THE WORK OF THE SURVEY 



277 



officers of the Survey, 1 who, by their unfaltering diligence, have made it 

 possible for me to do far more than I expected to accomplish with the limited 

 means that have been at my command. 



It is but justice to the Survey to say, that the means at its disposal have 

 been exceedingly limited. The total amount appropriated for all the ex- 

 penses of the years 1874 and 1875 was thirty-three thousand five hundred 

 dollars. Out of this sum must come the costs of maintaining a force averag- 

 ing twelve assistants and aids, the expenses of the state cabinet, of exhibi- 

 tions at Louisville, a chemical laboratory, the outfit of camps, instruments, 

 etc., and all the expenses of preparing the results for publication, including 

 the making of lithographic and stereotype plates. Only the most rigorous 

 economy has made it possible to do the large amount of field work that has 

 been done during the last two years ; and this saving has been brought about 

 by the devotion and self-sacrifice of my coadjutors of the Survey, who have 

 not only been willing to labor for small compensations, but have unhesitat- 

 ingly adapted themselves to the rude and comfortless life which has neces- 

 sarily been followed in order to secure economy and convenience in the work. 



What Mr. Shaler thought of the general conditions of Ken- 

 tucky is set forth in a less official manner in a letter of a some- 

 what earlier date written to an English friend. 



My dear Mr. Lawrence: ... I am so sorry that you could not come to 

 Kentucky. It is by far the richest state in America, and although the 

 people are absurdly conservative yet they present the highest type of rural 

 life which the country affords, the only region which would remind you of 

 the best parts of your own island. . . . 



Mr. Shaler often laughingly alluded to an experience he had at 

 this time with the War Department concerning some barometer 

 straps. It was a case of red tape pushed to the extreme limits 

 of patience. The correspondence began in 1875 and was con- 

 cluded in 1877. On the back of a communication from the War 

 Department which had travelled from one official to another 

 is written, " What straps was he accountable for? Answer : 

 Barom. straps nos. 2 & 24 sent from this office June 25, 1875." 

 On another: "Shaler N. S. says he is unable to produce the 



1 Some of these officers upon whom he depended most were C. W. Beckham, John R. 

 Proctor, A. R. Crandell, P. M. Moore, W. B. Page, C. J. Norwood, besides a number of 

 valuable assistants. 



