Excerpt from Annual Report of the Geologist of Maryland, 1840 In prosecuting the Survey, it was soon discovered, that by introducing into the yearly Reports, (required at first only to indicate the progress of the work, ) all such information as might be made immediately available, their interest and usefulness would be greatly enhanced. This has been acknowledged in all quarters. But the original intention of making them subservient only to a more elaborate production, has never been abandoned. The Geologist would not consider, however useful he might have been, incidentally, to his fellow-citizens, that he had performed his duty to the Stale, (the pioneer in this sort of researches, ) and advanced her scientific reputation or his own, by offering, either at home or abroad, a series of unconnected documents as illustrating, in a satisfactory manner, her geology, as well as mineral and agricultural riches. Many of the other States of the Union, following the example of Maryland - who was the first to combine an agricultural with a geological survey - have even gone farther, and appointed scientific gentlemen to collect materials to illustrate all the branches of the Natural History of their Territories. All those that have ordered Surveys, look to the final Reports of their officers, as important contributions to the cause of science, and calculate upon their zeal, skill and ambition, to make them worthy of the State. It is to be hoped, that Maryland will not retreat from her vantage ground. The State Geologists, moreover, in view of the period when all the facts, that they may be enabled to bring to light, will be collected into one great system of American Geology, have agreed upon annual conferences, at which it is equally important that our State should be represented. These remarks are made to show, that although full time may be found, in the course of the present year, to examine the few spots that remain unexplored, for practical purposes, and that, consequently, the Survey will have virtually ended with the year; still, it is hardly to be expected, that the Geologist can, within that period, collect his materials into such a form as will prove most useful to the State, or creditable to himself. 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.