424 



SCIENCE, 



[Vol. YI., No. 145. 



the ever-increasing specialization in the different 

 branches of natural history. More than that, the 

 conditions and opportunities for special work have 

 greatly altered in this country within recent years. 

 Other large museums have been founded or more 

 abundantly endowed, while a large part of the 

 original investigation of to-day must be carried on 

 in the field on fresh material which no museum 

 can furnish from its stores. It therefore becomes 

 wiser to abandon the accumulation of vast collec- 

 tions, excepting such as may be cared for at small 

 expense, wherever these are certain to be duplicated 

 elsewhere ; and to expend the income from the 

 funds rather in fostering such work as may most 

 efficiently be conducted by the professors holding 

 endowed chairs in the university, and by the as- 

 sistants in the various departments of the museum. 

 The boldness and decision with which Mr. 

 Agassiz here advocates a policy utterly at variance 

 with that which has been heretofore pursued, is 

 worthy of the most careful attention of all who 

 have to deal with museums. From his position at 

 the head of an extensive estabhshment, in which 

 he has complete control, and which he has himself 

 largely endowed, he occupies an unequalled van- 

 tage ground. He has cut completely adrift from 

 the traditional notions of what a great museum 

 should be, while adhering rigorously to the exhibi- 

 tional features impressed upon the museum by his 

 father. In this we believe he has struck the key- 

 note of what is needed for a university museum in 

 this country, and what the requirements of modern 

 science demand. "We commend his views to all 

 who have to deal with the expensive problem 

 which natural history museums force upon the 

 attention. 



ANSWERS TO CHARGES AFFECTING THE 

 GEOLOGICAL SURVEY. 



Secretary Lamar has received from Major J. 

 W. PoweU, dhector of the geological survey, a 

 letter, of which the following are the most impor- 

 tant portions : — 



Various charges affecting discreditably the ad- 

 ministi-ation of the geological survey have been 

 current in the newspapers of the country for the 

 past four months, and I deem it my duty to call 

 your attention to the same, and to append brief 

 statements to them severally, that you may see how 

 baseless and absurd they appear in the presence of 

 the truth. 



It is charged that the survey has been extended 

 into the eastern portion of the United States in 

 violation of law. The law specifically provides 

 that the survey shall extend over the entire United 

 States, and the law was passed after repeated and 



lengthy debate in congress by an overwhelming 

 majority. 



It is charged that the geological survey is dupli- 

 cating the work of the coast survey and of state 

 geological surveys. There is no truth or color of 

 truth in the statement. 



It is charged that a corrupt conspiracy existed 

 in the National academy of sciences to break down 

 the old organization for geographical and geologi- 

 cal surveys in order to create the new ; that the 

 National academy itself had little to do with this, 

 but that the conspiracy was the work of a corrupt 

 committee. In an act of congress approved June 

 20, 1878, the academy was required to report to con- 

 gress a plan for making a topographic and geologic 

 survey. Such plan was reported, and the present 

 geological survey exists in pursuance of that plan, 

 under specific statutes passed by congress. The 

 committee of the academy that considered the 

 subject was composed of Profs. O. C. Marsh, 

 James D. Dana, William B. Rogers, J. S. New- 

 berry, W. P. Trowbridge, Simon Newcomb, and 

 Alexander Agassiz. The plan was reported by 

 the committee at a meeting of the academy called 

 for the purpose of hearing the report, and was 

 discussed at length in the academy, and adopted 

 unanimously. 



It is charged that the scientific men of the 

 National academy of sciences, in wicked collusion 

 with Major PoweU, "proposed to wipe out the lines 

 wliich now fix the limits of aU lands sold from the 

 public domain of the entire country, and introduce 

 a new system." There is no truth and no color of 

 truth in the statements ; its falsity is equalled only 

 by its absurdity. 



It is charged that Major Powell was elected a 

 member of the National academy of sciences by 

 corruptly distributing patronage to its members. 

 Major Powell was elected to membership in the 

 academy prior to his appointment as director of 

 the U. S. geological survey, and at a time when he 

 had no patronage under his control to be used 

 with the members of the National academy. 



It is charged that the publication of the 

 geological survey is not germane to its work, 

 and Packard's 'Report on geometrid moths' is 

 given as an illustration ; and it is stated that 

 nearly aU the publications of the survey are of the 

 same class. This work of Dr. Packard's was not 

 published by the U. S. geological survey, but by 

 what was known as the Hayden survey years ago. 

 The law now prohibits the publication of general 

 works on natural history by the survey, and 

 confines the publication to works germane to 

 geology and geography. 



It is charged that " Major PoweU has a fondness 

 for state geologists. Now, if PoweU can give a 



