Transcribe Ward, Henry A. Letter to Dewey, Chester (1856-03-31)

every summer for </u 60 > years) of the precise position of each rock in the Earth's crust he is eminently qualified for the determination of species. Please excuse me, Sir, that I have spoken so at length upon this subject. I may be mistaken, but it seems to me that we at home have paid too little attention to the proper determination of rocks & hence the so constant use of those terms, meaning nothing ( because the mean everything), of Sabiate, Sandstone, Trop, or Porphyry. I do not know how much use I shall have at home of my private lessons the past winter & a course of 40 lectures - all on rocks, but I am certainly glad to have studied them so thoroughly from the most complete collection in the world. I shall try to bring home a complete suit of ^rocks^ determined by Mr. Cordier if you think it desirable. The Professor clings with great tenacity to many ideas which little accrue with the views of most French geologists on which account he does not receive the regard which seems to be due him. Mr. Elie de Beaumont is just finishing his course of lectures at the School of Mines. I have attend- ed a portion of them. It is really wonderful to find united in the same person a capacity for such great conclusions & such minute