United States Geological Survey

Washington, February 3, 1885.

Dear Sir,

It is the intention of the Director to submit to
the Honorable the Secretary of the Interior early in the
month of July the Annual Report of the Survey for the fis
cal year ending June 30, 1885, and papers intended for in
sertion therein must be completed, including drawings for
illustrations, etc., and in our hands by the 15th of June
proximo.

In view of these facts you will please furnish this
office with the following information.

(1) Have you or your assistants in contemplation a
paper for that volume?

(2) If so, what is its title?

(3) What is its probable number of printed pages?
500 words to the page?

By order of the Director.

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

UNITED STATES GEOLOGICAL SURVEY

WASHINGTON D. C., July 10, 1885.

My dear Professor Marsh,

Some days ago, in conversation with the officials of the Government Printing Office, they stated that in their opinion Mr. Crisand's estimate of $16,023 was altogether too high when compared with similar work done by other lithographers. The Director is of somewhat the same opinion, based upon some figures recently given us for quite similar work by Mr. Sinclair of Philadelphia. For Whitfield's volume, the New Jersey Gasteropoda, he offered to engrave single quarto plates and print 1000 copies of each for $90 each, with $15 per thousand for additional copies, amounting to $150 per plate for 5000 copies - the Government edition. The same work was to cost $300 each for double plates.

Based on these figures, Mr. Crisand's bid would be $7950 for the 53 single plates, $3000 for the 10 double plates, and $1200 for the 2 quadruple plates; amounting in all to $12,150. Evidently the printer has been making some calculations of his own as a basis for his letter of July 9.