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President Roosevelt thanks Armar D. Saunderson for his assistance. Roosevelt has asked William Northrup McMillan and others to help arrange the caravan, but he will ask Manuel A. Da Silva for assistance in accompanying Kermit Roosevelt around the big game.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1908-10-05
President Roosevelt is pleased that Manuel A. Da Silva will be able to attend the safari to assist Kermit Roosevelt with big game. William Northrup McMillan has already arranged the porters, so Da Silva should not have to do anything about them. Roosevelt plans to arrive in Mombasa in April.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1908-10-05
President Roosevelt asks Kermit Roosevelt if he is taking care to secure a supply of hunting boots. Roosevelt and Edith Kermit Carow Roosevelt have been taking in the blooming gardens at the White House. The troubles with Roosevelt’s leg have been bad lately. He has received letters from Alfred Pease and Sir William Northrup McMillan regarding safari travel plans. Although Roosevelt has not been exercising, he has been busy writing to William Jennings Bryan and tending to other matters in Washington, D.C.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1908-09-27
President Roosevelt encloses for Frederick Courteney Selous a copy of an invitation from William Northrup McMillan. He explains that he has asked McMillan to contact Selous and Edward North Buxton when making arrangements. Alfred E. Pease has said that Sirdar F. R. Wingate could likely provide leather mosquito stockings, but Roosevelt would rather have Selous ask the outfitter Lawn & Alder to have them made and sent. William C. Judd seems like the best choice for managing the caravan.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1908-09-25
President Roosevelt received Alfred E. Pease’s letter on the same day as an invitation from William Northrup McMillan, and he has asked McMillan to contact Pease, Frederick Courteney Selous and Edward North Buxton for making arrangements. Sirdar F. R. Wingate has offered a boat in Gondokoro, and from there Roosevelt will hunt for white rhinoceros before tackling game from the exhaustive list of creatures Pease has said can be found on the Nile. Roosevelt is glad he will be able to restock supplies in Nairobi. At present Roosevelt’s time is consumed by the political campaigns in the United States. He hopes to see Harry Johnston soon, with whom he has an ongoing intellectual correspondence.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1908-09-25
President Roosevelt sends Edward North Buxton a copy of a letter from William Northrup McMillan. Roosevelt hopes to visit McMillan’s farm, but has asked that he contact Buxton when making arrangements. Roosevelt discusses potential guides for the Safari, and Alfred E. Pease has strongly suggested William C. Judd. For the hunting boots, Roosevelt does not want to bother Sirdar F. R. Wingate, and he has asked Frederick Courteney Selous to add them to the supplies. Until the presidential campaign is over, Roosevelt’s attention is on helping to elect William H. Taft.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1908-09-25
President Roosevelt writes to Edward North Buxton about the shoes he plans to bring with him on his safari. Roosevelt is glad to have the input of Buxton, Frederick Courteney Selous, and Alfred E. Pease regarding his travel plans. Currently, Roosevelt plans to have a white man as a caravan manager and local shikaris to assist with the hunting. Roosevelt thanks Buxton for assisting with the money transfer, along with everything else, and looks forward to their meeting in England.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1908-09-17
President Roosevelt thanks Frederick Courteney Selous for the recent letter containing travel suggestions and details changes he has made in light of it. He compares his own past adventures and future safari to Selous’s travels. Roosevelt responds to Selous’s comments on potential safari guides, and asks if Selous will confer with Edward North Buxton on the topic and send back his suggestions. In a postscript, he asks for Selous’s opinion on taking William C. Judd with him, specifically as a caravan manager and guide.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1908-09-12
President Roosevelt thanks Edward North Buxton for the information on the game reserves and says he will plan to avoid going into them. He still hopes to be able to take one or two species from outside the reserves, which might otherwise be protected, for the museum. Roosevelt discusses the matter of taking a white man with him on his safari, with a quotation from Frederick Courteney Selous’s recent letter on the topic, and clarifies the role he hopes a guide will play in managing the trip.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1908-09-12
President Roosevelt asks Edward North Buxton for clarification about hunting guns and safari guides. Roosevelt would likely avoid hunting in the reserves, as the idea bothers him, and he would also like to avoid all press coverage and fanfare while out on Alfred E. Pease’s ranch. He enjoys hearing of Edward North Buxton and Emily Digby Buxton’s life together, and writes that he and Edith Kermit Carow Roosevelt have spent time over the summer taking rides and going out on the water, while Ted Roosevelt gets ready to go into business. In a postscript, Roosevelt writes that he would like to avoid the reserves completely, but wonders if it would be possible to hunt one or two potentially restricted specimens outside the reserve, for the National Museum.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1908-09-10
Although initially reluctant, President Roosevelt tells Edward North Buxton that he will hire a white hunter as advised by Frederick Courteney Selous. He agrees with Buxton about taking shorter trips, but he does want to go where J. H. Patterson went and see “scores” of diverse game. Roosevelt inquires if three months is enough time for the trip.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1908-08-24
President Roosevelt thanks Alfred E. Pease for helping him prepare for his Africa trip. He will follow through with Pease’s suggestions. Regardless of the sizable game, Roosevelt does not want to visit the Congo Free State for fear of controversy. A lion is Roosevelt’s primary goal. Per Frederick Courteney Selous’s advice, Roosevelt will hire “a white man who knows the country.” William C. Judd has been recommended several times. Selous will order all of the equipment.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1908-08-22
President Roosevelt asks Edward North Buxton if his letter to Alfred E. Pease was clear on specific points relating to his Africa trip. He has been advised to hire an Englishman but would rather have a native guide. Roosevelt continues to gather supplies and equipment, agreeing that footwear is too important to consider the expense. He shares his travel plans and ideas with Buxton.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1908-08-20
President Roosevelt encloses the revised lists of supplies for Frederick Courteney Selous. He discusses his reasoning behind the revisions and provides Selous with his travel itinerary. Gerrit Forbes recently visited Roosevelt and recounted his recent hunt in Africa. Roosevelt is reluctant to hire a white man for the trip but will do so if Selous suggests it.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1908-08-19
Moreton Frewen’s letter interests President Roosevelt. He invites Frewen to visit when he is in Washington. Roosevelt does not have exact travel plans and will wait until reaching Nairobi. If Frewen knows William Northrup McMillan, Roosevelt would like a letter of introduction.
This letter was returned undelivered and not sent out again.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1908-08-17
Charles E. Hulburt informs Theodore Roosevelt that he plans to sail to Africa and try to reach the east corner of the Belgian Congo, a goal that other missionaries have failed to achieve. He is leaving his family behind in Los Angeles. Hulburt also asks Roosevelt if he or someone he knows can support the work being done by William G. Peel, the Bishop of Mbasa.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1911-10-11
Theodore Roosevelt sends Frederick Courteney Selous an article he wrote for The Outlook and directs him to the footnote about Alfred Russel Wallace’s statement about antelope horns. He finds Wallace and naturalists like him absurd in their writings about protective coloration and similar notions. They develop theories without having practical knowledge. Kermit Roosevelt’s hunts were successful.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1911-11-24
Theodore Roosevelt appreciates the itinerarium sent by William K. Bixby and wishes he could have visited in St. Louis for longer. Roosevelt had lunch with William Northrup McMillan yesterday.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1911-09-15
Theodore Roosevelt thanks J. Franklin Fort for informing him that William Northup McMillan has returned, and has written to him at once. Roosevelt laments at the prospect of not being able to speak with him while he was here in the United States.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1911-09-01
Theodore Roosevelt’s secretary informs F. A. Clifford that William Northrup McMillan was the rancher that Roosevelt stayed with while in Africa.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1911-08-10