COMMITTEES ON BEHALF OF THE GOVERNMENT 273 



veys in the different departments of the government." He 

 considered that however proficient the members of the com- 

 mittee might be in their several professions, with one exception, 

 they were not sufficiently familiar with survey work to form an 

 opinion as to its requirements. 



The committee deliberated some three months, inviting and 

 considering the views of the directors of the surveys of the 

 territories, the Acting Chief of Engineers and other officers of the 

 Army, the Commissioner of the General Land Office and others 

 interested. We learn from the documents which accompany the 

 Academy's report that the War Department thought that its 

 topographic and geodetic surveys should be continued and that 

 they might advantageously be made the basis of the land-par- 

 celling surveys of the General Land Office, and that the scale and 

 topography of its maps might be such that they could be used for 

 plotting the geological data collected by the geological surveys. 

 The General Land Office was of the opinion that " combining a 

 geological and geographical survey with the survey of the public 

 lands might be most beneficial and economical." Dr. Hayden, 

 representing the Geological and Geographical Survey of the 

 Territories, questioned the practicability of a comprehensive 

 plan of surveys which should include all the scientific organiza- 

 tions of the Government engaged in such work. He considered 

 that the combination of the geological and geographical surveys 

 with the land-parcelling surveys would be fatal to both, and that 

 the separation of topography and geology would be unwise. 

 Major Powell representing the Geographical and Geological 

 Survey of the Rocky Mountain Region, reiterated the opinion 

 expressed in an earlier report, that such surveys " should be 

 unified and a common system adopted"; and considered that 

 they should embrace a geographical department, including " all 

 methods of mensuration in latitudes, longitudes and altitudes, 

 absolute and relative " ; and a geological department, including 

 " all purely scientific subjects relating to geological structure 

 and distribution, and practical subjects relating to mining and 



108 Sen. Exec. Doc. no. 21, 45th Congress, 3d Session, p. 3. 



