ment of a committee to superintend the publication of the proceedings of the present meeting, and nominated for that committee Dr. Robert W. GIBBES, of Columbia, S. C.; Dr. ALFRED L. ELWYN of Philadelphia; S. W. ROBERTS, Esq., of Philadelphia; Prof. JAMES B. ROGERS, of Philadelphia; WM. S. VAUX, Esq., of Phila-. delphia; Prof. B. SILLIMAN, Jr., of New Haven. Which recommendation and nominations were on motion, concurred in. The Standing Committee also recommended that 1000 copies of the proceedings of the Association be published in pamphlet form, and placed at the disposal of the Chairman of the Committee on Publication.-Adopted. The following resolution, in regard to the publication of the proceedings, was also adopted : Resolved, That copies or abstracts of all communications made, either to the General Association, or to either of the Sections, must be furnished by the authors, otherwise only the titles shall appear in the published proceedings. The Standing Committee offered the following resolution, which was, on motion, adopted. Resolved, That this Association highly appreciate the object of Prof. GERMAIN, in collecting the fossils of the Greensand of New Jersey, and that the Society will, by every means in its power, encourage him in the same. The following gentlemen, having been duly nominated for membership, by the Standing Committee, were unanimously elected members of the Association, viz: ALGERNON S. ROBERTS, Esq., of Philadelphia; Dr. B. B. BROWN, St. Louis, Mo.; Dr. GERARD TROOST, Nashville, Tenn.; LEWIS TROOST, Esq., Nashville, Tenn.; Prof. A. Guyot, of Cambridge, Mass., and JOHN E. THOMPSON, Esq., of Philadelphia. Prof. HENRY, on behalf of the Standing Committee, offered the following resolution, which was adopted : Resolved, That the thanks of the Association be tendered to Prof. JAMES B. ROGERS, for his kind attention to the convenience of the Association while holding its Sectional and General Meetings in the Chemical Lecture room of the University. On motion of S. W. ROBERTS, Esq., it was— Resolved, That the thanks of this Association are due, and are hereby respectfully tendered to the Trustees of the University of Pennsylvania, for the liberality with which they have given to the distinct deflagration took place; though this would undoubtedly tend strongly to infer their existence, still it would be well to confirm this by collecting or observing the nitrous oxide gas given off at the same time. To me no such deflagration occurred; perhaps I did not heat the residue to a sufficiently high temperature, though I heated it considerably above the boiling point of water, and I am under the impression that it began to turn slightly brown on the edges. 16. It will thus be seen that, as a whole, the two analyses confirm each other considerably, and I believe that the following results may be derived from them in regard to the composition of the Schuylkill water, and the differences in it at the two different periods, having three years between them. The Schuylkill water, when settled clear, is a water of superior purity. Its amount of chlorine and sulphuric acid is too small to produce any sensible reaction under most circumstances. Its main characters it derives from its carbonates, more especially the earthy carbonates, which, if they were present in larger quantities, would give it the character of a hard water, and— In regard to a difference of composition, at the two different periods, that, 1. The amount of sulphuric acid varied less than 0.277 grain to the gallon (§13). 2. Chloride of sodium, less than 0.006 grain (§12). 3. The earthy carbonates less than 0.4, perhaps not more than 0.14 (§8). 4. The silica less than 0.32 grain (§10). 5. Organic matter less than 1 grain to the gallon (§6). 6. Total amount of solid residue less than 1.4 grains to the gallon. Dr. GIBBON, Dr. HARE and Prof. JOHNSON, also entered into some explanations relative to the character and variability of the Schuylkill water. After the conclusion of these remarks, Prof. HENRY made a further brief explanation of the objects of the Smithsonian Institution. After which, the Association adjourned, to meet this afternoon at 4 o'clock. Monday, September 25, 4 P. M. The Association met agreeably to adjournment. President, WM. C. REDFIELD, Esq., in the chair. The Standing Committee made a report recommending the appoint ment of a committee to superintend the publication of the proceedings of the present meeting, and nominated for that committee Dr. ROBERT W. GIBBES, of Columbia, S. C.; Dr. ALFRED L. ELWYN of Philadelphia; S. W. ROBERTS, Esq., of Philadelphia; Prof. JAMES B. ROGERS, of Philadelphia; WM. S. VAUX, Esq., of Phila-. delphia; Prof. B. SILLIMAN, Jr., of New Haven. Which recommendation and nominations were on motion, concurred in. The Standing Committee also recommended that 1000 copies of the proceedings of the Association be published in pamphlet form, and placed at the disposal of the Chairman of the Committee on Publication.-Adopted. The following resolution, in regard to the publication of the proceedings, was also adopted :— Resolved, That copies or abstracts of all communications made, either to the General Association, or to either of the Sections, must be furnished by the authors, otherwise only the titles shall appear in the published proceedings. The Standing Committee offered the following resolution, which was, on motion, adopted. Resolved, That this Association highly appreciate the object of Prof. GERMAIN, in collecting the fossils of the Greensand of New Jersey, and that the Society will, by every means in its power, encourage him in the same. The following gentlemen, having been duly nominated for membership, by the Standing Committee, were unanimously elected members of the Association, viz: ALGERNON S. ROBERTS, Esq., of Philadelphia; Dr. B. B. BROWN, St. Louis, Mo.; Dr. GERARD TROOST, Nashville, Tenn.; LEWIS TROOST, Esq., Nashville, Tenn.; Prof. A. GUYOT, of Cambridge, Mass., and JOHN E. THOMPSON, Esq., of Philadelphia. Prof. HENRY, on behalf of the Standing Committee, offered the following resolution, which was adopted : Resolved, That the thanks of the Association be tendered to Prof. JAMES B. ROGERS, for his kind attention to the convenience of the Association while holding its Sectional and General Meetings in the Chemical Lecture room of the University. On motion of S. W. ROBERTS, Esq., it was— Resolved, That the thanks of this Association are due, and are hereby respectfully tendered to the Trustees of the University of Pennsylvania, for the liberality with which they have given to the Association, the use of the halls of both the Collegiate and Medical Departments of the University. Prof. W. R. JOHNSON offered the following resolution, which was adopted : Resolved, That the thanks of the Association be presented to the Chairman of the last Annual Meeting, for the able and eloquent address delivered before the Association at its present session; and that he be requested to furnish a copy thereof, for publication in the proceedings. The Secretary read the following letter from Prof. TUCKER, which was ordered to be entered on the minutes : Philadelphia, September 25, 1848. Sir,-Unable to leave my room, from an attack of bronchitis, I beg leave to propose what I had wished to submit this morning in person. I have been long desirous of seeing a general Statistical Society in the United States, and last year invited, through Hunt's Magazine, a meeting in this city for that purpose. The plan was very favourably responded to by some; but their number was not sufficient to justify the immediate formation of such a society. It was then suggested, that all the purposes of such a society might be attained by a Section of this Association, appropriated to statistics and political economy. I accordingly hastened on to the meeting, from Virginia, where I was on a visit, for the purpose of proposing such a Section, and, in my journey caught the cold which now disables me. I will not waste the time of the Association in dwelling on the advantages of statistics. They are known to be auxiliary to all the sciences that are not demonstrative, and to furnish materials for those which are. They are particularly valuable in the United States, where changes are more rapid than elsewhere; and where, from the extent of our country, enumerations are more difficult. It may further recommend such a Section, that it will tend to make more of the proceedings of the Association intelligible and interesting to the public generally, and thus further the liberal and patriotic views of the Association; and though I do not belong to the class of utilitarians, but regard every species of knowledge valuable for its own sake, it cannot be a matter of indifference, that the pursuits of science, as those of statistics and political economy, have a direct bearing on the common concerns of life-lastly, in favour of such a Section, the Institution in England, which has served as our prototype, has a Section of statistics. I accordingly beg leave to submit the following resolution : Resolved, That a further Section of Statistics and Political Economy be added to those already established in this Institution; but that the appointment of its members be postponed to the next meeting, in August. I cannot conclude this hasty communication without congratulating the Association on the success which has attended its first meeting. The papers that have been read to it appear to me to do great honour to their authors and the Association, and afford a sure presage that the fondest hopes of its founders will be more than realized. I am, sir, with great respect, Your obedient servant, GEORGE TUCKER. Prof. Wm. B. ROGERS offered the following resolution, which was adopted Resolved, That the letter of Professor TUCKER, on the subject of forming a Statistical Section, at the future meetings of the Association, be referred to the Standing Committee for consideration, and report at the next meeting of the Association. The Secretary also read the following report, by Mr. KELLOGG, made in obedience to a former request of the Association of Geologists and Naturalists. A REMARKABLE GEOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENT IN ELIZABETHTOWN, ESSEX COUNTY, N. Y. During the period of the Geological Survey of the State of New York, about six years since, when the writer of this article resided in Essex county, he was requested by Prof. Emmons, who was then prosecuting the survey in that county, and had not himself then time to visit the spot, to send him in time for the annual report of that year, a description of the phenomenon alluded to above, which is regarded as a pot hole of geological origin, and which is found in the valley of the Boquette, about four miles south of the Court House, in Elizabethtown, above named. Owing to other engagements, on the part of the subscriber, whose residence was about twelve miles from the spot to be examined, it was neglected till too late for the object then contemplated; and the thought has been suggested, that such description |