Ford— Growth of Mineralogy, 1818 to 1918. 243 



p. 213, 1808), is found a notice of this collection, a portion 

 of which is reproduced below : 



"Gibbs' grand Collection of Minerals. 



One of the most zealous cultivators of mineralogy in the 

 United States is Col. G. Gibbs of Rhode Island and his taste and 

 his fortune have concurred in making him the proprietor of the 

 most extensive and valuable assortment of minerals that prob- 

 ably exists in America. 



This rich collection consists of the cabinets possessed by the 

 late Mons. Gigot D'Orcy of Paris and the Count Gregoire de 

 Rozamonsky, a Russian nobleman, long resident in Switzerland. 

 To which the present proprietor has added a number, either 

 gathered by himself on the spot, or purchased in different parts 

 of Europe . . . The whole consists of about twenty thousand 

 specimens. A small part of this collection was opened to 

 amateurs at Rhode Island, the last summer, and the next, if 

 circumstances permit, the remainder will be exposed." 



In 1802 Benjamin Silliman was appointed professor of 

 chemistry and mineralogy in Yale College. After the 

 Gibbs Collection was brought to America he spent much 

 time with the owner in studying it and, as a result, Col. 

 Gibbs offered to place the collection on exhibition in New 

 Haven if suitable quarters would be furnished by the col- 

 lege. This was quickly accomplished and in 1810, 1811 

 and 1812 the collection was transferred to New Haven 

 and arranged for exhibition by Col. Gibbs. Later, in 

 1825, it was purchased by Yale and served as the nucleus 

 about which the present Museum collection of the Univer- 

 sity has been formed. There is no doubt but that the 

 presence at this early date of this large and unusual min- 

 eral collection had a great influence upon the develop- 

 ment of mineralogical science at Yale, and in the country 

 at large. 



In the year 1810 Dr. Archibald Bruce started the 

 " American Mineralogical Journal,' ' the title page of 

 which reads in part as follows : l ' The American Mineral- 

 ogical Journal, being a Collection of Facts and Observa- 

 tions tending to elucidate the Mineralogy and Geology of 

 the United States of America, together with other Infor- 

 mation relating to Mineralogy, Geology and Chemistry, 

 derived from Scientific Sources," Unfortunately the 

 health of Dr. Bruce failed, and the journal lasted only 

 through its first volume. It had, however, "been most 

 favorably received," as Silliman remarks, and it was felt 



