862 
THE GOVERNME^'T EXPECTS TOO MUCH. 
often fell out when it was thus fractured : as a genera* 
thing, however, it prevailed in the shape of veins of 
greater or less extent. 
This bright substance wo took to be pyrites ; but 
whether tlie sulphuret of iron, copper, cobalt, or nickel, 
I was not sufficiently versed in mineralog}' to determine. 
And here I must stop to ask the following cpiestion: — 
“ Would it not have been worth the while of the Govern- 
ment to have offered a liberal salary — say three or four 
thousand dollars a year — to men of fair proficiency in the 
various branches, and thus obtained, as our ‘ right-hand 
men,' persons who would have been prepared at tlie time 
to take advantage of, and to explain and note for future 
investigation, the various freaks of nature which daily 
crossed our path in those unfrequented parts of the 
world?” We often felt the want of an able mineralo- 
gist in particular; but it seems that the Government ex- 
pected its officers — men Avhose whole lives have been 
spent upon the sea — to possess a sufficient ^‘smattering” 
of all sciences to answer tlie purpose. Eut to return to 
the coal. We were sorry to meet with tliis sulphuret, as 
that in which it is found is more or less liable to spon- 
taneous combustion, and we bad no idea of arraying 
another of the elements against the slim chance which 
the “old John” held out of ever landing us safely in 
San Francisco. We already^ had enough fire in the fur- 
naces, without bringing any more on board in a latent 
state. 
I have said that this coal burned with a bright blue 
flame, that it gave out little or no sulphur, made very 
little smoke, and left few ashes; and such was actually 
