Stephen Elliott Papers

Bp. Polk Nov. 4, '59 Washington, D.C. Nov. 4th.

My dear Elliott:

I find it will be impossible for me to get to you so soon as I expected. I shall therefore, appoint the 25th of Nov. as the day of the meeting of the Com. in Savannah. I shall notify others of the day.

I had a very interesting and for our work useful visit to Lexington. I got out of Smith and his associates some very useful hints. He has a noble institution there and is doing a good work for the State of Va. and the whole South. He can and will be of great use to us.

I came here day before yesterday. Since I have been here I have been constantly employed in collecting useful matter in various departments. I have failed in the affair of the lanscape gardner [sic]. He would be perhaps the man we want but his mother forbis [sic] his coming to us. We must look elsewhere.

I examined with my friend Col. Anderson of the Army the public buidings going up under the care of my old friend Capt. Bowman of the Engineers in the Treasury Department and have obtained a good many important ideas in that line and established a connection for future uses.

Yesterday I spent the day and dined with Professor Bache of the Coast Survey, another of my West Point associates and friends. He invited Professor Henry of the Smithsonian to join us and we went very freely into educational matters and discussed our plans very fully. They are both very deeply impressed with the importance of our work and enter into