New-York tribune., 1876-04-22
ACADEMY OF SCIENCES.
wAsuINGToN MEErING-THIRD DAY.


SOURCE Oy THE ICE IN TnE GLACIAL EPOCH
EARLY WESTERN QUADEUPFDs.
IYnou sTAPF CORRESPONDENT or TTR TRIBUNE.l
WASHINGTON, April 20.-This meeting had until
This morning been remarkable in two particulars,
first that the papers read have been devoted TO
mathematics or physics, with undue proportions
of the former second that less progress than usual
has been made in reading papers, not more thah
three per day being finished. IL has been the
rule that the Academy should complete Its
work in three days sessions; on this ocea-
sion it win require four and be hurTlel
at that As the papers are not unusually long, and
there are not as many in all at some previous
meetings the reason for being behindhand Is not
obvious If there had been some effort to push
thingsr more ground could have been gone over
To-day there was relief from mathematics, only one
paper of the sort being read. That was oy "en.
Benjamin Alyord, the History of the frooienl oi
Tangences which described the researches thaV
have been made on one of the more important prop
critics of the circle including the recent stuoieS VI
the author Of the paper. The Authenticity ana Falne
of these investig cations vOuched Tor by froi a.
Z. Barnard.
THE WORK or THE MOUND BUILDERS.
The Hon L. II. Morgan has already won hiSh ToPu''
oy his philosophical studies of the ethnooSy o' TINS con
ineut. A of material c0heeIni"s '"0 e
races Of North and Central America has been accnnuaVe
Co. ~, re.ter mart in fragmsntary way, and the effort
IN .vst.mstzs II and draw II definite history 90
serves even though should not fuy achieVe succoo
One OF the toughest Of the problems coneceo WIN s
An ATTEMPT IL presented by the relies o the AoHhd BUM"
era Their earthworks. their graves ther sheotons arc
A puzzle. without key there has been "ouhu"h'
.noculation on the sutjoct, and on insuheienl
grounds origin OF tls Mound Bl.SofS ntS D,Vn
ascribcd Judes, PbGnica Esylt, th.., S.ooii, oy
isIsuds of tho Pacinc, and tho south Amsllcan C@hu
nsnt Prof. Morgan bas At last at,aHe t.ls pIoYV,
began this morning the Ie1dh9 .. ~ !iNi 80 no,,i
"a COnJectUral Restoration OF Iuei9 -. ,i ''' ,,
iimes worth the time spent upon it lt Is heceSsN3
first 10 consider carefully some PLactlees sii'
the aboTignes which were general ahohS a5n o'Ii -
wide area We mad that in al pRrss oi Auellca t1e!
sonsilmes constructed wAatny oe cAeG
related families They pTsetoed coulnunsn IN ilNhS
The marriage relation was slniy pal 'i-. Ihe' s S % o
IoYedceftin customs which mas bcucsl.haot a. inc N
OF ofhospiality The lana owueO n common ~ iAili'
~ UNI ytn bays ben called Village Indians. Prof Morgan
thinks that the Aolnj BUILDERS were piOpaoh niiSso
nc9ents heir copseT toois their textile aad ncno
fabrics were advance " tho InGan tribes ioJhd east
We fna in Yacatan and Chispas the highest type OF
Village indian lie. 10 declines as We advance hOtt"d'a
warm climate The Sttempt ts transplant tals hVo %
snf nf Msxieo and then nDrthw2rd 20 tae OHiO, AUS
have been a doubtful experiment from tho start N7Nci-
fhaexs the structures left by the oind bdeIs inte
such an attempt their may DC ~
dwelling site! OF VILLAGE Indians IL "a e7 .@i c, ~ -
sensibe use for enhankments cSh 10 1sco'oru,
tho mystery about tbem Will 10 dinfce' lac .ts0'S
thai tey were built for religious purposes is exceedlnS
mirobsple; the magnitude Of consdesina her
grade ia civilization, indicates tlht IAcse I4A7 ~
1aborng for themselves rot foi ,asr sols' ~ & 49, - ~
Village Indians, with thor acquired haOts Oh nNihS o
grated Valley Of the 0Aio, the, would net It & a
possible TO construct sdobs Eeioe5. ',i-o "a M 49,.
OF the plan and Of tao h0Hs' """lg - ho''
sary because OF the difference OF climate. lAe9 me'
have used ttone but they did stone Eousos 1il
been built the AexlCan tribes Ihey ntbt hsNo ito
house Of inferior character np0n tic leVtI gIouu' In
the bouses OF the Mnnct0us iastiy tity
might raisol enha nSrcntsO Oi c'fl - li1 -
on the SUBMITS; and tnis II l. respectfully suDhttO' Il
Te scystcd platform is feature of the adobe houses
Of Mev4C II
ings l. us regard the high bank On tuo SeotO HEer as
pueblo. II is octagonal incosuGc 300 iesI slulo,
win al opening angle snJ IN lse center oi o"1
side The embSnkmonts are % feet tica az tLe DHsc ~
or ii feet high and 30 eet level oh their sune
These then the sites of thei houses Ineis -re
six Of tEese emoanknens escn 40 & ne, & ,u Na toere
mound. II tho openings were SsS W~3s E, E
came ,ortress We have now % suppose tAat tAo bui-
inss Of timber, on the snIns vl t"s ~, &
of the buildings coated win eaftA a!d PieOsDy
rose ten twelve feet above tae einba Ainens @ 4's
making a continuous supng rampant 20 lret his' 1h.s
form OF house would harnUn1o VIE tIe PIeENInnS 90
ohteeturs OF the Village Indians; nu c ~ 20
ments necessary 10 tue hyloshesS lac Ai"-Hlh
coated with earth. may DO pointed Oet tat sUeh
structures the edge OF em0nnknes c9ua hot De SUE
sfuy sssailed irom Without eIei Dy ihul"h "oShS
or by nfe -, -, .,,,, to, .,,.,, ,,ila
ings, showing how they might haVe Desl Ieeiiy % eon
stfuced and wonld perhaps contain from TWO 10 hiee
hundred fsues the communal pian anu seisiuk ,'s
OF lie necessarily determined the form Of ircheot.e
formed by the IL is not ~ all nPfooaDi1
that the VILLAGE gardsn or a. AZ all events ni G o
adapted the climate, aud tAose enra9ts esti,'an5
guccunbed in the struggle for existence lheio IS W.
fOr such LIE IN warmer
climates fact OF the longor cont nuance 0 e
Village Indians in Mexico and especially IN Oeh'i"
America
CONTRIBUTIONS OF THE THEORY.
The paper of Prof Morgan listened 20 very closely
aud with evident appreciation by the many ethnoloss'S
present Major Powell has long made Indian structures
study mentioned that several OF his oDser'Aliohs
indicated that where had made anadyance in CIV
izatiOn their tendency was toward tie communal OF
pueblo form of buildings this indicated by the com
narrative age OF the ruins the most ancent not being in
closed at all while the latest surrounded by ellis or
walls The age determined chiefly ey the thickness oi
the covering debris. Major Powell is inclined 10 heeYs
fht NAM Of the ciin built iOr refuge during
the snanisb Invasion and is the tradition among
Indians Among sOln0 OF L16 Ules ihe ilu VI excl
ence after death is placed beyond tie mountains; OGt
among PueblOs hexyon IL an architectural slSr IL
is ID the sscoud or tnrd story.
Prof Marsh heartily approved the conclusions o rioI,
Morgan AID brought fresh evidence 70 support them
from entirely different source In long series oi
comparsons OF Indian skulls Prot Marsh has been nach
struck by similarity between those of tho P1ebO
Indians and Of the Mound Builders As the shape OF tne
Mound Builders skull Is very pecuAr INC coihcuehec -
a very striking one. Prof. NowbcTTy added "a re-" re-
said we're possibly 900 or 700 years Old While trees
growing over tie skeletons OF t4s Mound a. biIeis h M
been neeniousiy shown by Gen Harrison 10 indicate an
antiquity OF not loss than 800 years.
THE CAUSES or THE GLACIAL EPOCH.
Prof j. s. Newberry prafaced his paper on the glacial
period esrths history with an expression OF doubt as
20 whether there Yet sufficient facts known To hd
monzs conflicting opinion 10 the Causes when pro-
duced the Ice covering No question rema ne1 however
as 10 the fact during that period cnate such as
now exists in Greenland extended south Trenton.
Nj There classes OF theories, one ascri0g the
ice period to originating on the oarth, ana
essentially telluric in their character; the otnef
10 cosmeal or astronomical changes, sueh a. a.