Asa Gray Prof. Syst. Bot. 
M. L. FERNALD, 
B. L. ROBINSON, Curator 
(Sra^ Iberbarium 
Ibarvarb nmtversitu 
Fisher Prof. Nat. Hist. (Bot.) 
CHARLES A. WEATHERBY, Assistant 
IVAN M. JOHNSTON, Assistant 
RUTH D. SANDERSON, Librarian 
LESLEY C. BROWN, Bibliographer 
LILY M. PERRY, Assistant 
CAMBRIDGE, MASSACHUSETTS. U.S.A. 
16 July 19E8 
Dear Dr. Robinson: 
You will be interested to know about the meeting 
wjiich was held at the Museum this afternoon, called, 
by .&mes to determine the amount of ground space needed 
by each of the biological sections. I thought it 
wise to go, even though not invited, in order to have 
a line on what was going on. Griseom, who has been 
in here a good deal recently, working up a collection 
of plants, had already advised that we should not 
move and said that the Museum was not going to move 
in any way except to expand into the rooms vacated by 
some of the laboratories. Before going around to the 
meeting I called in on Barbour and told him we really 
knew nothing about the scheme except in the most 
meagre outline. He replied, “That's more than the 
rest of us know, for the President changes his mind 
every day. iS Then he said that a week ago the Presi¬ 
dent wrote him that the entire basement of both the 
zoological and botanical sections of the Museum wes 
to be cleared and made over to accommodate the Gray 
Herbarium. Barbour was so incensed by this injustice 
to the Herbarium (he is apparently a strong fighter 
for us) that,without making any measurements,he rushed 
over to the President's office and stated that the 
sills of the ground floor of the Museum were too low 
to take in our metal cases, whereupon the President 
said, “That settles it, then." 
The only people at the council this afternoon 
were Barbour, who seems to be the real tower of 
strength, Ames, and myself. Wheeler is having a 
grouch and refuses to cooperate, but the general gossip 
which I picked up from G-ri scorn and today from Barbour 
and Ames is that the President has scolded him and he 
is going to retire. 1 Parker and Grozier had sent their 
requisitions by mail, and, according to both the 
committee members, Grozier is working with tooth and 
