Address before the Association of American Geologists. 233 



ner. Whatever measures will promote this object, will meet, I 

 presume, the support of the members ; — and whoever has it so 

 much at heart, that he is willing to engage in active and ener- 

 getic labors to promote its advancement, will doubtless be wel- 

 comed to their fraternity. While they acknowledge their indebt- 

 edness to similar associations in Europe, for the example which 

 they have set, and especially to the London Geological Society, 

 the noble mother of them all ; they do not aspire to be compared 

 to any of them, until the fruits of their labors shall make such 

 comparisons involuntary. They wish to be known only as an 

 association of geologists, who love their favorite science so well, 

 that they will pursue it with almost equal ardor, whether they 

 are noticed or unnoticed, whether patronized or neglected. It is 

 their motto, 



Hoc opus, hoc studium, parvi propereruua et ampli. 



I propose, gentlemen, at this time, to sketch briefly the most 

 important points in American geology, that require your special 

 attention. In doing this, I must of course give some account of 

 what has been already done in this wide field. And as far as 

 possible, I shall treat both of these subjects together. 



Until the commencement of the present century, almost noth- 

 ing had been done by Americans to develope our mineralogy or 

 geology. And until the year 1807, although mineralogy had 

 begun to excite some interest, yet^io effort worthy of notice 

 had been made in geology. In that year, William Maclure com- 

 menced, single-handed, the Herculean task of tracing out and 

 dehneating the great features of our rock formations. This 

 he at length accomplished, after crossing the Alleghany moun- 

 tains in fifty places. This was certainly a most remarkable ex- 

 ample of persevering devotedness to a favorite pursuit ; and can- 

 not but embalm his memory in the heart of every American ge- 

 ologist. 



We must not presume from this isolated instance, that any cor- 

 respondent knowledge of this subject existed at that time in our 

 country; On.'tfiis point we have the striking testimony of one, 

 who is stiir among us iii^the vigor of ripe manhood, to witness the 

 wondrous change which' his own labors and those of others have 

 produced. '^j^We" speak from experience," says Prof. Silliman, 

 "and well remember with what impatient but almost despairing 



Vol. XLi, No. 2.— Jtily-Sepl. 1841. 30 



