Transcribe Hornaday, W. T. Letter to Ward, Henry A. (1881-08-19)

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Webster, Lucas, Hornaday, Critchley, Bailly and Wood are hard at work Sunday's & nights for the next Exhibition, The Establishment will be </u handsomely > represented, and we do not intend that Boston, Providence or N. Y. shall take all the best prizes. I sent you a copy of our Report long ago & hope it has reached you safely.

    How does my Book gat along ? Well, it don't get along, seeing

that I have no time to write upon it. I </u cannot > work at it successfully evenings, because it is so hard for me to write at all and you have not yet said I could have any time from the shops to devote to it this year. For the last year I have had everything to hinder and discourage me from finishing the book, & nothing to encourage me in the least. No I will take that back. Cap't & Mrs Ross were here during my summer vacation (3 weeks) and he worked </s nearly > half that time with me upon the MS you saw, correcting its errors in fact & figure, correcting faulty English, &e. &e. so that now the first half of the book is actually ready for the press ! When I can say as much for the last half is more than I can say. If You do not level a hand in this matter some way you will surely miss seeing a handsome book dedicated to Henry A. Ward. A. M., F. R. S. S. &e.

    Now that I have a family coming on I am