CHAPTER V. 



THE ERA OF STATE SURVEYS, THIRD DECADE, 1850-1859. 



The period of financial depression, which proved so fatal to the 

 State surveys during- the last decade, had run its course. Several 

 new States had in the meantime been added to the Union, some of 

 which showed commendable promptness in authorizing geological sur- 

 veys. New organizations were thus formed in fourteen States, eight 

 of which had made no previous attempt. These eight, in alphabetical 

 order, are California. Illinois, Iowa. Kentucky, Mississippi, Missouri. 

 Texas, and Wisconsin. Six States for the second time undertook 

 the work — Michigan, New Jersey. North and South Carolina, Ten- 

 nessee, and Vermont. The National Government was also active, the 

 most important undertaking being the surveys in connection with the 

 proposed Pacific railways. In addition to these, C apt. K. H. Marcy 

 made a survey of the Red River region of Louis-iana, Maj. W. H. 

 Emory one of the Mexican boundary, and Colonel Pope one into the 

 arid region of New Mexico along the thirty-second parallel. To each 

 and all of these expeditions geologists, or at least naturalists, were 

 attached. In the British provinces Logan's survey was doing good 

 service, while Daw T son, alone and unofficially, was working in Nova 

 Scotia. 



This was an era of publication, not merely of reports, but of books. 

 Emmons's American Geology, Dawson's Acadian Geology, Hitchcock's 

 Geology of the Globe, Lesley's Manual of Coal and his Iron Manu- 

 facturer's Guide, Owen's Key to the Geology of the Globe, and Whit- 

 ney's Metallic Wealth of the United States were among the more 

 important local productions. The publication of by far the greatest 

 importance of this decade was, however, the long-delayed report of 

 the Pennsylvania survey, to which allusion has been made elsewhere 

 two ponderous quartos which were truly epoch-making, although 

 many of the more striking features had found their way into print 

 elsewhere. The issuance of Murchison's Siluria, the ninth edition of 

 Ly ell's Principles, and F. Roemer's Die Kreidebildungen von Texas 

 were also matters worthy of note. Hitchcock's Surface Features 

 belongs to this era. and marked the beginning of systematic study 

 along lines of physiography. Among the new names will be found 

 those of W. P. Blake, J. W. Dawson, Leo Lesquereux. Oscar Lieber, 



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