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appointments, whicTi attended the efforts of those who were desirous of 

 seeing such an institution in successful operation, and who firmly 

 believed in its great utility as a factor in the advancement of the 

 interests of the provinces. As far back, then, as January, 1832, a 

 petition, asking for pecuniary assistance in carrying on a geological and 

 statistical survey, was presented by Dr. Rae to the Lieut. -Governor of 

 the province, but, though strongly recommended by that gentleman, it 

 was not even entertained by the Committee of Supply. In December 

 of the same year, the York Literary and Philosophical Society also for- 

 warded a petition for the same purpose, which met with alike fate. In 

 1836, a committee of several gentleman was appointed by the Govern- 

 ment to report on a plan for tlie general survey of the province, which 

 report was presented, but no further action taken in the matter. On 

 motion of the Committee of Supply, it was then resolved that an address 

 should be presented to Sir F. B. Head, the Lieut-Governor for the 

 time, with reference to the practicability of the desired survey. This, 

 however, failed to go any further, and in December of the same year a 

 Mr. Dunlop gave notice of an address to the King, praying for a grant 

 of wild lands to defray the expenses of a geological survey, which appli- 

 cation also met with the same fate as its predecessor, and the matter 

 was thenceforth dropped till the union of the Provinces of Quebec and 

 Ontai'io and in 1841. 



[n that year, the Natural History Society of Montreal, through 

 Mr. Benjamin Holmes, and the Literary and Historical Society of 

 Quebec, through Mr. Henry Black, again petitioned for aid to carry out 

 a geological survey. The consideration of these petitions was, therefore, 

 taken up by the Government, and on the motion of the Hon. S. B. 

 Harrison, the sura of £1,-500 sterling, for the purposes of such a survey, 

 was included in the estimates. Asa result of this action, early in 1842, 

 the advisability of appointing a geologist for the work was considered, 

 and the matter was referred by Sir Charles Bagot, who was the Colonial 

 Governor for the time, to Lord Stanley, then Secretary of State for the 

 Colonies, by whom, on the recommendation of Sedgewick, Murchison, 

 De la Beche and Buckland, the position wag offered to Sir William 

 Logan in September of that year. 



