﻿THE 
  NATURAL 
  HISTORY 
  SURVEY 
  OF 
  NEW 
  YORK 
  241 
  

  

  This 
  survey 
  was 
  established 
  at 
  the 
  expressed 
  wish 
  of 
  the 
  peo- 
  

   ple 
  to 
  have 
  some 
  definite 
  and 
  positive 
  knowledge 
  of 
  the 
  mineral 
  

   resources 
  and 
  the 
  vegetable 
  and 
  animal 
  productions 
  of 
  the 
  state. 
  

  

  Hon. 
  Stephen 
  Van 
  Rensselaer 
  was 
  the 
  patron 
  of 
  the 
  first 
  enter- 
  

   prise 
  of 
  this 
  kind, 
  and 
  had 
  published 
  much 
  valuable 
  information, 
  

   but 
  it 
  was 
  felt 
  that 
  a 
  more 
  thorough 
  investigation 
  was 
  needed. 
  

   The 
  idea 
  was 
  fully 
  expressed 
  in 
  a 
  memorial 
  presented 
  by 
  the 
  

   Albany 
  Institute 
  to 
  the 
  state 
  legislature 
  in 
  1834, 
  in 
  which 
  the 
  

   object 
  was 
  thus 
  stated: 
  ^to 
  form 
  a 
  grand 
  and 
  comprehensive 
  

   collection 
  of 
  the 
  natural 
  productions 
  of 
  the 
  state 
  of 
  New 
  York; 
  

   to 
  exhibit 
  at 
  one 
  view, 
  and 
  under 
  one 
  roof, 
  its 
  animal, 
  vegetable 
  

   and, 
  mineral 
  wealth.' 
  

  

  In 
  1835 
  the 
  New 
  York 
  Lyceum 
  of 
  Natural 
  History 
  presented 
  a 
  

   memorial 
  to 
  the 
  legislature 
  on 
  the 
  same 
  subject, 
  and 
  it 
  is 
  pre- 
  

   sumed 
  that 
  this 
  memorial 
  and 
  the 
  influences 
  prompting 
  the 
  re- 
  

   quest 
  of 
  the 
  Albany 
  Institute, 
  induced 
  the 
  legislature 
  of 
  1835 
  to 
  

   pass 
  a 
  resolution 
  requesting 
  the 
  secretary 
  of 
  'State 
  to 
  report 
  to 
  

   that 
  body 
  a 
  plan 
  for 
  ' 
  a 
  complete 
  geological 
  survey 
  of 
  the 
  state, 
  

   which 
  should 
  furnish 
  a 
  scientific 
  and 
  perfect 
  account 
  of 
  its 
  rocks, 
  

   soils 
  and 
  minerals; 
  also 
  a 
  list 
  of 
  its 
  mineralogical, 
  botanical 
  and 
  

   zoological 
  productions, 
  and 
  provide 
  for 
  procuring 
  and 
  preserving 
  

   specimens 
  of 
  the 
  same, 
  etc' 
  

  

  Pursuant 
  to 
  this 
  request, 
  Hon. 
  John 
  A. 
  Dix, 
  then 
  secretary 
  of 
  

   state, 
  presented 
  to 
  the 
  legislature 
  of 
  1836, 
  a 
  report 
  proposing 
  a 
  

   plan 
  for 
  a 
  complete 
  geological, 
  botanical 
  and 
  zoological 
  survey 
  

   of 
  the 
  state. 
  

  

  The 
  scientific 
  staff 
  of 
  the 
  natural 
  history 
  survey 
  of 
  1837 
  was 
  

   appointed 
  by 
  Governor 
  Seward 
  pursuant 
  to 
  an 
  act 
  of 
  the 
  legis- 
  

   lature, 
  and 
  consisted 
  of 
  John 
  Torrey, 
  botanist, 
  James 
  E. 
  De 
  Kay, 
  

   zoologist, 
  Lewis 
  C. 
  Beck, 
  mineralogist, 
  W. 
  W. 
  Mather, 
  Ebenezer 
  

   Emmons, 
  Lardner 
  Vanuxem 
  and 
  James 
  Hall, 
  geologists, 
  and 
  

   Timothy 
  A. 
  Conrad, 
  paleontologist. 
  The 
  state 
  was 
  divided 
  into 
  

   four 
  districts, 
  each 
  of 
  which 
  was 
  assigned 
  to 
  a 
  geologist 
  in 
  the 
  

   order 
  given. 
  

  

  The 
  heads 
  of 
  the 
  several 
  departments 
  reported 
  annually 
  to 
  the 
  

   governor 
  the 
  results 
  of 
  their 
  investigations, 
  and 
  these 
  constituted 
  

  

  