272 NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES 
surveys of the Land Office, and to report to Congress, as soon thereafter as may be 
practicable, a plan for surveying and mapping the territories of the United States 
on such general system as will, in their judgment, secure the best results at the 
least possible cost; and also to recommend to Congress a suitable plan for the 
publication and distribution of the reports, maps, and documents and other results 
of said surveys.” 
When this Act was approved on June 20, 1878, the President 
of the Academy was in Europe. Upon his return in August and 
after consulting members of the Council and others, he ap- 
pointed a special committee to consider the subject. This com- 
mittee, as he stated in his annual report, consisted of “ Professor 
James D. Dana, whose long experience as geologist and natur- 
alist of the Wilkes Exploring Expedition, and subsequent res- 
idence in Washington, while preparing his reports, had especi- 
ally fitted him to advise on Government work; Professor William 
B. Rogers, the Nestor of American geology, who had had long 
and varied experience with geographical and geological surveys; 
Professor J. S. Newberry, the State Geologist of Ohio, who 
had spent several years in the West on Government exploring 
expeditions under the War Department; Professor W. P. Trow- 
bridge, a graduate of West Point, who, while a member of the 
Corps of Engineers, served for several years on the Coast Sur- 
vey; Professor Simon Newcomb, whose knowledge of mathe- 
matics and astronomy rendered his advice most valuable; and 
Professor Alexander Agassiz, whose experience both in mining 
engineering and biology made him a fit representative of those 
departments.” *** As will be noted, no member of any of the 
Government surveys then existing was included in the com- 
mittee, the President holding that it would be inappropriate to 
designate anyone representing those organizations whose conten- 
tions were reported to have caused Congress to consider their 
reorganization. This led to a protest by General Humphreys, 
Chief of Engineers, who asserted that “a properly constituted 
committee should have had among its members those officers in 
the Government service whose duties consisted in part or in 
whole in making geodetic, topographic, or other scientific sur- 
™ Proc. Nat. Acad. Sci., vol. 1, p. 151. 
