﻿I20 
  NEW 
  YORK 
  STATE 
  MUSEUM 
  

  

  Induced 
  by 
  these 
  expressions 
  of 
  public 
  sentiment, 
  the 
  Legisla- 
  

   ture 
  passed 
  a 
  resolution 
  in 
  1835 
  asking 
  the 
  Secretary 
  of 
  State 
  to 
  

   report 
  to 
  that 
  body 
  a 
  method 
  for 
  obtaining 
  a 
  natural 
  history 
  sur- 
  

   vey 
  of 
  the 
  State, 
  and 
  for 
  collecting, 
  and 
  preserving 
  specimens 
  col- 
  

   lected, 
  and 
  for 
  publishing 
  reports. 
  Such 
  a 
  report 
  was 
  presented 
  

   to 
  the 
  Legislature 
  of 
  1836, 
  by 
  Hon. 
  John 
  A. 
  Dix, 
  Secretary 
  of 
  

   State, 
  and 
  was 
  adopted 
  by 
  the 
  Legislature, 
  and 
  the 
  Natural 
  His- 
  

   tory 
  Survey 
  was 
  organized. 
  The 
  scientific 
  staff 
  of 
  the 
  Survey 
  in 
  

   1836 
  consisted 
  of 
  John 
  Torrey, 
  Botanist 
  ; 
  James 
  E. 
  DeKay, 
  Zoolo- 
  

   gist; 
  Lewis 
  C. 
  Beck, 
  Mineralogist; 
  W. 
  W. 
  Mather, 
  Ebenezer 
  Em- 
  

   mons, 
  Lardner 
  Vanuxem 
  and 
  Timothy 
  A. 
  Conrad, 
  Geologists 
  ; 
  the 
  

   four 
  geologists 
  each 
  being 
  assigned 
  to 
  a 
  definite 
  section 
  of 
  the 
  

   State. 
  In 
  1837, 
  Conrad 
  was 
  made 
  Paleontologist 
  and 
  James 
  Hall 
  

   who 
  had 
  been 
  the 
  year 
  before 
  assistant 
  under 
  Professor 
  Emmons, 
  

   was 
  appointed 
  to 
  succeed 
  Vanuxem, 
  who 
  took 
  Conrad's 
  place. 
  

   This 
  early 
  survey 
  was, 
  as 
  Merrill^ 
  says, 
  '' 
  an 
  organization 
  which 
  

   has 
  left 
  a 
  more 
  lasting 
  impression 
  upon 
  American 
  geology 
  than 
  

   any 
  that 
  has 
  followed 
  it 
  or 
  preceded 
  it." 
  

  

  The 
  reports 
  of 
  this 
  earl}^ 
  survey 
  contained 
  various 
  maps, 
  the 
  

   first 
  of 
  which 
  was 
  a 
  most 
  interesting 
  and 
  quaint 
  birdseye 
  map 
  

   of 
  the 
  Genesee 
  river 
  and 
  vicinity, 
  showing 
  geological 
  features. 
  It 
  

   was 
  a 
  black 
  and 
  white 
  sketch 
  map 
  showing 
  the 
  river 
  as 
  seen 
  from 
  

   an 
  elevated 
  observation 
  point. 
  The 
  rock 
  geology 
  is 
  indicated 
  by 
  

   short 
  notes 
  printed 
  along 
  the 
  margins 
  and 
  on 
  the 
  sketch 
  ; 
  such 
  

   as 
  " 
  Fucoides 
  in 
  sandstone," 
  '' 
  dark 
  argillaceous 
  shales," 
  " 
  beds 
  

   of 
  gypsum 
  Garbutts 
  mills," 
  '' 
  Calymene 
  in 
  green 
  shales," 
  etc. 
  Gla- 
  

   ciated 
  surfaces 
  are 
  indicated, 
  small 
  sketches 
  of 
  fossils 
  depicted, 
  

   the 
  horizontality 
  of 
  the 
  beds 
  exposed 
  in 
  portions 
  of 
  the 
  gorge, 
  

   and 
  many 
  interesting 
  features 
  shown. 
  Prof. 
  Eben 
  N. 
  Horsford, 
  

   although 
  his 
  name 
  appears 
  only 
  as 
  the 
  delineator 
  of 
  this 
  map, 
  in 
  

   reality 
  worked 
  out 
  by 
  his 
  own 
  efforts 
  whatever 
  geological 
  feat- 
  

   ures 
  are 
  depicted 
  thereon. 
  Born 
  at 
  Moscow, 
  N. 
  Y., 
  he 
  became 
  

   interested 
  in 
  the 
  fossils 
  of 
  the 
  region 
  and 
  in 
  his 
  excursions 
  accu- 
  

   mulated 
  quite 
  an 
  extensive 
  knowledge 
  of 
  the 
  local 
  geology 
  and 
  

   paleontology. 
  He 
  was 
  at 
  one 
  time 
  principal 
  of 
  the 
  Albany 
  Female 
  

   Academy 
  and 
  subsequently 
  became 
  Rumford 
  professor 
  of 
  chem- 
  

   istry 
  at 
  Harvard. 
  

  

  This 
  was 
  followed 
  by 
  other 
  maps 
  and 
  sections 
  in 
  the 
  reports 
  

   of 
  the 
  geologists 
  of 
  the 
  various 
  districts 
  and 
  in 
  the 
  four 
  quarto 
  

   volumes 
  published 
  in 
  1842 
  and 
  1843. 
  Of 
  these 
  the 
  most 
  import- 
  

  

  *U. 
  S. 
  Nat. 
  Mus. 
  Rep't 
  for 
  1904. 
  1906. 
  p. 
  344. 
  

  

  