194 NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES 



under him assisted in the Geological Survey of the State of New 

 Hampshire. Again uncertain as to a remunerative profession, 

 Whitney turned to the law and was about to enter Harvard Law 

 School, when, on the advice of Dr. Jackson, his father offered to 

 send him to Europe, where three years were spent in travel and 

 study. During this time he made a translation of Berzelius' work 

 on blowpipe analysis. While yet at Giessen, Dr. Jackson offered 

 Mr. Whitney the position of first assistant in the Government 

 Survey of the Lake Superior Mines. From chemistry his atten- 

 tion was now turned to geology which thenceforth became his 

 special study. As assistant, or as the head of a division, several 

 years were spent in the survey of the Lake Superior mines and by 

 the knowledge thus acquired, added to his thorough German 

 training, and his acquaintance with fossils, Whitney became 

 an acknowledged mining expert. At this time he published his 

 work on The Metallic Wealth of the United States. It was 

 written at Clover Den in Cambridge, " an old bachelor hall," 

 where Whitney kept his own extensive library, and returned after 

 his excursions to enjoy the society of other scientists. This home 

 was given up at his marriage in 1854. In 1855 Whitney became 

 professor in the University of Iowa, his chief duties, however, 

 being in connection with the state geological survey. 



A Geological Survey of California was established in 1860 and 

 Whitney was appointed to take charge of it. Accompanied by a 

 corps of able assistants he left Northampton for California on 

 October 18, 1860, and entered upon this new work with enthusi- 

 asm. Many important features of the geology and geography of 

 the State were determined, but the Survey soon encountered diffi- 

 culties, chiefly of a political and pecuniary character, and after 

 a precarious existence extending over fourteen years, it was finally 

 abandoned. Only a few volumes containing the results of the 

 work were published. 



Whitney's contributions to geology were numerous and many 

 reports of official work were published at his own expense. In 

 1875 he was re-appointed to the Sturges-Hooper Professorship 

 of Geology at Harvard which had been founded ten years pre- 



