210 JOHN C. BRANNER 



In 1873 he graduated from Cornell University with the degree 

 of Bachelor of Science, and the year following he continued his 

 geological studies for the Master's degree, which he received in 

 June, 1874. His thesis was "On the Carboniferous Brachiopoda 

 of Itaituba, Rio Tapajos," and was published as No. 2 of Vol. I 

 of the Bulletin of Cornell University, Ithaca, 1874. That was 

 Derby's first publication on the geology of Brazil, and it is not only 

 a valuable paper in itself, but it is especially interesting in view 

 of subsequent developments. The Itaituba fossils were in com- 

 pact limestone, but as they were silicified they could be obtained 

 in satisfactory form only by dissolving away the surrounding rock 

 — a long and tedious process which would have thoroughly dis- 

 couraged most young men of Derby's age. The spires of many of 

 the specimens of these brachiopods have seldom been surpassed 

 for delicacy and perfection. 



The art of illustration was far from being so well developed in 

 those days as it is now, and we thought ourselves very fortunate 

 in being able to make and use the crude photographs with which 

 that paper was illustrated. 



In 1873 Derby was appointed instructor in geology at Cornell, 

 and in the summer of 1874 Professor Hartt made arrangements to go 

 to Brazil again. Leave of absence was obtained, Derby was placed 

 in charge of the work of instruction in the department, and in Sep- 

 tember, 1874, Hartt went to Brazil again, taking Branner with 

 him as his only assistant and going by way of Europe. It is often 

 said that Hartt went to Rio on the invitation of the Brazilian 

 government or of the Emperor D. Pedro II. As a matter of fact 

 he went entirely on his own responsibility and without invitation 

 from anyone, but with the idea' of inducing the Brazilian govern- 

 ment to establish a geological survey under his direction. 



Arriving in Rio de Janeiro, he at once devoted all his energies 

 to interesting the leading men in a geological survey of the empire, 

 and by the end of the year the survey was authorized and provided 

 for, and O. A. Derby, Richard Rathbun, and E. F. Pacheco Jordao 

 were named as assistants of the new "Commissao Geologica do 

 Imperio do Brasil." In December, 1875, Derby reached Rio de 

 Janeiro and began his work under the government. He held this 



