448 PROCEEDINGS OF 



Loudon of Cireat Britain ; but Washington has no inuseimi of the United States, 

 though so much richer in all these specimens. 



In mineralogy, the work of Cleveland is most distinguished. Shepherd, Mather, 

 Troost, Torrey, and a few others, still pursue mineralogy for its own sake; but, gen- 

 erally, our mineralogists have turned geologists, studying rocks on a large scale, 

 insteai of their individual constituents, and vying with their brethren in Europe in 

 bold and successful generalization, and in the application of physical science to 

 their subi'ct. McCluro was one of the pioneers, and Eaton and Silliman contri- 

 buted mucii to the slock of knowledge. Tiiis school has given rise to the great 

 geological surveys made or progressing in several of the States. Jackson, in 

 iWaine, — liilchcock, iu Massachusetts, — Vanuzcn, Conrad, and Mather, in New 

 York, — the Rogers' in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Virginia, — Ducatel, in Mary- 

 land, — Owen and Lockp, in the West, — Troost, in Tennessee, — Horlon, in Ohio, — 

 the courageous, scientific and lamented Nicolet, in Missouri, Iowa, and Wisconsin, 

 have made contributions, not only to the geology of our country, but to the science 

 of geology itself, which arc conceded to bo ainoi;g the most valuable of the present 

 day. The able reports of Owen and Nicolot were made to Congress, and deserve 

 the highest commendation. 



In geographical science, the explorations of Lewis and Clark, — of Long, Nicolet, 

 and the able and intrepid f'remout, — the efi'ective State survey of Massachusetts, — 

 the surveys of our public lands, — the deUrmination of tiie boundaries of our Slates, 

 and especially those of Pennsylvania, by Riltenhouse and Elliot, of part of Louisiana, 

 by Graham and Kearney, of Michigan, by Talcott, and of Elaine, by Graham, — have 

 gained us great credit. The national work of the coast survey, begun by the late 

 Mr. Hasslcr, and prosecuted through all discouragements and difncultics by that 

 indomitable man, has reflected honor upon his adopted country, through the Go- 

 vernment which liberally supported the work, and through whose aid it is now pro- 

 gressing, under new auspices, with great energy. The lake survey is also now 

 advancing under the direction of Capt. Williams, of tho Topographical Corps. 

 Among the important recent explorations, is that of the enlightened, untiring, and 

 intrepid Fremont, to Oregon, which fixes the pass of the rocky mountains within 

 twenty miles of ihe northern boundary of Texas. Lieutenant Fremont is a mem- 

 ber of the Topographical Corps, which, together with that of Engineers, contains 

 •0 many distinguished officers, whose labors, together with those of their most able 

 and distinguished chiefs, Col. Tolten and Col. Abert, till so large a portion of tho 

 public documents, and are so well known and highly apprfciated by both Houses of 

 Congress and by the country. The Emperor of Russia has entered tiie ranks of our 

 Topographical Corps, and employed one of their distinguished members, Capt. 

 Whistler, to construct his great railroad from St. Petersburg to Moscow. The 

 travels of our countrymen, Stephens, to Yucatan and Guatemala, to Egypt, Arabia, 

 and Jerusalem, and of Dr. Grant to Ncsloria, have increased our knowledge of 

 geography and of antiquities, and have added new and striking proofs of the truths 

 of Christianity. 



Fossil geology occupied much of Iho lime and attention of the great philosopher 

 and statesman Jefferson, and he was rewarded by tho discovery of the mcgatbo- 

 riura. Tho mastodon, exhumed in 1801, from the marl pits of Now York, by 

 Charles Wilson Pcale, has proved but one of an order of animal giants. Even the 

 tetracaulodon, or tusked mastodon, of Godman, upon which rested his claims to 

 faina, is not the moet curious of this order, as tho investigations of Hays and Hor- 



