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Sir William Logan 1798 - 1875 Logan - Links
In Sir William Logan and the Geological Survey of Canada, Dr. Robert Bell describes
how the Survey's founder was often taken for a lunatic because of his peculiar appearance
and odd behaviour. Once, when performing field work in the Gaspé Peninsula, Bell
writes, "It was remarked 'he carries a hammer and pounds the rocks, like an idiot.'"
The local authorities decided to send him to the Beauport Lunatic Asylum. "His long zigzag
walks on the beach convinced them that he was not only hopelessly demented, but was
rapidly getting worse, so while he was in the act of making one of his slants across
the measures, he was seized by two men", Bell writes. Fortunately, Logan quickly
explained his strange behaviour and was allowed to carry on with his work.
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