GEOI.OGIC/VL AND NATURAL. HISTORY SURVEYS. 313 



and Morris and were considerably advanced in Essex and Hudson 

 counties. He wrote out a fuller account than had been given be- 

 fore of the magnetic iron ores and their occurrences and distribution 

 in the rocks, and in the use of the magnetic needle in searching for 

 new beds of that mineral; he also wrote upon the methods and 

 fconomj- of working the ores. 



In the southern division the assistant in charge reported that the 

 geology of the county of Cape May was completed and the report 

 and map published. The county of Monmouth had been nearly all 

 surveyed, and a considerable portion of Cumberland, and much 

 of the chemical work connected with the analyses of soils, marls, 

 and other fertilizers was done. The report also contained a full 

 statement of the agriculture of that portion of the State, the op- 

 portunities offered for its furtlier development, and the natural ad- 

 vantages furnished for its profitable pursuit. 



It was the plan of the survey to publish its results in county re- 

 ports, each of which was to be accompanied by a topographic map of 

 the county. The county of Cape May. in the southern division, was 

 the only one that was completed and published. It is a large 

 octavo of 208 pages, and contains a folded map of the county 

 on a scale of ^Tr^Tnr. ^^ ^^^^ contains numerous illustrative views 

 and sections. The geology is very simple, only the Quaternary to 

 be found in the county, and the surface so uniformly level that there 

 is not an elevation 40 feet above the sea in it. Its sandy and gravelly 

 loams, its salt marshes, and its sand beaches are described, and the 

 wear of its shores, and the changes of level, for which it furnished 

 remarkable proofs, are treated at length. Its climate and its agri- 

 cultural resources are given, and lists of animals, birds, fishes, flower- 

 ing plants, and algae are also published ; a sketch of the early history 

 of the county of Cape May, by Maurice Beesley, is also included. 



General Viele reported for th.e topographical department that 

 work on a diminished scale had been vigorously'' prosecuted, though 

 under discouraging circumstances, during the year, and that the 

 following was a summary of the work thus far accomplished: 



County of Cape May: Survey complotcrl ; map drawn, engraved 

 and published. 



County of Sussex: Survey completed; map drawn and partly en- 

 graved. 



County of Monmouth: Survey completed and map drawn. 



County of IVIorris : Survey nearly completed and map partly drawn 

 (could have been completed in about three weeks). 



County of Warren : More than half surveyed. 



County of Salem: Half surveyed. 



County of Cumberland: Half surveyed. 



