The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1856-08-31
American Association for the Advanccmept
Of Science.
new YORK HARBOR ENcROAcHMENrS
Description OF the Country adjacent to the
Boundary Of Mexico and the United States.
valuable Reports on Prussian Mortality, the Lost
Planet between Mars and Jupiter, Petrifactions,
viviparity and Oviparity and Ethnology
INAUGURATION OF THE STATE GEOLOGICAL HALL.
&c., &c, &c.
Our Special Correspondence.

Yesterday was q busy day. Four sections were d
session. that on physic having bdvided ITSELF in orde,
to get through the business before it, But as on III,
former days, the most popular section was that whcr,
professor Agassiz holds forth II is to wonderful
sight to SEQ there ladies, many of them young and ev
IDENTIFY not lost 70 frivolous considerations dress and
good looks who flock to hear the exceedingly absruse
and philosophical discussions which take place in the
| section Of Ethnology and Zoology II they under
stand twentieth part Of what Is going on the stand
ard Of female education must be very high In Albany
and can recommend the place to fathers with dagh.
ters. had asked myself the question, day oe
two since, when saw the bar Of the Senate ChamboV
where the physical section meets, lined with pretty
faces but inquiry, found ths Professor Bache u
prodisous avore will ihe fair and that the ladies
went there on his account.
spRITrArisM.
The only incident worthy Of special notice in the pro-
ceedngs Of the session yesterday morning
the motion Of Prof Hare TO be hezrd spirtaasm Ths
old gentleman put the very rcaiy. II, said he you
exclude the subject because you consider trenches On
religion then you confessed spr.sralsts: and you
not confessed syiruass, you believe that the
phenomena physical. end therefore fall properly
within the scope OF year association Prof Pierce met
this with another dilemma. II, said he she phenomoaa
spiritual have nothing to do with them; saA
they not spiritual shey must be egeraeman which
is also without sphers. You perceive that this
gument Prof. Pierce begged the question He denied
that there any physical phenomena, save what
were due to charatanism while the very gss Of the
Rument OF Dr. Hare was TO the existence OF actual
bona fde phenomena Strange TO say no rose there
TO expose this faacious position OF the great mAths-
matician. Professor Mitchell OF Cincinnati, proposed
to give Profef Hare hour in respect to his gray
hairs; and Prof Davies of West Point, made
place speech against the introduction Of exciting DO ,ulax
topics into the association. But fairly poor
Dr. HaIes aide; AMI when the question put o.
Mtcheii's motion, IT was lost by large ma aority.
W,
ciatioa In thus savng OF Prof Hare snguarly II.
have doubt that the bulk not all Of those who make
living by conversing with the spirits, knayes, whs
commit conscious fraud But II Is not at all clear thAs
all the physical phenomena which ha witnessed in
connection with sprtuaism the work OF imp ,sture
The facts enumerated by Reichenback in his work Tho
odic force are unexplained There numbers OF po-
sors Of the highest respecabity who have themselves
panins en- the kn ,wn principles Of dynscs
On what ground do Pref Pierce aud tho association
sume without evidence that these cts AMI these phs-
nomena have existerceY win go further. If there
evidence whatever OF the existence OF these phe-
nomera but the word OF Or. Hare, ! think his cha
reht 70 have earned for his assertion suceot
credit 10 warrant an investigation Granted that the
chances are that he allowed himself to be deiudad
/, many instances; granted taat there prospect u
n tedious and troublesome inquiry hold sllll that 10
was the duty OF tue 10 make thai nqury and
bring that degson full into public view. When the
word Of spiritual manifestations crossed the Atlantic and
reached the Of the late Francois Arago bis first
cl,mation was, "Bdt what do Sinan and Dana say of
this - The answer very simple They had never
inquired INTO the matter, never noticed IL The learned
busy In finding out what happened twenty thousand
before Adam came that they had no time " tn
vcstgnte the phenomeua OF their day. And that in
vcs,gation has never yet been made Al this moment
rhcnomepa which bgrdreds Of thousands believe 10 have
existed ana 70 exist remain wholly unsxplaned; tnos-
nation tfe point believe that they surrounied by
spirits; and scores scores Of these deudcd people
cvery year culninaie in an insane asylum
Far be from TO disparage the invaluable s5ors a
the Association for the Advancement OF Science do nct
know useful body In the world But when think Of
the fatal consequences OF spitualsm, when how
many excellent persons oong away their minds In the
regret deeply that The only body in
try whose voice would have bad authoritative weight on
any consideration. And, further when hear such
as Professor Davies moving 10 crush II out with such
speeobes R the one hc made yesterday AN i'm peed 10
the conviction that the which operated many
minds 10 lead them 10 the conclusion that has been
rived at wa absolute fear Of the subject.
In TIC course Of the debate very unpleasant incident
occurred Dr. Wnslow, member, the author OF
the papers volcanoes which you have published
ana moved that frof Uares committee meet In insane
asylum EN- atisnsd thai Dr. Winsow made the mo-
ion IN ignorance OF Prof Haes character age and
vices. Perhaps he Gid not see hm. he
sitting a long way behind him, and may have
supposed that some Indifferent person uovag In the
bringing Professor Agassz 70 bis feet Like tiger He
scarlet with indignation, and almost inaruculste; but
the few words that he shouted sent such thrill q every
heart that the whole house rarg with applause and Dr.
Winslow like gentleman, directly 10 Apologies
You may fancy how Agassz is loved by every Que.
lie SPOKE three papers 70 day one copcusicn o.
hs paper animal develops meDt essay the ono
celcd animals; second, oviparity and viyir,rty
third, animal classification. in the nrst, he Iaher
throws doubts on the theories which claim for certain
lfuscTia the title Of one celed animals for the SIM
pc reason that net proven that ese1-aoria are
snims and not vegetables but the other hsnd aev
of the egg resolve themselves certain stage of their
devrlcrt ment begins circulate through the yo the
tmbryo and back again, he argues that n fact. the
yolk bag containing tho embryo thus far developed
Is one cclltd animal The second paper had
| for lie object the demonstration of the fai-
the peculiar mode In which the femases awe brth
10 their yourg. The least reflection wi recall
AMI natural history which you have read animals we're
classified as egg laying or cub beang; ana that broad
which lay teg. 70 be hatched either by the anms head
q the feal. or by the sun, andsthose which. Ike ma
malta, give birth TO the young fully developei The
Professor demonstrated that these accidental,
mmatcrisl differences, which no sound classheatioa
could be based lie showed that some families in one
analogous were cub bearing snd aggregation Of
all the egg bearing creatures into one ca would involve
| csrtan snakes and birds This communication pa yed the
| way for tho one animal classification, In which the
prevang 81 stems animal classification charged them
and 20 utterly annihilaed them, that he hardly len
paes The words order cIsss, family ren1s speolss'
| a. convertible terms. sometimes one " the greater
sometimes smother orders sometimes include classes
| such divisions made based upon the arbitrary
fancy Of each naturalist The P pointed on, thai
cuver, who has himself erred p this respect has how.
ever laid down the true principle which ought govern
animal divisions and that principle h that the hst dvi-
sion should be based, not The structure but the
plan OF structure-the keynote, as he phrssed twhch
Indicated tho principle that dominated the orranzsson
Of the creature. The next division this should
based on the manner In which this plan carried out;
animals in which the plan was developed rudey sim-
ply forming lower division, those whose organization
| was more complicated ranking In higher divisions. Form
and habits the bass for the next SUB DIVISION and
by form he such details claws and beak IN
birds Ems and tail In fishes, fingers, head &c, In rep
| tiles and 30
am that these papers Of Professor Agassy may
prove entertaining reading 20 persons who are wholly
ignorant Of natural history and who care nothing about
H. II must be borne IN mind too, that no speaks noe
70 college OF students, whose capacities require the
elementary treatment Of the subject but 10 the very men
OF ali others In This country who the npcent