No. 6.] BRUSH — AMERICAN MINERALOGY. 331 



transportation, many naturalists would hesitate to undertake the 

 long journeys then made for purely scientific purposes. Geolo- 

 gists as well as mineralo2;ists will recall how much science is iu- 

 debted to such men as William Maclure, James Pierce, Thomas 

 Nuttall (the botanist), and others who made extensive trips 

 through the whole territory east, and in some instances, to the west 

 of the Mississippi river. Maclure not only devoted his time and 

 money to making and publishing a geological survey of the 

 United States and Canada, the first report of which was made in 

 1809, but to him the Academy of Natural Sciences, in Phila- 

 delphia, owes its first endowment. I shall be pardoned, T trust, 

 if I mention still another signal instance of private liberality in 

 this connection. General Stephen Van Rensselaer, of New York, 

 a generous patron of science, defrayed all the expenses of a geo- 

 logical survey of the country adjacent to the Erie canal, ioclud- 

 ino; the making; of a ireolooical section from L:ike Erie to the east- 

 ern coast of Massachusetts. This survey was under the charge 

 of Professor Amos Eaton, with a competent corps of assistants, 

 and was continued for four years, from 1820 to 1824, at a cost of 

 many thousands of dollars. Gen. Van Rensselaer was also the 

 founder of the first school of technical science in this country — 

 the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, at Troy, which was placed 

 under the charge of Professor Eaton. It may be interesting 

 here, in these days of Summer Schools to recall, although paren- 

 thetically, that what was probably the first Summer School of 

 Science in the United States was established more than fifty years 

 ago in connection with this institution. The school consisted of 

 a flotilla of towed canal boats, and the route was from Troy to 

 Lake Erie. It took two months for the trip, and visited all im- 

 portant points on the way. Instruction by lectures and examin- 

 ations was given in mineralogy, geology, botany, zoology, 

 chemistry, experimental philosophy and practical mathematics, 

 particularly land surveying, harbor surveying and engineering. 

 One of the largest boats in the flotilla was fitted up as a labora- 

 tory, with cabinets in mineralogy and geology, and also scientific 

 books for reference. Students were taught the method of pro- 

 curing specimens, and were required to make collections of what- 

 ever was interesting on the route. The public mind was finally 

 awakened to the importance of the work which these explorers 

 and investigators had carried on single-handed. Government 

 now came to the aid of science. In 1824 one State legislature,. 



