284 



The following are the Reports heretofore refen*ed to : 



Detroit, January 12, 1840. 

 To Dr. Douglass Houghton, State Geologist: 



Sir — In compliance with your instructions, thy time during the past 

 season, has been devoted to a detailed examination of the southern 

 range of counties, and of so much of the counties east of the principal 

 meridian as could be accomplished before the setting in of winter. The 

 counties completed, and on which I have the honor to submit the fol- 

 lowing report, are Lenawee, Hillsdale, Branch, St. Joseph, Cass, Berrien, 

 Washtenaw, Oakland and Livingston. 



A report on the counties of Wayne and Monroe was submitted you 

 last season. 



These examinations have embraced the collection of all facts of a 

 geological and agricultural character which could serve to illustrate 

 the capabilities of the soil, and the general wealth and resources of the 

 country. 



More than one hundred varieties of soils for future analysis, and 

 specimens illustrative af all the rocks, have been added to the State Cab- 

 inet. 



In connection with these objects, I have been able to fill up the skel- 

 eton maps, furnished by the State Topographer, of each tovra in the 

 several counties, in such a manner as to aflbrd at once a complete view 

 of the soils, timber, and topogi'aphical details, courses of streams, village 

 and mill seats, and all the recorded roads of the townships ; to correct 

 errors in streams and lakes, arising from inaccurate surveys, and to plat 

 a great number of lakes, streams, &c., which were altogether omitted 

 ill the notes of the original surveys. These are now in readiness to be 

 applied to the reduced scale adopted for the county maps. When the 

 arduous nature of the labor thus assumed, in addition to that constant 

 attention required by the minute investigations in the geology proper, is 

 considered, I trust you will sufficiently appreciate the difficult character 

 of the work. 



You will necessarily perceive, that in a report embracing the investi- 

 gations made over so extensive a district, it is manifestly impossible to 

 include more than a very small portion of even the purely practical in- 

 formation collected, without swelling the report to a much lai-ger bulk 

 than would at this time be desirable. I have therefore selected the 



