48 BULLETIN 109, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM. 



This disposition of tliis report wliidi your committee liave recommended, in 

 case it sliould be publislied, will only reaoii about one-half tlie number proposed 

 to be printed, and will leave 1,000 copies to be taken up by private sale, or 

 disposed of by the next general assembly. 



With these considerations your committee would respectfully recommend the 

 adoption of the accompanying resolution. All of which is respectfully sub- 

 mitted. 



James Beebe, Chairman. 



The above report was accepted and the following resolution passed 

 relative to the publication of the same : 



Resolved by this assembly, That 2,000 copies of Professor Shepard's report 

 on the mineralogy of the State be published under the superintendence of the 

 author, and that a sura of money not exceeding .^SOO be appropriated to defray 

 the expenses ; and that the comptroller of public accounts is hereby authorized 

 to draw an order on the treasurer for such sum, not exceeding $500, to be paid 

 out of any money not otherwise appropriated ; and his excellency the governor 

 is hereby appointed commissioner to see the object of this resolution effected. 



This report, as issued in 1837, comprised 188 octavo pages. It 

 was divided into three parts: 1 Economical, 2 Scientific, and 3 A 

 descriptive catalogue of the rock and mineral collection made dur- 

 ing the work, comprising 595 names. 



Percival's report, owing to the author's disposition to go into 

 minute details, was delayed from year to year, finally appearing in 

 1842 in the form of an octavo volume of 495 pages, with a geological 

 map of the State in black and white. According to Shepard, Percival 

 was a martyr to literary and scientific conscientiousness. Not being 

 fully satisfied in his ov.'n mind, he refused to make his report to the 

 legislature when such was demanded, but asked for an extension of 

 time. He thus continued his labors from yetir to year upon a sti- 

 pend scarcely adequate to cover expenses. Instead, however, of 

 nearing the goal, he only receded from it. New difficulties met him 

 in the work; fresh questions arose in the progress of geology itself 

 that called for re-examinations. His notes swelled to volumes and 

 his specimens increased to thousands. He was in danger of being 

 crushed under the weight of his doubts and materials. At last the 

 people clamored for the end of the w-ork. The legislature became 

 peremptory and forced Percival to acquiesce. In 1842 (seven years 

 from the connnencement of the survey) he rendered an octavo report 

 of 495 pages, in the introduction to wdiich he observes : 



I regret to say I have not hud the means allowed me for additional investiga- 

 tions, nor even for a proper use of my materials, either notes or specimens. 

 The number of localities from which I have collected specimens I have esti- 

 mated at nearly 8,000 ; the records of dips and bearings are still more numerous. 

 The report which follov,'s is but a hasty outline, written mainly from recollection, 

 with only occasional reference to my materials and under circumstances little 

 calculated for cool consideration. 



