iv CHANCE— BIOGRAPHICAL NOTICE OF J. P. LESLEY. [April 6, 



to be conscientiously discharged, and great love for the work, could 

 have enabled him to labor as he did during these last ten years. 



At all other periods of his life he was a prolific writer and in- 

 dustrious worker, but prior to 1874 his activity was greatly diver- 

 sified, his record for these years comprising many expert geological 

 reports, editorials for the United States Railroad and Mining 

 Register discussing current topics of general interest, and many 

 scientific articles, philological, ethnological, palseontological, miner- 

 alogical, together with the discharge of his duties as editor and 

 proof-reader of this society's publications. To few is given the 

 ability to work so indefatigably, and few indeed so completely sur- 

 render the pleasures of life to labor. To the concentration of all 

 his energies upon this last great task for the State of Pennsylvania, 

 can be attributed the failure of his health and strength some ten 

 years prior to his decease. 



His relations to his fellowmen were marked by a wonderful 

 kindliness, a childlike and sympathetic interest in others, an un- • 

 restricted generosity, and thoughtlessness or even carelessness re- 

 garding matters affecting his own welfare and comfort. Rarely in 

 one man are found so many lovable traits and no written word of 

 mine adequately can portray his character as man, as scientist and 

 as engineer. 



As a man he embodied and radiated those emulable qualities 

 found in the courteous, kindly, genial Christian gentlemen ; as a 

 scientist he was infused with a devotion to science, an overpower- 

 ing love of truth, a passion for knowledge, and a delight in re- 

 search ; as an engineer his ability was early demonstrated in that 

 inventive faculty which enabled him to devise new and improved 

 methods, and by that unbiased, even judicial quality which per- 

 mitted him to draw his materials from all sources and utilize them to 

 the practical benefit of his colleagues. 



In temperament he was strongly poetic and artistic, often think- 

 ing, reasoning and talking as a poet and seeing as an artist; em- 

 bellishing with poetic imagery the vigorous originality of his writ- 

 ings and accentuating with artistic touches the individuality which 

 marks the maps and sketches with which he profusely illustrated his 

 reports and many of his scientific papers. 



