﻿8 
  Twenty-eighth 
  Repoet 
  on 
  - 
  the 
  State 
  Museum. 
  

  

  The 
  collection 
  of 
  New 
  York 
  Minerals 
  located 
  on 
  this 
  floor, 
  

   has 
  long 
  been 
  in 
  a 
  condition 
  discreditable 
  to 
  the 
  Museum. 
  

   While 
  other 
  departments 
  have 
  presented 
  a 
  steady 
  if 
  not 
  

   rapid 
  progress, 
  this 
  has 
  been 
  allowed 
  to 
  remain 
  very 
  nearly 
  

   in 
  the 
  condition 
  in 
  which 
  it 
  was 
  left 
  more 
  than 
  twenty-five 
  

   years 
  ago. 
  A 
  few 
  valuable 
  additions 
  had 
  been 
  made 
  to 
  it 
  

   from 
  purchased 
  collections, 
  and 
  specimens 
  donated 
  by 
  friends 
  

   of 
  the 
  Museum 
  had 
  been 
  incorporated 
  with 
  it, 
  without 
  always 
  

   adding 
  to 
  its 
  value. 
  In 
  the 
  report 
  of 
  the 
  Director 
  given 
  last 
  

   year, 
  some 
  improvements 
  in 
  the 
  arrangement 
  of 
  this 
  collec- 
  

   tion 
  were 
  noted. 
  Provision 
  has 
  now 
  been 
  made 
  for 
  the 
  entire 
  

   revision 
  and 
  relabeling 
  of 
  the 
  collection. 
  The 
  services 
  of 
  

   Prof. 
  Chester, 
  of 
  Hamilton 
  college, 
  have 
  been 
  secured 
  for 
  the 
  

   work, 
  and 
  considerable 
  progress 
  has 
  already 
  been 
  made. 
  

  

  As 
  the 
  more 
  economical 
  method 
  the 
  minerals 
  are 
  taken 
  

   from 
  the 
  shelves, 
  packed 
  and 
  forwarded 
  to 
  Prof. 
  Chester, 
  at 
  

   Clinton. 
  Nine 
  boxes 
  containing 
  about 
  eight 
  hundred 
  speci- 
  

   mens, 
  have 
  been 
  sent 
  to 
  him, 
  which 
  are 
  already 
  labeled, 
  

   arranged 
  and 
  returned 
  to 
  the 
  Museum. 
  

  

  From 
  the 
  want 
  of 
  time 
  consequent 
  on 
  the 
  necessity 
  of 
  

   preparing 
  the 
  Duplicate 
  collections 
  for 
  distribution, 
  in 
  com- 
  

   pliance 
  with 
  the 
  repeated 
  calls 
  from 
  various 
  quarters 
  for 
  these 
  

   collections, 
  the 
  returned 
  Minerals 
  have 
  not 
  yet 
  been 
  placed 
  on 
  

   the 
  shelves. 
  

  

  So 
  numerous 
  are 
  the 
  demands 
  continually 
  made 
  upon 
  all 
  

   connected 
  with 
  the 
  Museum, 
  both 
  for 
  legitimate 
  Museum 
  

   duties, 
  and 
  to 
  meet 
  the 
  various 
  requirements 
  made 
  by 
  individ- 
  

   uals, 
  by 
  the 
  educational 
  Institutions 
  of 
  the 
  State, 
  and 
  by 
  

   scientists 
  throughout 
  the 
  United 
  States, 
  that 
  it 
  often 
  becomes 
  

   a 
  perplexing 
  task 
  for 
  the 
  Director 
  to 
  determine 
  to 
  which 
  

   apparently 
  imperative 
  duty 
  claiming 
  immediate 
  attention, 
  

   shall 
  be 
  given 
  precedence. 
  Under 
  this 
  condition 
  of 
  things 
  — 
  

   with 
  means 
  wholly 
  inadequate 
  to 
  the 
  requirements 
  — 
  much 
  

   important 
  work 
  must 
  be 
  left, 
  at 
  least 
  for 
  the 
  time, 
  undone. 
  

  

  In 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  temporary 
  Table-cases 
  of 
  the 
  second 
  floor, 
  a 
  

   collection 
  of 
  over 
  four 
  hundred 
  clay- 
  stones 
  from 
  the 
  Gebhard 
  

   collection, 
  has 
  been 
  arranged. 
  These, 
  with 
  several 
  hundred 
  

   more, 
  were 
  collected, 
  during 
  a 
  period 
  of 
  many 
  years, 
  from 
  a 
  

   single 
  locality 
  on 
  Foxes 
  creek, 
  at 
  Schoharie, 
  N". 
  Y. 
  They 
  are 
  

  

  