4()t lite Anien'cdii (reohxiisi. DcccmiKr, imT) 
Under a special i)rovision for the eoiitinuatioii of investiga- 
tions pertaining to the geology and production of salt, Mr. I). 
]). Luther is employed in the collection of data, much of his 
time thus far being given to the study of the developments in 
Onondaga county, and the economic geology of that county 
will be published as a special part of his report. 
In the matter of publication the year has been a fruitful 
one. Toward the end of 1894 appeared part 2 of volume viii 
of the "Paheontology of New York" with which the work 
knoAvn for so many years under that title and as part of the 
"Natural History of New York" is formally closed. The ter- 
mination of this work is not due to any intention on the part 
of the venerable head of the survey to discontinue investiga- 
tions in paleontology, but is the outcome of embarrassing 
comjjlications which have arisen in late years over the super- 
intendence of the publication. Evidence of the annoyance 
which has come from this source is the fact that of this large 
volume completing the study of the genera of the Brachiopoda, 
upon which work had been carried forward consecutively for 
seven years, but one hundred copies have been printed and 
these were completed at the personal cost of Prof. Hall, after 
an appropriation for the publication of the entire edition had 
been lost through unfavorable influences, notwithstanding the 
good will of the legislature in providing the necessary' amount. 
The annual report for 1898, consisting of two ro3^al octavo 
volumes of 1,000 pages and numerous plates, was issued early 
in the year. This report embraced, in addition to much geo- 
logical matter, the final part of the "Handbook of the Brachi- 
opoda" which was begun in the report for 1891. 
The legislature of 1895 provided for the publication of a 
monograph of the fossil reticulate sponges. The preparation 
of this work is essentially completed and the printing will 
soon commence. The book will be of elegant proportions, 
contain sixty lithographic plates and constitute number 1 of 
the "Memoirs" of the geological survey. 
Much publicity has been given to a bitter personal attack 
upon the state geologist made in the summer by the secretarj'' 
of the board of regents of the State University before a com- 
mittee of the legislature. This was one of the galling experi- 
ences of which every one engaged in official scientific work ma}'- 
expect a share, and which are bound to embarrass and delay the 
progress of science. The extreme invidiousness of the attack 
aroused a wide-spread sympathy and interest in professor Hall 
and his work, and under the probing of the committee its base- 
lessness was exposed and the incident has resulted in justifying 
thp official conduct of the state geologist and in strengthening 
Ills department. 
