272 NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES 



surveys of the Land Office, and to report to Congress, as soon thereafter as may be 

 practicable, a plan for surveying and mapping the territories of the United States 

 on such general system as virill, in their judgment, secure the best results at the 

 least possible cost ; and also to recommend to Congress a suitable plan for the 

 publication and distribution of the reports, maps, and documents and other results 

 of said surveys." 



When this Act was approved on June 20, 1878, the President 

 of the Academy was in Europe. Upon his return in August and 

 after consulting members of the Council and others, he ap- 

 pointed a special committee to consider the subject. This com- 

 mittee, as he stated in his annual report, consisted of " Professor 

 James D. Dana, whose long experience as geologist and natur- 

 alist of the Wilkes Exploring Expedition, and subsequent res- 

 idence in Washington, while preparing his reports, had especi- 

 ally fatted him to advise on Government work ; Professor William 

 B. Rogers, the Nestor of American geology, who had had long 

 and varied experience with geographical and geological surveys; 

 Professor J. S. Newberry, the State Geologist of Ohio, who 

 had spent several years in the West on Government exploring 

 expeditions under the War Department; Professor W. P. Trow- 

 bridge, a graduate of West Point, who, while a member of the 

 Corps of Engineers, served for several years on the Coast Sur- 

 vey; Professor Simon Newcomb, whose knowledge of mathe- 

 matics and astronomy rendered his advice most valuable; and 

 Professor Alexander Agassiz, whose experience both in mining 

 engineering and biology made him a fit representative of those 

 departments." '"^ As will be noted, no member of any of the 

 Government surveys then existing was included in the com- 

 mittee, the President holding that it would be inappropriate to 

 designate anyone representing those organizations whose conten- 

 tions were reported to have caused Congress to consider their 

 reorganization. This led to a protest by General Humphreys, 

 Chief of Engineers, who asserted that " a properly constituted 

 committee should have had among its members those officers in 

 the Government service whose duties consisted in part or in 

 whole in making geodetic, topographic, or other scientific sur- 



'"•Proc. Nat. Acad. Sci., vol. i, p. 151. 



