No. 6.] BRUSH — AMERICAN MINERALOGY. 329 



SO enoTossed in the administration of the affairs of the new medi- 

 cal school at Brunswick that he was unable to respond to the 

 call, havinii- turned his thouahts and efforts in new directions. 

 Unfortunately for the science of mineralogy, in which he had 

 obtained such eminence as an author and teacher, he no longer 

 contributed actively to its progress, although he continued his 

 work as lecturer on the science so long as he lived. He died 

 October 16th, 1859, in the 79th year of his age. 



The last to be mentioned of these early leaders is Professor 

 Benjamin Silliman. His name is so intimately associated with 

 the progress of science on this continent during the first half of 

 the present century, that his life-work is more or less familiar to 

 all. But the important service he rendered in the early history 

 of mineralogy deserves especial recognition here, not only for the 

 work he himself did in the laboratory and the field, but because 

 his enthusiasm and zeal were a constant inspiration to others. 

 Commencing with the historic "candle box" of unlabelled 

 stones which he took to Dr. Adam Seybert, of Philadelphia, to 

 be named, he began with enthusiasm the acquisition of know- 

 ledge and the gathering of material to illustrate the mineral 

 kingdom. During a residence in England and Scotland in 1805- & 

 he had opportunities to add to this information and collect many 

 specimens, chiefly from the mines of Derbyshire and Cornwall. 

 On his return to America he at once applied the knowledge he 

 had acquired in making an exploration of the mineral structure 

 of the environs of New Haven, and read a paper on this subject 

 to the Connecticut Academy of Arts and Sciences in September, 

 1806. In the following year he induced the corporation of the 

 college to purchase the mineral collection of Mr. B. D. Perkins, 

 of New York (already referred to), for one thousand dollars, 

 thus placing the institution in possession of means for illustrat- 

 ing the science of mineralogy far in advance of anything it had 

 before enjoyed. The occurrence of the fall of the Western 

 Meteorite in December, 1807, offered an opportunity for Professor 

 Silliman to undertake, in connection with his colleague, Profes- 

 sor Kingsley, an investigation into the circumstances of the phe- 

 nomena, and the cliaracter of the stones which fell at that time. 

 The results of this investigation were presented to the American 

 Philosophical Society and published in the American Philosoph- 

 ical Transactions in 1809. The diligence employed in obtain- 

 ing all the facts possible from eye-witnesses of the occurrence, 

 Vol. X. V No. 6. 



