New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1883-11-17
DISCOVERIES OF SCIENCE.
THE NATIONAL ACADEMY MEETING.
PAPERS READ BY PROFESSORS sILLIMAN, SHERMAN,
NEwBERRY, DANA AND MARsH-MAJoR POWELL
on MARRIAGE CUSTOMS.
lBT TELEGRAPH TO THE TRIBUNE.I

NEw-HAvEN, Nov. 16.-The National Acad
envy OF Sciences held its closing session to-day The first
paper was The Mneralogy and Lthoogy Of the Bodie
Mines in California" by Professor siman. The depth to
which explorations had been pushed at BOde he said,
was from 1000 feet to 1850 feet From Bode Bluff on
the north to Queen Bee Hill the south, distance OF
abouttwo miles, machinery had been set up in thrtyour
mines, OF which the greater number had been
unproductive Of dividends. But the great amount
OF exploratory work thus accomplished had
furnished the world OF science with ample for the
study OF the lithoOy and mneralOgy OF the Bode dis
trct He had prepared thirty slides of the BOde rocks
ana vein stones The study of these showed that there
was the closest intimacy between the rocks which
pany the gold and silver veins OF BOde and these de-
scribcd by Mr.. Becker from the Comstock lode Almost
without exception the BOde rocks adjacent the veins
carrying the precious metals seemingly identical
with those observed In the COmstock That in both
thermal waters had been the prevailing alike Of
the profound alteration of volcanic and plutonic rocks
and OF the impregnaon Of the quartz veins with the
precious metals equally certain He had been led
to this opinion early 1864. He had formed this
from consideration Of tho ribbon-ke character Of the
veins.
GLACIAL ACTION N AMERICA.
The next paper The Ancient Gaclation of North
America" by Professor Newbery OF Columbia College
He expressed the idea that America far better field
OF observation than the Alps for the that much OF
the Alpine region where glacial action was reasonably
been most active in the past covered with Ice and
that the scorings hidden. This so
In America more especially in the Catsklls and on the
slopes OF the mountains of Northern California and OF the
Cascade Mountains. In the interior there line OF
glacial erosion along the Rocky Mountains from New
Mexico TO the Canada border. In this region
beautiful evidences Of glacial action; and OF
ground cut away and replaced by congOmerate
in which pebbles large the human head also
there were basins scoopcd out from valleys and filed in
With fine sedlmcnation Some OF these nearly mile
in diameter. Mr. Clarence King, who had ylstedhc
Winter Mountains, had declared that tho glacial evidence
there far surpassed any similar phenomenon in the Al
pine regions OF Europe, and these in many in
stances thousands Of feet below the present snow line
In the Parks of the Yellowstone many OF the valleys
obviously glacial.
The next paper read was by ior Powell, on " Mar
ragc Institution, in Tribal Society. lie at first alluded
to marriage by capture which. he said in some in
stances fictitious and I'm Others actual There were mar
ragcs by capture. by duel and by clopcm"nt. close
knowledge Of the customs of Indians III THIS country
showed that the usual system marriage by appoint
mcut. tn" officers In group are determined that
young should marry, and the officers Of one of the
groups with which lac could marry legally chose wife
for him out OF this system It seemed to him. came the
three modes al marriage. by capture by duel and by
copcm,ut. The effort of the Indian law was 10 pre-
vent contr"yrr" 'ud when these arose to terminate
yhtL ~ ',' ,, W. ,croilI,tcd DurIing vn.
another way. when this rr-Ortctt to- the first con
ict was final and could not he resumed without CRIME
against the state Thu Who'll" effect of the complex laws
~ tribal >oc,c, 10 tie them together with strong
sens. ~ relationship 30 that the idea of their being akin
might bee Predominant ~ prev mt groups seeding
and forming tribes. The very artificial ana arh
rdy prohibition, 81 marriage invariably rr~cdln some
group becoming td" up 10y these ccn-anguncous lines
q. be- incapable of forming legal marriages and 80 the
! s1hiu" murIilcr became one OF necessity. 80
I'm The measure. of the diameter Of VEINS as derived
during the lau, icro,, the sun The E, a. TN, paper was
10 sho" that ~ making observations ln' t'' ."iu -.
the person using the instrument must hr taken INTO
account. H. an instance The observations lnddc
during the transit by himself and Mr. Brchr, showing
that hi had tendency 10 diminish md those OF his
t"" ~ II r5nrrrc Observation 10 ihc Sea Level" pa
per read by Professor LOOMS 81 Yale College.
TN NFw-IrAvEN PLAIN.
Professor Dana .adc some remarks upon the gco,o-
cic,l character OF the New Haven plain 1t rose 30
gradually from the Sound TO Mount Carmel ~ to indicate
that 70 had been formed under water II Wa, terrace
formation OF sand o. ,rycl without single boulder
and passed abruptly 10 Mount Carmel ride. which was
covered With boudcrs, aud - WAS decisive proof th"
whom tho melting glaciers deposited their boudcr- on
Mount Carmel, the whole plain below was then under
water From thi. point be- passed 90 consideration OF
tho kettle holes. deep dcprons in the plain. Of large
diameter and "a many Instance h9' ING drptG 80 i''
below the surface. What caused these krlUc hnl'Ni
Thc.c are clustered In groups; twenty In one aud
more than thirty IN the other. Some OF them were 10
ir' 800 diameter and round ~ bow. me ut7t *
PLANTATION That the glaciers had drp"-cd on the
- ina nl,t.n.tinu 10 tli. The sands were deposited
around them frr such period to give them depth OF
30 feet. aud this could hardly hv" been while masses q"
rc were b,ins melted. III, view That there were
eddie, In the water - thc main channel ~ an old creek
t' must nav, carried Oh the water. ~ the Sound. The
slud WAS deposited while tho water, were -iil deep
and where The eddie, cocd round the sand WAS not dc
/ pr.It,i. a.,
The FINAL paper was hy the president himself on
"IGr Anur- of the Dluo.au Reptile lie -ud ih'i
the Dinosaurs were distinct c't.h'i EnlP "i I'P','
o los thrm-r,,. and br,ou sng 10 the McsnIoic per
lodi There some Dinosaurs from 90 10 80 ictt long
and There were other. that were not larger than cat
The extraordinary fact about the latter was the r'rl
blaucr they bore 10 birds some OF the miuicr one I
hour- HAT were pneumatic and hollow IMAM thoNn
of ANY birds fthc theory outou b" accepted thrn
would ,ccm =, II bind, had b.nchcd OIL from these
genera OF the dinosaurs.