In his autobiography Barnum was in the habit of giving himself credit for the origin of anything with which his name was associated, and his partners, realizing the immense asset of the name of Barnum in their enterprises, were willing to be silent, at least until their retirement. W. C. Coup published many years after the end of his association with Barnum an interesting book of circus recollections, _Sawdust and Spangles_. In his book he printed the following letter which Barnum wrote him in October, 1870: “BRIDGEPORT, Oct. 8, 1870. “MY DEAR COUP: Yours received. I will join you in a show for next spring and will probably have Admiral Dot well trained this winter and have him and Harrison in the show. Wood will sell all his animals outright, and will furnish several tip-top museum curiosities. You need to spend several months in New York arranging for curiosities, cuts, cages, bills, etc. All things got from Wood I will settle for with him and give the concern credit. We can make a stunning museum department. If you want to call it _my_ museum and use my name it may be used by allowing me the same very small percentage that Wood allows for calling himself my successor (3 per cent. on receipts). You can have a Cardiff Giant that won’t crack, also a moving figure, Sleeping Beauty, or Dying Zouave--a big Gymnastic figure like that in Wood’s museum, and lots of other good things, only you need time to look them up and prepare wagons, etc., etc. “Yours truly, “P. T. BARNUM. “I will spare time to look up the show in New York when you come. I think Siamese Twins would pay.” “A Cardiff Giant that won’t crack” referred to the then famous curiosity, a huge figure, supposed to have been dug up in the small town of Cardiff, New York, and presented on exhibition as a fine prehistoric relic. Soon after the exhibition of the original Cardiff Giant, the figure began to show seams and other signs of artificial manufacture. Barnum planned the manufacture of a prehistoric relic without blemishes.