THE INCORPORATORS 125 



JAMES DWIGHT DANA 



Born, February 12, 1813; died, April 14, 1895 



The Dana family is supposed to be either French or Italian 

 in origin. Its earliest American representative was Richard 

 Dana who came from England in 1690, and settled at Cam- 

 bridge, Massachusetts. From him many men illustrious in 

 science and literature trace their pedigree. James Dwight Dana, 

 the oldest in a family of ten children, was born in Utica, New 

 York, February 12, 1813. " Honesty, virtue, and industry seem 

 almost to be our natural inheritance," was his own estimate of 

 his home. His first instruction in science was obtained in a 

 school conducted by Charles Bartlett at Utica, and known as 

 the " Utica High School." In 1830 young Dana entered Yale 

 College, attracted there, as he said, by the reputation of Pro- 

 fessor Benjamin Silliman. Entering as a sophomore, he was 

 graduated in 1833. By the recommendation of his professors, 

 he received the position of instructor in the Navy, leaving New 

 York, on August 14, of the same year, in the ship of the line 

 Delaware, for a cruise to the Mediterranean. In July, 1834, 

 he visited Mt. Vesuvius, and a letter written to Professor Silli- 

 man describing its state at that time was published in the 

 American Journal of Science the following year. On his return 

 to New York after a voyage of 16 months, Dana was invited to 

 become assistant to Professor Silliman, which offer he gladly 

 accepted and was thus brought into touch with the circle of 

 scientific men at Yale. At this time he began work on his System 

 of Mineralogy the first edition of which was published in 1837. 

 When the United States Exploring Expedition, under Captain 

 Wilkes, was preparing for its cruise in the Pacific Ocean, Pro- 

 fessor Dana was selected as the mineralogist and geologist. This 

 appointment was made in January, 1837, but the expedition did 

 not sail until August 18, 1838. It returned to New York on June 

 10, 1842. Dana's letters written during the cruise are most enter- 

 taining, besides furnishing valuable geological and mineral- 

 ogical information regarding the countries visited. While 

 preparing his reports, which occupied him for a period of 13 



