EDWARD HITCHCOCK. 293 



haustive. He had correspondence with the elder Prof. Silli- 

 man, of Yale College, respecting difficult questions, and the 

 two maintained for each other a lifelong friendship. It was 

 probably this correspondence which led Hitchcock to join the 

 newly opened theological department at New Haven. He fur- 

 nished contributions to the first volume cf Silliman's Ameri- 

 can Journal of Science and Art, and to many later issues. In 

 all, his name is prefixed to fifty-two papers, notices, and re- 

 views on topics relating to geology, mineralogy, ichnology, 

 surface geology, physics, meteorology, and botany, in this 

 journal. 



Hitchcock chose the ministry for his profession. He was 

 settled as a pastor over the Congregational Church in Con- 

 way, Mass., from 1821 to 1825. While in this office he studied 

 natural history to some extent, for the benefit of his health. 

 It was at this time that he discovered and described that small 

 but widely distributed fern, Botrychium simplex. In 1825 he 

 was appointed Professor of Chemistry and Natural History in 

 Amherst College. Twenty years afterward he became presi- 

 dent of the same institution, and continued in the office for 

 nearly ten years. For the remainder of his life nearly ten 

 years he taught geology and natural theology in the same 

 institution. 



Like scientific men of his time, Dr. Hitchcock was familiar 

 with several departments of learning being an author, educa- 

 tor, theologian, and explorer. His career as a geologist is the 

 best known. Starting as a student of the rocks of the Con- 

 necticut Valley, his home, he is soon found at both extremities 

 of the State at Martha's Vineyard and Berkshire County. 

 With larger opportunities for travel, he was impressed with the 

 importance of interesting legislatures in geological surveys, 

 and he took measures to enlist the government of Massachu- 

 setts in such work. With this aim in mind he published a 

 lengthy review of Olmsted's survey of North Carolina in the 

 American Journal of Science, in 1828. Near the close he says: 

 "We wish now to ask the intelligent legislator whether such a 

 development of internal resources as this report exhibits does 

 not amply remunerate the State of North Carolina for the 

 comparatively trifling expense of this survey ; and whether so 

 great success . . . does not strongly recommend that this ex- 

 ample be followed by other States of the Union ?" 



