University of Virginia Library

Since the rec.t of your very welcome letter I have
been so occupied either with business, or Society, as to have
fallen in arrears in my correspondence. From Dr. Schele we were
pleased to learn that you & Mary & our other good friends at the
Univ. were well, & the session proceeding tranquilly. I need not
say how much I have been gratified by the favourable mention I
have heard of your professional labors. This is what I expected
foretold.

Early in the month the Senate passed a bill for the completion
& publication of the Geol. Map & Report. It is now on th [OMITTED]
table in the lower house, & will probably be disposed of today o [OMITTED]
tomorrow. It vests the entire control of the work in the hands o [OMITTED]
the Sec.y of State & the geologist. These are the only terms on
which I would consent to engage in the work, for it is the only
mode by which it can be kept otu of the hands of under-bidding
jobbers in printing, who here as elsewhere would ruin the work.
The bill is sustained in the House of Delegates by most of the
educated members & generally I believe by those who are from the
mining districts, but its fate is I think quite uncertain, so
near the close of the session. Business is said to be managed ve [OMITTED]
much by out-door workers & of these there are none to trouble th [OMITTED]
selves for the Survey. For myself, I revolt at what is called
lobbying, although a ariter in Saturday's Enquirer calls me a
Talleyrand of Lobby-members.

Your kindness was certainly largely drawn upon in the
matter of the apparatus. Before my brother Robert came to the
Univ. none of the Philos. App: was ever taken to the Chem. lectur [OMITTED]
room, & I only allowed it afterwards to a small extent because he
repaid the favour to my department by valuable manual assistance
as well as the use of agents & glass ware.

As I told you last Spring when talking of the relation
between the Philos. & Chem. Chairs & their possible interference,
the Dept. of N. Phil. cannot without injury give up the Imponderables.
In strictness by far the greater part of the topics included
under this head appertain to Mechan. Philos. At the Univ.
of Va. it will I suppose always be necessary for the Chem. Prof.
to shape his course somewhat independently of the Dept. of N.
Philos. as bu few of his Med. students, attend or have attended
that school. He must therefore give a brief acct. of the imponderables
dwelling chiefly on their Chemical relations, & he ought
not I think to say more of their general Physics than is necessary
to make the rest intelligible. Such subjects as Magnetism-Electro
Magnetism, Mech. Electricity & nearly all of Heat & Light are the
property of the Chair of Nat. Philos. Chemistry proper has become
so vast a subject that both in treatises & in lectures the tendency
now is to exclude any treatment of these topics exceeding a b
brief outline. Such are my opinions designed simply as a frank
communication to yourself.

I regret that the artist Mr. Martin has had such inadequate
materials for making a portrait of our dear friend Courtena [OMITTED]
I have been looking at the picture in the hope of suggesting useful

changes. Considering his data I think the painter has
done remarkably well; yet he has only partially succeeded in
giving the expression of the face. The chin & mouth are truly
given, but I miss the distinctive characters of the eyes & brow.
Perhaps to others the likeness would seem more complete. From some
other pictures in Mr. M's studio I have formed a favorable opinion
of his ability in making a likeness, & regret the more that he
has not in the present case had the benefit of a personal knowledge
of the subject.

Houchens must be in error as to the fragments of the Piezo-meter,
which I am sure were left in the Apparatus room. On discovering
the instrument to be broken, I borrowed one from my brother
Robert for the use of the Lecture room, When I unpack my
books now in Boston, I will overhaul my vols of the "Scientific
Memoirs" & let you know what are missing, & whether any are duplicates.

I formerly had a large crayon drawing of the Blue Sulphur
Springs, lying in the garret. It was fastened on a board about 2
ft square & placed in a shallow box. If it is still in the garret
or has been taken with the minerals to the new building, I will
thank you to let me know. Should it not be found I will have to
unpack many of my large boxes in search of it.

Mrs. Rogers joins me in love to Mary & kind remembrances
to all the family "over the way". Asking to be remembered to all
my Univ. friends, I remain