NOVEMBEE 13, 1896.] 



SCIENCE. 



715 



state until 1871.* The cost of collecting 

 new material for elaboration of the reports 

 was borne by himself absolutely until 1856, 

 after which appropriations were made until 

 1866, from which date for many years very 

 little assistance was granted. 



The State abandoned the work in 1850, 

 when appropriations for salary and current 

 expenses were refused by the Legislature. 

 Confident that the work would be resumed. 

 Prof. Hall retained his assistants and con- 

 tinued the collecting and drawing until 

 1855, paying practically the whole cost. 

 Despairing then of any assistance from the 

 State, he accepted the proposition, made 

 years before by Sir William E. Logan, that 

 he go to Canada as paleontologist, with the 

 expectation of becoming head of the Survey 

 upon Sir William's retirement* in the near 

 future. But, during those five years. Prof. 

 Hall had exhausted his cash resources and 

 had incurred obligations which were press- 

 ing. A large amount of money was needed 

 to pay his debts and to take him to Can- 

 ada. 



In 1838, with Mather and some gentle- 

 men of Albany, ISfew York and Philadelphia, 

 he had purchased a large tract of land in 

 southeastern Ohio ; in the division there 

 fell to him, as his share, 2,000 acres within 

 Jackson and Lawrence counties, rich in 

 iron ore and coal. This he laid aside, not 

 to be sold until advancing years rendered 

 him unable to work. In 1855 the impor- 

 tance of the mineral resources in southeast- 

 ern Ohio was beginning to be appreciated, 

 and all recognized that, within a very few 

 years, property in that region would be ex- 

 tremely valuable. But Hall had nothing 

 else that could be turned into money and 

 his debts were urgent. He accepted an 



*Prof. Hall informs me that this statement is in- 

 exact, and that, while Hon. Homer A. Nelson was 

 Secretary of State, an appropriation was made to 

 cover pay of assistants and other expenses ; but he 

 cannot remember the details. 



offer of $15,000 for the property ; with that 

 money he paid off" the obligations incurred 

 in order to continue his work. Ten years 

 later the same land was valued at $200,000 

 and the accuracy of Hall's foresight was 

 proved. Had it not been for this sacrifice 

 the Paleontology of the State of New York 

 would have been closed with the second 

 volume in 1850. 



In 1855 Hon. Elias Leavenworth, then 

 recently elected Secretary of State, learned 

 that Prof. Hall had determined to go to 

 Canada. Realizing that to abandon the 

 work in its incomplete condition would be 

 discreditable to the State, he urged Prof. 

 Hall to delay and called a meeting at his 

 house to consider the matter. That meet- 

 ing was attended by, among others, Prof. 

 J. D. Dana, Prof. Agassiz, Sir William E. 

 Logan, and Mr, Blatchford, Chairman of the 

 Assembly Committee of Ways and Means. 

 As the result a form of agreement was pre- 

 pared, and Prof. Hall consented to remain in 

 case the Legislature should confirm the ar- 

 rangement. The influence of Mr. Leaven- 

 worth and Mr. Blatchford prevailed; the 

 agreement was confirmed, and for forty 

 years Prof. Hall has continued the work, 

 until now it has been completed according 

 to the original plan. Mr. Guilford Smith 

 has told you with what energy he has 

 carried it on, and how he has succeeded in 

 overcoming what to others would have been 

 insurmountable obstacles. 



You have been told of the Wisconsin 

 work, but not of the primitive manner in 

 which the final settlement of arrears was 

 made. At the close of the work the State 

 owed Prof. Hall $4,000 ; thirty per cent, of 

 this was paid in money ; the remainder was 

 paid in fossils which Prof. Hall had col- 

 lected, largely at his own cost, as he had 

 consented to the transfer of much of his ap- 

 propriation towards a survey of the Lead 

 Begions. 



We should not forget that Prof. Hall 



