Safaris

Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to Whitelaw Reid

President Roosevelt thanks Ambassador Reid for the interesting letter, especially for the insight on Newfoundland. He is interested in what Secretary of State of India John Morley says about India, and discusses the intricacies surrounding “the control of thickly peopled tropical regions by self-governing northern democracies.” Roosevelt hopes to speak with Morley after presenting the Romanes lecture at Oxford. He asks Reid to inquire of the British statesman, Robert Offley Ashburton Crewe-Milnes, about conditional hunting on the reserves. The Vermont elections went well.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1908-09-03

Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to Edward North Buxton

President Roosevelt inquires if Edward North Buxton can go to Lawn and Alder and add additional supplies to his list as Buxton sees fit. Roosevelt describes his preferences for hunting rifles. He looks forward to visiting Buxton after his trip to Africa. There are several men he wants to meet when he travels to England to present the Romanes Lecture at the University of Oxford.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1908-08-31

Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to John Hays Hammond

President Roosevelt cannot give the endorsement John Hays Hammond requests, because if he gave one endorsement, he would be asked to endorse countless other organizations as well. If he were going to South Africa, he would hire Frederick Russell Burnham as a guide. Because he is going to East Africa, however, he needs someone with local knowledge.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1908-08-29

Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to Edward North Buxton

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.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1908-08-24

Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to Smith, Mackenzie & Company

President Roosevelt requests that Smith, MacKenzie & Company forward his shipment of goods to Alfred E. Pease’s ranch.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1908-08-22

Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to Frederick Courteney Selous

President Roosevelt thanks Frederick Courteney Selous for helping him prepare for his African trip, and reviews the supplies that have been arranged. Although hesitant at first, Roosevelt agrees with Selous on hiring “a reliable white man to manage the caravan and the like.” He requests that Selous hire William C. Judd for the position. Arrangements have been made for shipping the ammunition.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1908-08-22

Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to Alfred E. Pease

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.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1908-08-22

Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to the National Bank of India

President Roosevelt encloses a check for three hundred pounds and requests that it be put to his credit. Additionally, he asks that the necessary sum be disbursed to Captain Arthur A. Slatter to pay for certain horses which he is supposed to buy for Roosevelt.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1908-08-22

Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to Whitelaw Reid

President Roosevelt requests that Ambassador Reid explain to Robert Offley Ashburton Crewe-Milnes that his African trip is a scientific expedition to collect specimens for the National Museum, not “a game butchering trip.” However, if given the opportunity, Roosevelt may collect some trophies. The invitation from the chancellor of Oxford, George Nathaniel Curzon, to present the Romanes lecture gives Roosevelt a genuine reason to visit England on his return from Africa. He details his travel itinerary, plans for appropriate formal attire, and people to call upon. Roosevelt is interested in what the Japanese minister for foreign affairs Jutarō Komura says and includes his letter to Japanese ambassador Kogoro Takahira and the reply. Reid’s full statement on the incidents of the Olympics pleases Roosevelt, who believes intense international matches inevitably result in misunderstandings.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1908-08-20

Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to Edward North Buxton

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.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1908-08-20

Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to Frederick Courteney Selous

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.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1908-08-19

Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to Harry Johnston

President Roosevelt is interested in the book on the Congo Free State that Harry Johnston has sent, and shares his thoughts about missionaries and their work with “savages.” Roosevelt’s upcoming safari is in support of the National Museum of Natural History, and as such he will do all he can to prevent the needless slaughter of animals on the trip.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1908-08-14

Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to A. H. Fox

President Roosevelt appreciates A. H. Fox’s offer to build him a shotgun for his upcoming African safari, but Roosevelt prefers hunting with a rifle and so cannot accept Fox’s offer.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1908-08-14

Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to Robert Bridges

President Roosevelt has written a statement about his association with Scribner’s Magazine during his upcoming African safari as requested by Robert Bridges, but requests Bridges be vague about the exact itinerary and timing of the trip, so as to avoid unwanted followers in the field, and asks that Bridges emphasize that the trip is associated with the National Museum of Natural History. Roosevelt emphasizes that his work with The Outlook magazine will in no way conflict with his work for Scribner’s.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1908-08-14

Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to William Allen White

President Roosevelt shares his thoughts on the difficulty of dealing with Ohio Representative Theodore E. Burton and the reasons for his African safari with William Allen White. Roosevelt asks White if William H. Taft will win the upcoming presidential election in Kansas.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1908-08-10

Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to Charles Scribner

President Roosevelt thanks Charles Scribner for the letters he sent. Roosevelt has told Collier’s that he might be able to work for them in the future, but will not know until after he returns from his African safari. In a handwritten postscript, Roosevelt provides additional details about the offer from Collier’s.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1908-08-08

Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to A. Blayney Percival

President Roosevelt hopes to be able to rely upon A. Blayney Percival for direction in locating the different types of game he wishes to hunt on his upcoming African safari, including lion, elephant, rhinoceros, buffalo, giraffe, hippopotamus, eland, wildebeests, roan, oryx, and waterbuck.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1908-08-08

Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to Henry Cabot Lodge

President Roosevelt updates Henry Cabot Lodge on personal and political matters. Roosevelt feels obligated to enjoy a series of essays by Westerlick because his wife, Edith Kermit Carow Roosevelt, assumes he would not care for them; the puzzling problem of the re-nomination for Charles Evans Hughes for governor of New York; the plans for Roosevelt’s upcoming African safari, and his desire to tour Europe on the way home as a private citizen without pomp; his plans to write for Scribner’s and The Outlook post-presidency, and his reasoning for selecting those offers.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1908-08-08

Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to Edward North Buxton

President Roosevelt tells Edward North Buxton that he has never used a peep sight for hunting, and describes the type of rifle sights he likes best, including a hand-drawn sketch. Roosevelt relays some details about the timing of travel for his upcoming African safari, saying he is pleased to be able to start the hard physical part of the trip by degrees at Alfred E. Pease’s ranch. The president hopes to stop over in England on the return trip to see Buxton, Frederick Courteney Selous, and other friends. Roosevelt has ordered the books Buxton recommended, and thanks him for sending an interesting extract from a report by J. H. Patterson.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1908-08-08

Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to Arthur Hamilton Lee

President Roosevelt thanks Arthur Hamilton Lee for the painting, saying he is overwhelmed by Lee’s kindness and generosity, and the way in which he has read Roosevelt’s thoughts about the painting. Roosevelt mentions that Admiral William S. Cowles, Anna Roosevelt Cowles, and Vice-President Charles W. Fairbanks recently attended the tricentennial celebrations in Québec, emphasizing the “hearty friendship” between the United States and England. Roosevelt thinks the British fleet should be kept up to the highest standards for the “peace of the world,” though he would like to limit the size of ships. Roosevelt’s African safari is coming up, and he hopes he can travel as a private person, but will pay his respects to various important personages along the way if need be.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1908-08-07