214 



I<JATURE 



{Jan. 9, 1879 



rapid reconnaissances like those now carried on by the 

 War and Interior Departments ; and, lastly, surveys for 

 the parcelling of public land. 



2. Having regard to the enormous area of territory yet 

 to be explored and surveyed, its vast mineral wealth, its 

 agricultural and pastoral resources, its stores of timber, 

 its capabilities of soil, the Academy believes that the best 

 interests of the country require that, for purposes of in- 

 telhgent administration, a thorough knowledge must be 

 obtained of the geological structure, natural resources, 

 and products of these regions. It therefore recommends 

 the establishment of an independent organisation, with a 

 Director appointed by the President, to be placed under 

 the Department of the Interior, and to be styled the 

 United States Geological Survey. The duties of this 

 Survey would include the investigation of the geological 

 structure and of the economic resources of the public 

 domain. 



This consolidation of all the surveying work, sanctioned 

 and paid for by Congress, would of course involre radical 

 changes in some of the Departments. The Bureau of 

 Engineers, in particular, would be required to give up 

 all surveying work except what might be necessary for 

 merely military purposes, and for such engineering opera- 

 tions as the rectification of rivers, irrigation and drain- 

 age, reclamation and protection of alluvial land. The 

 various geographical and geological surveys west of the 

 looth meridian, now carried on by the War and Interior 

 Departments, would be discontinued, though of course 

 they would, in some cases, be resumed under the pro- 

 posed new organisation. 



Three distinct branches of the public service are thus 

 proposed to be established for dealing with the public 

 domain : — First, the United States Coast and Interior 

 Survey, charged with the accurate mapping of the 

 country ; second, the United States Geological Survey, 

 for the investigation of the geological structure and 

 natural resources of the domain ; third, the Land Office, 

 having charge of the subdivision and sale of the public 

 lands, and entitled, therefore, to call upon the Coast and 

 Interior Surrey for all necessary surveys and measure- 

 ments, and upon the Geological Survey for all informa- 

 tion as to the value and classification of lands. 



Considerable liberty is proposed to be given to the 

 chiefs of the two surveys as to the nature and extent of 

 their publications. They are each to present an annual 

 report of operations, and provision is to be made for the 

 issue of such maps, charts, reports, discussions, treatises, 

 and other documents as they may deem to be of value. 

 Most liberal provision is likewise recommended to be 

 made for the distribution of the reports of the Surveys. 

 Besides the number of copies required by Congress for 

 its own use, 3,000 copies are proposed to be published for 

 scientific exchanges by the heads of the surveys and for 

 sale. The special reports are to be issued in uniform 

 quarto size, liberty being left to each director to choose such 

 a form for his chartographic publications as shall com- 

 bine the most effective style with the greatest economy. 

 All specimens collected by the two surveys when no 

 longer required for the investigations in progress are to 

 be transferred to the National Museum. 



Such in brief are the recommendations made by the 

 National Academy in response to the requirement of 



Congress. That they are eminently wise and thoroughly 

 practicable must be freely admitted by all capable of 

 forming an opinion on the subject. It is simply im- 

 possible that things can go on as they are. Each 

 one of the Surveys now in progress has done good 

 work ; several of them most admirable work. But work 

 as good could be got with less labour and at less cost. 

 This cannot be effected without combination ; and the 

 Academy has pointed out with great clearness and judg- 

 ment how the combination may be achieved. It is not to 

 be expected that changes of this kind can be carried out 

 without irritating some of the individuals whose position 

 is thereby affected. But save the severance of the 

 Bureau of Engineers from all control of the surveys there 

 need be comparatively little disturbance of the work now 

 going on. Dr. Hayden, who with his staff has done so 

 much in recent years for American geology, would doubt- 

 less take a high command under the new system ; and it 

 may be hoped that his position will be so secured as to 

 enable him to devote his whole time to the scientific work 

 for which he has shown himself to be so admirably quali- 

 fied. Mr. Powell and his colleagues might continue their 

 interesting and important Colorado investigations. To 

 Mr. Clarence King fresh fields of research lie open where 

 he may win laurels as bright as those he now wears. To 

 all these officers in so far as they have at present geogra- 

 phical and topographical work to carry on, the allocation 

 of all such duties of mensuration to a special geodetic 

 survey should be a welcome relief, as it will set them 

 free for their own special investigations. The Aca- 

 demy in its Report contemplates the possibility of 

 officers, both of the army and navy, being desirous 

 to volunteer for employment in these surveys, and recom- 

 mends that when their services are not otherwise required 

 they should be permitted to take part in the general 

 survey. In this way a connection with the engineers 

 might be re-established, and we may be sure that every 

 engineer officer of capacity would be welcome, and 

 would take a good position under the Department of the 

 Interior. 



The Report of the Academy, on being presented to 

 Congress, was, on the 2nd ultimo, referred to the Com- 

 mittee on Appropriations, and ordered to be printed. As 

 Congress rises at the beginning of March, some action 

 may be expected to be taken on the matter before that 

 date. It will be a subject for sincere congratulation 

 among all well-wishers of American science and general 

 progress, should the decision be in the direction pointed 

 out by the National Academy of Sciences. 



Arch. Geikie 



KERNER'S "FLOWERS AND THEIR 

 UNBIDDEN GUESTS" 

 Flowers and their Unbidden Guests. By Dr. A. Kemer. 

 With a Prefatory Letter by C. Darwin, M.A., F.R.S. 

 The translation revised and edited by W. Ogle, M.A., 

 M.D. (London ; C. Kegan Paul and Co., 1878.) 

 nj'^HIS charming book is the record of an extension, in 

 -L a somewhat different direction, of the researches of 

 Darwin, Hermann Miiller, and others, on the assistance 

 rendered by insects in the cross-fertilisation of flowers. 

 Attention has hitherto been directed almost exclusively 



