Association of American Geologists and Naturalists. 115 



Association on the evening of Friday last ; and that he be requested to 

 furnish a copy of the same for publication. 



Resolved, That Mr. B. Silliman, jr. be a committee to carry the above 

 resolution of publication into effect. 



Prof. Hitchcock called the attention of the meeting to the sub- 

 ject of our transactions, and the importance of providing some 

 proper vehicle for the publication of the valuable papers already 

 accumulated in the archives of the Association. 



The order of business for the day was then taken up by the 

 reading of a description of two new cabinet cases for minerals 

 and geological specimens by Mr. Lyman Wilder, of Hoosick 

 Falls, New York, illustrated by small models. The object of the 

 plan was to bring as many specimens as possible within a given 

 small space, by an ingenious and compact arrangement of sliding 

 compartments, having a perpendicular movement by means of a 

 revolving axis, each compartment coming successively into view. 



A paper was read by Dr. Dot/glass Houghton, entitled " Re- 

 marks on the importance and practicability of connecting Geolo- 

 gical Surveys with the Linear United States Surveys." 



He commenced this paper with a description of the plan upon which 

 the surveys of the public lands are at present made. It was considered 

 a plan which, for the obtaining of mere geographical information, and 

 for the purposes for which these surveys were more particularly de- 

 signed, viz. to subdivide the public lands to be offered for sale, is all that 

 could be required ; but in other respects these surveys are defective, for 

 the reason that the government does not appear to have in view the 

 attaining of much beyond that single object. 



He regarded this as an anomaly ; a government carrying forward a 

 vast system of land surveys without obtaining through them that infor- 

 mation which would enable her citizens to understand their own country. 

 This mode is entirely different from that pursued by other governments. 

 He instanced the geological survey connected with the Ordnance survey 

 of Great Britain and Ireland, and spoke at some length upon the policy 

 pursued by other European governments. 



He saw no good reason why geological and topographical informa- 

 tion might not be obtained during the progress of these United States 

 land surveys, sufficient to furnish us with minute geological maps, and 

 that without any material additional expense. He felt certain that this 

 could be done, for he had taken advantage of some of those surveys to 

 aid in perfecting his geological surveys of Michigan. He had, in fact, 

 drawn to his aid some of the deputy United States surve3rors, and had 

 tested the connexion of these geological with the linear surveys, and he 

 could say that the plan had proved eminently successful. 



