218 Prof. Silliman's Address before the 



and their eternal snows — for such scenes are farniliar, in a greater 

 or less degree, to some of those whom I have now the honor to 

 address. In the absence of similar opportunities of recent date, 

 permit me to rally a few of the impressions of our science exist- 

 ing in my own mind, and to occupy a portion of the passing eve- 

 ning in speaking to you — 



Of the dignity and importance of geology; of its object, means, 

 and ends ; of its progress and present condition, especially in the 

 United States; of its desiderata and difficulties; and of some of 

 the powers or dynamics by which its results are produced. 



OF THE DIGNITY AND IMPORTANCE OF GEOLOGY. 



The planet on which we dwell is our birth-place — it is our 

 cradle, and it will be our grave — the grave of our mortal bodies, 

 but not of our immortal minds. In the present life, it is the scene 

 of our busy action — but we aspire to a better life in a brighter 

 world, where vicissitudes and death are unknown. These ex- 

 alted hopes we build on our religious faith, founded on the in- 

 tellectual and moral revelation which God has made to man. 

 But our advancement in natural science is not dependent upon 

 our faith. All the problems of physical science are worked out 

 by laborious examination, and strict induction. If the toil is 

 great, the reward is also rich. In this delightful exercise of our 

 faculties, we attain high intellectual and moral advancement ; we 

 gratify our curiosity and regale our imaginations, by interesting 

 discoveries, while we constantly improve our condition, and ad- 

 vance to the highest degrees of civilization and social improve- 

 ment. 



Geology, whether studied in the cabinet or in the field, is 

 always replete with interest. Founded on the sure basis of ob- 

 servation, advancing year by year, in the development of new 

 facts, it is, truly, a nohle science, which is destined to advance to 

 the end of time. In grandeur, geology is inferior only to astron- 

 omy ; but it is superior to it in its inexhaustible stores of tangible 

 facts, diversified in all the profusion of creative power, and rising 

 to our view in the form of the most astonishing revelations. As- 

 tronomy is dependent upon one sense only, aided by telescopes, 

 by the mathematics, and by geometry ; its objects, innumerable 

 indeed, are vast in magnitude, and placed at such inconceivable 

 distances that the mind is overwhelmed in the contemplation ; — 



