426 PROCEEDINGS OF THE NEW YORK MEETING 



He received his degree in 1832. After a visit to the anthracite region 

 of Pennsylvania he had still a little mone}^ in his pocket, with which 

 he went to the Ilelderberg mountains, southwest from Allniny, where he 

 spent the summer in elaborating the section and in making collections. 

 In September, when the money was almost gone, he returned on foot 

 across the country to Troy to gather up his books, furniture, and collec- 

 tions, but without any definite notion as to what was to become of him 

 or them. Until he reached his room in Troy the future had concerned 

 him very little; the burdens of the present had sufficed ; but as he sat 

 there, with no plan for the future, the sense of absolute loneliness became 

 so oppressive that he could not even pack. 



Just then Eaton passed along the hallway and, looking in at the door 

 said, " Hall, what are you doing ? " " Packing my property," was the 

 reply. "Where are you going?" The answer was frank, " I do not 

 know." Eaton urged him to remain, and, when Hall said that he had 

 no money, replied simply, " We can arrange that." The result was that 

 Hall was made librarian, with board and lodging as his compensation. 

 As the library was small, the room assigned for it was very small, but it 

 sufficed to accommodate the library and the librarian for several months. 

 Before the close of the year he was made assistant professor at S600 a 

 year and board, which gave him means for the prosecution of his work. 



Eaton's attachment was ver}'- noteworthy. He brought his protege to 

 the attention of Stephen Van Rensselaer, the great patron of science, for 

 whom Hall made explorations in Saint Lawrence county, his first S3'S- 

 tematic work in geology. This was done so well that when the State Geo- 

 logical Survey was organized, Van Rensselaer endeavored to obtain an 

 independent appointment for Hall; but only four districts were made, 

 and the best that could be secured was an appointment as assistant to 

 ]<]mmons, his colleague, who was thirteen 3^ears his senior. 



There was little probability that this partnership would be pleasing 

 to either, for each had done work in portions of the district and each 

 heldver}^ positive views. Emmons in his annual report failed to make 

 any reference to Hall or his work. Before the season of 1837 the state 

 was redistricted, Mr Conrad withdrawing from the geological work to 

 become the paleontologist. His district was taken by Mr Vanuxem, and 

 Mr Hall succeeded to the fourth district, the level, uninteresting west- 

 ern portion of the state, which he was told was good enough for a young 

 man of twenty-five. From that time his life was bound up in the official 

 work for the state of New York, and after 1843 he was the survey. At 

 the time of his appointment he was younger than any of his colleagues. 

 Vanuxem had reached middle life, Emmons was thirty-eight, Conrad 

 thirt^'-four, and Mather thirt3^-three ; but some of them were still young 



