Transcribe Hornaday, W. T. Letter to the Ward, Henry A. (1878-12-22)

Edit the transcription below

Hornaday Orient Expedition_1878_12_22_a.jpg

« previous page | next page » |

ybg

Hornaday
Singapore. Dec 22nd 1878.
Hornaday Jan 29 '79 
Dear Professor Ward:
 It is nearly two months since my last letter
to you, and I must rise to explain how it is. I was all the time
from Oct 30 to Nov 30th at the head of the Sibuyau River out
of all reach of the Post Office unable to either send or receive a
letter. Then when I finished my quarantine there I went straight
to Sarawak bag & baggage. We entered the mouth of the river Just as
the steamer went out on her way to Singapore & so I had to
wait. 12 days before I could come or send a letter. In that time
nI went up the Sarawak River to see Everett & visited the
antimony & crinibar mines. The Govt officer at Sarawak
who wrote me the disagreiable letter about mias. came down
& apologized handsomely. & besides giving a little dinner party
on our account gave me the Gov't steam launch for my trip
up the river. Of course we got to be good friends. I have so
much to write you now that I scarcely know how to bregin.
But we may as well begin with
 . He is a thorough naturalist in his line, and
a real man of business beyond a doubt. He collected birds in every
large island in the Phillipines for the Marquis of Tweedale.
(Pres. Z.S.) making an exhaustive survey. He spent 350. pounds in one
year in simply getting about the islands. He is now engaged in a
careful survey & exploration of the Bornean caves in search of fossil
bones & evidences of the missing link besides other things. He remains
in Sarawak Ter.. until next June (?) and then he will go to the 
N. E. corner of Borneo for a campaign where Naturalist has
never set forth before. After that he goes to the Phillipines
andd he says he can get you from there of interesting sponges
& other invertebrates. He describes some very interesting compact
tubular sponges like Euplectella a little, and one fine one
he sent to the B. M. and got 10 pounds for. I advised him to
collect such things wholesale & send to you to be sold on
commission (25%) and I think he will do it perhaps. He
has dealt with Cutter & with Higgins & pronounces them both
dishonest, the latter . He now deals with Edward
Gerrard, Camden Town. (do you know him?) Everett says the
Marquis of Tweedale told him that Ferrand is the only square
& honest nat'l history dealer in London! Everett laments because
you have not a branch Establishment in London. He is the
cheapest collector I ever saw. He collects all his mammals

Transcription formatting help

Current Page Transcription [edit] [view item]

ybg Hornaday Singapore. Dec 22nd 1878. Hornaday Jan 29 '79 Dear Professor Ward:

  It is nearly two months since my last letter

to you, and I must rise to explain how it is. I was all the time from Oct 30 to Nov 30th at the head of the Sibuyau River out of all reach of the Post Office unable to either send or receive a letter. Then when I finished my quarantine there I went straight to Sarawak bag & baggage. We entered the mouth of the river Just as the steamer went out on her way to Singapore & so I had to wait. 12 days before I could come or send a letter. In that time nI went up the Sarawak River to see Everett & visited the antimony & crinibar mines. The Govt officer at Sarawak who wrote me the disagreiable letter about mias. came down & apologized handsomely. & besides giving a little dinner party on our account gave me the Gov't steam launch for my trip up the river. Of course we got to be good friends. I have so much to write you now that I scarcely know how to bregin. But we may as well begin with

  </u Mr A. H. Everett >. He is a thorough naturalist in his line, and

a real man of business beyond a doubt. He collected birds in every large island in the Phillipines for the Marquis of Tweedale. (Pres. Z.S.) making an exhaustive survey. He spent 350. pounds in one year in simply getting about the islands. He is now engaged in a careful survey & exploration of the Bornean caves in search of fossil bones & evidences of the missing link besides other things. He remains in Sarawak Ter.. until next June (?) and then he will go to the N. E. corner of Borneo for a campaign where Naturalist has never set forth before. After that he goes to the Phillipines andd he says he can get you from there of interesting sponges & other invertebrates. He describes some very interesting compact tubular sponges like Euplectella a little, and one fine one he sent to the B. M. and got 10 pounds for. I advised him to collect such things wholesale & send to you to be sold on commission (25%) and I think he will do it perhaps. He has dealt with Cutter & with Higgins & pronounces them both dishonest, the latter . He now deals with Edward Gerrard, Camden Town. (do you know him?) Everett says the Marquis of Tweedale told him that Ferrand is the only square & honest nat'l history dealer in London! Everett laments because you have not a branch Establishment in London. He is the cheapest collector I ever saw. He collects all his mammals