No. 6.] BRUSH — AMERICAN MINERALOGY. 327 



with which it inspired students. Colonel Gibbs then offered the 

 whole lor sale, giving the college the preference as purchaser. 

 Fortunately and mainly through the influence of Professor Silli- 

 nian, the institution succeeded in raising the funds ($20,000) 

 necessary for its purchase, and the ownership of this collection 

 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 extensive 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 off"ered prizes for superi- 

 ority of attainments in mineralogical knowledge and for services 

 rendered to the science by useful discoveries and obsei'vations. He 

 published valuable papers both in the American Mineralogical 

 Journal and the Atnerlcan 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 suggestion 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. In every way Colonel Gibbs proved 

 himself a liberal patron of science, and it was most fortunate for 

 the promotion of mineralogy in this country that he should so 

 unselfishly have devoted his wealth and his personal influence to 

 its advancement. He died August 5th, 1833, aged 57. 



Much as had been accomplished by the free exhibition of cabi- 

 nets and the explorations and investigations of enthusiastic 

 w^orkers 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 German and French 

 authors had not then been translated and consequently were ac- 

 cessible only to the few who were acquainted with these lan- 

 guages. In English there were not many treatises on the subject. 

 That by Richard Kirwan, 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 

 more recent (180-1), but its great fullness and exclusive de- 

 votion to the Wernerian S3'stGiTi made it an undesirable book for 



