AS RELATED TO WEALTH. 93 



the development of new resources of wealth. And 

 in this respect Geology and Mineralogy stand pre- 

 eminent. So far as the mineral resources of the 

 earth are concerned, they can not be over-estimated, 

 and they are most readily perceived and most ea- 

 gerly sought for. A portion of the metals and other 

 valuable minerals are so accessible that they have 

 been reached by men in all ages. But the amount 

 thus accidentally found would fall far short of the 

 present wants of man, and those wants will rapidly 

 increase every year. The most valuable often ap- 

 pear under forms that would only be recognized by 

 adepts in mineralogy. Others can be discovered 

 and followed only by an intimate knowledge of the 

 structure of the earth's crust. They must be sought 

 for by the light of science. There is a natural con- 

 nection between certain rocks and valuable deposits, 

 as the salt-beds and brine-springs with the New 

 Red Sandstone. A knowledge of these connections 

 gives certainty in investigations, and this knowledge 

 is the fruit of geological study. And should a 

 mine by accident be discovered, it is only the prin- 

 ciples of this department of Natural History that 



