Memoir of Dr. Douglass Houghton. 221 
The personal appearance of the Michigan geologist, while en- 
gaged in these wild wood journeyings, was unique in the ex- 
treme. Neat in dress at home, he well knew how to throw aside 
those restraints that were incompatible with the wilderness. His 
short figure, enveloped in a loose frock of sheeps-gray or bed- 
tick; his “shocking bad” broad brimmed, wool hat, and boots 
matched in breadth of sole; his beard, for months unacquainted 
with a razor, and pendant from his chin ina pointed brush of 
colorless bristles, presented a |udicrous but characteristic spectacle. 
The United States linear surveys were in progress in Michigan, 
and great advantages were derived to the work in which Dr. 
Houghton was engaged, by enlisting the minds of the surveyors 
in the subject of the geology, and making use of their notes and 
observations. It was thus that he derived the idea of accom- 
plishing a thorough geological, mineralogical, topographical, and 
magnetical survey of the new lands of the United States, con- 
temporaneously with the government surveys. As the act ma- 
king provision for the state geological survey had expired, leaving 
still a large territory in the upper peninsula unexplored, 
about perfecting the plan which he had previously conceived of 
connecting the lineal surveys with a minute geological and min- 
eralogical survey of the country. Having explained his system 
at one of the annual meetings of the Association of American 
Geologists and Naturalists, he, as chairman of a committee from 
that body, visited Washington during the session of Congress in 
the winter of 1844, and laid his plan before the proper depart- 
ment. The feasibility of the project was at once comprehended. 
The only doubt raised was whether deputy surveyors could 
found who were sufficiently versed in the natural sciences, to un- 
dertake the work. ‘This apparent obstacle was instantly removed, 
by the offer of Dr. H. to take the contract for running of four 
thousand miles of lines, at a price but little if any exceeding 
that which would have been paid for a single survey. His con- 
fidence in the plan which he had projected was no longer a mat- 
ter of doubt, when he was willing to take upon himself the hard- 
ship and excessive labor incident to the survey of a new, distant, 
The system proved signally successful. ‘The present surveyor 
general for this district, the Hon. Lucius Lyon, who was in Con- 
gress at the time the plan was originated, says in his report to the 
Commissioner of the General Land Office, in 1845, speaking of 
this survey, “that enough has been done to shew clearly the 
