GEOLOGY. 



By George AV. IIawes, Ph. D., 



Curator in the XationaJ Museum. 



SURVEYS. 



Onr National and State governments have never failed to appreciate 

 that the questions to be answered by geological investigation are so 

 numerous, and of importance in so many directions, that public aid 

 should be given such studies in order to render them systematic and 

 more nearly complete. That we remain most ignorant of the structure 

 and geological resources of some of the oldest and ablest States is, liow- 

 ever, a fact Avhich will attract attention. Tlie investigations that liave 

 been made during the past two years have aided much in developing a 

 knowledge of the natural history and resources.of wide areas. The State 

 of Pennsylvania, for exam^ile, lias, through its geologist. Professor Les- 

 ley, published now in all, since 1875, forty-two volumes, seventeen of 

 which appeared during the last year. This may serve as an example of 

 the zeal with which investigation in thisdepartment of science has been 

 prosecuted. As the amount of work produced is dependent upon the 

 working force, a statement of some of the more important events that 

 have inHuenced the public surveys will be given. 



Before the i)ast year the surveys patronized by the national gov- 

 ernment had been pi-osecuted by parties working independently under 

 the supervision of different executive departments. Although mucli 

 of the work produced by tiiese various surveys was aclcnowledged 

 valuable, it was thought by many that if they were consolidated and 

 l)laced under one head, this wouhl be of weighty importance in caus- 

 ing the work to be more systematically done, and would also prove 

 an economical measure. A committee of the National Academy of 

 Science, to which this matter was referred, reported to Congress that 

 they advised all government surveys to be consolidated under two 

 heads : 1st. A survey of mensuration, by which the worlc iireviously 

 done by the coast, and geodetic, and land surveys should in the future 

 be done ; and 2d. A survey to which should be referred all questions 

 relating to the geological structure and natural resources of the public 

 domain. This resulted in the organization of the present United States 



