8o The American Geologist. February, i905 
"After the paper had remained unrevised by Agassiz for five 
years, the manuscript was turned over to Hall and on the cover 
the latter wrote, 'received from Prof. Agassiz in Cambridge, August 
23d, 1855, James Hall.' Many years later Meek made enquiries 
at the Smithsonian Institution regarding this work and received 
the following reply: 
"Washington, D. C, July 21, 1868. 
"My Dear Mr. Meek: 
"I can tell you nothing about present condition of Troost's 
paper or what Prof. Hall has done or will do with it. Nor does 
Prof. Henry remember anything of any plan or arrangement. We 
have published nothing and know of no publication. 
Sincerely yours, 
F. B. Meek, S. F. BAIRD. 
Springfield, 111." 
"Troost's manuscript and fossils remained in professor Hall's 
possession for more than forty years and the matter was lost sight 
of by the Smithsonian authorities. After professor Hall's death, 
the writer called the attention of the National Museum authorities 
to Troost's manuscript and foLsils still remaining at Albany, and 
finally in the month of November, 1898, the acting administrator 
of the Hall estate returned to Washington 294 specimens and the 
manuscript and drawings for 107 species. The specimens for 17 
species are still missing. In the Annual Report of the National 
Museum for 1899, p. 39, is the following statement: 
"As a matter of historical interest, it may be noted that the 
Troost collection of crinoidea, which, together with the manuscript 
describing them and the drawings for 107 species, was sent by the 
Smithsonian Institution to professor James Hall in 1853, was re- 
turned last November by the administrator of the Hall estate." 
"This work with very little revision could well have been pub- 
lished in 1850 and most of Troost's species would have been saved 
to him. However, as it was and still is the custom of the Smith- 
sonian Institution to refer all manuscripts submitted for publication 
to a committee of specialists for advice, it is very unfortunate that 
the work was thus allowed to fall into neglect. Since 1850 most 
of the species have been described, mainly by Hall, but what are 
left of new species will in the near future be revived. The blas- 
toids have recently been reworked by Hambach (Trans. St. Louis 
Acad. Sci., 1904), and the only cystid is described in this paper," 
This more than mere neglect of James Hall in keeping 
Troost's manuscript and specimens in his possession over 
forty years while he described from time to time under 
his own name first one and then another of Troost's species 
