ɪn wˈʌn θˈaʊzənd ˈeɪthˈʌndɹɪd twˈɛnti θɹˈiː, wˌaɪl sˈɛkɹətɹi ʌvðə səsˈaɪəɾi fɚðə pɹəmˈoʊʃən ʌv jˈuːsfəl ˈɑːɹts spjˈuːæ, hiː fˈaʊndᵻd ðɪ ˈɔːlbəni laɪsˈiːəm ʌv nˈætʃɚɹəl hˈɪstɚɹi, wˌɪtʃ fˈoʊkəst ɔnðə pɹˌɛzɚvˈeɪʃən ʌv mˈɪnɚɹəl ænd bətˈænɪkəl spˈɛsɪmənz kəlˈɛktᵻd ɪn nˈuː jˈɔːɹk stˈeɪt sˈɜːveɪz.
In 1823, while secretary of the Society for the Promotion of Useful Arts (SPUA), he founded the Albany Lyceum of Natural History, which focused on the preservation of mineral and botanical specimens collected in New York state surveys.