THE EARLY HISTORY OF CHEMISTRY IN INDIANA. 179 



Hanover College was put into practical working order. The earliest recorded 

 provisions for the teaching of chemistry that I have been able to find in the 

 short time at my disposal is in the first catalogue of Hanover, that is extant, 

 issued in 1833. This catalogue shows that chemistry was taught as a five 

 hour course during the second session of the Junior year, using Mitchell as 

 the textbook. During 1838 this course was transferred to the first stssion 

 of the Senior year. In 1841 the college year was divided into three terms 

 and chemistry was taught through two terms, the second term Junior and 

 the first term Senior. 



Also the first effort to teach agricultural chemistry happened to have been 

 made in Hanover College and I believe this was the first attempt in the 

 State. During the year of my birth, in 1844, in reorganizing the teaching of 

 chemistry, it was recognized with the announcement words "Chemistry and 

 its Application to Agiiculture." 



In 1849 and 1850, the first records of experimental chemistry at Hanover 

 College are found. The catalogue for the college year 1849-.50 has this sig- 

 nificant annoimcement : "Besides the textbook recitations in Anatomy, 

 Physiology, Chemistry and Geology, courses of lectures accompanied with 

 illustrations and experiments will be delivered by Professor Stone." The 

 catalogue for 1849-50 also announces that the laboratory is supplied with the 

 apparatus most necessary for chemical experiments. 



I am personally acquainted ^dth the teaching of chemistry in Hanover 

 College for the years 1863 to 1867 inclusive. We had regular textbook 

 recitations and from two to four experimental lectures were delivered by Dr. 

 J. W. Scott each week. As assistants in preparing for these lectures, he took 

 certain young men who had taken special interest in chemistry and who were 

 nearing their graduation. It was my good fortune to assist Dr. Scott to a 

 considerable extent during my Junior and Senior years. I have rarely seen 

 a better course of experimental chemistry in any of the institutions I have 

 attended than was given by Dr. Scott with the meagre apparatus at his com- 

 mand. He had the remarkable faculty of utilizing simple apparatus in the 

 best possible manner. Once every year he made the very difficult experiment 

 of producing a small quantity of that very dangerous explosive, iodide of nit- 

 rogen. I never knew him to fail in this experiment. Every year after it 

 had been carefully prepared, the small quantity was taken out of the building 

 to a safe distance and exploded with a long fishing pole to the end of which 

 a little grease had been attached. 



During the time that Professor -John M. Coulter was teaching science in 

 Hanover, the catalogue makes the announcement that the subjects covered 

 by his instruction were taught by textbooks, lectures, observations, excur- 

 sions, collections and experiments and that "large and valuable additions 

 have been made to the Philosophical Apparatus, (under which the chemical 

 apparatus was included). Cabinet, Herbarium and Museum." 



In the early period of teaching chemistry, Dr. J. W. Scott was by far the 



