William Logan's 1850 history of the Geological Survey of Canada

William Logan wrote the first history of the Geological Survey of (the Prov ince) of Canada in 1850. It was published, anonymously, in a non-geological venue, Scobie's Canadian Almanac for the year 1851. Because of its publica tion venue, the "history" seems unknown to geological literature. In the hi story Logan presented a public case for the economic value of geological su rveys, to a political, commercial and public audience in Canada, while not appearing to meddle in the political process of the day. Included was a "Ca talogue of Economic Minerals of Canada" bearing Logan's name, and which he used to plan the successful Canadian contribution to the 1851 Industry Exhi bition, held in London. The history and the Catalogue texts, and their uses , show that Logan was a master in generating public awareness of the benefi ts of geological surveys in Canada, and of the economic potential of Canada 's mineral resources abroad.