344 REPORT OF NATIONAL MUSEUM, 1904. 



Chain in connection with his brother, II. D. Rogers. He was, how- 

 ever, widely known as an educator and orator. To quote from one of 

 his biographers: 



The wide extent of his own studies and researches in mechanics, physics, chem- 

 istry ,*and geology; his truly philosophical spirit, his unfailing courtesy and urbanity, 

 his warm sympathies, his scientific enthusiasm, his commanding and stately pres- 

 ence, his rare gifts of expression, all combined to make him the ideal presiding 

 officer. His introductions were most felicitous; his comments highly suggestive and 

 inspiring; his summing up was always a masterpiece of discriminating and judicious 

 reasoning, while, over all, his rich, tropical eloquence threw a spell as of poesy and 

 romance, for to him the truth was always beautiful, and the most solid and substan- 

 tial structure of scientific principle stood in his view against a sunset sky, radiant 

 with a light which no painter's pencil ever had the art to fix to canvas. 



On April 15, 1836, there was authorized by the State assembly a 

 geological and mineralogical survey of New 7 York. This led to an 

 organization which has left a more lasting impression upon American 

 geology than any that has followed or had preceded 

 of^ew iC Yort ur r83 y 6. [t - As fate ordained, the locality was one of the most 

 favorable that could have been selected for working 

 out the fundamental principles of stratigraphic geology; moreover, 

 those appointed to do the work proved equal to the occasion. The 

 New York survey gave to American geology a nomenclature largely 

 its own; it demonstrated above everything else the value of fossils for 

 purposes of correlation, and incidentally it brought into prominence 

 one man, James Hall, who was destined to become America's greatest 

 paleontologist. 



To secure the greatest amount of individual freedom and to facili- 

 tate the work to best advantage, the State was divided into four 

 districts, W. W. Mather being placed in charge of the first, Ebenezcr 

 Emmons the second, Timothy A. Conrad the third, and Lardner Van- 

 uxem the fourth. The survey continued in existence for live years, 

 reports being issued annually in the form of assembly documents, the 

 final reports appearing in 1842-43 in the form of quarto volumes, com- 

 prising, all told, over 2,000 pages and 82 plates, sections, and maps. 



The mineralogical and chemical work of the survey was placed under 

 the charge of Dr. Lewis C. Beck, while Dr. John Torrey was made 

 botanist and Dr. James E. De Kay given charge of the zoological 

 department. At the end of the first season Conrad resigned, to become 

 paleontologist of the survey, and- James Hall, who had previously 

 been an assistant to Emmons, was put in charge of the fourth district, 

 while Vanuxem was transferred to the second. As with all the earlier 

 surveys, agriculture and mining were considered subjects of primary 

 importance. The results of the survey can, however, be best consid- 

 ered under the date of issue of the final reports (p. 374). 



This same year witnessed also the establishment of a geological 

 survey in the adjoining State of Pennsylvania, of which H. D. Rogers, 



