Viewing page 32 of 152

This transcription has been completed. Contact us with corrections.

[[circled]] 5 [[/circled]]
^[[4/6222]]                     
[[blue ink stamp]]
SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION.
JUN 25 1865
[[/blue ink stamp]]

Cause.

Capt. Chas. Scammon (a brother of our Chicago Scammon) will I trust be ordered into Telegraph Service in which event Col. B. will place him in charge of all marine operations.  He is deeply  interested in Nat. History, and from his position in immediate command of all the vessels employed, can aid us enormously in marine zoology.  He has been for some years observing cetacians and has many very valuable notes & drawings.  He knows nothing of scientific zoology, as yet, but will be apt scholar  Dr. Ayers has expected to publish a paper on cetacians with Scammon - Scammon doing the work and Ayers taking the credit!  I proposed to block this little game, if I cannot teach Capt Scammon to describe a whale [[strikethrough]] as correctly [[/strikethrough]] when under his eye as correctly as Ayers can from a ^[[insertion]] rough [[/insertion]] description, of Scammon's made without refference to zoologacal  characters, I shall be much surprised. - Ayers is a little too Agassizian in this matter; he could do better to stick to his fish.

This Capt. Scammon is splendid man; a little hard headed where whales are concerned, but excusable for this, for his having been an old whaler.

I proposed, with Col B. consent, that Dall should accompany Capt. S. in charge of Marine Zoology, under the direction of Capt. S. - Dall will work well himself, but will not induce others to work as readily as will Capt Scammon.

Transcription Notes:
reviewing now 29 Sept - original does not have an extra space between "deeply interested" - original does not have an extra space between "zoologacal characters". The misspell is accurate though - In the "I proposed, with Col B. consent" entry, the verb did not have a "d" in the original