158 



On this perfect system the topography alone would be likely to 

 cost oyer half a million of dollars and pretty certain not to exceed 



of the Hoosac Tunnel. Who will say that Massachusetts cannot 

 afford this sum for a perfect record of the theatre of her indus- 

 tries ? If, how< ei t be tl o J t tl t t better to temporize 

 with the matter, it will certainly be possible to get the most im- 

 portant results with a smaller original map — one twenty-five 

 thousandth, or about two and a third inches to the mile, will 

 answer for most of the gi*eat economic purposes of a survey : it 



the larger scale. The dimensions of the original maps, it should 

 be noted, is quite another matter from the size they have in their 

 published form ; from the original records reductions can be made 



When this topography is far enough advanced to give a basis 

 for other work, the geology and biology should he taken in hand. 



tific work, and how are these objects to he attained? To answer 

 these questions at length is to discuss all the methods and aims of 

 science. There are some limitations, however, which are worthy 



and inorganic, which will require centuries for their complete dis- 

 cussion. As we do not propose that a survey shall take up at once 

 all the problems of science, it becomes a nice matter to limit the 



. - . ■ • : ' • . •■ .•!-:;:■■::■; 



■ -' ■ ' ■ - ' ■ :;: : • V, K:; - 



object of a reconnoissance to show what and where these prob- 

 lems are. Some of them are economical, have money in them ; the 

 others are economical too, in that higher sense which finds all 

 truth profitable. Of those which connect themselves immediately 

 with industry we may mention the following questions: (1) the 

 distribution of water, its storage and quality; (2) the building- 

 stones of the state ; (3) the existence of deposits of coal in work- 

 able quantities ; (4) the distribution of metals, the iron of the 



