New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1857-08-19

animals and vegetables Of whose existence we have
no Knowledge but from their remains In The rocks,
has been generally, if not anniversary, que 20 great
commissions Of nature. This assumption which has 20
long prevailed Is now not merely doubted.it Is denied
by geoloRiss. Even in the small portion OF the earths
surface comprised by Great Britain there abundant
evidence Of the faacy Of this popular opinion. Where
great commissions have taken place the effect Of these
f. but local the real causes Of the loss Of many spe
ces of living animals and plants have been, from the
beginning, those great physical changes gong on
slowly for ages, elevating and submerging continents
which we have abundant evidence are s'iu In pro-
gTess. ,,
Prof DANA, spoke Of the great pleasure which he
had derived from the views expressed in this commu
pication.
Prof HITCHCOCK inquired if anyof these species
ran through the entire series
Mr. RAMSAY have not paid special attention to
this point but that species at least, the
lingua, does go. ,o.o
Prof HlrcHcocKs spoke of his visit to Wales in 1850,
and Of the evident marks Of glacial ction he had there
teen; afterward at the great scientific meeting at Glss
COW he had mentioned the glacial scratches to Dir.
Ramsay, and expressed his hope that when the geo.
logical survey of England was exteided to Wales, we
should have, Row have OF Switzerland, glacial
map Of Snowdonia.
Mr.. RAMSAY sad that he did not remember that
convention particularly, but that he had taken hint
from Prof. HitehcOcks map Of Massachusetts,, and had
marked the glacial scratches in Wales upon map pre-.
pared but not yet published.
Prof. GUYoT spoke of the necessity of general ex.
animation Of fossils, similar to what had thus been
done for those of Great Britain, snce local changes
may produce extraordinary changes in the deposits OF
apy particular place. He instanted Cape Cod on
one ride If which we have warmer water than on the
other and very different species OF fishes and other
animals Now, if Cape Cod should be cut off and the
temperature Of the water be equdized, new species
would almost Immediately take the places Of those
now existing. He took occasion to say that no
change in conditions can make anew species-ths
can only be the result Of q creative act-Only the
effect Of an exerton of divine power. However in
terestng and valuable the results OF Mr.. Ramsays
Investigations may be, still have little to
fear the loss of any Of our now recognized grand
periods OF change.
Prof Dawson closed the discussion, for the time,
by speaking eloquently Of the difficulties which the
geolcgst has to encounterfor instance that Of being
obliged to measure time by scale whose subdivis-
ions yet undetermined.
ETHNOLOGY.
The Rev. DR.. j. II. McILvAISE read paper on the
arrow. head inscriptions of Nineveb and the discov
cries of Messrs Layard and Botta. Tringusl tablets
had been found in Persian, Bsbylonian and Tartar.
1t was at first supposed that this last was the language
of the Medes. Still Strabo had said that the Modes
and Pertains spoke the same language aud it had since
been found that it was Tartar language rude in the
extreme. Its alphabet, or rather syllabsrum, was
composed Of 100 characters and it had the character
stic and double datve Of the Tartar languages
The language seemed to be meager; it required many
Persian iGioms in the translation; the Persian names
of months, numerals, and most proper names were
used, and the name of the great Persian Divinity,
Ormusd. was translated Ormusd the God Of the
Arian pc ope" He inferred from this that the people
were barbarous that they had no almanac, no itera
,ure and no system of notation and were of religion
entirely different from the Persiars.
The third, the Baby lonan language, was that OF a
Semitic PEOPLE There five dialects OF this, and
they opened fine field 10 the investigations OF Hebrew
scholars OF the FIRST the original Persian Grotefend
n lS02 discovered nearly one-thlrd OF the aPhaoe'
which had 80 letters and by subsequent discoveries
a tolerablv full alobabet was made out. But COL
Rawhnson the great dscoverer Of the language,
knew not what these were and beside had no kncwl-
edce of Sanscrit or even Of German. His problem
was far more difficult than that OF C Gl
Translation. and the wonder was that the
mystery of the hieroglyphics was not earlier solved
nv coinparipg two prominent inscriptions ne founo
recurrent names and by sort OF insP1ea sasIc
he tourd 10 correspond literally with the number OF
signs. Taking these as a basis he went on to dis
cover the power Of the other signs II then renaned
10 determine the meaning OF the words OF the lnscnp
tom Inv the sfnities Of the Sanscrit and the Zend
md The modern Persian. The Arrowhead language
was far the Sapscr than the Iend and Its al
6pitiss to the Ncda were. stronger than to later
Sapscrit Its grammatical structure was euch as to
be ur deIstood by q Sanscrt grammar. One third Of
its words were identical with the Sanscrt words, and
eight tenhs Of the remainder were discoverable from
Sanscrit afiintes.
Prof. LESLEY spoke on the chronological bearings Of
certain architectural forms. He referred to his idea Of
ancient religols symbols, that all represented the
ak the mountain and the food. lie found that the
dome and crescent Of Mohammedan architecture re-
presented the ark resting on the mountain. The
column. with its capital represented the same thing
The double peak Of Ararat was represented in the
double propyea, the double obsks, the double towers
of Epyttian, Indian and European civilization. He
thought therefore, that this form OF architecture was
oh ~ orth
Prot. HUGO REDS paper on a universal language
was then read Mr. Reid thinks that the English Ian
guage Theoretically spelled ought to take the place Of
all others.
Prof. HALprMAN said it very singular that all
writers on universal language LAID down such rules for
its selection as to adopG their own vernacular. But
the English was not pu De. Desdemona, for instance
wished that heaven had made her such man. Crit
les did not agree upon what she meant. He thought
Wekh was preferable on many accounts, which he
recounted.
Or. McIIvAIyE thought that the language of ma
ton the natural expression of its thought and life
al If nation were 10 adopt new language IL would
Iuin ITS development.
President ANDERSON thought an arbitrary language
would be as monstrous Mrs. Sheleys FrankeIstein
lie suggested that committee should be appointed to
report on the historical value OF Phlology.
Prof WILSON spoke Of the efforts toward phono-
typy which had been made in England and this coun-
try: no disspproved of them.
President Anderson, Prof. Haldeman and DIR. Nc
Iy aine appointed on The COMMITTEE suggested by
Pre- sident Anderson.
This afternoon the Local Committee offered the
mt bers of the association an opportunity of visiting
81. Helens Island, ferrisge free. The Notifications
were kindly thrown open by COL Munro of the Thirty.
ninth, and the visitors from the States examined the
Arsenal with peculiar interest. The band of the
Tbrty.ninth discoursed excellent music aud people
amused themselves with hapmerng the trap ntruded
into the conglomerate Of the Island walking in the
delightful shade of fine trees, loupging on heg grass
and discussing things ia general and refreshments at
the usual rates." Many did not go.