A CENTURY OF GEOLOGY IN INDIANA. 153 



tirely composed of plants, I have thought it advisable to give an exposition of 

 the vegetable remains, which found in connection with coal beds, indicate the 

 nature of their compounds. The only man deeply versed in that part of 

 Natural History is Prof. Leo Lesquereux, of Columbus, Ohio, who, as an 

 intimate friend and fellow citizen of Prof. Agassiz, was encouraged by him 

 to come to America, and, who, since his arrival here in 1848, has given the 

 most of his time to the study of the fossil plants of North America. His 

 studies, published in numerous State and Government Reports, fill many 

 volumes, and as a Paleontologist, Lesquereux is as widely known in Europe 

 as he is in this country. I have, therefore, proposed to him to prepare for this 

 report a Manual on the Principles of Vegetable Paleontology, and I now 

 offer it to the State as a work which will be of great value to the students and 

 colleges of Indiana, and to those of the United States, and which at the same 

 time may be read with pleasure and profit by all persons interested in the 

 coal beds." 



The second paper is a continuation of those of Dr. White on the fossils 

 of the Indiana rocks, this being No. 3. It is entitled "Fauna of the Coal 

 Measures,' ' and comprises 158 pages and 17 plates. Both papers contain valu- 

 able introductory matter on the general features of the Carboniferous period, 

 the origin of coal, etc. 



Fifth Report of Collett. 



The legislature of 1883 failed to pass a General Appropriation bill, and 

 says Collett in his fifth and last renort, filed on November 2. 1884, "There has 

 been no public fund for expenses whatever since May, 1883, as the special 

 appropriation of .f5,000 per annum ended at that time." He also states that 

 his term of office expires by law in April, 1885. I earnestly urge that such an 

 office should be maintained and filled by a competent man, on whom citizens 

 may call, without money or price, for information as to their mistakes or 

 discoveries, and where those from abroad can obtain information of the 

 wealth and resources of Indiana. This is believed to be more important to 

 the State than additional field work or Paleontological descrijitions and 

 discoveries." 



Regarding the State Museum he says: "It has constantly increased. 

 Several thousand specimens are in boxes and cases not on the shelves, for 

 want of funds to clean them. These ^vill more than fill the cases when the 

 present Chief removes the contents of the twenty cases which are his private 

 property." 



It is well to remember here that he had stated in the 1882 report that the 

 museum contained over 100,000 specimens valued at $100,000. The speci- 

 mens which he here says were in boxes and cases were mostly duplicates of 

 those on display. When he left the office he took with him the contents of 

 the 20 cases, or the "more than 50,000 specimens" which were added in 1882. 

 These and other withdrawals made before 1895, left a number of empty 



