Mr. Everett, having alluded to the letter addressed to himself, as President of the University, by W. C. Bond, Esq., Director of the Observatory, announcing the discovery, on the 16th of September, of an eighth satellite of Saturn,* read a short paper on the discovery of the other satellites by Huyghens, Cassini, and Sir William Herschel, and on the name proper to be given to the satellite discovered by the Messrs. Bond. Adopting the nomenclature proposed by Sir John Herschel, in his late work on the Cape Observations, Mr. Everett suggested that the new satellite, which comes next to Iapetus, might be called either "Prometheus" or "Hesper," sons of Iapetus; or, if a brother of Saturn were preferred, it might be called "Hyperion." Some discussion arose on this point; and a committee, consisting of Messrs. Everett, Felton, Sparks, Peirce, and Bond, was appointed on the subject of the discovery, and of a name proper to be given to it.

Professor Agassiz gave an account of the fossil Cetacea

Mr. Bond's letter is as follows:

"Dear Sir,

"Observatory, Cambridge, Sept. 25, 1848.

"On the evening of the 16th of this month a small star was noticed, situated nearly in the plane of Saturn's ring, and between the satellites Titan and Iapetus. It was regarded at the time as accidental. It was, however, recorded, with an estimated position in regard to Saturn.

"The next night favorable for observation was the 18th, and, while comparing the relative brightness of the satellites, the same object, similarly situated in regard to the planet, was again noticed, and its position more carefully laid down. But still at the time we scarcely suspected its real nature.

"From accurate measurements on the evening of the 19th, the star being found to partake of the retrograde motion of Saturn, that portion of the heavens toward which the planet was approaching was carefully examined, and every star near its path for the two following nights laid down on a diagram, and micrometric measures of position and distance with objects in the neighbourhood were taken.

"The evening of the 20th was cloudy. On the 21st the new satellite was found to have approached the primary, and it moved sensibly among the stars while under observation. Similar observations were repeated on the nights of the 22d and 23d. Its orbit is exterior to that of Titan. It is less bright than either of the two inner satellites discovered by Sir William Herschel.

which have been found in the United States, and which are much more numerous than is generally supposed. He showed nearly perfect sculls of four distinct species, belonging to three different genera, and various parts of three more species. Of these seven species, six belong to the family of Zeuglodonts, and one to that of the true Dolphins. They were all found in the lower tertiary deposits of the Southern States. The new types described by Professor Agassiz were discovered by Mr. Holmes of Charleston, South Carolina, and by Mr. Markoe of Washington. It is intended to publish extensive illustrations of all these fossils.

Professor Gray, from the Publishing Committee, announced that a new volume of Memoirs was nearly ready for distribution, and proposed that a committee should be appointed to fix some general rules for the disposition of the publications of the Academy. Messrs. Everett, Felton, Gray, Sparks, Agassiz, Walker, and Gould were appointed a committee for this purpose.

Three hundred and eleventh meeting.

November 8, 1848. QUARTERLY MEETING.

The PRESIDENT in the chair.

Mr. Everett, from the committee appointed at the last meeting on the discovery of the eighth satellite of Saturn, and on a name suitable to be given to it, read a detailed report, which was referred to the Committee of Publication for the purpose of having it appended to the third volume of Memoirs about to be issued [where it has been printed in full].

Professor Gray presented a Memoir, entitled "Plantæ Fendlerianæ Novi-Mexicana: an Account of a Collection of Plants made chiefly in the Vicinity of Santa Fé, New Mexico, by Augustus Fendler; with Descriptions of the New Species, Critical Remarks, and Characters of other undescribed or little known Plants from surrounding Regions"; and made some general observations on the characteristics of the vegetation of New Mexico, now first brought to the notice of botanists.

"Desirous to render the occupation of New Mexico by the United States troops subservient to the advancement of science, and to make known the vegetation of a region which had scarcely been visited by a naturalist, Dr. Engelmann and myself, with the coöperation of one or two friends who patronized the enterprise, induced Mr. Fendler to undertake a botanical exploration of the country around Santa Fé. In execution of this plan, Mr. Fendler left Fort Leavenworth, on the Missouri, on the 10th of August, 1846, with a military train, he having been allowed by the Secretary of War a free transportation for himself, his luggage, and collections.

"Mr. Fendler travelled the well-beaten track of the Santa Fé traders to the Arkansas, and then followed that river up to Bent's Fort, which he reached on the 5th of September. On the 25th of September the Arkansas was crossed, four miles above Bent's Fort, and the westerly course was now changed to a southwestern direction, through an arid and very barren region, where the shrubby Atriplex was the most characteristic plant, and furnished almost the only fuel to be ob tained. Thus far the country was a comparatively level, or rather rolling, prairie, rising gradually from one thousand to more than four thousand feet above the sea. But on Sept. 27th, the base of the mountain chain was reached, which is an outlier of the Rocky Mountains, and attains in the Raton Mountains the elevation of eight thousand feet. West of these, in dim distance, the still higher Spanish Peaks appear, which have only been visited, very cursorily, by the naturalists of Major Long's expedition in 1820. Scattered Pine-trees are here seen for the first time on the Rio de los Animos (or Purgatory River of the Anglo-Americans), which issues from the Raton Mountains. The party several times crossed large perfectly level tracts, which at this season, at least, showed not a sign of vegetation; in other localities of the same description, nothing but a decumbent species of Opuntia was observed. The sides of the Raton Mountains were studded with the tall Pinus brachyptera, Engelm., and the elegant Pinus concolor. Descending the mountains, the road led along their southeastern base, across the head-waters of the Canadian.

"On the 11th of October, Mr. Fendler obtained the first view of the valley of Santa Fé, and was disagreeably surprised by the apparent sterility of the region where his researches were to commence in the following season. The mountains rise probably to near nine thousand feet above the sea-level, two thousand feet above the town, but do not

reach the line of perpetual snow, and are destitute, therefore, of strictly alpine plants. Their sides are studded with the two Pines already mentioned, with Pinus flexilis, &c.

"The Rio del Norte, twenty-five or thirty miles west from Santa Fé, is probably two thousand feet lower than that town. Its flora is meagre; but some interesting plants were obtained on its sandy banks, or on the black basaltic rocks, which in other places rise directly from its brink. South and southwest of Santa Fé, an almost level and sterile plain extends for fifteen miles, which supports little vegetation, except four or five Cactea, some Grasses, and here and there a bush of the Shrub Cedar. To the west and north there is a range of gravelly hills, thinly covered with Cedar and the Nut Pine. The valleys between the hills appear to have a fertile soil, but cannot be cultivated for want of irrigation. They furnished some very interesting portions of Mr. Fendler's collection.

"By far the richest and most interesting region about Santa Fé, for the botanist, is the valley of the Rio Chiquito (little creek) or Santa Fé Creek. It takes its origin about sixteen or eighteen miles northeast of the town, from a small mountain lake or pond, runs through a narrow, chasm-like valley, which widens about three miles from Santa Fé, and opens into the plain just where the town is built. Below, the stream is almost entirely absorbed by the numerous irrigating ditches, which are most essential for the fertilization of the otherwise sterile fields. Most of the characteristic plants of the upper part of the creek and of the mountain-sides are those of the Rocky Mountains, or of allied forms; some of which, such as Atragene Ochotensis or alpina, Draba aurea, &c., have never before been met with in so low a latitude (under 36°).

"Mr. Fendler made his principal collections from the beginning of April to the beginning of August, 1847, in the region just described. At that time, unforeseen obstacles obliged him to leave the field of his successful researches. He quitted Santa Fé on the 9th of August, followed the usual road to Fort Leavenworth, which separates from the 'Bent's Fort road' at the Mora River, and unites with it again at the Crossing of the Arkansas.' The first part of the route from Santa Fé to Vegas leads through a mountainous, wooded country, of much botanical interest, crossing the water-courses of the Pecos, Ojo de Bernal, and Gallinas. From Vegas the road leads northeastwardly through an open prairie country, occasionally varied with higher hills, as far as the Round Mound (6,655 feet high, according to Dr. Wislizenus). The

principal water-courses on this part of the route, all of which furnished different remarkable species, were the Mora, Ocaté, Colorado (the head of the Canadian), and Rock Creek, all of which empty into the Canadian. Rabbit's Ear Creek and McNees Creek (the head-waters of the north fork of the Canadian) are east of the mountains altogether. From thence the Cimarron was reached, where the Cold Spring, Upper, Middle, and Lower Spring, and Sand Creek are interesting localities. On September 4th, Mr. Fendler recrossed the Arkansas, and reached Fort Leavenworth on the 24th of that month.

"The systematic enumeration of the plants collected by Mr. Fendler, at this time presented to the Academy, extends to the close of the Compositæ (Nos. 1-462); and embraces the following new species, viz.: Thalictrum Fendleri. Berberis Fendleri, a beautiful and very distinct species, allied to B. Canadensis. Argemone hispida, — also gathered by Fremont and Wislizenus, allied to A. grandiflora. Nasturtium sphærocarpum, a species with almost exactly globose silicles, as its name indicates. Streptanthus micranthus, and S. linearifolius. Cardamine cordifolia, a species most resembling C. asarifolia of the Old World. Sisymbrium incisum, which has the pods of S. Sophia, but with longer pedicels and much coarser foliage. Vesicaria Fendleri, a very distinct species of a genus which appears to have its principal focus in Texas and New Mexico. Lepidium alyssoides, which was also found by Fremont. Drymaria sperguloides, and D. tenella, two remarkable narrow-leaved species. Arenaria Fendleri, a grassy-leaved species of a group not before found in the New World. Sidalcea Neo-Mexicana, and S. candida, belonging to a new genus, of which Sida diploscypha, Torr. & Gr., is the type. Ceanothus Fendleri. Dalea nana, Torr. ined., allied to D. aurea. Astragalus diphysus, and A. cyaneus; and four new species of Phaca, viz. P. Fendleri, P. gracilenta, P. macrocarpa, and P. picta. Calliandra herbacea, a small, depressed herb. Mimosa borealis, a shrub, found north of lat. 37°, also gathered in flower by Mr. Gordon. Potentilla diffusa, and P. crinita. Enothera (Pachylophis) eximia, the largest and most striking species of the section, and apparently one of the handsomest of the genus; and E. (Salpingia) Fendleri, also a very showy species. The new Cacteæ are Mammillaria papyracantha, Cereus Fendleri, and Opuntia pheacantha, described by Dr. Engelmann, who has very successfully investigated this family. Ribes leptanthum. Philadel phus microphyllus, a charming species. Archemosa Fendleri.

Cy