﻿James 
  DwigM 
  Dana. 
  331 
  

  

  self 
  permanently 
  to 
  science, 
  as 
  will 
  be 
  seen 
  in 
  the 
  events 
  that 
  

   followed. 
  It 
  is 
  a 
  point 
  of 
  interest 
  also, 
  as 
  proving 
  how 
  deep 
  

   his 
  natural 
  love 
  of 
  science 
  was, 
  that 
  from 
  home 
  he 
  obtained 
  no 
  

   encouragement 
  whatever 
  in 
  turning 
  his 
  studies 
  in 
  this 
  direc- 
  

   tion; 
  indeed, 
  from 
  the 
  time 
  of 
  graduation 
  he 
  assumed 
  the 
  

   entire 
  burden 
  of 
  his 
  own 
  support. 
  To 
  his 
  father's 
  practical 
  

   mind 
  scientific 
  pursuits 
  did 
  not 
  commend 
  themselves, 
  but 
  it 
  

   should 
  be 
  stated 
  that 
  he 
  lived 
  to 
  take 
  a 
  cordial 
  interest 
  and 
  

   pride 
  in 
  his 
  son's 
  success. 
  

  

  Mr. 
  Dana 
  left 
  New 
  Haven 
  in 
  August, 
  1833, 
  somewhat 
  in 
  

   advance 
  of 
  graduation, 
  to 
  avail 
  himself 
  of 
  the 
  opportunity 
  

   offered 
  of 
  a 
  cruise 
  in 
  the 
  Mediterranean, 
  as 
  instructor 
  in 
  mathe- 
  

   matics 
  to 
  the 
  midshipmen 
  of 
  the 
  United 
  States 
  Navy. 
  In 
  

   this 
  capacity 
  he 
  visited 
  a 
  number 
  of 
  the 
  seaports 
  of 
  France, 
  

   Italy, 
  Greece 
  and 
  Turkey, 
  while 
  on 
  the 
  " 
  Delaware 
  " 
  and 
  the 
  

   " 
  United 
  States." 
  This 
  trip, 
  lasting 
  about 
  fifteen 
  months, 
  

   brought 
  much 
  pleasure 
  and 
  profit. 
  He 
  was 
  cut 
  off 
  for 
  a 
  time 
  

   from 
  his 
  favorite 
  minerals, 
  but 
  he 
  occupied 
  his 
  leisure 
  hours 
  on 
  

   shipboard 
  with 
  working 
  out, 
  by 
  methods 
  of 
  his 
  own, 
  many 
  of 
  

   the 
  more 
  intricate 
  problems 
  of 
  mathematical 
  crystallography. 
  

   Some 
  notes 
  of 
  the 
  voyage 
  also 
  mention 
  the 
  fact 
  that 
  he 
  was 
  

   interested 
  in 
  the 
  study 
  of 
  the 
  geology 
  of 
  the 
  island 
  of 
  Minorca 
  

   and 
  that 
  he 
  made 
  some 
  collections 
  in 
  Natural 
  History 
  while 
  

   there. 
  It 
  will 
  be 
  observed 
  that 
  the 
  first 
  paper 
  recorded 
  in 
  the 
  

   Bibliography, 
  which 
  follows 
  this 
  notice, 
  is 
  an 
  account 
  of 
  the 
  

   condition 
  of 
  Vesuvius 
  in 
  July, 
  1834, 
  at 
  the 
  time 
  of 
  his 
  visit 
  ; 
  

   this 
  was 
  published 
  in 
  this 
  Journal 
  in 
  1835. 
  

  

  In 
  1836, 
  Mr. 
  Dana 
  returned 
  to 
  New 
  Haven 
  and 
  for 
  two 
  

   years 
  remained 
  there, 
  occupied 
  for 
  more 
  than 
  a 
  year 
  as 
  assist- 
  

   ant 
  in 
  Chemistry 
  to 
  Professor 
  Silliman. 
  It 
  was 
  during 
  this 
  

   period 
  that 
  he 
  published 
  his 
  first 
  important 
  contribution 
  to 
  

   Science, 
  — 
  the 
  System 
  of 
  Mineralogy, 
  a 
  volume 
  of 
  580 
  pages. 
  

   This 
  was 
  in 
  May, 
  1837, 
  hardly 
  four 
  years 
  after 
  his 
  graduation 
  

   from 
  College 
  and 
  when 
  a 
  young 
  man 
  of 
  twenty-four 
  ; 
  notwith- 
  

   standing 
  his 
  youth, 
  the 
  work 
  is 
  that 
  of 
  a 
  thoroughly 
  mature 
  and 
  

   well 
  informed 
  scholar. 
  A 
  little 
  earlier 
  (1835) 
  his 
  notes 
  mention 
  

   the 
  fact 
  that 
  he 
  had 
  constructed 
  a 
  set 
  of 
  crystallographic 
  models 
  

   in 
  glass, 
  probably 
  the 
  first 
  time 
  this 
  had 
  been 
  attempted. 
  

  

  While 
  at 
  New 
  Haven, 
  another 
  opportunity 
  came 
  to 
  him 
  for 
  

   travel 
  and 
  observation, 
  this 
  time 
  as 
  Mineralogist 
  and 
  Geologist 
  

  

  