New-York daily tribune., 1856-08-30
AMERICAN ASSOCIATION FOR TIE AD-
VANCEMENT OF SCIENCE.
SESSION OE larS
SESSION OF $3.50.
Fn.u Oar Own Reporters.
SEVENTH DAY-AFTERNOON SESSION
ALBANY, Wednesday, Aug q.

SEVENTH DAY-AFTERNOON SESSION
ALBANY, Wednesday, Aug. q,
rx.rGuRATIOs OF GEOLOGICAL HAIL.
A., m early hour IN the afternoon the street, ,b1g,
the Park were alive with throrg Of aides, and heOre
half ast there was an immense crowd seated npOn
cbairs on a platform level with the ground Me Lbers
destitute of scies together with the pccu-
MED an elevated platform to the east. The tes as
Adorned with fags bearing the names of the sciences
apd the Press, the most prominent position beng
given 10 the latter.
TheHon G. Y. LASsIsG, as the organ ofthe Regerts.
;rtroduced Prof Louis AGAssIZ who thus began.
LADIES AID GEsTLEsEs: We are here assembled
70 ipsueurate the Geological Hail. buioing which
ss grown out OF the Geological Survey Of the state of
New York. You are aware that addresses were
n, cted ~ il has been announced from distinguished
S.nator Of this STATE and from the Hon. f. C. Gray. The
one has bee prevented hom appearing by his public
du.ies the other is confined at ZONE by severe i'll
pe,s. deeply regret the Circumstance that viii pre-
vent ou Fl "a heariIg my friend Gay, lover of sci
er ce and devoted to lis cause as warmly as any |
have ever known. When it discovered that these
gentlemen could not appear, appeals have been m4de
10 several gentlemen supply their place, but without
success Ard not before was asked, the night before
last had any expectation OF being called upon to speak
here today 1appear without preparation come, the
most unfit Of all men, perhaps, who are present to
sneak on an occasion when you will expect az address
OF finished style, OF eloquent words, and OF nch aud
appropriate imagery; but come because fwould
snehk in behalf Of our Association upon the induce
ments there for men in the community at large TO
foster science to patronize such Institution this to
ssy that they consider this Inauguration as an important
step in the progress OF the sciences 10 th1 state aud
beyopg the limits of this State 10 give their testimony
10 The value of the results which have been obtained
in the geological survey of New YORK. The geolo-
pists of that state bave contributed new nomencla
TUE to geological science they have extended ~
Influences TO other States ard 10 other realms. In
future no man can record augh. of his Observ sOns
without referring to the state Geological Survey OF
NewYork And yet all that has been done in the col
ltcion ard classification of specimens Is locked up IN
private houses where delicacy of feeling may keep
aw ay Investigators. They ought 10 be open to all stu
d,lts ina ball Ike this which we to-day inaugurate,
where al who are Interested can see and study them.
Even now, geoogists when they come from Europe,
ask on andirg, Which is the way to Albany Loud
appausel. That collection shall become the st tandard
for the determination Of the fossils Of the older strata
of our globe. He had thought that this would be an
appropriate opportunity to gay, What are the ten.
dencies Of our Investigations where;do they lead to
In former ages thought OF themselves; they scru-
tnized their minds and their schools OF philoso'
ply aIose from this natural course OF things. The
mcst general phenomena of Nature next claimed their
attention, and it only in later yeas tina. animals
and plants lad become the objects OF investigation.
The latest study was the moet profitable. Nature, as
Whole, exhibited one system which was lntelgible
TO man. and in this ntele ,tua connection between all
latural phenomenal, enabled a. once 10 recog-
uize that Nature could be the work only OF lntel-
gence, ouly of Mind, ony OF an Individual Goa lie
would cal attention to some features e1hloHed Dy the
| u
where there was diversity among organized beings
tyelywhere too we found or anc types which were
Identical Everywhere it WAS evident that organized
beirgs had beer ordained according to plan whch
We mig ht trace in the animal and IN the vegetable
| kingdoms alike. Ia the relations between animals
aLd plants, ard their geographical dktrlbuton upon
| our globe, everywhere found that the connecting
ink between the facts viii ib observed indie Al ID
intellectual conIeotioD Prof Agasslz then drew toe
| am and hand of and tue pectoSal mn OF hsh
ard showed that the same bones exls.s In each in
the same relations to each other, the proportions only
bcIg different. Lat structure was exhibited IN the
| anterior limbs of all animals which had baek-bones.
In fibes it was ip in reptiles 1t was ca~ in BIRDS
IT was wing, In quaCrupeds leg and foOt, ana In
men al arm and hand. Between the fish and the bird
| there seemed to be nothing in common the general
iOrm exhibited no similarity But they had the same
back. bone, with the lame appeniages incosipg the
same cavities above and below it, ali surrounded by a
covering of flesh. Prot. Agsssiz illustrated, on the
black board this and the other three types OF aumae
nature. On these four tunes Divinity had displayed
all the haimonies Of life Loud applause. lie would
| lcok at some more special structure: lhere was
| a fan lily Of lizards the members OF which differed
chiefly the number Of their legs and toes Some OF
them had four legs, some of them fore legs only
soms Of them hind legs only, and some no legs
! n. all Some of them had five toes each foot, some
of them toes all together al !cir iee an there
were lizards all the way between. When all these
animals brought together, it was very evident
that they formed series. Prof Agassz went through
all poss BILE combir aors of oes showing how limited
the habitat Of each, anc that the whole word was
Iecessary 10 make up the seies. Some combinations
were peculiar TO New.Holland, Others 10 the West In
dits others to South Africa others to Sou Anerlc ;,
and one as found only in the Philippine Islands. Here
WAS system of structure represented by animals
found in the most different parts of the world here
We had evidence of the omnipresence OF the Mind
capable Of creating of originating at these distant
iLterv8s animals connected with one 6notneri our
intellect mon eLt comprehended the system AMI
mails arranged in series identical with the stages
| of development of the highest Among artculated
animals, for instance We had division INTO insects,
cIustaces, and worms Worms were divided into
succession of rings each differing but Little rom the
rest. In the crustacea we found body divided lLto
two regions and apper dages attached t. these. SIN
further on in nsects We have bodies divided INTO three
regions, with wings and legs attached. young insect
when l. was hatched from the egg, was ca.erpliaf'
worm. When the worm had grown TO certain
size, it passed into another form, the pups.
| APPENDICES grow; the pupa is crustacean. Oae
siege it casts off its skim and by aight change
the whole is brought out and the crustaecan becomes
an insect Professor Agassiz built pupa from the
caterpillar on the blackboard, and by slight change
made the pupa into an ins ect, amid oud app ause
We had bee, he said, those differences ot structure
which ersbled to divide srticulata in worms cruz
tacea and irsec's Let US look at tho animal from an
other poiIt Of view. Wehsd viewed d. undergoing
certain charges in i's ievelo ~ 49, They remembered
that sbIn ale now H'fgwtit co.! i il't u the seiIes
cf creation. The animals o pas aoes were n9t whai
our al lmals were, am - a. pi ds they had uHe eo
rom the pecediI and from the following PERIODS DIt
! hey were mtned in the manner IN which We sd"
hem con bintc tt present. In crustacea we iouhu
hat the lowest forms had very little difference ana az
got higher and hie cher found greater aud gester
clfiererce between the forms The sans change wa
TO be in the egg Of the crab in its development
We knew that there had been crab.lke animals a. al
periods in which there had been any animals q! a..
In the lowest strata they were trilobtes In later
archaeological periods we found lobster shaped an
mas and Letter sill crabs. Professor Agsssiz Drew
these imsl. If we took the egg of the crab 10 so
early stage, should frd in the yok the form oil tns
trbite, at later stage something ike crap, ana
| rrtnld anaa .ISSaa..d In q few weeks