Washington, D.C. March 18, 1886.

Dear Professor Marsh:-

I suppose that the death of Mrs. Hawley will necessarily
delay action on our printing resolution. The only way to expedite
matters is to see Hawley himself when the proper moment arrives,
and as you last year objected to a little nudge I gave him, I have
intended to wait this year until you gave the word.

The Dawes resolution came out about as I expected, that
is, too late. When Dawes consulted Allison the latter begged him
not to have it done, as he was nearly worn out with the work and
wanted to finish it up as soon as possible.

I have just been down to see the Secretary about our
transit of Venus matter. The communication from Hall was still
lying on his desk where it had been for a week, and he knew noth-
ing about it. I suppose it will now be duly sent in to the commit-
tee on Naval affairs. The letter to the Secretary of the Treasury
could not be found so I suppose it has gone in. I will inquire
about it at the Treasury Department.

It is now believed by insiders that the commission
will not recommend any radical change in the interior organiza-
tion of the different bureaus and will certainly not propose

to interfere with the unity of the Coast Survey. This has
caused the question of the future superintendency to stir a lit-
tle. On this subject you may have seen an editorial in last
weeks Nation and a long reply thereto by Thorne in the Evening
Post on Monday the 15th. Thorne seems to have mighty queer ideas
of discipline when he encourages his men to go to Chenowith and
Company, Accounting offices of the Treasury, for advice as to
what they shall do in their capacity as assistants of the Coast
Survey.

Professor O.C.Marsh,
New Haven, Conn.

Washington March 21st, 1886

My Dear Marsh;—

Our letter to the Sec of the Treasury
asking him that the discrepancy of $11,500 in the accounts of the
T.V. Commission be explained has struck a snag in the Navy Dept
which I knew nothing about till yesterday. In Making out the state
ment Mr Hatrison included in the appropriations everything that
Congress had appropriated for the Transit. But when the statement
came here it was found, as you know, that several of the appropri-
ations had never been placed to the credit of the Transit of Venus
at all, but to that of the Naval Observatory. So the ground was ta-
ken that as the commission had never had any hand in the expendi-
ture of these amounts, it should leave them out of the account enti-
entirely, thus reducing the deficit to one half. I fought this view
and intend to continue doing so. I say if moneys appropriated by 1
by law to be expended by the commission have never been it at its di-
disposal at all, we have a right to have that fact certified to
us by the highest authority.

Nautical Almanac Office.

Bureau of Navigation Navy Department.

Washington April 3rd, 1886. 18

My Dear Marsh:-

I have been expecting to hear from you before this, sup-
posing you might want to know more about the several points men-
tioned in my last.

I. Secretary Whitney has not sent our letter to the Secretary of the Treasury because the Bureau told him that they had a complete account of the transit of Venus expenditures showing everything to be all right. About those appropriations never placed to our credit thay simply remarked that these appropriations were covered under Naval Observatory and expended under that head. In other matters they do not give the original amounts in vouchers as the accounts are kept at the Observatory but only number such and such requisition to various pay officers. I do not think it will be difficult for Hall and Harrison to make the comparison. Secretary Whitney does not want the matter to go to the Treasury Department if he can possibly settle it here.

II. I do not think Hawley has yet reported our printing
resolution; your best course would be to write him a note on the

subject or get Powell to look after it.

III. I asked the Chief Clerk of the State Department yesterday whether the Draper medal had arrived. He told me it had not, which surprised me.

IV. General W.F.Smith is here looking after his chances to be appointed Superintendent of the Coast Survey. They are supposed to be very good. An impression prevails that the President has so strong a prejudice against scientific men that he will not select one for that position. Of course it is hard to say how much truth there is in this or whether it is mere guess work.

V. I fear Hilgard will still bother us. The Philosophical society re-elected him one of its Vice Presidents, which he has been for many years, at its last annual meeting in January. I understand, that this fact has been remarked upon in official circles as showing how little the scientific men care for first class characters in their officers. If he is well enough to attend the Academy meetings I am very much afraid he will do so. If some one would only tell him to stay away and keep quiet it would be a good thing for us.

Yours very truly,
Professor O.C.Marsh,

New Haven,

Conn.

Nautical Almanac Office.

Washington April 27, 1936

My Dear Marsh:-

Yesterday the first instalment of the report of the Com
mission was presented to Congress in the shape of a bill an ab-
stract of which I now enclose.

I judge that in this matter Herbert has carried the Com-
mission with him. It hits what I think is the weakest point in
Powells administration, namely, the immense amount of printing
he has had done. From what Mr Herbert is reported as saying I
fear he has been caught napping; for the printing of the Geolog-
ical Survey is not done at the expense of the allotment for
the Interior Department, but is voted directly by Congress.

Precisely what the bill means I cannot guess, but no
doubt it must be a hard slap at Powell. By tomorrow or next day
it will be printed in full, and I will then try to get you a
copy.

Yours very truly,

Professor O.C.Marsh,

New Haven, Conn.

Nautical Almanac Office,

Washington. May 10th, 1888

My Dear Marsh:-

I do not think there is any reason to be anxious about
the action of Congress. Last Monday evening Powell and I had
quite a talk with Mr. Herbert. He was perfectly frank and
courteous in expressing his decided opinion that the Geological
Survey had gained influence by employing professors in various
parts of the country, and that it ought to confine itself to the
function of making geological maps. I am sure you are mistaken
in supposing that there is anything personal in his opposition.
I see no reason to doubt his entire consciousness in what he
has said and done. Although he has made very one sided state-
ments in his report, he did so as an advocate and not as a
judge. There is a little suspicion which you have doubtless heard
that he represents the view of the President.

That same Monday Nordhoff showed me proof of Herberts
proposed report, which Herbert wanted him to publish as much of
as he could. But he would not do more than was fair, and com-
missioned him to hunt up reliable parties to show errors if

any existed. I did the best I could and you have seen the result in the Herald. My own opinion is that when the matter comes up in Congress, Powell will whip the field. I rather suspect that Randall will not be at all displeased by a chance to knife the whole work of the Commission.

Hall has just been in and tells me that the Fourth Auditor has given him the required statement about transit of Venus appropriations so I suppose that matter is all settled so far as we are concerned: But I think it would be a good thing for the public if some authority would officially find out what the Observatory did with that money.

So far as I have seen, the Academy Printing resolution has not yet come up in the House.

Yours very truly,
S. Newcomb

Professor O.C.Marsh,

New Haven,

Conn.

49TH CONGRESS.
1ST SESSION.

H. R. 3270.

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES.

JANUARY 11, 1886.

Read twice, referred to the Committee on Naval Affairs, and ordered to be printed.

Mr. JOHN R. THOMAS introduced the following bill:

A BILL

Authorizing the building of a new Naval Observatory.

1. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,

2. That the erection of a new Naval Observatory upon the site purchased in pursuance of the act of Congress of February

4. fourth, eighteen hundred and sixty, be, and the same hereby is,

5. authorized, upon plans to be approved by the Secretary of the Navy: Provided, That the total expense to be incurred

6. for grading, for roads, for fencing, for moving instruments and

9. erecting them upon the new site, and for the completion of the said Observatory and buildings according to the approved plans, and for all expenses whatever in connection therewith,

10. shall not exceed the sum of six hundred thousand dollars;

11. and for the purpose of beginning the erection of said Observatory and buildings the sum of two hundred and fifty thousand dollars is hereby appropriated, out of any money in the

12.

13.

14.

15.

Nautical Almanac Office.

Bureau of Navigation, Navy Department.

Washington July 15, 1886.

My Dear Marsh:-

You and the Geological Survey have been so completely
victorious in the late fight that I hope you are now very happy
over the matter and ready to promote a little measure of reform
which I think is needed in the council of the National Academy.
You remember that on last spring, on motion of Professor Baird,
Colonel Gilder was invited to entertain the Academy with an ac-
count of his proposed plan for reaching the North Pole. You may
have seen in yesterday's papers that Gilder has been arrested in
New York on the charge of embezzling a $1,000 bond the accuser
being a woman supposed to be "his girl." Comment is superfluous.
If Baird has any more suggestions to make about inviting people
I shall want to know more about them.

The river and harbor bill has been long delayed and
the Naval bill has not yet come up in the Senate, and it is not
likely now that the item referred to in my last will be reach-
ed before next Monday. I do not know whether you wrote to Hawley
as I suggested. Possibly this may have to go out to the Rockies
to find you so I shall merely remark that there is nothing of

Nautical Almanac Office

Washingtons July 19, 1936

My Dear Marsh:-

I think you did a very good thing in writing that let-
ter to Mr. Herbert . As I have told you before I regard him as
a fair minded man in intention, though, of course like everybody
else, who has a side to argue, he is apt to get things twisted a
little and to overlook what tells against his side. But I wish
you had let Herbert read it in the House. It would have put a
very nice finish on the matter in which you are already so victo-
rious. I return you the copy of your letter as you request.

I have just telephoned to Hall to send you Barker's
report. I would have altered the reading in a few points had any
opportunity been offered, but as Barker himself is abroad I did
not like to do so without consulting the other members of the
committee especially as the alterations I should propose are not
vital.

I expect to go to the Buffalo meeting.

There was no attempt to restore the Observatory
appropriation in the Senate so that nowthere is nothing but the

Nautical Almanac Office.

Washington.

August 2, 1966

My Dear Marsh;

I enclose you a slip from last nights Star showing the
views of the Senate Appropriation Committee on the Coast Survey
thinking that you would be interested in it.

I suppose you know that the appropriation for starting
the new observatory got through at last. I did not feel like
fighting it all alone having plenty of my own business to attend to.

I expect to be at the Buffalo meeting with Anita.

As I do not know where you now are I need only add
that everything is going on here pretty much as usual. The only
trouble the Geological Survey has met so far as I know of is a
reduction in their appropriation for rent which may necessitate
a removal to less commodious quarters.

Yours very truly,

Professor O.C.Marsh,

New Haven, Conn.

Nautical Almanac Office

Washington.

Sept. 27, 1936.

My Dear Marsh:

Glad to hear of your safe return and of your escape from railroad accidents. I certainly expect to be at the Boston meeting of the Academy.

Everything here in the scientific line is perfectly quiet except the Coast Survey. Personal quarrels between the employees of that establishment are brought to the Treasury officials in such numbers that it is hard to see how the administration can escape the necessity of some change in the management. So far as appears, when two men in the office get dissatisfied with each other, they do not appeal to the Superintendent but proceed at once to either fight it out with their fists, or to prefer charges against each other to some Treasury official.

But an absolute silence still prevails respecting candidates for the Superintendency. From all I have heard I think the President holds that your humble servant does not possess the necessary executive ability and that if the new superintendent is appoint-

Nautical Almanac Office.

Bureau of Navigation Navy Department.
Washington.

Dec. 16, 1886.

My Dear Marsh:

I understand your letter of December 14th to refer to
the appointment of a delegate to represent the National Academy
of Sciences at the International Conference in Paris next sum-
mer. There are two purposes for which such a delegate might be
sent.

I. As an expert in the subject, to discuss the ques-
tions which will be submitted to the Conference, and especially
the twenty one questions mentioned in the letter.

II. The delegate might be one who expected to cooperate
in doing the work.

For the first object I should be inclined to prefer

Gould, because he has had a great deal of experience in photograph-
ing at Cordoba, and would carry great weight at the Conference,
and would no doubt highly appreciate the honor of receiving such
an appointment after his long absence.

For the second purpose Pickering would be the man, for
the reason that, so far as I know, he is the only member of the
Academy in possession of the facilities for taking part in the

actual work. If he could only go as a member of the Academy, and
if he really contemplates taking part in the work, he should be
preferred on urgent practical grounds.

But if I rightly understand the case, the delegate would
have to bear his own expenses, so that his appointment by the
Academy would be purely honorary. Such being the case Pickering
can go as a representative of the Harvard Observatory just as
well as a delegate from the Academy. Hence I think that the best
course would be to tender the appointment first to Gould, and,
should he decline then to Pickering.

I have sent your letter and paper to Hall as you re-
quested.

Yours very truly,

Professor O.C.Marsh,

Yale College,
Conn.