RK-893

[printed letterhead] No. Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D. C. [written] April 14th [printed] 18 [written] 63

My Dear Mother

Yours of the 10th we got to night. - I trust the fine weather may have had a good effect upon father and the other invalids.

I can imagine how harrassed and troubled you must be by so much sickness - I fear father has been more dangerously ill than I had supposed - Perhaps it is as well for me that I've been forced to work and have my mind occupied so const constantly as not to have fully realized how sick he has been -

Pray do not let the matter of the lost letters annoy you - I fear it has troubled you more than it ought - It is a matter of no considerable importance especially as I know who they are from - The same persons have also written to Prof Baird and I have other letters from the rest of the Officers in Mackenzie Riv

Riv District; So I would get but little additional information from the ones that were lost - It was lucky you opened them as I now know who wrote.

You suggest the idea of some of you writing to Lockhart. - If quite conveniant it would be good to do so and would please him very much. - He is my particular friend and a most excellent fellow. A gentleman, kind, modest, and sociable. His address is James Lockhart Esq Ft Resolution Great Slave Lake Care Gov Mactavish Pembina -

He sends us a list of his collections of last year at The Youkon, where he then was - It is larger more valuable than any made by Ross and myself and all the rest in any year that we were collecting. Lockhart is worth twenty such men as Ross. If any of you write please repeat your invitation to him to visit The Grove. You would all like him. -

I am glad to find that all the officers in Mackenzies River District are doing a great deal for Natural History.

[page turned, stamped] J. Kennicott Brenton Collections

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[printed letterhead] No. [written] 2 [printed] Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D. C. 18

[written] This makes it quite satisfactory that I left when I did. - It is of course known to those for whose opinion I care anything that all these fine collections are the result of my expedition and success in interest in these gentlemen in Natural History.

Apropos of this, Ill all idea of my going north next winter has been abandoned - Indeed I will have to work very hard to prepare my report in two years - It will be rather a 'lurge' thing as the Major says - The Narrative or Popular account of the country is an easier matter though it too will take considerable time.

Let come what come may I will must & shall spend next summer at Home if alive. I shall probably, however, not be able to leave here till latter part of June - Till that time I shall be in receipt of $50 per month at least and so can pay Brunos and my expenses readily.

Bruno is gloriously magnificently! lazy. Yet everybody likes him better than young Elliott who knows ten times as much and does more work in a day than Bruno can in a week. Bruno improves on the work, however, though he gets on mighty slowly in penmanship.

He fraternizes with Stimpson, Ulke, Count Pourtales, Gavit and the best men we have an is quite at his ease in general society. What a humbug he is!

Of course it is delightful for me to have him here and I enjoy his society more than any other. He bullies me a little about chewing tobacco, and has put Stimpson and I upon short allowance; but he lets me have a reasonable degree of liberty.

He takes every thing easily and as of a matter of course and for so very ignorant a youth is as little green as any one I ever saw or heard of. With all his self possession he is perfectly modest and unobtrusive. He is a decided character, of a very agreeable sort. - He evidnetly puzzles Prof Baird somewhat, who cant

[stamped over text] J. Kennicott Brenton Collections

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[printed letterhead] No. Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D. C. 18

[written] cant understand laziness, and evidently cant realize what an ignoramus Bruno is.

He will I think satisfy you with the result of his time spent here - He evidently longs for home, but without being exactly homesick - too philosophical for that - He is talking unceasingly of you all - especially of Jem, Cora, and yourself. How the dickens does he learn to judge character so well?

He calls himself fifteen years old except to Prof Baird whom he informed that he was nearly six teen. -

I believe he has seen but one young lady here who comes up to his fastidious ideas of beauty. He patron izingly advises me as to the proper course I should pursue in society, and I confess he is competent to do so - though his aintense admiration for Jem leads him to adopt some of that chaps ultra prejudices. Jem is his standard