﻿THE 
  NATURAL 
  HISTORY 
  SURVEY 
  OF 
  NEW 
  YORK 
  24:3 
  

  

  or 
  older 
  fossiliferous 
  rocks 
  known 
  in 
  the 
  world; 
  and 
  that 
  for 
  

   these 
  the 
  collections 
  of 
  the 
  museum 
  with 
  the 
  nomenclature 
  

   adopted 
  by 
  the 
  geological 
  survey 
  of 
  New 
  York 
  will 
  always 
  be 
  

   the 
  standard 
  of 
  reference 
  and 
  authority. 
  

  

  It 
  may 
  justly 
  be 
  said 
  that 
  Hon. 
  John 
  A. 
  Dix, 
  as 
  secretary 
  of 
  

   state, 
  in 
  1836 
  laid 
  the 
  foundation 
  of 
  this 
  museum 
  and 
  of 
  all 
  the 
  

   scientific 
  and 
  practical 
  results 
  which 
  have 
  accrued 
  from 
  the 
  in- 
  

   auguration 
  of 
  the 
  geological 
  survey 
  of 
  the 
  state 
  of 
  New 
  York. 
  

  

  At 
  the 
  time 
  of 
  the 
  final 
  arrangement 
  of 
  the 
  collections 
  of 
  the 
  

   geological 
  survey, 
  in 
  1843, 
  very 
  little 
  was 
  known 
  in 
  this 
  country 
  

   regarding 
  museums 
  of 
  natural 
  history, 
  and 
  no 
  true 
  appreciation 
  

   of 
  what 
  such 
  an 
  institution 
  should 
  be, 
  existed, 
  except 
  in 
  the 
  

   minds 
  of 
  a 
  few 
  persons. 
  It 
  is 
  not 
  strange, 
  therefore, 
  that 
  there 
  

   should 
  have 
  been 
  a 
  general 
  acquiesence 
  in 
  the 
  proposition 
  that 
  

   the 
  collections 
  of 
  the 
  geological 
  survey 
  should 
  be 
  deposited 
  in 
  

   the 
  old 
  State 
  hall 
  for 
  ' 
  safe 
  keeping,' 
  and 
  the 
  idea 
  of 
  constant 
  

   and 
  steady 
  increase 
  toward 
  a 
  great 
  museum 
  of 
  natural 
  history 
  

   was 
  scarcely, 
  if 
  at 
  all 
  promulgated. 
  The 
  collections 
  and 
  the 
  

   rooms 
  that 
  they 
  occupied 
  were 
  placed 
  in 
  charge 
  of 
  a 
  curator, 
  

   Mr. 
  J. 
  W. 
  Taylor, 
  who 
  was 
  succeeded 
  by 
  Mr. 
  John 
  Gebhard, 
  Jr, 
  

   and 
  he 
  in 
  turn 
  in 
  1857 
  by 
  Colonel 
  Jewett. 
  The 
  small 
  annual 
  

   appropriations 
  made 
  by 
  the 
  legislature 
  were 
  only 
  sufficient 
  for 
  

   the 
  custody 
  and 
  very 
  moderate 
  increase 
  of 
  the 
  collection. 
  Mat- 
  

   ters 
  remained 
  in 
  this 
  condition 
  till 
  1865, 
  when 
  the 
  legislature 
  

   passed 
  some 
  resolution's 
  tending 
  to 
  the 
  expansion 
  of 
  the 
  museum 
  ; 
  

   and, 
  following 
  these, 
  the 
  secretary 
  of 
  the 
  board 
  of 
  regents 
  ad- 
  

   dressed 
  a 
  circular 
  letter 
  to 
  numerous 
  scientific 
  men, 
  professors 
  

   and 
  teachers, 
  asking 
  suggestions 
  as 
  to 
  the 
  best 
  mode 
  of 
  putting 
  

   in 
  force 
  the 
  objects 
  of 
  the 
  legislature 
  as 
  expressed 
  in 
  the 
  reso- 
  

   lutions 
  referred 
  to. 
  

  

  The 
  communications 
  in 
  reply 
  to 
  this 
  were 
  published 
  in 
  the 
  

   19th 
  report 
  of 
  the 
  State 
  Cabinet, 
  together 
  with 
  a 
  recommenda- 
  

   tion 
  of 
  the 
  committee 
  of 
  the 
  regents 
  to 
  whom 
  the 
  subject 
  had 
  

   been 
  referred. 
  This 
  recommendation 
  became 
  the 
  first 
  step 
  to- 
  

   ward 
  an 
  improved 
  condition, 
  and 
  a 
  recognition 
  of 
  the 
  necessity 
  

   of 
  regarding 
  the 
  museum 
  as 
  a 
  series 
  of 
  collections 
  in 
  natural 
  

   history 
  which 
  were 
  to 
  be 
  increased 
  and 
  elaborated 
  in 
  every 
  de- 
  

  

  