Obituary. 81~3 



described and compared with that of other countries," the result 

 of extensive travel investigating the mines and mineral regions 

 east of the Mississippi. In 1869 "The Yosemite Guide-Book " 

 was published. 



In connection with his investigations in Iowa he held the posi- 

 tion of State Chemist and Professor in the Iowa State University 

 for several years from 1855. In 1865 he was appointed Professor 

 of Geology, with charge of the School of Mining and Practical 

 Geology, which position he held at the time of his death. Dur- 

 ing the year 1869 he took a party of students (Marvine, Gannett, 

 Bridge, and Davis) who were taking the mining course at 

 Harvard, to Colorado, where the summer was spent in exploring 

 and surveying. It was on this expedition that the heights of a 

 number of important peaks back of the Front Range were first 

 correctly determined : among these were Mts. Harvard and Yale, 

 to which these names were then given. 



He was fond of books and lavished much expense both in accu- 

 mulating and binding them. By arrangement with the Faculty 

 of the Museum of Comparative Zoology, Whitney's library of 

 geological works goes to the Museum : it is rich in state and 

 national surveys in the United States, and in statistics and 

 journals on mining in all parts of the world. During the 

 last twenty years of his life his lectures were chiefly on eco- 

 nomical geology, but he gave occasional courses on dynamical 

 geology, on the physical geography of the United States, and 

 on the history of geographic discovery. 



The death of his wife in Cambridge and his daughter (Mrs. T. 

 Allen) in Paris on the same day (about 15 years ago) was a 

 terrible blow, causing him to withdraw into himself, increasing 

 the isolation of his later years. 



He was a man of very positive convictions ; retaining views of 

 earlier years little changed by later work, and hence increasingly 

 out of sympathy with various theories of modern geology. He 

 had great linguistic ability, like his brother, William D. Whitney. 

 When about 60, he acquired a good knowledge of Russian, and 

 read not only geological and geographical reports, but modern 

 Russian novels in the original. Prof. Whitney had a remarkable 

 knowledge of music, and accumulated an extensive collection of 

 musical works including orchestral scores of classic compositions. 

 He was a familiar figure at the symphony concerts in Boston and 

 Cambridge with score open before him. A great reader, busy 

 worker, active and alert, until last winter when his health seri- 

 ously failed. He was an original member of the National 

 Academy of Science, and a member of numerous other scientific 

 societies. The degree of LL.D. was conferred on him by Yale in 

 1870, , Mt. Whitney, in southeastern California, the highest 

 mountain in the United States, outside Alaska, was named in his 

 honor. 



George Bkown Goode died in Washington on the 6th day 

 of September. Born in New Albany, Ind., Feb. 13th, 1851, he 



