GEOLOGICAL AND NATURAL HISTORY SURVEYS. 511 



It will be noted from the wording of tlie law that, although Pro- 

 fessor Rogers "was, at the time of the authorization of the recon- 

 noissance of the survey, connected with William and Mary College 

 in the capacity' of professor of chemistry and natural philosophy 

 and later as professor of natural philosophy in the University of 

 Viriginia at Charlottesville, it was entirely independent of either 

 institution and was placed directly under the board of public works 

 and to be sustained by annual appropriations. 



Administratwn. — It would naturally follow from the preceding 

 that Professor Eogers should be appointed State geologist under the 

 act of 1836, and the appointment was promptly conferred upon him 

 by the board of public works. Considerable difficulty, seems to 

 have been experienced in the securing of proper assistants, as there 

 was naturally a great lack of trained observers at that date. 



In 183G Robert Erapie Rogers, a brother of Professor Rogers, was 

 appointed ; and in 1837 a second brother, James B. Rogers, who was 

 at the time professor of chemistry in the Cincinnati Medical College. 

 In the report for this year mention is made also of Charles B. Hay 

 den, an assistant in charge of work in the northern division, and 

 Prof. W. E. A. Aikin. in the southern division. In 1838 J. Slade 

 and George W. Boyd were employed in addition, Mr. Slade as an as- 

 sistant to J. B. Rogers, and Mr. Boyd to Professor Aikin. In 1839 

 the corps was the same, with the exception of C. Briggs, appointed 

 to the position nuide vacant by the resignation of W. E. A. Aikin, 

 but in 1840 James B. Rogers and Charles B. Hayden resigned, 

 their places being filled by the appointment of Samuel Lewis and 

 Dr. Thomas Ridgway. Doctor Boyd died before the close of the 

 season, and Mr. Lewis resigning, two vacancies were created in the 

 corps, one of which was fdled by the reappointment of James B. 

 Rogers. M. Wells assisted Messrs. Briggs and Ridgway during ;i 

 part of the season of 1841. 



Expenses. — Concerning the salaries paid no information is avail- 

 able other than that given in the law, in which it is expressly pro- 

 vided that the amoimt paid to the geologist and assistant geologist 

 shall not exceed the sum of $3,000 a year, and that the sum to be 

 paid to the topographical surveyor shall not exceed $1,000. 



The entire expense of the survey, so far as can be determined from 

 the published reports, was some $40,000. It is apparent from 

 Rogers's statement * that $36,000 had been expended up to January, 

 184L and a subsequent act of the legislature made an additional 

 appropriation of $4,000. 



1 Life and Letters of W. B. Rogers, p. 179. 

 136075—20 34 



