John Kirk Townsend Correspondence To John Bachman

Correspondence from naturalist John Kirk Townsend (1809-1851), of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to naturalist John Bachman (1790-1874), of Charleston, South Carolina, dated from 1838 to 1848. In a letter dated January 21, 1838, Townsend mentions possibly writing an account of his part in the expedition of Nathaniel Jarvis Wyeth (1802-1856) to the Pacific, as well as an appendix describing the mammals and birds he collected. He also offers to send some of the quadruped specimens to Bachman for description, including Canis nubilus, spotted lynx, and various species of hare, some of which were preserved in spirits and corrosive sublimate. He also writes in 1838 about sending additional quadrupeds to Bachman, such as squirrels, a weasel, and meadow mice, and a prospectus for his book, The Narrative of a journey across the Rocky Mountains to the Columbia River and a Visit to the Sandwich Islands, which was published in 1839. In a letter dated September 27, 1843, Townsend urges Bachman to complete descriptions of the quadrupeds he had sent and discusses his new interest in entomology, asking if Bachman would collect and send him local insect specimens. "I am crazy for insects, & will do anything not dishonorable to obtain them," he writes. A letter dated March 16, 1848, expresses condolences for the death of one of Bachman's children, and asks him to return Townsend's quadruped specimens, which Townsend was planning to sell to the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia.