180 The American < ,' iu/>,// is/. September, 1894 
practical significance of these investigations, however, was nol fully 
appreciated until Abraham Gottlob Werner (1750-1817), professor of 
mineralogy in the Freiberg School of Mines, extended Fucbsel's con- 
ception of a geological formation and used it as a basis for his theorj of 
the composition of the earth's crust. Werner's remarkable ability and 
magnetism as a teacher were the means of kindling an enthusiastic in- 
terest in the new science all over Germany; and from the little mining 
town in Saxony there emanated a new intellectual movement which 
spread even into foreign countries, when' it met with strong and tal- 
ented supporters in such men as Hutton, William Smith. Dolomieu, 
Cuvier, Brongniart, de Saussure and others, who had devoted them- 
selves to the studj of geology and palaeontology. Although Germanj 
justly prides herself on possessing in t he first decade of the presenl cen- 
tury three of the greatest and most illustrious minds in geology, Werner, 
Alexander von Humboldt, and Leopold von Buch. nevertheless neither 
they nor their aide coadjutors (von Freiesleben, Heim, von Hoff, von 
Schlotheim, Count Minister. Heinrich Credner, Hermann von Meyer 
and others) belonged to university circles, but were either independently 
situated or were engaged in other pursuits as well. 
Not until the second and third decades of the century, after the' fun- 
damental principles of geology had become well established, did the 
universities begin to participate in the further development of the sci- 
ence: they soon took the lead, however, anil have maintained their 
precedence ever since. The first chair devoted exclusively to mineral- 
ogy (held b\ Ch. AVeiss) was founded in 1808 in Berlin, and t his example 
other universities were not slow to follow. Instruction in geology de- 
volved entirely on mineralogists, while palaeontological investigations 
remained in the hands of zoologists and botanists. That Berlin, in 
consequence id" the powerful influence of Alexander von Humboldt and 
Leopold von Buch, should have stood so long in the very foremost po- 
sition, was really less due to the efforts of the University itself than to a 
younger body of highly gifted, enthusiastic workers, who. stimulated 
and directed by the two greal masters, pushed out in all directions in 
geology, and founded in Kar$ten?» Archive* a valuable organ for their 
communications. 
It was not long, however, until nearly every higher academy in Ger- 
man} was provided with a full professor in mineralogy, and pains were 
taken to secure all sorts of aids to instruction: especially suites of rock 
Specimens, ores, and fossils: and at the same time, owing to the rapid 
strides being made in geology, a division of labor became necessary. 
After the physiography of the various minerals had been investigated 
with some degree of thoroughness, mineralogy sided over more nearly 
in line witli chemistry and physics: while geology was understood as 
applying mote particularly to palaeontology and lithology, together with 
tin' problems of vulcanism, mountain-making, and general dynamic ge- 
ology. The difficulty of properly directing the steadily augmenting 
numbers of geological disciples became more and more serious, so that 
tirst in Munich 1 1843), then in Berlin, and before long even in the smaller 
