New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1868-09-01
NATIONAL ACADEMY or SCIENCE.
THIRD DAY-THE FAMOUS HUMAN SKULL FROM
CALIFORNIA-THE TREES OF CALIFORNIA
Y IEROM DIR SPECIAL CORRKSPONDENTI

HTTtnWH0Ct,
Academy, is unusually large for Summer session. MOST
OF the members are at the Round Hin House. AT 10
o'clock the Academy assembled. Prof. u u halsh ol
Yale College was introduced as an invited guest PoI
J. d. Whitney Of the California deoioglca 3TY syS IN
Calaveras County, Cal. the 18th OF June, 1865 DE-
VIM. Jones Of Calayeras County cal, gehtGna s %
doubted veTacity wrote to the state Geoioelca o Ny
that he has In his possession human Skull ol nun!
type found at great depth beneath inc surface D u 81 t9
is preserved The frontal bones are entire In, Inc
Prof. Whitney exhibited q pnOtogr tP his hand"
skull it appeared when IL came INTO ms hhh h1i
Almost all traces Of teeth were gone; the skull
must therefore have belonged to very ola person
few bones, namely, tOrsal bone, were lounu WIN IT.
and I'm all probability belonged to the owner OF inc sku
the original owner We have no suihcieht ioash
for suppOsng that the skull is representative OF an eN
tnct race The skull presents no signs OF belonging 10
race inferior 10 that which nhabits California IN
far it differs, II approaches the tsqumaux gpe
September, 1864 Prof Whitney announced through iH
Journal Of Science that ample evidence hau Deel, lo ~
the existence OF man IN California cOtompOraheOuS WIN
pected and Mr.. Remond, Prof Whitney nsSis'i ana he
Prof Whitney himself came independently 70 HACu pe
unprecedented testimony in California because miners
have no idea of the ultimate use 70 which their evidence
is TO be Put 1t talk TO the BIOLOGISTS or Europe
OF a pleiOCene man. account OF recent discoveries
there AS proof Of the OF man ana
mastOdOn IN California, independent OF the ehuI' IVI
Whitney exhibited human implements from some rOcks
prof BreweT read paper on the redistribution of the
forest vegetation west Of the Rocky mountains III we
consider California alone there are no true forests except
the wst side Of the mountains This theory ne mus
raed the map. None Of these forests are OF decau
When such trees are found they are scattered
like apple trees II In groups they make an lhcnhspCu
feature Of the landscape California mas no Deec no
brch hickory The oaks rarely make forests iney
are scattered INTO little parks. The forests are cheny
cOne-bearing trees The oaks are some OF them ever
green and some Of them desiduous. The oaks OF oIer
soil arc very much poorer. But when we come 70 me
soft woods fluid some OF the nost timber In the Woriu
Only two common trees OF California aspen ana S0t"1 t
and feet in diameter, do not seem large there frO
Brewer measured tree which fell was 10 rect
long q "A 8 inches IL
burned off, and there hardly bend IN the whole
length The whole aspect Of the foliage Of these trees IS
indCscrbaby grand. The forests extend mp the noun
tans very far and there Is scattered growth far beyond
the forests Very fine grow TO or feet In diane
ter I'm places where freezes almost every night I'm the
year Above 80 species OF e0nge0 have been deScIDed
In California and the most striking fact about them IS
the limitation Of their growth TO very small district
The SeduOias g Trees Of California; are limited 10 GER
tain localities; II Is with the smaller plants OF tke
coast The country has been rasack0d 10y OOosts ana
yet many species remain that are purely local hnd
In California $50 Indigenous species; OF tnese5 are con
fined TO States west of the Rocky Mountains, The
largest which Prof Brewer measured was 40 feet III
diameter four OF i've feet from tee ground these trees
rise 10 ght OF 400 feet without branch, then break
out into the denses foliage Beneath these ihere rs almost
an oppressive stiffness PrOl Brewer toid stoIy OF
who was wholly engaged In an enterprise 80 get
feet beam and 100 feet long with measurement OF a5
tuns He intends To load 1t with California curiosites
seGuoas or Big Trees" tho Professor The
have told again and again that the of these
story especially told Is l2O0 300 years old. Their
hight was first put at $50 feet but IN certain grove tho
ence To cut down one Of these big trees cost 500 IN
gold. Ii bored of with augers, and was losing
Speculation The first actual count Of rings in the trunk
that can find was BY one John Kelley ana ne called II
three and l245 made on tree by two men Prof
Whitney counted the rings on tree four times and made
1855 MrsfF j. Omstead counted on tree liOO fings
which the largest number ever satisfactorily recorded
These trees sound TO the very CENTER and their wood
Is most excellent where durability Is required Probably
100000 OF these trees grown ~ Europe from seeds
carried tither They grow very luxurianty in Europe
though London smoke doesn't agree with them.
IN the absence OF the President Prof Henry In the az
chair Prof OC Marsh was next IN order Win eInhiA
upon "the reported discovery OF human bones at Ante
lope Station, Union Pacific Railroad A few months
ago the discovery OF human remains AT TINS point was
announced by the NeW-YOrk newspapers, Large guam
titles OF bones had been brought up from depth Of 90
feet These bones were spoken OF at te meeting OF the
Association for the advancement Of Science at Chicago.
Prof w D. Whitney and Prof Marsh happened to Do az
terward at the spot ana found them 70 DO not human
bones but the bones OF tertiary mammals There was
one species OF testudo.
TIDES AND TIDAL CURRENTS IN HARBOR-AL-
PHABETIC SYSTEMS AS TESTS OF RACE
EULOGY UPON PROF. A. d. BACHE, ETC.
NORTHAMPTON, Mass, Aug. 29.-My last letter
closed with Gen Banards paper on the Movements OF
freely suspended Pendulum. He followed by Prof
Benjamin Pierce Of the Coast Survey and Harvard Col
lego, with paper on Tides and Tidal Currents in q
HarbOr'
Ats p m the courtroom was again filed to hear Prof
Henry deliver memoir upon the life and character Of
Academy OF Science Alexander Dallas Bache born
In Philadelphia July 10 1906 At early age he became
"A
showed extraordinary aptitude for learning Appointed
cadet at West Point before reaching the Of 49, he
graduated at it's head in 1898 Ho passed through the
whole without having received single marx Of
his class Impressed beyond hs years with sense OF
the PS a Fei Sn him Tor s Of ms
After graduation he on account of his high stand
Chemistry at the University OF fennsylyania
but soon gained the confidence Of all, and es.
pecialy the respect and affection OF his pupils
in tS5 when Prof Bache was just 80, his energies
ceyed direction. Tho Trustees of Girard College
preparatory to organizing the institution, wished TO
choose man President who should at once DO sent
abroad 20 tho methods Of instruction there The
eyes OF the whole community were at once turned upon
Prof Bache He was received with distinction by tho
most learned men Of Europe. He remained abroad two
years 1872 Gerard College s in unfinished con
don, and be resigned Oil connection with and returned
to his position 81 the University OF Pennsylvania.
IN November, 1913, on tho death OF Mr. BaSslcr,
Coast Survey He took this place with many mis-.
eiyngs yet Pc d LYING man g., was as so well qualified
having charge Of the Coast Survey Prof Bache was
perintendent OF weights and measures and mad many
duties 20 perform IN tls ONCE. no was also member
Of tho Light House Commission In 1916 no elected
one Of The Regents OF the smithsonian Institution and
TN his death AS Vice President OF the United States
proper distribution OF the stores SO patrotealy
furnished After tho commencement OF the war his pres
was constantly required ~ Washington 70 give ad.
vice as TO measures Of war. His assidnous devotion 70
his country IN this way sapped his life He suddenly
deprived OF power OF Tue
OF Bis IDEAS the result supposed OF softening Of
the brain. Ii hoped that voyage TO Europe would
be helpful 20 him, but although he seemed 20 enjoy tho
occasional meeting with friends the journey was
productive Of permanent advantage, and, after
lingering for more than two years, he finally de-
parted this life On the l7tl y, February 1867.
FOURTH DAY-FINAL MORNING sESsION-THE
ESTIMATES OF CARBONIC ACID-sURFACE
GEOLOGY WEST OF THE ROCKY MOUNTAINS
FORMATION OF LAKES, ETC, ETC
NORTHAMPTON, Mass Aug. 2s.-Ihe National
Academy OF Science reassemblcd this morning at
o'clock Yesterday afternoon applied by the friends
~ tho rnoubers ~ fin. academy NOT IN mira