376 Miscellanies. 



we have in various cases attempted in former volumes — with what suc- 

 cess our readers must judge. But we are almost in despair of carrying 

 out this plan, because we have, from several states, annual reports ; the 

 same ground is explored first in generality and afterwards in specific de- 

 tails, topographical, geological, economical, &c. ; in many cases the 

 mineral features of certain districts and even of particular townships 

 and estates are given ; mountain ranges and valleys and systems of strata 

 with their mineral and organic contents are described often with great 

 minuteness, and tliis multifarious information scarcely admits of abridg- 

 ment or generalization. The local facts and deductions are in many 

 cases scarcely intelligible without sections, maps and plans, which when 

 given we cannot copy ; but more frequently they are postponed to a con- 

 cluding general report, in which we are led to hope that all the materials 

 will be arranged in symmetry and lucid clearness. For these concluding 

 summaries we shall wait with no small interest, expecting from them 

 much instruction; but wc must be first placed in a condition to under- 

 stand their extent and the manner in which they will be exhibited, as 

 well as to appreciate our own various engagements before we can decide 

 how far we can exhibit those results in this Journal. 



That they will eventually be highly important both to scientific and 

 economical geology, cannot be doubted. This will, we are convinced, 

 appear still more conspicuously when after many more years of laborious 

 research all our states and territories shall have been surveyed, and geol- 

 ogists of high attainments, under we trust a national direction, and sus- 

 tained by national funds, shall give a clear digest of our scientific geol- 

 ogy, and draw with a masterly hand, not only our great outlines but the 

 most important of our local geological features. For the present our 

 effort will be to record the progress of geological exploration without 

 pretending to give even a summary of the facts, but selecting from this 

 immense storehouse some leading particulars of chief interest. 



Drawing near to the conclusion of the present volume, we can do little 

 more than name three reports, reserving the mention of others to a future 



occasion. 



1. Third annual report of the Geology of the state of Maine; by Charles 



T. Jackson, M. D., State Geologist, &c., 1839. 



2. First, second, and third reports of the progress of the geological sur- 

 vey of the state of Virginia, for 1836-37 and 38; by Prof Wm. B. Ro- 

 gers, State Geologist. 



3. Third annual report of the state of Pennsylvania; by Prof. Henry 



D. Rogers, State Geologist. 



1. Maine. — Dr. Jackson's labors in this state have been repeatedly no- 

 ticed in former volumes. The present report contains 273 pages, ot 

 which 59 are. occupied by elaborate tables of the barometer and thermo- 

 meter, and there is an appendix of 64 pages containing catalogues of spe- 



