18 ANNUAL EEPOET OF THE 



REPORT OF THE STURGIS-HOOPER PROFESSOR 



OF GEOLOGY. 



By Professor J. D. Whitney. 



Dueing the past year (1894-95), in accordance with the plan 

 indicated in the Stnrgis-Hooper Professor's last Report, a course 

 of lectures, lasting through the year, was delivered by him. This 

 course was entirely devoted to the subject of the Economical 

 Geology of the metalliferous minerals, embracing the mode of 

 occurrence, origin, and classification of the metals and their 

 ores, and including statistics of their production throughout the 

 world, as also a very condensed statement of the historical de- 

 velopment of this branch of industry. This part of the course 

 of Economical Geology having been expanded to twice its former 

 length, it was possible to go much more fully into details' than 

 had ever before been done. As the course is now arranged, a 

 student should, if properly fitted, be able to acquire during the 

 two years given to the whole subject of applied geology, which 

 necessarily embraces a considerable amount of applied chemistry, 

 as much knowledge as seems necessary for one not making a 

 specialty of either of these branches. That every geologist 

 should have some general idea of the nature of mining opera- 

 tions and of the mode of occurrence of ores seems certainly most 

 desirable, and that every chemist should have a corresponding 

 amount of knowledge of the origin and distribution of the raw 

 materials with which he has to do, as well as of the nature of 

 metallurgical operations in the large way, seems equally impor- 

 tant. In point of fact, however, the number of students who de- 

 sire to take Economical Geology, and who are fitted for this work 

 by previous elementary preparation, is but small, and seems to be 

 growing smaller. There appears to be a growing inclination to 

 neglect the practical side of geology and chemistry, and to take 

 instead subjects which are purely theoretical, and in regard to 

 some of which it can be said with truth that they have not yet 



