Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1817-09-23
LYcEuM OF NArrnAL HISTORY.

Sitting Of Jhiy2i.
| DIR. Nitchiil, President OF the Society, pre-
| sen,ed a letter which he had received, from
Miinam l.. Stone, Esq Editor OF the Albany
! Daily Advertiser, containing an interesting de-
, scnptlon OF the Fails OF Salmon river, in the
| state OF New York.
DR., Siitchil displayed 70 the Society the skin
and fleece oitie jthite ~ I'D Sheep, of the Rocky
Mountains. He acknowledged himSeifIndebt-
| ed TO John Jacob Aston, Esq. for this fine Spe-
c'men OF "A North american quadruped, which
i noticed by Lewis and Ord, but which has nat
hitherto been described by systematic natural
lists.
The President also presented a prepared spe-
cimen of the BdRiS IttraGactytus. or Scaly LIZ.
ard of Guinea, from Capt. Cahoone, Of the
Revenue Cutter.
He also laid on tic table piece of native
copper, taken from the great mass, Is feet in
circumference, lying IN the channel of the ri
yer Onautanasan, which falls into the south
side or Lake Superi0r-a donation from Fran
els lie Baron, Esq. Apothechry General OF the
u. States.
DR., Mitchill also offered 10 the Lyceum a
model in Gypsum, ofan elephants tooth, found
by digging on the east side OF Chesapeake
Bay 10 Maryland. The cast was executed bv
Henry Hayden, Esq. of Baltimore, from the
original in ms own collection. IL was remark
ed that this grinder was OF an extraordinary
size, and different from that OF The American
fossil elephant, having an exact resemblance
TO the African species.
Dr.. Mitchill further presented box of West
lndla seeds, containing upwards OF 80 species,
offered by Mr.. Dencker, of the Danish Island
OF ST. Thomas.
Specimens of Zoophytes, Petrefactions, Car.
Donate of lead, and other minerals, were pre-
sented by DIR. d. Akerly.
Specimens of Ztrcon from New-Jersey were
also offered by Mr.. Conrad, of Philadelphia,
through the medium OF the Curators of the
Lyceum.
Benjamin p. Nissan, NJ. d. delivered lee
ture introductory TO his course on OrniIho-
logy
III. Bigelow, Esq. read paper containing
some facts in relation 10 the locusts Of Ame-i
ca, communicated to him BY Charles O. Oial-
stead, Esq. of Buffalo, and ID. Brush, Esq. Of
this city.
DR.. S. Akerly, in the name of DR.. Roosevelt
Graves, assistant street commissioner, present
{ d aprepared specimen OF the Lacerta alligator
of Lnnaus.
In the absence of the President, Mir. Bau.
dome, in his behalf, read to the society d memoir
Written by tie ingenious William Darbey, Esq
author OF the map and explanatory volume of
Louisiana, concerning the probable revolution
Ot ourplanet 1T some very remote former time
on different axis from that on ~hichit turns
atpresent. Together with tie memoir, was
shown proie ctiOn of the sphere with IKE ax-
is varying l5o from the actual one at this day
and OF course with the Equator and Tropics
declined Just as many degrees from the poSiti-
onS they now occupy. This deneation forms
a very curious picture OF the terraQueous ~Io be
request OF DIR. MItchili, as sort of test to the
hypothesis that the ancient Poles and Equator
were very different from those which the world
exhibits at this modern period Aud. indeed
1t applies so admirably to explain difficulties in
Geology, snch as the fossil remains of plants
and animals the derilictou by water of some
continents as the United States and Europe for
eXample tie submersiOn of others rs the
great tantis; and withal helps the Geognos-
tic inquirer so convenientlyaloug, where moth
Ing else assists him, that il may almost be con-
sidered theory derived ilcnl facts by regular
induction. The supposed oil equiuoctiai line
passes through the Atlantic ocean to The s f..
of the United States, and cuts Ireland and Eng
land about in their middle.
Sitting Of Augsst 4.
DIR. S. Akerly presented specimens Of iron
ore from Morris county, New jersey, which is
used at the iron works of alderman MQueen
OF this city. Ii IS brittle and somewhat granu-
lar and of that Kind of refractory ore called
cold short. 1t is hest adapted to make ps /.
ron; castings from this are often porous and
spongy. DR.. A. suggested that it vas proba-
bly, phosphOTet of IRON.
MIR. TOrTey the lecturer on Entomology, re-
ported that the insect presented at Il late meet
ing, by Mr.. BigeIOw, Z" is the Clgcalio InDeria-
HSOf Linu9us. The character of the genus is
10 have a prominent horny snOut with clRb-
shaped antennR situated upon it, The species
IS distlnguished by tile following characters
wing sheatlis black, with elevated STRIFE, and
spotted with golden green, base OF the body
SlDDOuS anu pointed. ADDhDltSSOuth America.
Six hundred species of CHrculio are enumera-
ted in the late edition of Linn@us"
Mr.. kueyeis offered number of beautiful
Stalactiies from a cave in the Bahama Isles
presented by James Walton, Esq
Mr.. DandOulne presented in the name of j.
Ct. BOgert, Esq. a large and fine specimen Ofthe
saw of the SYtajus Pristis.
Z. $. Rafnesque, Esq. read a communications
containing catalogue of plants, found by him
self near Flatbush, l.. /.
The Reverend MIR. Schaeffer presented
silicions petrefaction from the AliegliaDy
mountains.
The President offered to the Society several
publications in the German tongue from Ham
burg and Bremen, on the Elbe evincing that
their learned authors, professor Bbeling and
DIR. j. Albers were acluated by a spirit most
friendly TO the American name aud charac ter.
Among these psnted essays arc the following I:
the history Of the New-YOrk Institution, very
circumStlitialiy written, with tiie nam of the
! petitioners for the grant, and OF the committee
! OF the corporation VINO agreed TO it, lin the
| HambErgIsche Address Comptour Nachricl,-
den ~ JuliiiSi0 2. Audbstraci Of The 10th vol.
| OF the Medical Repository exhibiting parti-
cular view ofthe alters con- aimed in that New
| YORK publicatiouIiD The mediciniscl ChruVgis.
| che Ieiiung of Saltsburgh, fol- 20 Feb7 ,ITSI.)3.
| a review ofW Barton sdiscOurse before then
dical Societyof Philadelphia, Ou the late distin-
| gnishPd professor I}euiaRiiu Smith Barton lin
| tic same Jouruai.) &. \ file Of German news
| papers, containing articles Of intelligence and
literature and science Ofthe United States; and
| TO gave ~ a direct circulation through the cx.
| teusiSe Kingdoms and states where the German
| tOgguc is IN use.
DR.. MitcdIl presented, ut the request OF
| Reuben Haiues, Esq. The third number Of the