Yol. 59.] ANNIVERSARY ADDRESS OF THE PRESIDENT. lift 



of Acquired Characteristics (1895), and numerous essays on the 

 stages of growth and decline in animals and on the various laws and 

 problems of Evolution. 1 



Major John Wesley Powell, who had been elected a Foreign 

 Correspondent of the Geological Society in 1892, died on September 

 23rd, 1902, at the age of 68. He was one of the foremost workers 

 in science in the United States during the last half-century. Though 

 of English parentage, he was brought up entirely in America. While 

 young, he acquired an interest in scientific pursuits, and paid much 

 attention to natural history studies. He made various expeditions 

 and voyages on the Mississippi, Ohio, and Illinois rivers for the 

 purpose of collecting specimens. But his scientific studies were 

 interrupted by the Civil War, in which he took an active part, 

 losing his right arm in an engagement. At the close of the war he 

 received the rank of Major. 



In 1865 he became Professor of Geology and Curator of the 

 Museum at the Wesley an University of Illinois, and later at the 

 Illinois Normal University. In 1867 he organized a geological excur- 

 sion to the mountain -region of Colorado. This was the beginning 

 of his active work in the West, which led to such important dis- 

 coveries in geology, geography, and ethnology. His second, and 

 more important expedition wintered west of the Rocky Mountains, 

 and Powell's attention was turned to the scientific study of the Red 

 Indians, with which his name became afterwards intimately conn ected. 

 In the following spring he organized an expedition to the canons of 

 the Green and Colorado Rivers. The entirely successful result of this 

 expedition made Powell's reputation, and led to the organization, 

 under the U.S. Government, of a Geographical & Geological Survey 

 which was also to collect ethnological data. Eor ten years, from 

 1869 to 1879, he was occupied with this survey, the work being in 

 course of time extended to the investigation of irrigation and waters 

 supply. Then, at his own suggestion, his Survey was amalgamated 

 with that of Hayden, King, & Wheeler, the result being the creation 

 of the present U.S. Geological Survey, with Clarence King as the 

 first Director, Powell being Director of the Bureau of Ethnology, 

 created at the same time. On King's resignation in 1881, Powell 

 succeeded him, and retained the Directorship for both Geology and 

 Ethnology until 1894, when he gave up his geological work. During 



1 For the above particulars the writer is indebted to Am. Journ. Sci. sei\ 4, 

 toI. xiii (1902) p. 164. 



