252 Tlie Ajnerican Geologist. October, isoa 
the Yellowstone and Yosemite national parks, and reconnaissance in 
eastern California. The director also makes brief statements of the 
scope of field work by thirty-three parties, five being employed in the 
New England region; four in the Appalachian region; three in the 
Atlantic coastal plam region; five in the interior or Mississippi region; 
six in the Rocky Mountain region; six in the Pacific region; two in 
Alaska; and two on the glacial drift. 
Topographic surveys were made in thirty-five states and territories, 
the aggregate area surveyed being 35,867 square miles; and in connec- 
tion with this work, 12,957 miles of leveling was done, with the es- 
tablishment of 2,354 permanent bench marks. The total area surveyed 
up to the date of June 30, 1898, the end of the fiscal year, was 784,699 
square miles, somewhat exceeding a quarter part of the national 
domain, exclusive of Alaska. 
Outlines of the work done in examination and surveys of seven 
forest reserves, under the direction of Mr. Henry Gannett, are given 
here by the director: and a later volume of this report will present 
their results in detail. 
Part IV, Hydrography, in 814 pages, with 118 plates, comprises 
papers by F. H. Newell and others, on progress of stream measure- 
ments in the year 1897; by Edward Orton, on the rock waters of 
Ohio; and a preliminary report, by N. H. Darton, on the geology and 
water resources of Nebraska west of the 103rd meridian. The first 
group of papers contains detailed reports of- the water-power streams 
of Maine, other streams of the Atlantic coastal region, a few tributary 
to the Gulf of Mexico, several streams of the Ohio basin, the head 
waters of the Missouri, and the Yellowstone, Platte, Kansas, Arkansas, 
Colorado, Great Salt Lake, Columbia, San Francisco Bay, and San 
Bernardino basins. Much information on the topography and geology 
of all these regions is also given; and the papers by Dr. Orton and 
Mr. Darton are very important contributions to the geology of Ohio 
and western Nebraska. 
Part VI, in two volumes, comprises reports on ores of iron and 
manganese, by John Birkinbine; on the American and foreign iron 
trade, by James M. Swank; on copper, lead, and zinc, by Charles 
Kirchhoff; on antimony, coal, coke, asphaltum, soapstone, abrasive 
materials, gypsum, salt, etc., by Edward W. Parker; platinuin, by 
David T. Day; petroleum and natural gas, by F. H. Oliphant; stone, 
by William C. Day; clay statistics, by Jefferson Middleton; the kaolins 
and fire clays of Europe, by Heinrich Ries; precious stones, by George 
F. Kunz; mineral waters, by A. C. Peale; and two short reports on 
the mineral resources of Hawaii and of the Philippine islands, the 
latter by George T. Becker. 
The total mineral products of the United States in 1897 amounted 
in value to $632,312,347, an advance beyond the preceding year by 
about $8,500,000. Almost all the important metallic products showed 
an increase; but the non-metallic decreased about $6,000,000, chiefly 
in petroleum and anthracite coal, although bituminous coal, natural 
