The eastern clarion. [volume] (Paulding, Miss.) 1837-1863, 1858-10-23
REPORT ON THE GEOLOGICAL AND
AGRICULTURAL SURVEY OF THE

Father, in earth, as heaven, thy win be done.
REPORT ON THE GEOLOGICAL AND
AGRICULTURAL SURVEY OF THE
STATE OF MISSISSIPPI.
To His ErceNcncy. William Nc VIlliS
GOcernor IF NlssiSaPPi:
SrR:-The law makes it the duty OF
the GeolOgist of this state. to lay be-
fore the Governor, annually, report
concerning the progress Of the Geolog'
ical Survey during the preceding year
The meaning aud intent of this law,
has been variously construed, 1t having
been thought hy some that the annual
repnrt is intended to embrace not mere
" the general statement of the work
done and results obtained, but also q
description, more or less det liled, Oi
the phenomena observed. The latter
Ian has been carried out in the report
made by the late State Geologist, and
Is not wi hout precedent in other States
II is obvious, however, that reports ni
this character can be practically useful
only where, as in mineral districts, the
detail constitutes. in itself, useful ana
even necessary guide in rendering pro-
duct;ve. resources Immediately availa-
be. Thus, the partial but detailed re-
ports uf the Geological Surveys Of Mis-
.nuri, Kentucky aud Tennessee, have
b en- eminently useful in developing the
! mineral resources of those Sla'es.
/ In view nfIhese facts. it Is frequently
asked why it is that The reports hereto
/ frre published in cunneXioh with the
| Geological Survey Of this State, have
/ lone So lii le towards developing new
I -csuurccs: aud that, while enumera-
ing a large number of facts, they are
fsn little use as practical guides in the
luilizarion Of those resources, telc an
quM Der, which have been discovered -
In consequence of this failure to fulfill
The expectations raised by the brilliant
results Of the Geological Surveys OF
other States, it is f. quently urged, and
TISSS7r-7.n- -nrumulgaied even in the leg
Ii,lslive halls, that :" ,,ce Tr55il9.c Is mol
merely the d .s9Ss"I incoRPsTen
icy on the part of those charged VIII
he execution Of the work, it - is of M
use 10 have a Geological Survey o
Mississippi; " and whereas, it has beer
satisfactorily shown that no mineral
are to be found in the State, Il surve!
had better be abandoned at once, e
save expense.
1t is my object, in submitting to yol
IL Ill ME h thaoa n
jections, and to explain to the people a
large, what | have bad the honor O
discussing with you personally, VIZ
The true causes of the defects ant
,hort-comings complained of; ant
moreover, to suggest the remedie
which aIe plainly indicated, not onl
by the consideration of the nature o
the case, but ais by experience in this
ard preceGents of other States. Hav
ing but recently entered upon the dis
charge Of the duties Of my office, AM
having been greatly imPedee in m.
progress in the field, by The want e
proper equipments, should have bu
few facts entirely new TO communicate
aud since even these would not b
teadily appreciated without entering in
TO a lengthy discussion of previou
observations, shall not for the presen
dwell upon them. Having, however
been previously connected with I'll
same work for sixteen months, and n
progress havi g been made during tn
interval, | may perhaps speak wit
! z ! 4 - g.t1. o,,l
wants; TO which il Is the chiefobject 4
his communication 20 call attention.
The Geological features of MississiI
ii are suLh as To exclude, according I
he cumulative evidence Of all oihe
countries, all chances of finding with
he limits Of the State any natural de
nnsits uf metallic minerals, with the eS
reptiou of iron ore. The latter a
houch widely diffused over the STATE
mas nowhere been found in sufiicier
quantities to justify the erection OF fuI
naces; not, at lea t, so long as they sha
have to enter into competition wit
hose Of adjoining States. where
,ome cases inexhaustib!e beds of or
nf first quality occur Immediately COZ
, tiguous to tie coal which is required
,melt them. Lead ore has been fr'
quenily found. il is true, but ALWAYS
isolated Jumps. obviously transporte
10 the spot 10y human agency, and Il
more indicative of mine undergrOun,
han an Indian arrow head plUughe
ID in a cornfield, is Of a deposit of fiir
! ,.ueaih the snil. As for the gold an
liver mines discovered broadcast IN e
Jpcially the northeastern counties
the State. they oil resolve themselv'
-iIher into mines Of the ore of coPpera
Or into intentional frauds. Any one
all familiar with geology aud minera
? "gy,wiIl no more look for metallic min
: ia the formations of Mississippi, than
whaler would hunt for whales in q
river whose name it shares. ExpeI
ence has in both cases, equally demo-
,trated the vanity Of such expectation
That Mississippi is entirely an agI
I cultural State" has been so often sal
n as almost to be a truism. 1t woul
nevertheless, seem to require turth'
y demonstration, with not few-il
same who imagine that all the meanir
!, and object Of Geological Survey is Il
discovery Of mines. Its most imPo
T. tant bearing, that on 0gricEitETe a.
: fhe arts Immediately connected t0tth a,
not very generally appreciated; al
still less is the fact, that the 5enet
which may be expected to accrue
= ose all-important branches OF industr
. through the agency OF work OF "a
kind, cannot, for the greater part, be
he allied until it shall have been csrri
" on, # not TO completion, at least to
very advanced stage Of progress.
ss Il is not Difficult, nistter To reco
nize a metallic ore; to determine
=, value, end the most successful mode
working u mine. is sometimes the We
of few minutes. But il is not so vi
or soil-, the ores from which the agric
iurist eTtrscts his precious mateIia
~ or with natural manuTes, which m
serve to sustain the fertility of his 81
While the useful minerals are comp
atively few and simple, soils are il
nitely varied, and their action on vel
m, tation exceedingly complex. The m
90 experienced eye is unable to jud
p%s % with certainty Of a quality Of soil
- mari, ar the sdspts dness of one to
ne prove the other, by the eye, or any
y. peT6cial examination alone. Moth
short of complete and careful chen
al ANALYSIS, and extensive comparisC