Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1871-08-17
SCIENTIFIC.
Report of the First Meeting of the Scien
tific Association at Indianapolis.

INDIANAPOLIS, August 15.-A num-
Der of the members of the American
Scientific Association who are to at
tend the convention tomorrow, ar
rived to-day. Among those who ar
rived are Professor Swallow, OF the
Columbia College, Mo-; DR.. Wheat
land, President Essex Institute, Salem,
Mass; James Ellerton, Zoologist;
Professor Putnam; Jacob Ennis,
Principal Scientific Institute, Phila-
delphia; B. WaterhoUse Hawkins,
F. l.. s. +. g. s., England; DIR. s..
Hunt, Montreal; Professor Asa Gray,
Cambridge, Mass; Davenport Fisher,
Professor Of Chemistry, United States
Naval Academy. The programme
tomorrow will be the organization of
the convention, address of welcome
by the Governor and Mayor and the
address of the retiring President, DIR.
S. Hunt.
INDIANAPOLIS, August 16. - The
first meeting of the Scientific AssOcia-
ton was held at the House of Repre-
sentatives this morning, DR.. Perry
Hunt presiding. Professor Hillgard,
from the committee appointed at the
last meeting to procure Congressional
aid for the establishment of an Observ-
atory at one of the highest points on
the Pacific railroad, reported progress,
and the committee was continued.
Thirty-tWO names were added to the
association by election to member
ship. A standing committee for the
ensuing year was elected, consisting
of Professors Smith, Louisville, KY. /;
Lapman, Milwaukee; Cox, Indian
apOlis; Hillgard, Washington /;
Wichell, Aun ArbOr, and Hall,
Albany. Governor Baker delivered
an address to the convention, at the
Academy of Music, this afternoon,
which was responded to by President
Hunt. The following is a brief sum-
mary of the address of DR.. Hunt,
President, before the association: /:
Subject: "The geography of the
Appallachians, and the origin
of crystalline rocks" After &
tribute to the memory Of the late
Prof. ChauOgnet, of st. Louis, DR..
Hunt proceeded to explain the OBJ.
iects and scope of geology as a study,
embracing alike the physical, mathe.
matical and the natural history sci
ences. This two fold relation he pro.
posed to illustrate by an inquiry into
the history of the great mountain sys-
tenn of eastern North America. The
brothers, Rogers, Lesly, Hall, EN-
mons, Logan and Others had made
the Appallachians a point of depar-
ture for the study of other and dis
tinct regions. He then proceeded to
give the results of his comparative
studiesof the crystalline rocks Of the
Appallachians. First, the Lamentian
of the AdirOndacks. Second, the
Green Mountain or HurOnian, and,
third, the White Mountain senex.
These three he traced southwark from
New York and New England to the
Carolinas by the aid Of the researches
of various American geologists, and
showed by their mineralOgical and
geop nostical relations, the distinct.
ness of three divisions, all Of which
he regards as not only presiluvian
but precambrian in age. He
then extended his comparison
to the Lake Superior regions and to
Western Europe, where the same
three divisions may be recognized.
Justice was done to the late Prof.
Emmons, as having first understood
the true relations of the Green noun
tsins, though his TacOnic system is to
be regarded as but the equivalent of
the base of the New York system, the
Precambrian and Sedgwick d Lyle.
"The origin of crystalline rocks"
formed the second part of the address.
1t was claimed that the theory of their
production by alteration, as taught by
BischOf and others, was unstable. The
theory of mineral metamorphism was
reviewed and rejected for that of orig
inal deposition, put forward many
years since by the author, and since
confirmed and adopted by the first in
vestigators in Germany. The produc-
ton OF limestone, dolOmite and gyp-
SUM was then discussed, and 1t was
maintained that they, too, were all
original deposition, dependent upon
peculiar chemical and geographical
conditions. Their relations to organic
life were also pointed out.
The address concluded by cOngratu-
lating the American Scientific Associ-
alton on its already great achieve
ments in geology, and predicting a
not less glorious future from the study
OF the Western mountain region,
which is now occupying some OF our
best investigators. Although cOnsid-
erably abridged, 1t occupied an hour
and a half in delivery. The address
has been printed by the american
Naturalist in a pamphlet OF fifty