GEOLOGICAL AND NATURAL HISTORY SURVEYS. 271 



to Brandon, and described their occurrence in southwestern Missis- 

 sippi. 



The printing of Professor Harper's report was provided for by 

 the act of 1857, which effected the separation of the survey from the 

 university. The sum of $3,500 was voted for its publication. Con- 

 cerning this Hilgard writes : 



Of this report it need ouly be said tliat it is u literary, linguistic, and 

 scientific curiosity, and probably unique iu official publications of its kind. 

 It is the labored attempt of a socialist to show erudition and to coujpass the 

 impossible feat of interpreting and discussing intelligently a considerable mass 

 of observations mostly recorded by another, working on a totally different plane 

 from himself. In making use of my field notes, which of course passed into 

 his hands, the facts as well as the conclusions suffered such distortion that, but 

 for the introduction of all the figures and diagrams given iu my manuscript, 

 I should have been unable iu many cases to recognize my own work. It is thus 

 that the "Orange sand" becomes iu his hands "the Miocene formation," 

 while what he saw of the Port Huron beds, as well as the Quarternary gravels, 

 is referred to the Eocene. Shortly after the publication of the book I publicly 

 disclaimed all responsibility for either facts or conclusions pretended to be based 

 upon my work, since, although my name is nowhere mentioned in the volume, 

 the innumerable errors would in the course of time be likely to be laid at my 

 door. 



The legislature of 1859 made an appropriation of $3,500 for print- 

 ing Hilgard's report, " with such diagrams and maps as the governor 

 shall deem necessary for its illustration ;" and " it is hereby espe- 

 cially enjoined upon his excellency, in the publication of said book, 

 to have the same performed at the South, if the same can be done 

 at an advance of 10 per cent upon the cost of its publication at the 

 N'orth." The latter clause was a characteristic sign of the times. 

 The act was approved by the governor February 10, 18G0. 



It was soon and easily ascertained that the 5,000 copies of the 

 volume could not be printed anywhere at the South at an advance of 

 10 per cent on New York prices, but Governor Pettus declared that 

 he would not allow it to go North under any circumstances, even if 

 it had to remain unprinted. The estimates prepared by Mr. E. 

 Barksdale, the State printer, showed that to do the work in his office 

 would cost over $4,000 at the lowest estimate placed upon the un- 

 completed manuscript. Finally, Mr. Barksdale proposed that if 

 Hilgard would be responsible for $250 of the excess of cost over the 

 amount allowed by the State, he would cover the rest. This proposi- 

 tion was accepted, and the governor relented so far as to allow the 

 map, which could not be furnished by any southern establishment, to 

 be prepared by the Coltons of New York ; the other plntes were pre- 

 pared at New Orleans. 



The printing was begun at Jackson in May, 18G0. The latter parts 

 of the report were largely written while the first portion was passing 

 136075—20 19 



