2 
[Assembly 
the cause of science and learning, and to develojoe, as far as possible, 
the internal resources and wealth of the State, that individual industry 
and enterprise might be encouraged and the public prosperity pro- 
moted. 
The American Institute of the city of New-York, enjoys the distin- 
guished honor of having, on that occasion, called the attention of the 
State to the importance of this subject. Their memorial to the Legis- 
lature in 1835, appears to have formed the basis of the legislation, 
which authorized tlie Geological Survey now in progress. The ex- 
ample of our sister States, Maryland, Tennessee, New-Jersey, Mas- 
sachusetts and Virginia, in all of which geological researches had been 
instituted by law, were appealed to in that memorial to encourage the 
Legislature no longer to postpone measures to explore the geological 
and mineralogical wealth of our extended territory. 
These researches being, both in an economical and scientific point of 
view, of so much importance to the interests of the whole people of the 
State, and being required to be made at great expense, and with great 
labor, and during a long period of time, and by scientific persons of 
competent ability, were believed to be too onerous to be undertaken by 
individual enterprise or by any of the scientific institutions of the State, 
and very proper to be conducted under the patronage of the Legisla- 
ture. 
Accordingly, the House of Assembly of that year, in order that the 
Geological Survey might be undertaken, with proper method adopted 
the following resolution. 
Resolved, That the Secretary of State be requested to report to the 
Legislature, at its next session, the most expedient method of obtain- 
ing a complete Geological Survey of the State, which shall furnish a 
scientific and perfect account of its rocks, soils and minerals, and of 
their localities ; a list of all its mineralogical, botanical and zoological 
productions, and provide for procuring and preserving specimens of the 
same ; together with an estimate of the expenses which may attend 
the prosecution of the design and of the cost of publication, of an edi- 
tion of three thousand copies of the report, drawings, and geological 
map of its results. 
The Secretary of State, on the 6th of January, of the following year, 
submitted a long and elaborate report in obedience to the above resolu- 
