88 BIOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF WASHINGTON. 



to have been a correspondent of Franklin, and a scientific agri 

 culturist. 



In 1781 appeared Jefferson's " Notes on Virginia." This was 

 the first comprehensive treatise upon the topography, natural his 

 tory, and natural resources of one of the United States, and was 

 the precursor of the great library of scientific reports which have 

 since been issued by the state and federal governments. 



The book, although hastily prepared to meet a special need, 

 and not put forth as a formal essay upon a scientific topic, was, if 

 measured by its influence, the most important scientific work as 

 yet published in America. The personal history and the public 

 career of Thomas Jefferson are so familiar to all that it would be 

 an idle task to repeat them here. Had he not been a master in 

 statecraft, he would have been a master of science. It is prob 

 able that no two men have done so much for science in America 

 as Jefferson and Agassiz not so much by their direct contribu 

 tions to knowledge as by the immense weight which they gave 

 to scientific interests by their advocacy. 



Many pages of Jefferson's ' ' Notes on Virginia " are devoted to 

 the discussion of Button's statements : (i) that the animals com 

 mon to both continents are smaller in the New World ; (2) that 

 those which are peculiar to the New are on a smaller scale ; (3) 

 that those which have been domesticated in both have degen 

 erated in America, and (4) that, on the whole, America exhibits 

 fewer species. He successfully overthrows the specious and 

 superficial arguments of the eloquent French naturalist, who, it 

 must be remembered, was at this time considered the highest au 

 thority living in such matters. Not content with this, when 

 Minister Plenipotentiary to Europe a few years later, he forced 

 Button himself to admit his error. 



The circumstance shall be related in the words of Daniel 

 Webster, who was very fond of relating the anecdote : 



" It was a dispute in relation to the moose, and in one of the 

 circles of the beaux-esprits in Paris, Mr. Jefferson contended for 



