296 The American Geologist. May, looi. 
observations mostly recorded by another working on a totally 
different plan from himself. In making use of my field notes, 
which of course passed into his hands, the facts as well as the 
conclusions suffered such distortion that but for the introduc- 
tion of all the figures and diagrams given in my manuscript, 
I sould have been unable in many cases to recognize my owm 
work. It is thus that the "Orange Sand" becomes in his 
hands "The Miocene Formation ;" while what he saw of the 
Port Hudson beds, as well as the quarternary gravels, are re- 
ferred to the eocene. Shortly after the publication of the 
book, I publicly disclaimed all responsibility for either facts 
or conclusions pretended to be based upon my work, since, al- 
though my name is nowhere mentioned in the volume, the in- 
numerable errors would, in the course of time, be likely to be 
laid at my door. The circulation of the report through the 
state soon produced the inevitable result of discrediting its au- 
thor to such extent that toward the end of the year 1857 he 
was obliged to resign his office. 
Shortly afterwards the appointment was tendered to me 
(then acting as chemist to the Smithsonian Institution), and 
accepted; and I entered upon its duties early in 1858. At 
Jackson I found in the "two front rooms in the second story 
of the penitentiary," under the charge of the convict assistant, 
the outcome of the purchases made by Harper under the pro- 
vision for the outfitting of an analytical laboratory. It con- 
sisted essentially of apparatus for elementary lectures in chem- 
istry, and an expensive microscope ; the analytical balance was 
represented by a pair of apothecary's scales, etc. Under au- 
thority of the governor, a portion of the useless articles were 
sold, and the proceeds applied to the purchase of necessaries 
for analytical work, and under the same authority and by per- 
mission of the Board of Trustees of the State University, I 
transferred the whole to a front room in the University build- 
ing at Oxford, which I fitted up as a laboratory, at a personal 
expense of $600, for the time being. By this evasion of the 
law, framed under Harper's auspices (which was mandatory 
only in respect to the location of the "office," but not of the la- 
boratory), the survey was again practically restored to its ori- 
ginal connection with the University, without which the work 
could not be successfully carried on under so small an appro- 
priation. 
