Repository: UIHistories Project: Board of Trustees Minutes - 1914 [PAGE 200]

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UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS.

[March 11,

Mr DEAR DR. KINLEY: Inasmuch as you are now probably on your way out to Urbana, I wish to submit the following memoranda with reference to our conference of last Saturday. Firstly—President Osborn's letter of 14 February addressed to you together with the documents which accompanied it are probably a sufficiently clear statement of the present organization and the plans of the expedition, taken into consideration with the statement in the December American Museum Journal, a copy of which was given you by me; except as to the particular ship which is to take the party northward, because we have not yet come to a satisfactory conclusion of our conferences with the owners of the "Roosevelt." Secondly—The proposed cooperation of the University of Illinois in the expedition will be most highly appreciated and gratefully accepted by the organizing institutions, not only on account of the substantial pecuniary subscription' proposed, but also and more on account of the fact that this cooperation emphasizes the national character of the support that the expedition is receiving. The institutions already concerned in the enterprise a r e : American Museum of Natural History. American Geographical Society of New York. Yale University. United States Government through: The Navy Department. TheWeather Bureau. The Coast and Geodetic Survey. The U. S. Geological Survey (through assistance in special training of members of the expedition.) Carnegie Institution (Terrestrial Magnetism.) Harvard University. Museum of Comparative Zoology. Brooklyn Institute of Arts and Sciences. New York Academy of Sciences: Georgetown University. Colgate University. Bowdoin College. Worcester Academy. Besides this I may say that the Royal Geographical Society of London has given its official endorsement to the expedition. Thirdly—The proposed contribution of $10,000 from the University of Illinois may be paid in three installments as follows: Five thousand dollars this year as soon as may be convenient. Twenty-five hundred dollars before 1 July, 1914. Twenty-five hundred dollars before 1 May, 1915* Fourthly—The organizing institutions would be very much pleased to add the name of the University of Illinois to its list of institutions mentioned on its letter-heads, and to have the University represented on the Honorary Committee. They certainly would have no objection to the addition of Professor Bayley to the committee in charge, if the University so desire, although they feel that the resident members of that committee must be left free to act in urgent matters without waiting for the vote of the non-resident member. Fifthly—The subscription of the University of Illinois will provide for the employment of an additional scientific member of the expedition party—this member to be selected with a view to the needs of the expedition as determined by the committees and the scientific leader, Mr. D. B. McMillan. Sixthly—In accordance with the arrangements made with all the present contributors and the members of the expedition party, all the personal diaries and scientific notes, all the original negatives and all the material collected upon the expedition are to come to the American Museum of Natural History, and the Museum will distribute the results to the contributing institutions in as equitable manner as is practicable, endeavoring to satisfy the peculiar needs of everyone as far as it lies in its power to do so. This is to say, the Museum retains primary control and conservation of the data obtained by the party. In this connection, it should be stated that the first popular results (magazine articles, books, lectures) of the expedition are already pledged to Mr. MacMillan, and the first publication of the strictly geographical results are pledged to the American Geographical Society. I may also note, however, that it is reasonable for the University of Illinois to expect to receive as tangible' outcome specimens of walrus, seal, caribou, musk oxen, hare, polar bear, birds, and ethnological material from the northern Eskimo. It is not desirable to make any special assignment of the material collected by any one member of the party, it being considered better for the interests of all concerned to pool all the material collected and determine the distribution after the return of the party to New York. Seventhly—The tourists that go with the ship will return with the ship. They are under contract to surrender to the leader of the expedition for the purposes thereof all material obtained on the northward journey and up to the time that the ship leaves on its return, as far as such material may be required by the expedition. Very truly yours, E. O. HovEYj In Charge. It appears from these various statements that this expedition, organized for purely scientific purposes, is going out with every prospect of success, humanly speaking, and that if the University of Illinois should join in this it might reasonably count upon such an accession to its mineralogical, geological, and natural history collection as would justify the expenditure.

N E W YORK., 27 February, 1913.