The eastern clarion. [volume] (Paulding, Miss.) 1837-1863, 1858-10-23
VOL. XXH.---NO. 2.

LIE &A[A - ~ o
in kind of stock which to their amsz
[, men;. has remained utterly uDprodu
. tive.
| would be easy to adduce many NOR
cases where the results Of the turvs
are Immediately available; while til
ultimate importance IS too manifest {
he questioned. Bot. taking it for gram
I'd thai sound policy in national econ
I my bids Us develup all the resource
IF State at the earliest period posi-
BILE; that a geological and egriculturs
survey is essential 10 the developmeu
f those resources; and that whe
made, it is necessary that it thould b
! iceH done To be Of use; then It remain
| TO be considered whether, taking int
account the area Of the State, the pro
vision at present existing for the execu
ton of this work, is adequate, and pro
poFtioned TO the amount of labor to b
performed; and whether its faiI,.r
hitherto to realize the expectations en-
tefained. nay not 10 a great exl klt b
to insdequacy in this resptct.
- conviction that this kpilur
sso-1s s6me 1,zGren. n.Ivs occurred,
under exiSting circumstances, even if
the survey had been in competent end
efficient hands all the while. And
add, this disappointment is very likely
TO continue, unless some further pro-
vision is made. more adequately com
mensurate with the magnitude of the
work.
The original Act. worded so as to
embrace in the geological aud agricul.
tural survey, botany and zoology, Tor
in other words, providing for a com
plete natural history of the State, al.
most in the terms of the Act providing
for the survey Of The State of New
York; made the Principal State Geo
logist, a Professor ofGeology ct the
University oc Mississippi. He was to
spend four months Of the year in the
field, himself while his Assistant was
to be engaged in the field survey con.
tinually, as far as the seasons permitted
And to carry into effect the provisions
OF this Act, an appropriation Of S3,-
600 per aunum. was made.
This arrangement was faulty in prin-
ciple, inasmuch as during tho first
years especially, it is indispensable that
the Principal should chiefly be in the
field himself; and it failed in practice.
The Principal being unable to exlricstc
himself from his cumulative University
duties. Besides, the subjects TO be en-
braced in the survey according to the
original plan, were too numerous by
far, to be successfully prosecuted sim
ullaneOusly with means so limited
Hence we find, in the interesting and
alb y written volume forming the First
Report, by Prof. B. l.. G. Wales,
geology occupying a subordinate posi-
tion, comparatively, among the subjects
treated Of.
Up to the accession to office of the
late State Geologis:, in 1854, no analyses
had been made in connection with the
survey, (simply because there was no
one to make Ihem,) and the data ron.
corning the general geology of the
State. were but very frsgmentary.
During the years lS54-55, the ar
rangemeut Just spoken of, continued in
force. In January 1856. however, the
Board Of ruEtees passed resolution
relieving the State Geologist Of any du.
ties as teacher in the University, in
order that h. might devote his whole
time to the prosecution of tho survey
w. to October 1856, Mr.. Harper
was without a field assistant. except for
a very shor( period; after that date,
and until hs'was removed by the Roardy
in Octobe( 1856, my elf held the ofl
fee Of Asl listant: aud from thai timd
forward, u6sI " Gtcss 1871, when the
Act dissolving the connection thus far
existing between the survey and the
University went into operatinn.) the
duties of the Office Of State GeoIogist
devolved upon me by order of the
Board of Trustees. From the expira-
ton of my term of Office until | was
appointed by yourself in March last,
the operations of the survey were
suspended; since the time during which
Mr.. Harper held the office alter bis re-
appointment by governor McRae, war
occupied by him in the publication of
his Report. al New York. BY the law
detachIng the survey from the Univer-
sity, the office of Assistant GeolOeist
was abolished; all the duties thence
forth devolving on the principal alone
In reviewing the results heretofore
ELECTED by the survey-prosecuted SO
| far, under circumstances so unfavora-
ble-it cannot but be matter Of regret,
that with the exception of my own field
notes, all the original records hereto
fore made, and used by the late State
Geologist in the compilation of his Re-
port, (boih his own and those OF his
predecessors have disappeared.
1t is too we'll known TO require discus.
sion, that however small may the cuali-
ications of the observer, be the record of
observations, written down on the spot,
is always of value; while in any case
| whatever, the preservation of this kind
Of records is of the utmost Importance,
SO long as any Investigations connected
with the subject arc in progress. Nor
can any report or theoretical discussion,
however complete, replace the original
/ record in this respect.
Concerning the report of the late
State Geologist. its merits as a scientif.
ic work have received no higher com
incubation at the hands Of the scientific
world, than its position in the scale OF
usefulness has entitled it to in public
opinion al home. 1t may be proper to
mention that although the facts relating
to the counties of Tippah, Tishomingo,
Pontotoc and ltawamba, together with
the diagrams ard maps illustrating
them, are almost exclusively derived
from my field notes of special survey
of those counties, my observations have
been perverted and misinterpreted tC
such an extent, that | am obliged TO dis
claim entirely any responsibility fol
the statements given, these having becI
made TO corr espond TO the precouceiv
ed ideas of the writer, rather than t'
facts. have tn disclaim likewise, tn,
Ll4neSiAl EnapagsS ihasA- -.AAHRes@ar -AUiPtel
have been enlarged from those accom-
psnying my field nnte7; not only hav,
some Of the lines been arbitrarily
changed from those laid down by my
self on the spot, but the enlarged scalt
exhibits n sPecious pretension to de
gree Of accuracy Aot attainablo unde
the circumstances.
In that part of the book in which tn
( materials gathered by myself hav,
, been made use of, truth and fiction a
so intricslely entsngled, that it is i'm
; possible to separate the two by an
, correction which could be briefly made
and it is a matter of conjecture wheth
er any other part &c the book is NOR
reliable than this. Yet this work
which must consider as entirely un
worthy Of confidence in all its parts.
! is all that we now possess to show wha
3 observations and results have bee
I heretofore obtained-exceptiug III
E matter contained in Prof Wales print
ed Report, aud my own own field notel
4 We have heard from various sourcel
o that the speedy completion of the sui
e vey might be confidently anticipated
f In reality, it is bit jsst begun. WhS
o has thus far been done--a very generS
geological reconnaissance of the Stat'