Correspondence. 65 
major Powell and Mr. Gannett have conducted this division in the 
ablest manner possible, and it gives me much sorrow to see a journal 
bearing my name as an editor, opposing this great work. The present 
attitude of the government towards scientific bureaus is onethatcalls 
I'ortlie most delicate action and consideration, both upon the part of 
those in and out of tlie Geological Survey, unless it is their mutual 
object to destroy it. It is a ])itiful s])ectac]e to see the lack of united 
action in this emergency, and without committing myself to any fac- 
tion, I can only say tliat accusations will not advance the best inter- 
ests of science in tiiis country, in the minds of our lawmakers. 
Very sincerely yours, Koirr. T. II ii.i.. 
ir«.s//;//7/o//, />. C, Dc'femher 15, 1892. 
Thk ToI'oORAPillC AVoIiK OF THK XaTIoX.VL Ge<)LOGIC.\I. SiKVKV. 
The November number of the Amerioa.n (-^EOLoorsT contains an edi- 
torial criticizing the policy of the U. S. Geological Survey in carrying 
on topograi^hic work and the quality of the resulting maj)s. Tliis 
article contains numerous errors, some of which it seems vvortli while 
to correct. 
The first item of jjolicy of the geological survey to which this article 
objects is the alleged extension of its field of work over the entire 
United States. The geological survey was instituted in 1879, and its 
field of work was defined as the "national domain." This expression 
was recognized as being susceptible of several dilTerent constructions, 
such as 
(1.) The public lands still owned by the United States. 
(2.) The entire areas of the territories. 
(3.) The entire area of all states and territories in which there 
was or had ever been public lands. 
a.) The entire area of the country. 
Air. King, the first director, adopted the last as the only reasonable 
construction, and immediately commenced examinations of the mines 
at Virginia ( 'ity and Eureka in Nevada, and at Leadville in Colorado, 
all on private property and all located within states. 
The attempts to obtain a change in the wording of the expression 
"national domain," to which the Gi:olo(;[st refers and the failure of 
these attempts, which it appears to regard as significant, were 
made simply for the purpose of relieving the expression of ambiguity, 
and to prevent just such misconceptions as those of the editorial from 
arising. Tlie mistake of the (tkoi.ooist is the less pardonable, inas- 
much as the change proposed by director King was subsetiuently 
made after full discussion in Congress, in which all the bearings of 
the matter were examined. 
The second and principal matter of criticism is the fact that the 
geological survey has undertaken the work of making a topographic 
map of the country and has for ten years devoted to it a considerable 
proportion of its appropriations. It does not appear that the writer 
criticizes the policy of the survey in undertaking a geological map. 
