234 Address before the Association of American Geologists. 



curiosity we eyed the bleak, naked ridges which impended over 

 the valleys that were the scenes of our youthful excursions. In 

 vain did we doubt that the glittering spangles of mica, and the 

 still more alluring brilliancy of pyrites, gave assurance of the ex- 

 istence of the precious metals in these substances ; or that the 

 cutting of glass by the garnet, and by quartz, proved that these 

 minerals were the diamond ; but if they were not precious me- 

 tals, and if they were not diamonds, we in vain enquired of our 

 companions, and even of our teachers, what they were." — Am. 

 Journal of Science, Vol. /, p. 36. 



I cannot, on this occasion, go into minute details of the labors, 

 or even of the names of those, by whom this state of things in a 

 few years was entirely changed. In 1810, appeared the Miner- 

 alogical Journal of Dr. Bruce : in 1816, the work of Prof. Cleave- 

 land on Mineralogy and Geology : in 1818, the American Journal 

 of Science was commenced by Prof Silliman : a work which has 

 always been an efficient instrument in promoting a knowledge 

 of geology as well as other sciences ; and which, by great efforts, 

 has now reached its forty first volume. In this connection, the 

 Monthly American Journal of Geology and Natural Science, by 

 Mr. Featherstonhaugh, which reached only its first volume, should 

 not be forgotten. The transactions of several of our scientific so- 

 cieties, especially of the Academy of Natural Sciences in this city, 

 of the Lyceum of Natural History in New York, and of the Amer- 

 ican Academy of Arts and^Sciences at Boston, have contained 

 many most valuable papers illustrative of the geological features of 

 this continent. An American Geological Society was formed in 

 1818: but it has accomplished Uttle, except that it has a valua- 

 ble collection of specimens and books, chiefly through the liber- 

 ality of its president, William Maclure. The Pennsylvania Ge- 

 ological Society was organized in 1832, and published two vol- 

 umoscof its transactions. Several other societies in the country, 

 of a more local character, have contributed essentially to the pro- 

 motion of geology ; and the recent organization of the National 

 Institution for the promotion of science at Washington, and its 

 vigorous commencement, promise much for this branch of know- 

 ledge. 



But the feature in the history of American geology, to which 

 I feel bound to call special attention, is the institution of state 

 geological surveys by the civil authorities. I regard this feature 



