New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1872-10-04
AGASSIZ At SAN FRANCISCO.

RECEPTION BY THE CALIFORNIA ACADEMY OF
sCIENCEs-THE PROFESSOR OBJECTS TO UNITY
OF DERIVATION OF ANIMAL LIFE-THE
QUESTIONS OF SCIENCE INTERWoYEN WITH
RELIGIOUS FAITH.
On the 25th ult. the California Academy of
Sciences. at San Francisco gave public reception to
Louis Agassiz and n large audience attracted
by tho OCCASION Prof Agassiz delivered an address
which appears from the reports Of the local papers
have been of scientific importance well as OF popular
interest. After Introductory remarks in which he
stated the circumstances that had brought about the
Hasser expedition, and adverted TO the general claims
OF science upon the community, he announced the
subject OF his address, 1.-THE Natural History OF the Ami
NAL Kingdom He considered the vastness OF the sub
eet the real why natnralists differ from each
other In their conclusions from ascertaned facts De
clnng to de6no animal life, distinguish It by def
milton from vegetable Bfe he proceeded to
discuss the resemblances between animals There
are hundreds OF thousands OF different beings. but
they oil built few patterns which simple
In their character that child understand them
They not more difficult to distinguish from each
other than square is from circle. The four great d
visions the Radates the Molluscs the Artculates
and tho Vertebraies, and they are so entirely distinct
from each other they represent separate IDEAS The
differences Of the members OF these divisions not
marked Thus among vertebrates we ind that man has
nothing which fish does not possess, tho chief differ
being that the head predomnates In man, who Is
an intellectual creature built on the plan Indicated III
the fish. The graduation from lower to higher type is
espo cally observable In the growth Of tho embryo,
which passes step by step through forms identical with
those below ito completed figure. This illustrated
by blackboard drawings, In which the resemblance
during growth between caterpillar developing through
tho chrysalis into butterfly and the Jelly
1sh beginning life as polyp and end
ing as an echinoderm, was depicted. There
Is and the kind Of thought peryading all or
ganic structures Prof Agassiz claimed that the same
distinctions Of the greater types prevailed In the geologic
II Ia not true that only the lowest appeared first
Tho animals Of the lowest species still exstent they
cannot be regarded as the OF the higher ami
mails, fOr they arc their cotemporaiies This
appearance In early geologic times Is true OF poyp,
acaephs and many Of The mOllusos Including aeephas,
cephalOpods aud gasteropOds OF artculaes and erus
taceans but not OF Insects None OF these animals could
have been derived from each other except perhaps in
scots, which FIRST pear In the oarboncr0us era aud
continue thencefOrtl. But the case OF Insects
mains TO he proved Natnfasts not agreed as To the
appearance Of sheswhoiher they first appear at the
Devsnan axe or were preGxstent. The difficulty Is in
recognizing tho small portions Of animal remains
found ia tho most ancient STRATA 1t Is by no
means oasy 10 determine as 10 tho few exist
ing Fpccinens WHEELER they crgsueeOus
spinos OF fishes teeth To determine such questions
greater number OF educated Observers Is necessary