Excerpt from Indiana, Department of Geology and Natural History, Fourteenth Annual Report, 1884: Part First, Geology and Natural History; Part Second, Post-Pliocene Vertebrates of Indiana

Experience has shown in every country and State the im portance of having a permanent office of Geology and Natural History, with a director in charge who is able to give strangers and people at home accurate and official information on all sub jects relating to the rocks, clays, coals, and all other minerals, especially those within the limits of his jurisdiction, and gen eral information regarding the geological and mineralogical resources of all other portions of the United States. Indeed, it becomes a bureau stored with important information, to be furnished gratuitously to all who seek for counsel and advice in matters within its range. Geology is a department in nat ural history that depends on investigation and developments for its progress. Evidences which tend to enrich science, that are not found today, may be found to-morrow, consequently the science is being daily promoted by' new discoveries. The geological surveys of England, Scotland and Ireland have been in progress for at least fifty years, and still furnish new and important information to promote the welfare of the people. The same may be said of New York: While extensive field work has been stopped, the venerable State Geologist, James Hall, from whose labors have evolved the fundamental nomen clature of geological epochs which serve as a basis for Ameri can geology, still holds the ofiice of State Geologist, and finds plenty of work to do. Pennsylvania prosecuted an extensive survey under the able directorship of the late Henry D. Rogers, and then stopped, under the mistaken impression that his re ports exhausted the subject. But it was soon discovered by Wise statesmen that very much remained to be done, and the work was reinstated with J. Peter Lesley as director. He is aided by a large corps of assistants, and the work is being car ried on with admirable detail and is alike creditable to science and the people of the State, whose welfare it has so greatly promoted. It is not for myself that I speak, when expressing the hope that the Legislature will see the wisdom of keeping alive the Geological Survey of Indiana, but for the people of the State, whose commercial welfare it has and will continue to promote.

About the Publisher

Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com

This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.