Memoirs of John Adams Dix; comp. by his son, Morgan Dix.

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- EMOIRS OF JOHN ADAMS DIX.

cal survey of the State, which shall furnish a scientific and
perfect account of its rocks. soil; and mninerJg, ard of their
localities; a list of all its n;ical, botanical, and zoological productions, and prov. procuring and preserving
specimens of the same; tot r with an estimate of the expenses which may attend t}.osecution of the design, and of
the cost of publication of E dition of three thousand copies
of the report, drawings, am( ical map of the results."
Such were the large inst.is of the Legislature; and I
remember to this day the.ct produced on our household.
My father was delighted at che additional work thus thrown
on him, and particularly at its character; he began at once to
collect materials, and inform himself fully on the vast subject
committed to him. The house was soon flooded with books
on geology; Lyell, Mantell, and other authors appeared, and
we children used to wonder at the plates representing incomprehensible monsters (the Plesiosaurus, the Megatherium, the
Pterodactyl, and heaven knows what other shapes), which,
far more awful than any in the "Arabian Nights," confronted
us as we peeped into those mysterious volumes. The General
became an enthusiastic student of these works, and enlisted
the family for the same pursuit. lie entered into correspondence with the persons then looked up to as authorities
in physical science; he was knee-deep in rocks and minerals,
organic remains and alluvial detritus, and the treasure of the
animal and floral kingdoms. The result may be seen in his
report to the Legislature, dated January 6, 1836, and in the
subsequent appearance of that great work known as the
" Natural History of the State of New York." It was commenced in the year 1837, continued at intervals during a period of nearly a quarter of a century, and although, I believe,
not yet completed, already consists of 23 thick quartos, containing innumerable illustrations of the text. This work was
the substantial outcome of the report made by General Dix to
the Legislature of the State in response to their instructions
in 1835.