42 PROCEEDINGS OF THE ALBANY MEETING 



1860, and Hilgard's report, printed in 1860, hut lield in the binder^s 

 liands through the entire period of the war, became available for distribu- 

 tion only in 1866. In October of this year Hilgard resigned his position 

 of State Geologist and accepted that of Professor of Chemistry in the 

 Ihriversity of Mississippi. Ilis successor as State Geologist was Dr. 

 George Little, his former assistant. 



In October, 1870, Doctor Little accepted the Professorship of Geology 

 and Natural History in the university, and Doctor Hilgard, to prevent 

 the Survey from being either abolished or falling into wrong hands, again 

 assumed its direction, which he continued to hold, but without extra com- 

 ])ensation, until 1873, when he was called to the University of Michigan 

 as Professor of Geology and Natural History. After two years' service 

 in Michigan, he went, early in 1875, to the University of California as 

 Professor of Agriculture and Director of the Agricultural Experiment 

 Station, which he founded there in 1875. The rest of his life was spent 

 at this institution. 



From 1879 to 1883 he was special agent in charge of the report on 

 cotton culture for the Tenth Census. During part of this time also, 

 from 1881 to 1883, he was in charge of the Agricultural Division of the 

 Northern Transcontinental Survey. 



After going to California, Doctor Hilgard came east only three times : 

 in 1889 on the death of his only son, a student in Columbia University. 

 In 1891 he attended the meeting of the International Geological Congress 

 iji Washington, and after the close of the meeting he took part in an 

 excursion down the Mississippi Eiver from Memphis to New Orleans, 

 reviewing the exposures along the river and in its immediate vicinity. 

 AYith him on this occasion were Dr. W J McGee, Mrs. McGee, Eobert T. 

 Hill, Joseph A. Holmes, Dr. James M. Safford, Prof. Lester Ward, and 

 Eugene A. Smith. In 1893 he visited Europe, where he was the recipient 

 of many honors from scientific men, universities, and experiment stations. 



During the active period of his life Doctor Llilgard suffered two great 

 liereavements — the loss of an only son in 1889 and in 1893 the loss of 

 his wife. In 1905 he retired from active service in the university and 

 became Emeritus Professor of Agriculture. He died January 8, 1916, 

 at the age of 83. 



For his graduation thesis in 1854 Hilgard selected the investigation of 

 the luminous flame, in which he described the processes which go forward 

 in the four parts of the flame. His first contribution to the American 

 Association for the Advancement of Science was in 1857, "On the quan- 

 titative assay of chromium by blow-pipe processes." He was an expert 

 in blow-pipe manipulation, and in his report in 1869 for some Mississippi 



