Address before the Association of American Geologists. 233 
ner. Whatever measures will promote this object, will meet, I 
presume, the support of the members ;—and whoever has.it.so 
much at heart, that he is willing to engage in active and ener- 
getic labors to promote its advancement, will doubtless. be wel- 
comed to their fraternity. While they acknowledge their indebt- 
edness to similar associations in Europe, for the example which 
they have set, and especially to the London Geological Society, 
the noble mother of them all; they do not aspire to be compared 
to any of them, until the fruits of their labors shall make such 
comparisons involuntary. They wish to be known only as an 
association of geologists, who love their favorite science so well, 
that they will pursue it with almost equal ardor, whether they. 
are noticed or unnoticed, whether patronized or neglected. It is 
their motto, rth : 
= nae hoc. seer — 0 seems et ae 
th 1 propose, gentlemen, at. this-time 9 sketch riety the. most 
attention. In doing this, I must of course give- some he 
what has been already done im this wide field, And as far ns 
possible, I shall treat both of» Betbietiesisanets ts 
Until the commencement aell the present cent y, alr ost noth 
ing had been done by Americans to- develop 5 our mi alogy or 
geology. And until the year 1807, although ‘mineralogy. had 
begun to excite some interest, yet no effort worthy of notice 
had been made in geology. In that year, William Maclure com- 
menced, single-handed, the Herculean task of acing out and 
delineating the great features of our rock formations. This 
he at length accomplished, after crossing the Alleghany moun- 
tains in-fifty places. * ‘This pene ine most momathable, (oe 
ample of persevering devotedness to a 
hot but. rupee: his" ‘memory i in the-eart of: f every. Amecean go 
ologist. i 
» We must not eae from re aioolateth isistmaitey thabang cor- 
tespondent knowledge of this subject existed at that time in our 
. On-this point we have the striking testimony of one, 
who is. still ane us in the vigor of ripe manhood, to witness the 
| which his own labors and those-of others have 
Vol. xr1, No, 2. eee a 1841. 
