
          ans'd
 Washington D.C.
 300 North St
 December 6th


 My Dear Dr.
 I had hoped to have seen 
 you before you left our City and I
 called over to the Smithsonian on
 Friday Evening only to find that
 you had left upon that afternoon.
 I hope that you were able to do away 
 with whatever unfavorable impressions
 may have been produced upon the minds
 of the "powers that be" to your prejudice.
 I had wished to have spoken a 
 few words to you as you were in 
 Washington concerning the analysis 
 of Iron ores for which Cmpds [compounds] I did
 a very small [?] last Session.
 About 18 months ago when the Bill 
 was in the House Mr. Clayton spoke 
 to me about it & expressed his wish to
 throw it into my hands; after the
 Bill was passed I reminded him of
 his promise but it was then the beginning
 of the crisis & nothing could be done

        