GEOLOGICAL AISTD NATURAL HISTORY SURVEYS. 103 



State and report thereon, together with a phin in detail, with esti- 

 mates, for a geological and nnineralogical survey." 



In this report (p. 3) he estimated the coal field in the eastern part 

 of Kentucky at 7,000 square miles, and said that the coal measures 

 of the western portion of the State embraced about 12 counties — 

 "most of which is in the Green River Valley," giving also the ap- 

 proximate boundaries of these two great coal fields, with remarks 

 on some of the associated iron ores, etc. "The remaining portion 

 of the State," he remarks (on p. 4), " is mostly occupied by limestone 

 as a substratum, and forms the richest and most productive agricul- 

 tural region of the State." He described the three varieties of coal 

 found in Kentucky — "the caking coal, the noncaking" (now called 

 "splint or block" coal), and the canned coal, and dwelt on the great 

 economy of the uses of coal over wood, etc. He gave the localities 

 of many coal beds and mines and of deposits of iron ores ; among the 

 rest a bed of " calcareous carbonate of iron 15 feet thick," near the 

 old Buckner iron works, 5 miles southeast of Greenville (p. 9), and 

 the celebrated bed of oolitic limonite ore (so-called dyestono ore) 

 near Old State Furnace, Bath County, 12 to 18 feet thick (p. 17), 

 giving credit for many facts to the Hon. David Trimble, who had 

 recently made an elaborate report to the legislature (session 1837-38) 

 on the Coal and Iron Interests of Kentucky. 



After brief notices of the "slate formation" (Devonian shales), 

 the niter caves, mineral and gas springs, and petroleum outflow, he 

 passed to the limestones, which he classified as follows (p. 29) : 



1. The limestone beds in the coal formation. 



2. The cavernous limestone, below the conglomerate and above the .slate rock. 



3. The J?reat limestone below the slate. 



He concluded his report with remarks on the probable beneficial 

 results of a geological and mineralogical survey, and, in his appen- 

 dix, gave his plan for conducting the same, advising the appointment 

 of a chief geologist, and an appropriation of $12,000 a year for four 

 years, etc. 



It appears that no action was taken by the general assembly on 

 this report. 



Eight years afterward, on January 29, 1847, a " Men^orial from 

 the Kentucky Historical Society," at Louisville, by its committee, 

 composed of L. P. Yandell, Henry Pirtle, and S. S. Goodwin, " in 

 relation to a geological survey of Kentucky''," was presented to the 

 general assembly of that commonwealth. 



In this they spoke of the great utility of such surveys and state 

 that already 18 States in the Union had undertaken them, and gave, 

 in extenso, elaborate letters on the value of such surveys, from Prof. 



