New-York tribune., 1872-08-27
SCIENCE.
rur nI1RnouE MEETTNG.

TIE VALUE OF THE COAST sUkNEa- UkN-o, -
NEW FOSSIL ELEPHANr-rHE MoOND' VI
DUBUQUE. .t-t = .n,,,,,,v a.,
,,,poN THR SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT OF THk IlboNhI
DUBUoUR, Iowa, Aug 22.-Fhe Sist session
of the American Association for the Advancement VI
science is held this city AZ the time OF the aoourn
mont last year. at indianapolis, the general expectation
s that this years meeting would take place az san
trsncsco II was hoped that by that time Proi AgasS1
,a have reached the Californian coast in the Hasser'
o that the fresh records Of his discoveries IN
tbe southern seas would have added an unusual orl-
tanov 10 the proceedings OF the Associauon but
even had part OF the programme been carried ou hu
prof Agassz come Francisco this August IL Is by
no means probable that the Association would have
come there 20 meet him. The augusta doHt limits the
migration OF its members for the most part TO places
that can be reached without expending small fortune
for railroad travel There hope that the raroSu
authorities woud grant passes to the members TO carry
them TO San Francisco. know not on what the nope
was based but when the time 60 put 1t In practlce
n faded away very liberal invitation from the cit-
zens of this city accepted instead by the cOmmteei
and really the only object were to get as far as posi-
BILE from the homes OF majority Of the members,
Dubuque is quite far enough.
Although to look in upon the entire assemblage, one
would say that an extraordinary number OF bald heads
were collected at this meeting hardly think IL is as
strong as scientific gathering that of last year at
indianapolis miss many who lent luster to that meet
lug quite as much by what they looked as what they
49,
OF the Hlgards here the wnOm we miss most being
ia Europe Prof Barker who always bad ready Word
ana not inrequenty brilliant repartee, on the end OF
his tongue 70 tighten the duest discussion, is not here
the genial OF Prof Tllman is wanting as also the
rotund form OF Prof. Elliott. Nevertheless, we nave
many substantial gentlemen here, and not among 'uo
least in point OF weight Prof j. W. Foster OF chicago
well known by his letters to readers OF The TRIBUNE
who was made permanent Chairman of Section b.
THO retiring President of the last year. Prof Asa Gray
Of Cambridge Mass made, is the custom, valedic-
tory But this address was Of by no means so
formal character as the custom. He took the oppOr-
tunty TO his recent experience at the west as
botans for strange say although he has stood at the
head of botanical science in this country-if not In the
world-for many years. until the present Summer he
had not Sc Mississippi set foot upon prairie
Consider with what interest such student who had
soong contemplated the wonderful flora of the West only
as he could 1t described in books or preserved IN the
dried specimens Of collectors, the gories OF the great
Grove of Caaveras, the remarkable vegetation OF the
erras even broad and bright expanse OF praes IN
full flower must have unfolded themselves Prof Gray
touched lightly upon the history Of the sequoas that
their age must counted by hundreds OF years we can
not doubt but also cannot doubt that they did not
anedate glaciers whose icy expanses nave let tne
indsputable evidences everywhere around It's ques
ton of great interest whether these tall trees are Du
the last of their race and destined to rapid ex-
tnction or whether they are but at the beginning
of their development; and this can DO deter
mined principally by the prudent manage
nent or the selfish destrucveness of the settlers In
those regions The main portion of Prof Grays address
was devoted to showing the probability that certain
trees of present dayhe particularly instanced the
sequOas OF California, the TaxOdium or Bald Cypress OF
the Atlantic, and the Gyptrostrous, Chinese tree-
were not only closely affiliated in structure and general
characteristics but inea successors by gradual
modification fossil trees OF geological ages; ana
that all our existing vegetation continuation OF
that Of the tertiary period The Illustrations which he
brought forward in support Of this view were proose
and somewhat technical; but those who have heard
Prof Gray lecture upon such topics know the gentle
audfamiliar almost conversational manner with which
he brings forward abstruse facts and mpresses by the
sincerity and simplicity Of his thought the hearers
who doubt his deductions.
THE oyIDUcTs OF BRACHIoPoDs.
The most Of the day spent in organizing the Asso-
ciatiop Prof E. g. Morse made a communication on the
oyidues OF Brachiopods in which he first reviewed the
labors Cuyier VOgt and others, who had mistaken
these organs for hearts Hancock and Huxley had hrst
shown that organs opened outwardy but also had
communication with the general cavity of the body.
They showed them to be oyiducts and not hearts Prof
Morse visited Easport Me-, and for the first time had
sndied the Of these organs from lfe he saw
the eggs enter the extremity through the
oyducts and caught them they came out OF the ex
ternal opening. The development OF these eggs he
would present In another communication
Prof Morse was glad to bring forward for the first time
few facts regarding the development of species OF
Brachopod from the coast Of Maine The various stages
IN their development fully sustained the position he had
maintained the Braehopods were true worms and
not mollusksa at ALL The embryo gradually became seq
mented having four deeply cut segments which con-
traccd on each other Next year he hoped to complete
their history He had 800 drawings already OF the
embryos up TO the stage described
prof Morse had visited the St. Lawrence for the pur
pose of studying Rhynchonela Among other ooserva-
tions he had for the first time the arms entirely
protruded from the she-a function inferred by Prot
owen 80 years ago. hut denied by Hancock and others
SINCE He had now them with arms protruded and
had them thus preserved in alcohol -, a..
He stated that their afinites were much nearer
Iingula than had been supposed.
TRe insnfTerable heat Of yesterday modified last
night by local rain, and the proceedings OF to-day
places Of meeting; for the two sections OF the Assoc
iGronce between the science which demonstrated at
different edices were as considerable as Is Dat oi
theology preached there on Sunday the seeons OF
the Association would meet whole body again
The arrangement has as il is grave noo1venences ana
TO your correspondent who vbrated much OF me Ia
broing sun upon the sidewalk between the two build
ings, it seemed neither scientific nor satisfactory.
THE WORK OF COAST SURVEY.
Prof BENJAMIN Pierce, Superintendent Of the United
States Coast Survey, in whom irst-class stump
sneaker was spoiled when he took to science as pro
fesion gave an exceedingly interesting account of the
measures taken by Bureau with reference TO sta
tons for astronomical observations at great nights,
such sherman on the ROCKY Mouhtais Fr2d p nouns
the proper astronomer to determine the best pOsluOn
t rid of absorption of light by getting rid Of half the
atmosphere. This problem Pr0f Young was specially
adapted 70 inyesgate as ms knoWedsS e Oh p tb
country. Prof. Young reports the whole NUMBER OF
- tree tunes as great number as been observed
before This fact alone shows that higher points sn0ulo
be resorted 10 for astronomical observations Tele-
scores viii hereafter be placed at points higher than
ever befOrein Europe probably on the Alps Inc next
element of success depends upon the steadness OF the
ear q "A