SALT ENTERPRISE IN MICHIGAN. 257 



tation of remunerative manufacture. At the same time, 

 he announced " a general resemblance between the geology 

 of the valley of the Ohio and that of Michigan, 1 ' and stated 

 his belief that " the rock formations of our saliferous 

 district are somewhat lower in the series than those occur- 

 ring in the principal salines on the Ohio, 1 ' and from this 

 " inferred that the salt-bearing rock would be nearer the 

 surface here" than in Ohio. The similarity of circum- 

 stances, as he erroneously conceived, attending the occur- 

 rence of brine springs in Michigan and Ohio, led him to 

 advance the opinion that in this state, as well as Ohio, 

 success might follow the boring of artesian wells in the 

 vicinity of the salines. , 



This report led to the passage of an act approved 

 March 24, 1838, " To provide for the improvement of cer- 

 tain State Salt Springs," directing the State Geologist to 

 proceed to make explorations by boring at one or more 

 of the springs, and appropriating three thousand dollars 

 to defray expenses. 



It marks the intelligent and liberal spirit of the early 

 statesmen of Michigan to note that, by an act ^approved 

 March 23, 1838, the first organization of the Geological 

 Survey was abolished and an enlarged organization adopted. 

 This established four departments: 1. Geological and Min- 

 eralogical; 2. Zoological; 3. Botanical; 4. Topographical. 

 Twelve thousand dollars were appropriated for each year 

 between March 1, 1838, and March 1, 1841.* 



On the 1st of January, 1839, the State Geologist re- 

 ported that he had visited the various salines of Penn- 



* When, in 1859, the legislature of the state determined to establish a new 

 Geological Survey, they adopted the law of 1837, instead of that of 1838, and ap- 

 propriated five thousand dollars for the expenses of two years. 

 17 



