June 7, 1908.

Monsieur Edmond Perrier, Director

Museum of Natural History

Jardins des Plantes, Paris, France



Dear Sir;-

I have just received from His Excellency, Monsieur J. J. Jusserand, the ambassador of the French Republic in Washington, a letter informing me that it is the pleasure of Monsieur Fallières, the President of the French Republic, to accept for the French people the gift of the reproduction of the skeleton of the colossal Diplodocus, the original of which is contained in the Carnegie Museum, of which I have the honor of being the Director. His Excellency also instructs me in accordance with information which has been conveyed to him by the Minister of Foreign Affairs in Paris, to put myself at once in communication with you as the Director of the Museum of Natural History, with the view of arranging with you for the installation of the skeleton in question in your Museum, I comply immediately with the request, which, you know, under the circumstances, is a command.



For your information, and to facilitate a thorough understanding of the matter, I am taking the liberty of sending you the publications containing figures of this monster. I desire also to inform you that as mounted in our Museum the skeleton occupies a space of       mm. in length by        mm. in width. The ceiling of the room in which it is to be placed in order that it should be seen to advantage, should be of considerable height, as the specimen at the highest point of the vertebral column is         mm. above the level of the floor.



Mr. Carnegie has commissioned me as his personal representative to bear all the expenses of transportation, reproduction and installation, and he desires that the installation shall be as perfect in every respect, and even more so than that of the specimen which we installed inn the British Museum. For that specimen we had mahogany bases built in London. I furnished the plans for these bases, and a small working model, and shall do the same in this case, if you will be kind enough to indicate to me the French makers of such work who will undertake the building of these cases in advance of the time of the installation, so that when we come, like the Greeks of old bearing gifts, you may be like Troy ready to receive them, but not with the same feeling, as there is nothing to fear from the horse that we are bringing to modern Troy. It is a gift of sincere friendship that we are bringing to the people of the French Republic.



I am yours, with sincere and ardent friendship,



Director Carnegie Museum