AUGUST ai, 1839. 



AND HORTICULTURAL REGISTER. 



Boston, Wednesday, August 21, 1839. 



'^n'^"^^!'"^''^ Report of the GEOLony or Maine 

 By C. T. Jackson, M. D., Geologist to the State of 

 Maine. Augusta, pp. 35G, 8vo. 



We have h.-.d the pleasure of receiving this work from 

 its learned and industrious author, and tender him our 

 thanks. The acknowledgment should have been ear- 

 lier ; but on account of absence from home, and our 

 necessary locomotive condition during the travelling 

 season, our letters and papers are often long in reachin" 

 ue ; and many, we have reason to think, miscarry. 



The limits of our paper admit only of a brief, and that 

 must of necessity be a very iniperfoct nnlice of a work 

 of this nature. It exhibits learning, ability, industry, 

 and indefatigable perseverance ; added to all this, an 

 enthusiasm in the pursuit of its object, which is always 

 sure of success where success is practicable. The work 

 in connexion with the numbers which have preceded it, 

 treats at large of the geological features and condition of 

 Maine, and particularly with a view to develop its com- 

 mercial, manufacturing, and agricultural resources and 

 capabilities. In these respects, the Geological Survey 

 has already conferred on Maine benefits of a substantial 

 character, compensating fifty-fold the expenses which it 

 has occasioned lo the State. It has stimulated agricul- 

 tural industry by tiie ample encouragements, which, it 

 has shown, are inherent in the soil of many parts of 

 Maine. It has awakened inquiry, enterprise, and ex- 

 periment, bottomed upon rational grounds, jvhich must 

 lead to other discoveries and results of great importanc 

 and utility. It has increased much the estimalion of 

 the value of the lands in Maine, by demonstrating that, 

 in spite of the rigors of its climate, agricultural industry 

 may be exerted, and labor and capital expended in the 

 improvements of many of her lands, with a certainty of 

 such a recoinpensi: as ought to satisfy a reaSi^iable 

 mind. It has led to the correction of many mistakes in 

 regard to earths and ores and sloHes, by showin" their 

 true character, which might otherwise havo involved 

 individuals in extensive and ruinous losses. It has 

 checked in the bud many speculations, got up often 

 through ignorance— we fear more often through fraud, 

 by which hundreds may have been imposed upon, cheat- 

 ed, and robbed ; and perhap.^ in their turn, on the mis- 

 erable and detestable selfish principle of " save himself 

 who can," have imposed upon, cheated, and robbed in- 

 numerable others. It has revealed the existence of me- 

 tallic and mineral substances ; and especially the exis- 

 tence of most extensive deposits and locations of iron 

 ore and limesti.nus, which are destined to prove to Maine 

 richer or belter .-ioutces of wealth than mines of gold, 

 silver, and precious stones, or large depisits of the bright- 

 est pearl upon her rock-bound coasts. Besides this, it 

 has served to enlarge the bounds ofus-ful and practical 

 knowledge, and is a valuable contribution lo the science 

 of Geology— a science highly inleiesting in all its as- 

 pects and relations to a philosophical curiosity ; of gnat 

 value in the useful and ]. radical atts;. and when pro- 

 foundly studied even in its preseal imperfect cxploia- 

 lions, revealing continually newer views and inspiring 

 loftier conceptions of the power, wisdom, and bcnevo'^ 

 lence of the Creator. 



We speak of the imperfect explorations of the scionco 

 of Geology ; such they must be considered in re-^pcct 

 to what remains to be done, before we can ihoroughly 

 understand this earthen ball on which we are floating 

 and whiiling through immense space and in the fath- 



omless depths of ether. Geology is comparatively a re- 

 cent science and still in its infancy. Its growth, how- 

 ever, has been rapid almost beyond example; and the 

 interest which is now among the inquisitive so gener- 

 ally taken iu it, in the old world and the new, will con- 

 tribute to the rapid enlar;reinent of its acquisitions.— 

 Yet tifltr all, the depth to which human inquiry has 

 pi'nelratcd towards the centre of our earlh, is hardly 

 more than boring with a pin the varnish of a twenty- 

 four inch globe. How much farther we can go it is not 

 for any one to say. The human mmd has noi yet 

 reached the end of its line in any science. We hope 

 indeed it never will find a deptii beyond which there is 

 no lower depth ; a height beyond which there is noth- 

 ing higher. If the hero of .Vlacedon wept because there 

 were no more worlds to conquer, a deeper oppression 

 would come upon the human intellect if it should reach 

 an insuperable barrier to its inquiries, the actual limits 

 of human knowledge, and there should be an end to all 

 the activity and all the charms of inquiry and intellec 

 tual acquisition. The great delight of life is the con- 

 sciousness of progressive advancement, intellectual and 

 moral ; and the great stim.nUis to exertion, by which all 

 our intellectual and mora! capacities are excited, unfold- 

 ed, and strengthened, is the hope and prospect of far- 

 ther acquisition. 



We ask pardon, however, for being drawn aside by 

 these general considerations, from the particular subject 

 before us. The Report of Dr Jackson seems to be little 

 else than a transcript of his diary. This is a popular 

 form, and on that account the more attractive and 

 interesting to the great mass of readers ; but not a sci- 

 entific form ; n',r that in which we know the learned 

 author will choose his work shall appear in the sequel, 

 Some one says that we follow a traveller with interest 

 and pleasure, if he will but tell us where he oated his 

 horse, and what the landlady gave him for dinner; but 

 in scientific reports we consider this as extraneous mat- 

 ter. Now, whether the Dr, in some of his distant and 

 fatiguing explorations, lived upon salt-pork raw orcook- 

 ed ; or whether his host was accommodating and hospit- 

 able, or surly and discourteous ; or whether his accom- 

 plished assistant, found under some hemlock " boughs 

 sufficient protection for his head and shoulders, and left 

 his inferior for his superior) extremities to the kindly 

 influence of a roaring camp fire," are matters in them- 

 selves entertaining, but not important; and though suf- 

 ficiently amygdaloid and conglomerate in their charac- 

 ter, are yet not exactly " in place" in a Geological Re- 

 port, These slight blemishes in the mere style of the 

 report, however, deserve no consideration in comparison 

 with Uie importance of its general matter. The just 

 apology for the form in which the report appears, lies 

 in the unreasonable impatience of the public lo know 

 what their servants are doing, and in requiring them to 

 present their accounts long before the expedition is 

 finished. The evil in the case is first to the author's 

 literary reputation and his own honorable ambition ; but 

 what is more, it is an inconvenient form for the public 

 eye. The truth is, that so many subjects of inquiry are 

 now pressing upon the public atteniion, and so many 

 books ofevery description are pouring down upon us 

 in a sort of avalanche, that we must utterly despair of 

 keeping up with any thing unless knowledge and infor- 

 mation, by those, who wish .and who deserve to ;be 

 heard, be presented in the most direct, systematic, and 

 condensed form. This, we liave no doubt will be done, 

 at the completion of the survey. The survey, we trust, 

 will be completed for the honor of our sister state, who 

 we believe, will have too much good sense and too 

 much self respect to stop where she now stands in it. 

 She is troubled, it seems, with some miserable qualms of 



false and ridiculous economy in a matter where the ex- 

 penditure of a ihw cents will be returned to her in thou- 

 sands of dollars; and if she should persevere and maite 

 her suspension a ccBsation of this important survey, she 

 would present herself in the aspect ot the man, who is 

 ready enough to uncork his dozen bottles of champaigne, 

 to show his liberality to his guest; and then will deem it 

 only a commendable economy to " beat down" the bill 

 of his washerwoman. Maine, in her recent martial ex- 

 plosions, was quite willing to incur a debt of hundreds 

 of thousands for the sake of showing her courage, and 

 with a great flourish oflrumpels marched her glittering 

 battalions " up the-|iill, and then marched down again" 

 for the protection of a strip of wild land, of whose 

 value she never dreampi, until it it was pointed 

 out by the learned geological surveyor ; but we 

 hnve no hesitation in saying that the perfect com- 

 pletion of this inporlant survey, would confer upon the 

 state more honor than all the fliij;s of the British army 

 captured from the enemy, and floating in triumph on 

 the walls of her eapitol, if obtained in any contest what- 

 ever, where the point in dispute might he settled by 

 honorable and peaceable negotiation. 



Dr Jackson's report is divided into two parts — scien- 

 tific and agricultural Geology. We shall at a conveni- 

 ent season take a more extended view of the report, 

 especially of the agricultural Geology. This contains 

 much important matter. H. C. 



THE SEASON. 

 The weather for the last fortnight on the sea coast 

 has been cloudy and cold; and Indian corn seems to be 

 at a stand. Its growth is very luxuriant, but it must do 

 a great deal in a short time, if it means to get out of the 

 way of the frost. This summer must be set down 

 among the cold summers, though we have not had as in 

 the cold seasons of 1836 and 1837, frequent Irosts. In 



the year 1816 there was not a mouth without frost 



1836 nearly resembled it. 1839 has been remarkably 

 uniform in its temperature; — the mercury, we believe, 

 has never ris.'n above 90° Fahrenheit ; and an unusual 

 quantity of rain has fallen. Tiie verdure through the 

 season has been almost unexampled. The full moon in 

 September usually brings a severe frost. Last year was, 

 however, an exception. We hope this may be. A 

 large portion of the corn now on the ground would be 

 illy prepared for it. If it escapes that period we have 

 then generally a favorable season in the latter part of 

 September and October for its ripening. The smaller 

 grains within our knowledge have in general been abun- 

 dant ; and are well secured. H. C. 



ANNUAL EXHIBITION OF MASS. HORT. SOC. 



The Committee of Arrangements at their meet- 

 ing this day, voted, that the Annual E.\liibition of 

 the Horticultural Society shall take place on fVed- 

 ncsday, Thursday, and Frid.iy, Sept. 2.5th, 26th, 

 and 27th. 



Voted, That committees be chosen to visit the gardens 

 and green-houses belonging to members of the Society, 

 and solicit and select fruit, flowers, plants, &c., for the 

 exhibition ; and thereujion the following committees were 

 appointed. 



For Boston, J, E, Teschemacher, Isaac P. Davis, and 

 W. T. Eustis. 



For Salem and Lynn, Otis Johnson, and Mr Ives. 



For Charlestown, Cambridge, and Watertown, David 

 Haggerston, Wm. E. Carter, C. M. Hovey, Samuel Pond, 

 and J. W. Russell. 



For Brighton and Brookline, Jona. Winship, Joseph 

 Breck, W. H. Cowen, and J. L, L. F. Warren. 



For Roxbury, Col. Marshall P. Wilder, A. D. Wil- 

 liams, J. S Gardiner, Samuel Walker. 



Voted to adjourn to this day two weeks at 12 o'clock. 

 Per order. SAMUEL WALKER, Chairman. 



Boston, August 17, 1839. 



