Transcribe Ward, Henry A. Letter to Dewey, Chester (1857-03-21)

collection of </u Eocene > fossils of the Paris Basin. Another large collection of </u Miocene > from Bordeaux & from Vienna had a 3d. large collection of </u Pliocene > from Piedmont Tuscany, Papal States & Sicily. Finally I have a very considerable collection of </u Pleistocene > in Quarternany fossils (in boxes in America) which we collected from the large, recently elevated, banks which border the Red Sea. I hardly know Sir, what you will say to the system of traffic or rather exchange which I have been carrying on during my voyage. I saw that this must be the case before I started from Paris for not having the funds necessary to obtain the specimens which I wished. I must needs go without or procure them by exchange deciding upon the latter I took with me several suites of 100 species of Paris fossils from my collection, & about 20 specimens of the large [Centhium gigantenin]. These were eagerly received by the different Profs. who had objects to give me in return. & in this manner I disposed of all save 1 C. giganteum, which I sold at [Leghorn] (for $15.) I also arranged some subsequent exchanges in accordance with one of which I am now sending off a box of Paris fossils to the University of Naples for a complete suite of Vesuvius Minerals. By far the greater part of my European collections find their way into the cabinet of my friend Charlie Wadsworth which is commencing already acquire colossal dimensions