GEOLOGia\JL AND NATU11AI< PlISTORY SXJllVEYS. o53 



In the reports of the survey, dated January, 1842, it is stated that 

 eight suites of specimens had been collected, the one which was de- 

 signed foT- preservation by the State comprising some 20,000 speci- 

 mens. 



By the act of 1843 (see p. 332) the governor was authorized to 

 continue the services of one or both of the geologists who were 

 living in Albany, Ebenezer Emmons and James Hall, for the purpose 

 of completing and arranging the collections of specimens in the old 

 state hall, and in accordance with this authority, Doctor Emmons 

 was for a time charged with this arrangement. The building re- 

 ferred to as the old state hall followed on the same site the original 

 building erected for State offices in 1T97 during the governorship of 

 John Jay, and which was made over in 1855 into the geological hall. 



By virtue of an act passed May 10, 1845, and constituting chapter 

 179 of the laws of that year, the regents of the university, to whom 

 was committed the care of the " State cabinet of natural history," 

 were authorized to make a suitable provision for the safe-keeping of 

 the collections and a small appropriation ($800 annually) was made 

 to defray the expenses of custodianship. Under the authority thus 

 vested in the regents of the university, annual reports were begun 

 upon the condition of the State cabinet of natural history, the first 

 of these being dated April 11, 1848. The administration of the 

 affairs of the natural history collections was carried on as an inde- 

 pendent charge of the regents for many years, during which period 

 the scientific investigations, which were being prosecuted by Prof. 

 James Hall in paleontology, Dr. Ebenezer Emmons in agriculture 

 and geology, and by Dr. Asa Fitch in entomology, were entirely 

 independent of the organization of the State cabinet. 



The custodianship of the collections was first assigned to John 

 Washington Taylor, who was succeeded by John Gebhard, jr., and 

 he, in 1859, was followed by Col. Ezekiel Jewett. After seven years 

 of service Colonel Jewett resigned, and in 18GG Professor Hall Avas 

 made curator of the State cabinet, as noted later. 



Up to this time the development of the museum along truly scien- 

 tific lines had been but slight. The collections had failed to exem- 

 plify the progress of scientific investigations in the State, and 

 although it was supposed that they would continue to be the deposi- 

 tor}-- of the scientific work still in progress, this did not altogether 

 prove to be the case. Provision was made for tl^cir development and 

 increase only by the most meager annual appropriations and the 

 condition aroused the solicitude both of the board of regents and of 

 the friends of science throughout the State. 



Following this the regents of the university addressed a letter to 

 numerous scientific men throughout the country asking sugo-estions 



