HISTORY 9 



in uniform quarto series if deemed necessary by the Director, 

 but otherwise in ordinary octavos. 



On March 3, 1879, the bill containing these provisions be- 

 came law (20 Stat. L., 394). 



Pursuant to the provisions of this law, the President ap- 

 pointed as Director of the Geological Survey, Clarence King, 

 who, as already stated, had directed the geological exploration 

 of the fortieth parallel. Mr. King organized a corps of geol- 

 ogists, most of whom had been connected with one or an- 

 other of the former government surveys, among them being 

 Major John W. Powell, who had conducted the exploration of 

 the Colorado River and the geographical and geological sur- 

 vey of the Rocky Mountain region. This corps was organized 

 by Mr. King in four sections, each to operate, under the di- 

 rection of a chief, in a definite geographical district. For this 

 purpose the territory west of the one hundred and second me- 

 ridian was divided into four districts. 



Extension of Operations to the Country at Large. As has 

 been seen, the law of 1879 creating the Geological Survey au- 

 thorized it to operate in the "national domain." This phrase 

 was interpreted by Director King as referring only to "the 

 region of the public land." At the same time, however, he 

 urged upon the congressional committee the desirability of 

 extending the operations of the Survey over the country as a 

 whole. On June 28, 1879, the House of Representatives ac- 

 cordingly passed a joint resolution amending the act of March 

 3, 1879, by inserting after the words "national domain," the 

 words, "and he may extend his examination into the states." 

 In the Senate this joint resolution was reported back from com- 

 mittee with amendment? authorizing such extension with the 

 consent of the states, but it did not come to a vote. 



The case for operations on a national scale was forcefully 

 argued by the Director in his first annual report. 6 



•P. 77 ff. 



