THE MUSEUM. 



A Monthly Magazine Devoted to Research in Natural Science. 



Vol. I. 



ALBION, N. Y., MAY 15, 1895. 



No. 7 



James D- Dana- 



In the death of Professor James 

 Dwight Dana, America has lost one of 

 her greatest scientfic men. The cele- 

 brated minerologist and geologist pass- 

 ed away after an illness of only a few 

 hours at hisNew Haven home on Eas- 

 ter Sunday, April 14, in the eighty- 

 second year o s age. 



He was born in Utica, February 12, 

 181 3. His early education was ob- 

 tained at school in his native place. 

 In the autumn of 1830 he entered Yale 

 College and graduated three years la- 

 ter, after which he was appointed 

 professor of mathematics to midship- 

 men in the United States Navy. In 

 the two years he held this position he 

 visited France, Italy, Greece and Tur- 

 key. In 1835 he returned to New 

 Haven and became assistant in chem- 

 istry to Prof. Silliman. He was en- 

 gaged at this time in the preparation 

 of his "Treatise on Mineralogy," the 

 first edition of which was published in 



18 



J/ 



This work was the first of his 



remarkable writings which were to mark 

 an epoch in the history of natural sci- 

 ence. In 1836 he received the ap- 

 pointment of mineralogist and geolo- 

 gist to the exploring expiditions sent 

 by the United States to the Southern 

 and Pacific Oceans. The Peacock, on 

 which he sailed, was wrecked at the 

 mouth of the Columbia River. In the 

 three years and ten months which he 

 spent on the trip he visited Maderia, 

 Rio de Janeiro, Terra del Fuego, Val- 

 paraiso, Callao, Tahiti, Samoa, Aus- 



tralia, the Hawaiian Islands, the Fee- 

 jee group, Manilla, Borneo, Singapore, 

 Cape of Good Hope, St. Helena and 

 many other places. Besides the min- 

 eralogy and geology of the expedition, 

 Mr. Dana had under his supervision 

 the zoological department, including 

 the Crustacea and corals. The rare 

 opportunity which this voyage afforded 

 for scientific observation had been well 

 improved, and for thirteen years after 

 his return he was engaged principally 

 in studying the material that he col- 

 lected, making drawings and preparing 

 reports for publication. 



From 1 842 to 1 844 he lived in Wash- 

 ington. In the latter year he remov- 

 ed to New Haven, where he married 

 Henrietta Francis, third daughter of 

 Prof. Silliman. 



In 1850 Mr. Dana was appointed 

 Silliman professor of natural history 

 and geology in Yale College, succeed- 

 ing his father-in-law, but he did not 

 enter on the active administration of 

 the chair until 1856. The title of the 

 professorship was changed in 1864. 

 Mr. Dana became associate editor of 

 the American Journal of Science and 

 Arts, and after Professor Silliman's 

 death, its senior editor. Contempo- 

 raneously wath his duties as a lectur- 

 er and editor. Professor Dana 

 prepared his well known book on min- 

 eralogy and geology. His "System of 

 Mineralogy" grew in size from 452 

 pages in 1837 to the edition of 1892, 

 which contains 1,197 pages. The 

 "Manual of Mineralogy" a more ele- 



