328 THE CANADIAN NATURALIST. [Vol. X. 



beginners, aside from the fact that its price was such that few 

 students in those days could afford to buy it. So much procuress 

 had been made at home and abroad, that a work was needed 

 here which should include the modern discoveries, and one also 

 which should gather up the scattered facts already published in 

 regard to American minerals. Fortunately for the further pro- 

 gress of science in this country this was done by Professor 

 Parker Cleaveland. His work was published in 1816, and was 

 entitled ''An Elementary Treatise on Mineralogy and Geology." 

 Professor Cleaveland was professor of mathematics and natural 

 philosophy in Bowdoin College, and like many other professors of 

 science in the early history of American colleges was charged by 

 the trustees to lecture also on mineralogy and chemistry. He was 

 an enthusiatic student of mineralogy, was well acquainted with 

 the literature of the science in various languages, had been a 

 successful teacher of the subject for many years, and withal was 

 both an explorer and investigator, and held intimate relations 

 with the leading mineralogists of the day. The work was mod- 

 elled on the general plan of Brongniart, combining the excellen- 

 cies of both the French and German schools, and gave in detail 

 almost everything then known in regard to Americim minerals. 

 It supplied the pressing need for a thorough, systematic and 

 American treatise on mineralogy, well suited to all classes of 

 students, and it was written in such a masterly style that it won 

 for its author the highest praise from the leading mineralogists of 

 the world. " It brought," says Professor Silliman, "within the 

 reach of the American student, the excellencies of Kirwan, 

 Jameson, Haiiy, Brochant, Brongniart and Werner, and we are not 

 ashamed," he says, '• to have this work compared with those of 

 these celebrated authors." His biographer states that "he received 

 letters of respect and congratulation from Sir David Brewster, 

 Sir Humphrey Davy and Dr. McCulloch, in England ; from Ber- 

 zelius in Stockholm; "German of Halle; from Brongniart, Baron 

 Cuvier and the Abbe Haiiy, in Paris." The work at once took 

 rank as one of the leading authorities on the science, and was in- 

 troduced as a class-book in the principal schools and colleges in 

 America. The first edition was soon exhausted and a new and 

 revised edition with more than a hundred pages of new matter 

 was published in 1822. The demand was so great that this like- 

 wise was soon out of print and a third edition was called for by 

 the public, but Professor Cleaveland had about this time become 



