WILLIAM WILLIAMS MATHER. 405 



frontier duty at Fort Jessup, La. He was then detailed to 

 serve as acting assistant Professor of Chemistry, Mineralogy, 

 and Geology in the Military Academy, which duty he performed 

 until the summer of 1835. The assistant professors at the 

 academy at that time were usually detailed from recent gradu- 

 ates, and their terms of service rarely exceeded two years. 

 The fact that Lieutenant Mather was retained in that capacity 

 for six years indicates that he was an unusually successful in- 

 structor. During the recess of his course of instruction in 

 1833 he acted as Professor of Geology, with the permission of 

 the War Department, at Wesleyan University, Middletown, 

 Conn., and the following year received the honorary degree 

 of A. M. from this university. In the summer of 1834 he made 

 a geological survey of Windham County, Conn., and drew up 

 a report, which was published. 



Within the first year after his graduation Lieutenant Ma- 

 ther published in the American Journal of Science a paper 

 entitled On the Nonconducting Power of Water with Regard 

 to Heat. While serving as assistant professor ^at the acad- 

 emy he contributed other papers to the same journal, and 

 wrote a small text-book, Elements of Geology, which was af- 

 terward enlarged and passed through several editions. He 

 wrote also an account of the dilivium for the use of the cadets 

 in their study of geology. 



On being relieved from duty at the academy he was as- 

 signed to topographical service as an assistant to G. W. 

 Featherstonhaugh in a geological examination of the country 

 from Green Bay to Coteaus de Prairies. This work occupied 

 him during the latter half of 1835. He made a topographical 

 map of the St. Peter's (Minnesota) River Valley and a report, 

 which his later associate Whittlesey says he refused to pre- 

 sent to the " pretentious English geologist in charge of 

 the expedition," but transmitted direct to the United States 

 Government. When this survey was completed he was pro- 

 moted to a first lieutenancy and sent to join his regiment on 

 frontier duty at Fort Gibson, in Idaho Territory. The follow- 

 ing summer he marched into the Choctaw country in com- 

 mand of his company. Feeling that he could now safely 

 adopt the pursuit of science as a profession, he resigned his 

 commission in the army at the end of August, 1836. 



When he had been one year at West Point as assistant 



