Charles Schuchert — Historical Geology, 1818-1918. 51 



ablest text-book so far published, and the pattern for 

 most of the later ones, Outlines of the Geology of Eng- 

 land and Wales, by W. D. Conybeare (1787-1857) and W. 

 Phillips (1775-1828). "In this excellent volume all that 

 was then known regarding* the rocks of the country, from 

 the youngest formations down to the Old Red Sandstone, 

 was summarized in so clear and methodical a manner as 

 to give a powerful impulse to the cultivation of geology 

 in England" (Geikie). This book is reviewed at great 

 length by Edward Hitchcock in the Journal (7, 203, 1824). 



To indicate how far historical geology had progressed 

 up to 1822 in England, a digest of the geological column 

 as presented in this text-book is given in the following 

 table, along with other information. 



A text-book writer of yet greater influence was Charles 

 Lyell (1797-1875), whose Principles of Geology appeared 

 in three volumes between 1830 and 1833. This and his 

 other books were kept up to date through many editions, 

 and his Elements of Geology is, as Geikie says, "the hand 

 book of every English geologist" working with the f os- 

 siferous formations. 



The Kise of Geology in North America. 



The generating Centers. — In America, geology had its 

 rise independently in three places : in the two scientific 

 societies of Boston and Philadelphia, and dominantly in 

 Benjamin Silliman of Yale College. Stated in another 

 way, we may say that geology in America had its origin 

 in the following pioneers and founders : first, in William 

 Maclure at Philadelphia, and next in Benjamin Silliman 

 at New Haven. Through the influence of the latter, 

 Amos Eaton, the botanist, became a geologist and taught 

 geology at "Williams College and later at the Rensselaer 

 School in Troy, New York. Through the same influence 

 Rev. Edward Hitchcock also became a geologist and 

 taught the subject after 1825 at Amherst College. 



Silliman was the first to take up actively the teach- 

 ing of mineralogy and geology based on collections of 

 specimens. He spread the knowledge in popular lectures 

 throughout the Eastern States, graduated many a stu- 

 dent in the sciences, making of some of them professional 

 teachers and geologists, provided all with a journal 

 wherein they could publish their research, organized the 

 first geological society and through his students the first 



