I am 

 having Ho and Yang remain here in my house for safety until conditions improve. 

 Meanwhile the carpenters are making boxes. There are nine boxes of specimens 

 to forward as soon as the conditions in the province are iii5)roved so it is 

 safe to do so« 



