1876. J 335 [Annual Keport. 



State of Massachusetts, appointed a committee, consisting of 

 the President, Mr. John Cummings, and the Custodian, to 

 determine in what manner, if any, the Society should be repre- 

 sented at the Centennial Exposition. This committee drew 

 up a set of propositions, a copy of which is appended to this 

 Report, and submitted them to the Commissioners. They 

 were received by Mr. Leverett Saltonstall, Mr. Meigs, and 

 Mr. Hill, the three members of the State Commission, with 

 the most earnest approbation. Various causes, which it 

 would now be a loss of time to discuss, prevented definite 

 action until after the 1st of March. Then, although the 

 whole amount of the appropriation at first asked for was 

 offered by Governor Rice, it had become too late to attempt 

 the formation of the necessary collections. This failure 

 was much to be regretted, since the Society thereby lost an 

 opportunity of showing to the whole country the kind of 

 work a Museum of this class ought to do, and how its collec- 

 tions could be made of use as part of the public educational 

 system of the State. 



While negotiating with the Commissioners the Custodian 

 agreed to prepare a Geological Map of New England, as a 

 part of the New England department in the Society's ex- 

 hibition. Finally, at the request of the Commission, this was 

 undertaken independently, and a separate sum appropriated 

 for its execution. This map was entrusted to Mr. Crosby, 

 by whom it has been compiled. It is based upon Edward 

 Hitchcock's wall-map of 1841, but differs considerably from 

 that, and from that of C. H. Hitchcock in Walling's Atlas. 

 Many of the outlines are very much changed, and a very 

 different translation given to the lithological structure of 

 several portions of the State. The object in view, namely, 

 the representation of the changes made in our views of the 

 structure of the State by more recent observations, has been 

 fairly accomplished, notwithstanding the shortness of the time 

 allowed for the work. A text will accompany the map, de- 

 scribing the results in a brief form, and acknowledging our 



