The Richmond palladium. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1855-1875, 1874-01-17

Prof. Aesssiz has long been known

Prof. Agassiz has long been known
Is an unbeliever in Darwinism, and II
he Incorporating enunciation of +,
his views, which is to appear in the
January Atlantic. although it de-
zines his position more clearly, will
surprise no student Of his works.
In this essay, Prof. Agassiz gave .
synopsis of his reasons for not
holding the Darwinian doctrines,
preparatory to o more detailed
statement which he intended to
make in future numbers of the
This sketch the great
naturalist will never complete, and
to it's scientific value is added the
melancholy interest of being the
last finished work from the hand to
which the students and lovers of
natural science owe SO much.
It begins by saying that "The |
law of evolution, SO far as its work
ing is understood, is q law control
ling development and keeping types
within appoined cycles of growth,
which revolve forever upon them
selves, returning at appointed IN
tervals to the same starting point,
and repeating through q succession
of phases the same course. These
cycles have never been known to
oscillate or 10 pass into each other;
indeed, the only structural differ
ence known between individuals of
the same stock are monstrosities,
or peculiarities pertaining to Sex,
and the latter are as abiding and
permanent as type itself" His next
assertion is that no primary divi-
sion of the animal kingdom will
stand which will not bear tho test
applied by Culver to his four great
groups, Radiate, Mollusks, Articu-
lates and Vertebrates; that is to
say, the test of q distinct plan OF
structure for each.
The article then briefly reviews
the different books published by
Darwin, and says that "Pangenesis"
in which tho whole theory is sum-
married., ssdoes but prove more con-
clusively what was already known
namely, that all domesticated ami
mails and cultivated plants are
traceable to distinct species, and
that the domesticated pigeons
which furnish SO large portion of
the illustration are, notwithstand-
ing their great diversity under
special treatment, no exception to
this rule" The review closes with
the assertion that the greater part
of the argument, both with OAR
win and his followers, is purely
negative, and rests partly upon the
assumption that, Gin the succession
of ages, just those transition types
haye dropped ont from the geolo
gical record which would have
proved the Darwinian conclusions
had these types been preserved
and that, in the living animal, the
process of transition is too subtitle
for detection, thus throwing off tht
responsibility of proof with respec'
to embryonic growth and geologi
cal succession.
Concerning the famous .'discov
cry made by Kowalevsky, of tn
presence in the Ascidians OF {
string of cells corresponding to tn
dorsal cord in Vertebrates, the or
ticle says that the existence Of tlli
string of cells was previously know
to naturalists, and that he himsel
had intended to say something 9
their nature and position had h
not been anticipated by Won Bael
who has recently published
pamphlet upon the development {
4 the Ascidians as compared wit
the Vertebrates, in which pamphle
J he shows that the string of cell
runs along the ventral side of tn
body of the Ascidians, and tina
/ ttheir development has no tru
homology with that of the VERT
, brates. ssTo say that the first Vel
; tebrates or their progenitors Cal
!. I ricd their backbones in this mar
ner," said Prof Agassiz, lis abou
as reasonable as to say that the
walked on their heads" ~
The doctrine of Hmckel, thu
starfshes are compound animal'
made up, as it were, of worm lik
| beings, united like rays in one O
. ganism, q doctrine which, If tru'
would establish q Transition frO1
Radiates to Articulates, is pr
!. nounced to be all assumption will
|. out foundation in the structure I
, the starfsh. The arms of thes
8 animals being made up Of Il
same parts as the vertical zones I
!. ali Radiates, and arranged aroun
' o vertical axis, can not be compare
/ to those Of any Articulate, in whit
class the parts are arranged alor
e q longitudinal axis. t ~.
n The topics Of metamorphosi
: hereditary and natural successio
: are very briefly considered. and Il
;, article closes with q considerable
; of the geological side of the que
d ton, in which ground is TAX
) against the theory of transmissio
5. since the whole history of geolol
Q cal succession shows that the 10
i est in structure is by no niea
q earliest in time, and since, thel
y fore, it may be said that a gre
r diversity Of types has existed frc
l. the beginning. Globe.
II / C0W Tree.
y Among the many curious pE
d nomena which presented themselv
', to me in the course of my travel
| uavo Huynho1dt sST cOnfona The