THE GIBBS CABINET. . 259 



Hon. Oliver Wolcott, now appeared here as Mrs. Gibbs, 

 and cheered our labors by her agreeable society and 

 assistance. The work went on cheerfully, and by mid- 

 summer we had occupied the new cases, and the entire 

 circuit presented a rich and beautiful sight. The fame of 

 this cabinet was now blazoned through the land, and at- 

 tracted increasing numbers of visitors. This collection 

 doubtless exerted its influence upon the public mind in 

 attracting students to the College, and was regarded as a 

 very valuable as well as brilliant acquisition. The collec- 

 tions were all (I am not aware of any general catalogue of the 

 Russian Collection * ) furnished with catalogues, scientific 

 and popular ; and it could not happen that the opening and 

 examining of ten thousand specimens, with a frequent refer- 

 ence to the descriptive catalogues, could fail to give greater 

 extension and precision to my knowledge of the subject. 

 I had become a zealous student of mineralogy and geology, 

 and now felt that the time had come to present them with 

 more strength and fulness than in former years. 



Hitherto the public instructions in mineralogy and geol- 

 ogy I mean those which were intended for the entire 

 classes had been given, as I have already stated, in the 

 laboratory in connection with the chemical courses. The 

 lectures to the private class on the Perkins cabinet had 

 been given in my chamber. Being now furnished with 

 ample means of illustration, I separated the lectures on 

 mineralogy and geology from the chemical course. The 

 Perkins cabinet was brought over to the newly prepared 

 rooms, that thus all the resources in the department might 

 be in one place. The requisite fixtures of table and seats 

 were also introduced ; and as soon as practicable, I began 

 to lecture in the new rooms, but I believe not fully, until 

 the next year, 1813. Thus the department became fully 

 inaugurated, and I had the pleasure of seeing the progress 

 from the small box of unlabelled minerals, carried to Phil- 

 * The "Russian Collection" formed a part of Col. Gibbs's cabinet F. 



