GEOLOGICAL AND NATUKAI^ HISTORY SURVEYS. 155 



ber of tlie couucil, senate, and house of representatives; one copy each to the 

 secretary, treasurer, and to each clerk aud chaplain of the two houses; one copy 

 to the secretary and one to each of the board of education; 20 copies to the 

 geological surveyor; and 10 copies to each coiuniissioner appointed under the 

 resolve of April 12, 1837; five copies to be deposited in the library of the 

 State; one copy to each town in the Commonwealth; two copies each to Harvard, 

 Amherst, and Williams Colleges; one copy each to the theological seminaries 

 of Andover and Newton; one copy to each incorporated athenaeum, lyceum, and 

 academy in the Commonwealth; one copy to the American Academy of Arts 

 and Sciences; one copy to the Antiquarian Society at Worcester and one to the 

 I'ilgrim Society at Plymouth; one copy to the Massachusetts Historical Society, 

 and to every other incorporated historical society in the Commonwealth; one 

 copy to the State lunatic hospital at Worcester; one copy to the Boston Society 

 of Natural History; one copy to the Essex County Natural History Society; 

 one copy each to the Massachusetts aud Salem Charitable Mechanic Associa- 

 tions; one copy to the library of the East India IMarine Society in Salem; two 

 copies to the Library of the United States; one copy to the executive of each 

 State in the Union; 100 copies to be placed at the disposal of the governor; and 

 the rei^iaiiider to be subject to the further order of the legislature. 

 April 9, 1S39. 



A resolution concerning the agricultural survey of the State. 



Resolved, That from and after the 2r)th day of May next, the resolve passed 

 the 12th day of April, in the year 1S37, providing for an agricultural survey 

 of the Commonwealth, be repealed. 



Approved by the governor, February 15, 1S41. 



Administi'ation. — In accordance with the- act of April 12, 1837, 

 Professor Hitchcock again took up the direction of the geological 

 survey and on April 1 of the year following rendered a report of 

 139 pages on tlie economical part of the work. This was printed 

 without special order. The work contained a large number of 

 physical and chemical anal3ses of soils, with a discussion of the 

 method of procedure and the agricultural value of the results. 



The biological section of the survey was less prompt in making its 

 returns. The commission, as stated in the introduction to the re- 

 ports, vras established on Jane 10, 1837, and had received tlie follow- 

 ing instructions: 



It is presumed to have been a leading object of the legislature in authorizing 

 the survey to promote the agricultural benefit of the Connnonwealth, and you 

 will l-:eep carefully in view tlie econonsical relations of every subject of your 

 Inquiry. By this, liowever, it is not intended tliat scientific order, method or 

 compreliension should be depai*ted from. At the same time, that whicli is prac- 

 tically useful will receive a proportionally greater share of attention than that 

 vs'hich is merely curious; the promotion of comfort and happiness being the 

 great end of all science. 



In the division of work as finally adopted Chester Dewey, pro* 

 fessor of botany, materia medica, etc., in the Berkshire Medical In- 

 stitution, reported upon the herbaceous plants; George B. Emerson, 



