96 NATURAL HISTORY 



the means of commanding the obedience of some 

 nations, the money and respect of all. We have 

 not been entirely wanting in the work of developing 

 this field of wealth. Enough has been done to 

 show that the United States contains some of the 

 richest mineral districts in the world. We may not 

 abound in gems ; but where in the world do such 

 beds of coal and mountains of iron abound? We 

 see in them the elements of power ; but they must 

 be developed, and the field enlarged by new exami- 

 nations and discoveries. Our general government 

 has not neglected this portion of its possessions. It 

 has sent out its geological surveyors to examine 

 and locate mineral lands ; and they have rendered 

 important service in developing the wealth of the 

 country, as well as in making valuable contributions 

 to science. Our States have also understood the 

 value of these investigations. Large sums have 

 been appropriated by many of them. And in none, 

 so far as I know, has the money failed to yield a 

 full return in kind, besides an immense benefit to 

 the general cause of science. In some, the return in 

 a single year has been a hundred-fold. Such explo- 



