208 The American Geologist. October. is97 
without salary. In this relation to the State and the Univer- 
sity he continued one year, performing much hard labor in 
the field of developing the State's mineral wealth, and so im- 
pressing the Legislature with the importance of the survey 
that they made an appropriation in 1854 of $10,000 for the 
geological survey. Prof. Tuomey then resigned his profes- 
sorship and gave his entire time to the new survey, until the 
appropriation was exhausted. He then resumed his place in 
the University with the design of seeing, at his leisure, his re- 
ports through the press, and completing the office v»'ork of the 
survey. In this work, before either design was executed, he 
was prostrated by a disease which, at length, on the 30th of 
March, 1857, terminated fatally. 
Although Prof. Tuomey kept himself perfectly informed 
with regard to the progress of scientific discoveries all over 
the world and was a great and judicious reader, he was never 
so much a student of books as of nature. He was eminently 
a self taught man, and he possessed the faculty of giving his 
conclusions promptly and correctly, and of expressing them 
concisely. In social life, Prof. Tuomey, like all true, pure- 
minded men, who are learned, was an agreeable person. He 
was a man of great information, and his memorj'- was stored 
with instructive facts and amusing anecdotes. These quali- 
ties, joined to the manners of a finished gentleman of the old 
school, and a manly, dignified presence, made him a most 
agreeable companion. His conversation was to persons less 
learned than himself interesting and instructive, without any 
effort or recognition of the fact in his own manner. In speak- 
ing he did not overawe his audience by his own profund- 
ity, nor strive, as many do, to impress them- with the con- 
sciousness of how little they knew. It was a peculiar pleasure 
to him to discover and cultivate in those who possessed it, a 
talent and disposition to scientific pursuits, yet latent for 
want of books and encouragement: and there are many per- 
sons now living, who for themselves and their better instructed 
children, will ever have cause to thank him for their first im- 
pulses to a study which, though it may scared}' merit to them 
more than the name entertainment, has yet filled their cabinets 
with specimens, and stored their minds with much pleasing and 
important popular knowledge. 
