SKETCH OF AMOS EATON. 115 



three years, says Prof. H. B. Nason, to whose Biographical Record 

 of the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute we are most largely in- 

 debted for the material for this sketch, " Prof. Eaton diffused a 

 great amount of knowledge on the subjects of his lectures ; and 

 so far excited the curiosity and enthusiasm of many young stu- 

 dents that there sprung up, as a result of his labors, an army of 

 botanists and geologists." The late Prof. Albert Hopkins, of 

 Williams College, accrediting Prof. Eaton with being one of the 

 first to popularize science in the Northern States, mentioned as 

 among his special qualifications for the task an easy flow of lan- 

 guage, a popular address, and a generous enthusiasm in matters of 

 science, which easily communicated itself to his pupils. He adds : 

 " Prof. Eaton was among the first in this country to study nature 

 in the field with his classes. In pursuance of this idea, he used to 

 make an annual excursion with Rensselaer School, sometimes 

 leading these expeditions in person, at others deputing some com- 

 petent teacher to take the lead. The cause of natural history in 

 Williams College owes, undoubtedly, a good deal to Prof. Eaton. 

 I think his zeal in the department of botany led Prof. Dewey to di- 

 rect his discriminating mind to the study of plants, a study which 

 he pursued farther than Prof. Eaton had done in certain lines. . . . 

 At this time, also, Dr. Emmons took the field. In fact, natural his- 

 tory came on with the spring-tide, and has never lost the impulse 

 since." While at Albany, in 1818, on the invitation of Governor 

 Clinton, delivering a course of lectures before the members of the 

 Legislature of New York, Prof. Eaton became acquainted with 

 many leading men of the State, and interested them in geology 

 and its application by means of surveys to agriculture. Here 

 was planted the idea which eventually fructified in that great 

 work, The Natural History of New York. In the same year 

 Prof. Eaton published his index to the Geology of the Northern 

 States, which has been pronounced " the first attempt at a general 

 arrangement of the geological strata in North America." Although 

 under the undeveloped condition of geology at the time, with 

 the defective knowledge even among its advanced students, this 

 book could not fail to contain many statements now known to be 

 errors, it must be recognized as a creditable and valuable effort. 

 An interesting view of the conditions of geology at the time and 

 of the method of study is given in a letter which Prof. Eaton wrote 

 to Mr. Henry R. Schoolcraft, in 1820, while preparing a second 

 volume of the index. In it he said : " I have written the whole 

 over anew, and extended it to about two hundred and fifty pages, 

 12mo. I have taken great pains to collect facts in this district 

 during the two years since my first edition was published, but I 

 am rather deficient in my knowledge of secondary and alluvial 

 formations. I wish to trouble you with a few inquiries on that 



