222 MATTHEW FONTAINE MAURY 



resources, agricultural and mineral, and to remove preju- 

 dice against the South so that immigrants would be at- 

 tracted to the deserted farms. As in the old days at the 

 Observatory, when he was investigating the winds and 

 currents, Maury brought into play his power of inspiring 

 others with enthusiastic cooperation, and soon reports 

 and communications came pouring into his ofhce at the 

 Institute from all parts of the state. There was some 

 rivalry, in the matter of the survey, between Washing- 

 ton College and Virginia Military Institute. Maury 

 declared that the College tried to steal his thunder, and 

 that he published what was called a "Preliminary 

 Report" in order to "knock them on the head". The 

 complete survey was unfinished at the time of his death ; 

 but a portion of it was published by his son Matthew in 

 1878. 



Maury also continued work on his geographical series, 

 only the first two books of which had been published 

 before he left England. The "Academic Geography" 

 of the original plan was abandoned; but in 1871 his 

 "Manual of Geography" appeared, and in 1873 his 

 "Physical Geography". The first was very favorably 

 received. One review dwelt particularly on the author's 

 power of making a tedious and dry subject interesting 

 and agreeable, commended the illustrations, and de- 

 clared that the book would delight any school-room in 

 which the teacher is not hopelessly unfit to teach. 

 "We are sure", it continued, "that where it is adopted 

 the geography lesson will become suddenly and sur- 

 prisingly popular". The preface to the edition, which 

 was revised by Mytton Maury and re-copyrighted in 

 1880 by the University Publishing Company, stated, 

 "Among the marked excellences of the early edition was 



