Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1867-08-30
SECOND DAT-ToRESoOS.

1t Prof. Loyering's apparatus on Thursday.
e Adjourned to Thursday at 10 4. "
y SECOND DAY-FoRESoOS.
e The morning session began at half past Il
= O'Clock. and proceeded to the transaction of b
9 siness, before reading the papers which had be-
o assigned to the forenoon.
I On motion it was voted that special meetir
: be held in the Court House this evening at
quarter before eight for the purpose of wltnessin
Prof Lovering's experiments illustrating th
Optical Method Of studying Sound.
A number Of gentlemen who had been recon
mended by the Executive Committee for mem
bership in the Association, were elected in
body, and resolution was passed raising tn
admission fec TO the sum Of FIVE dollars.
A. invitation was also received from the Di
rectoFs the Champlain Transportation COmpa
ny, and accepted by the Association. to take 81
excursion on Lake Champlain on saturda.
next.
motion was passed to adjourn the genera
session at twelve O'Clock and So allow time fol
the needed organization Of the sections. preli-
minsry to their meeting at half past two.
The Association then listened to remarks By
Mr.. E. B. Elliott, of Washington, D. c., n,the
Relative Value Of Gold and Silver for series Of
years. Mr.. E. spoke Of the different proportions
Of alloy in the coinsge Of the various govern
ments, and the desirableness Of agreeing upon q
uniform weight and a common degree Of fine
ness. The relative value Of gold and silver had
also changed from time to time The huctua-
;ions Of this ratio from 1871 to the present
time were illustrated by a diagram upon the
board, in which the influence Of the great influx
Of gold from California and other sources during
the last twenty years, was very clearly exhi-
bitel
The methods BY which the French have at
tempted to readjust their system Of coinage, and
adapt it to the present relative market values
Of gold and silver were detailed at some length,
as also the plan proposed for sssimilating our
currency to that of France for the purpose Of
securing a uniform international meiiun Of ex-
change. Mr. I. also told II what way, By
sigh; change Of our present system Of coinage,
a metrical system might be arrived st, superior
IN some respects TO that Of the French The
beginnings Of such metrieal system N our
new issues Of lickel coin were also briefly a.
luI,i to.
Remarks were also made On the same subject
y PROS Csswell, Hlgari, whiitlesey snl New
berry. The latter called special attention to the
fact rll, the goli-bearng districts Of the United
Sa,ez were far more extensive than those pre-
dgciu- silver.
IN reply 70 questions M Elliot, further sail
that our Congress hal taken such legislation as
rendered the use Of the me;rical system Of
weights and measures permissible IL the max
ing oi contracts. England had taken similar
action, and in some Of the countries Of Europe
it vas fully legalizei.
TIE next paper Was presented tT Prof. James
H4l, aul vas OF the Geological Relations Of the .
Niastoion and Fossil Elephant Of North Amer
lea. Prof Hall illustrated the geological form /
stions in which the remains Of the Masioion .
occur, BY the use Of diagrams, ami stated that 4
they we're almos, uniformly fani in depres-
sious, underneath layers Of peat, mari and clay,
but generally above the gravel. The recent .
discovery Of some remains Of this snimal st
Cohoes, y. Y, was then discussed. The bones
Of the Mastcdcn found near the Geaessee aud .
Niagara rivers embedded in gravel had been
TO have been moved to those localities .
by the waters, from swamps along the line Of .
their course, At Cohoes these remains we're
found beside the bed Of the river IL large pot
hole y depression worn in the solid rock. 4 Jaw .
Eas fund in the midst ofpeaty matter containing
trunks Of trees, beaver gnawei wood, cones Of .
pine snd hemlock. seeds Of grape, sc. Twenty .
I've ieet lower down were found very many Of .
the yertebral and other bones, packed in peaty .
muck with pebbles from various localities. Ac- /
cording TO the usuAl theory, the animal must I
have been swept down the river and stranded at
this point. Mr.. Hall, however, preferred to
think that it had been transported il glacier
which had formerly filed this valley, and that .
the peculiar circumstances in which these .
remains occurred necessita;ed the giving ~ Of F.
the old view. In his opinion, if We understood .
him rightly, the pOtholes were produced, and .
the skeleton Of the Msstodon transported thither,
By the same agency, namely, tina, Of glacier. .
At the conclusion Of Professor H's paper came /
the time at which it had been agreed to adjourn, /
but great interest being felt in the subject and .
Others connected with it, the order adopted this .
N ming was so far departed from as to give an
sd .ionsl half hour for discussion, which was
oc,r pied by Messrs. Hosfori, Hall, Marsh, Chit .
te. IN and others. One gentleman mentioned .
b.. places in which the bones Of the mastodon .
had been found, and inferred from the geolog I
cal nature Of their surroundings that the masio- .
don dated back 70 time much more remote F.
than that Of the glaciers,
Another was Of opinion that the msstodon had
existed before, during, and since the glacial
period, and cited facts from the geology Of Ohio
which went 10 corroborate his view, The fact
that skeletons were found entire and unmu,:-
lated went to show that they had continued to
very late geological period.
Prin. Dawson regretted in this case to differ
from Prof Hall, with whom almost always be WAS
happy to agree. He was unable to believe in
the theory Of glaciers in America Glaciers
were not needed to sccoun; for pOtholes, and he
could not see Why a mastOiOn should be led to
explore glacier a, all, for food or sEy ether
purpose.
Mr. Hagar had the floor for a few minutes,
after which Prot Hall made further remarks ex-
plAnatOry Of his views, saying that bis object
was SIMPLY to bring forward the special facts Of
this case, which to his mind presented eoBdi-
tions which the received view was insufficient to
account for. He had no theories which did not
sit so loosely on him that he could not change
them, if the facts should seem to render it neces-
sarv