, 1874-12-09
That tho accepted average IL not marc than
10000 tlcs In orlor, or ono part ID 000 Of Tho

tlat tho aecoptod average Is not marc than
19o goo miles In orior, or ono patt Id 0oo Of tho
whnle dsasaEcr.
Tl,ore il no roason to doubt that wc already
know tho dHtnnce Of tho nun to within ao0. 0u0
miles. anehk hot now Of my own ca1o,lla-
sn.a tS%n s ~ the n1n} but ct tho & sk5Sss t 5
miles as lilo Average, .this .cstma.c ri!i not 10
moro than DO0.0G6 mica from tho o2,ODD.o0o
miles Of Nc'ycomb. Or tue 01, ,430. 600 nloa Of tho
EngI'sh comrutorg. Thia ID ol,o part ~ 300 Of
TINT obaorvatinns Of tho ttansit Of Vonua In 1874,
ol,o wlioh moro tlhn ono million d:liars have
bcen oxpehdca, and Involving thu equivalent Of
not less thnn quo voara Of labor on tle part Of
about o,ta-th,,d Of ita proaont magnitude. but
this will bo no moan achievement It iB not any
ing too much to u|a.m tllat tEia result, viii bo
worth at Ions: Ion tlaoa tito monoy and labor ox-
: Tho urcat Firo Of October, 1871. Ia rospot1rt-
bio for tho faot shat Oheago Is tnking no part III
tho Word Of tonight. But for TINT catastrophe,
our oitr would undoubtedly tlhvo boou reproBeut-
Cd IN tho corps Of observers ot tho Transit Of
osortahon BY that calamity, I canvassel Tho
snbJcct wifi, aovorel inombota. Of tho
Ahtronom,uai soa,oty, and. only. n fcn
taia trsslous to tho tIn1e when tho
ished a Communication. intended to hare boon
laid boforo tna Socloty, proposing that 1t should
bn represented nj or near pohi,. III ChiuA, and
that tho subject DO referred to com-
nudoratooa, ind aitorwnlls known, that
tho .oogorumont Of tho unitod States
woul1 furnish TRANSPORTATION and rations FREQ,
and 1t would not have boon dlhlcult to ra!ao tho
m9noy necessary to 1nco4 tho other EXPENSES IL;
up tlo document AID tho means OF tho Society,
audit was impossible to purauo the subject TAR
thor. js, howevor, matter for conarasulation
that tho station then recommended IL occupica
Tonight oy profs. Watson and Young. two Of
the closest observers the world ecu boast, aud
that tho observations now in rroaroha will ho
humorous enough TO Insure the 8tcateBt attaan:
abIo hccnracs, Notwithstanding tho fa'luro OF
Chicago to tako part III tho work.
hlr. tolbers received good doal Of applause
at the conclusion OF hts aadfess.
NATURAL nfsrohY.
Mr. WV. CalklnH followed. rhnd!nE paper on
tltlea "The neYelopnent Of Nntura1 hlntory ns
tho great aud lamcnted Agessiz said. II bavc
devoted by whole lilo to tho study Of Nature,
AID az a. y9 'sS s, ,9nssns' Saa sy pfy expt9ss eeos
nton 1evpnis to ns . 1egtce OF Elm
rliolty and grandeur not often Witnessed.
It suggests TINT the Eraco Of modcaey might bo
cultivated by most people WITH gtoas propriesy:
in studying the wtrld Of animate mud inantn'ate
obioctB around him. As tho t1rat rudo efforts
aoem to ua lilo childish displays, 80, when tho
proeout GRO shall become antiquity. our aktain-
tuentB In knowledge will no doubt Anpnar small
indeed in comparison with tho advances that
shall mark futnro agoa. -
Ari.totlo was tho first prominent nntural-
lot, and the founder Of tlo science.
Aq syatnso a ss, Gt ''hs nS ns aye hs
years ago, texs-books Of natural history were in
oammon uso, md the study was pursued With
vleor. Wa arc still without elementary works OF
this kind adaptoa to tho young beginneta. Wo
study Of natural hiatoiy iu ha school viii bo In
disponsable and popular. Artor 1901, Linnacus
resumed Tho work where Ar1ntoste had
!ei: it. 1)i1Y added but little to what
as 9s ben sssn s aano By soea Arses Ta as @ aa5k
Us night, followed the enlightened period
Of Roman aud Grecian histors. ind gayo us
uothiug. Tho afxtcenth century witnessed n
temporary revival In this aud other branches or
learning. Tho nhtllra!ists wcro mainly occupied
snoions Authors. Tic ssyons ssentI coatury W.T.
neaAed remarkable adyances In general know,~
odge. hut men had not yet dona wondering over
tho successful revolt OF tha Ee!herlendB, or tito
brilliant military careers Of Gussayus AaolpAus,
Walenssoin, md Tillv,
It aas reserved lhen for Linnaous, Ia the
last century, to GreaK tho Bnelf that had for 70
many ages hung ovor tho pursuit Of the natural
tclenccp. md htslsso the koS-noto TINT aronecd
tho scholars Of Europe from thor lethargv.
Aristotle had Rlron uB genera ana species ho
d.vidol tho animal kingdom into Enaima and
Anaina. or b'oodcd and b1ood!css animals.
Liunaeus, beginning were ArlAtotto luft Off.
formed, 10 addition. c:nssos and orders. lie
divided the animal kingdom into ak cnsaeH
-u.anmalia. birds. reptiles, hsles, INSECTS, aud
worms. Tho classification at onoo aroused tho
attention and provoked tho criticism Of o:ller
| naturaiistH Tho defects mero pointed ont, and
tho imDortant principle OF classification founded
| upon tho Internal structure, anu uniting animals
upon common structural charac:ors, WAS essah.
ilsAea. The magnitude OF tho work Of classft-
e2 sse0 h T 1i s approached sseesa sS neS Ne uSS
| $4,000. Tho confusion that existed be-
! fore Linnaeua' t!mo Oh account Of tho
| different nnmos and languages employed by nat
urnlists was uotlnteraoted, aud ID fact done
away With by the uso Of ono lun3uagc by him
Lfnnmas' classification, howo7or. did not
| meet with ontirc huccesa. lta dotects did not
escape criticism rom 1amnrol, Elrenborg. You
Baer, cuy'er, md o:her great nan, ahsts: Ai',
strlEe tue grand principles at classification.
Waon he announced h.s theory dividing tho
whole animal Kingdom into four
casses; Voftobrates, Mo!lnsks, A;slcnlatess,
! aa though q revelation had boon made iruu,
! Heaven. The founder of comparative anatomy
| WAS not ono who Bkimnlea over tho surface OF
things. Ouvier went deercr ha examined tho
| ulEHn1LlklOH AlA IUA{1QuH Ol AnlIHHl1.
He tells us taat comparison was tho secret OF
h1s aucccsa. Tue result embodied tho tour plnne
| OF crestion already mentioned. The views Of
ouyior which hnve wisllstood criticaln
for nourly tbreo-quartors Of ecu
fury, lead to three conclusions: Firsr.
that Cuyier's four classes embrace al
known animals, Second, thut there ia Thought
and harmonious law al tho baels Of all. tho
whole directed by QUO wlll-the Cseutor. Third,
that tho numerous subdivisions Of tho four grnat
| nlontinrni Hftnft u rhHArA I'M
| lies, genera species. aud the otner subdivisions
OF thoae subdivisions, should be formed in ae-
coraanco NTH characters expressed In pature to
| La OF value. QthorulBo thoy Aro artificial Dis
sincLion,s tending To lead uBa.wav from what wa
seok, aud tilat which IL tho baBis Of oil soienco-
tho Truth.
Another grout discovery hardly lcss important
than thoao montionol waa Tint of Won Daer in
! ombryoiogy-or tho fact that all animals origin
ate from eggs, and, thongi. oil alll:o at first
grow to mntu;,ty on four dilfersnt p!ans. En-.
bryology IL yos In ia infancy. ,AsaHsiz mn1c
Eetno OF hiB greatest discoveries in th.h accncn
| Ar1 f3r., nrf$ ri