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plant vegetation, climatological data, circumstances bearing on agri 

 cultural capacity, and many other points of this kind, are all of great 

 value, not only scientifically, but practically. The records preserved 

 in the office of the survey are constantly being consulted by those 

 who are seeking information in regard to all kinds of public im 

 provements on this coast ; and if one-half those who have thus been 

 benefited by our work could appear before you and give their testi 

 mony, I have little doubt but that it would furnish an overwhelming 

 mass of evidence in our favor. 



In the geological department of the survey, with its subdivisions 

 of general geology, economical geology, and palaeontology, good 

 progress has been made, and the way prepared to make a much 

 more rapid advancement in the future, if we have the necessary pe 

 cuniary assistance. It seems almost an absurdity, at this late day, 

 to be arguing in favor of a geological examination of a great and 

 little known mining country like that of California. The fact 

 that such surveys have been made in* all civilized foreign countries, 

 and in nearly every one of the United States, in many of which 

 this kind of investigations had not one-tenth part of the interest 

 which they have here, is sufficient prima facie evidence in favor of 

 their value. The fact, also, that five successive Legislatures have, 

 after due investigation, given their verdict on the importance of this 

 survey, seems to me to offer a very fair guarantee that it was under 

 taken with sufficient reason, and the only question which ought 

 legitimately to come up, at the present time, would be : Is the work 

 being carried on in a satisfactory manner ? 



As, however, each Legislature has the power of upsetting that 

 which has been done or begun by its predecessors ; and as, there 

 fore, the original question of the propriety of such a work as ours 

 must be started anew and discussed at each session, regardless of all 

 previous indorsements, public or private, I will take the liberty of 

 stating once more what the special aim of the geological part of the 

 survey is, before undertaking to give an account of the progress 

 made in that department of our work. 



The strictly geological portions of the survey may be divided into 

 two sections. The first includes the general geology and palaeon 

 tology ; the second, the economical, or applied, geology. Under the 

 first division we include all that relates to the general geological 

 structure of the State, while the second embraces the practical ap 

 plication of the information thus obtained to the wants and uses of 

 the people in the arts, manufactures and commerce. Under the 



