800 THE POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY. 



of the college, and gave a powerful impetus to science throughout the 

 country. It was not only studied by the pupils of the college, but it 

 was visited by travelers from all parts of the United States. 



In 1825 the collection had for fifteen years been exhibited without 

 any advantage to the owner, other than the satisfaction of observing 

 the great amount of good which was effected by the knowledge it 

 disseminated and the enthusiasm with which it inspired students. 

 Colonel Gibbs then offered the whole for sale, giving the college the 

 preference as purchaser. Fortunately, and mainly through the influence 

 of Professor Silliman, the institution succeeded in raising the funds 

 ($20,000) necessary for its purchase, and the ownership of this collec- 

 tion has exercised a most important influence in the development of 

 natural science at New Haven. 



Colonel Gibbs, however, did not confine himself to the collection 

 of minerals in Europe. On his return to this country he made exten- 

 sive journeys and opened up new mineral localities, giving his time 

 and specimens freely to aid others who were interested in this special 

 study. At Yale, as an incentive to students, he for many years offered 

 prizes for superiority of attainments in mineralogical knowledge and 

 for services rendered to the science by useful discoveries and observa- 

 tions. 



He published valuable papers both in the " American Mineralogical 

 Journal " and the " American Journal of Science," and did much by 

 his counsel and co-operation to support these publications. Indeed, it 

 was from Colonel Gibbs that Professor Silliman first received the sug- 

 gestion that he should institute a new journal of science, in order 

 that the advantages already gained by the short-lived " Mineralogical 

 Journal " might be secured, and further progress for science might be 

 made. . . . 



Much as had been accomplished by the free exhibition of cabinets 

 and the explorations and investigations of enthusiastic workers in 

 mineralogy during the years from 1805 to 1815, a great drawback was 

 now felt to the progress of the science from the want of text-books. 

 Most of the literature of the subject was in German and French, but 

 the works of the French and German authors had not then been trans- 

 lated, and consequently were accessible only to the few who were ac- 

 quainted with these languages. 



In English there were not many treatises on the subject. That by 

 Richard Kir wan, the eminent Irish mineralogist of the last century, 

 was a renowned work in its day, but, as the last edition of it had 

 been published in 1794, it was already too old to be of much service 

 to the student. Jameson's treatise was somewhat more recent (1804), 

 but its great fullness and exclusive devotion to the Wernerian system 

 made it an undesirable book for beginners, aside from the fact that its 

 price was such that few students in those days could afford to buy it. 

 So much progress had been made at home and abroad, that a work 



