fyj fi \VA AfAOK.M V or SCfK5.a-F.S-. 



Mskini>- your ;itt(Miti(>n t(» :i i)riof oiitliiic (vf ccrtuiii sciciitifi;- 

 prolylems -wlicv^' solution h;i< sixM'iai rcLit ion to t!i(> State ol 

 low:i. 



My paper itatm-ally assiuucs the ioi-ni of a I>ri('f review of 

 the scieiititic work in the State, t!i(- |-n'oi;ress that has I)e('n 

 made in certain lines and. the hasty mention of such as- force 

 themselves (vn yonr attention for the future. 



The pro.secution (rf scieatitic in\estii>-ation in the State has 

 not, a.s a iiile, 1>eeo as.sif^ted by orii-anized societies or institii- 

 tions to the extent seen in sister States, l)iit sii-h as hav(> 

 existed shonld, perhaps, receive tirst mention. 



The tirst of such ore-anizations to (<pei-ate in t!i(^ .'-^■tat(^ was 

 <a g-overnment exploring- party and .scientitie work a])parently 

 began when Thomas Say,, as a nicmlx'i' of LongV (>x[>ed{tion to 

 the Northwest T(n'rit(>ry in lsiU-2!)', colleeted and subs;-- 

 quently described many forms (>f life (Kcnrring- in th:^ State. 

 His descriptions are to be found in the repoi'ts of the ex})edi- 

 tion and in the jiublicati(>ns of the Philad(^lj)hia AcadcMny. 



The geological survey of AVisconsin, Iowa and Minnesota 

 In 1848-;')2 appears to have been the first carelnl investiga- 

 tion into the geologi<'al formations of the State, followc^L 

 shortly after, in lS.'),')-i), ]>y the tirst ."^tate g-eological sur\('y 

 under Professor James Hall. 



The second State g-eologica! ^»ur\ cy a\ as (rrgani/ed in the 

 s'pring'of I)S()(i and placed in charg'c of Dr. ( *. A. White. This 

 i^urvey was continued till iSiiU and reports printed in 1S70. 



The l)aven])ort Acaflemy of Xatnral Sciences was org-anized. 

 in 18(!7 and has since 1S7<) published ])r()eeedings which con- 

 tain many Naluable papers upon the geology, natural history, 

 etc, of tlie State of Iowa, more (-specially the [)ortion 

 adjacent to Davenport. 



The loAva Academy of Sciences, the only State Soriety, pre- 

 vious to onr own, devoted strictly to the sciences and embrac- 

 ing especially the scientific prol)lems of the State. )\as ori;an_ 



