FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 28, 1888. NATURE SAYS, THAT, so far as numbers are concerned, the Bath meeting of the British Association has been below the average. The number of tickets sold has been about fifty less than two thousand, forming a marked contrast to last year's meeting, which beat the record. The diminished attendance has told to some extent on the grants, several of which had to be reduced below the sums originally proposed and approved of. The meeting next year will be presided over by Professor Flower. Among the grants allotted by the general council, the following may be mentioned. For the question of electrical standards £100 have been granted, the Ben Nevis Observatory receives £50, and six smaller amounts have been granted for researches in various branches of physics and chemistry. For the Geological Record' £80 have been allotted, and provisions have been made for studying the volcanic phenomena of Japan, the distribution of erratic blocks, and several paleontological and stratigraphical questions. The greatest grants have been allotted to the biological section. The Marine Biological Association and the Naples Zoological Station continue to be supported by the association by grants of £200 and £100 respectively. An amount of £100 each has been given to a study of the zoology and botany of the West India Islands and of the Friendly Islands. The same sum will be devoted to explorations of the geology and geography of the Atlas Range, and to an investigation of estuaries by means of models. In the anthropological section two important grants have been made, one for continuing the studies on the north-western tribes of Canada of £150; and another of 100 for exploring the Roman Bath at Bath, a great part of which was excavated last year, and found in a remarkably good state of preservation. Besides this, a number of minor grants have been allotted, the total amount to be expended being £1,645. THE ORIGIN AND DEVELOPMENT OF LANGUAGE. THE existence of a great number of independent linguistic stocks offers one of the most difficult problems to ethnology. Numerous attempts have been made to compare apparently separate stocks, and to trace their origin, but there remain a great number which cannot be derived from a common source. The most recent theory on the origin of linguistic stocks is the one offered by Prof. Horatio Hale. It was first set forth in his address as vice-president of the anthropological section at the Buffalo meeting of the American Association in 1886, and more fully expounded in a paper read recently before the Canadian Institute at Toronto. The foundation of this theory is the frequently observed fact that children occasionally form a language of their own, apparently totally different from that of their parents. Hale has carefully compiled observations on this subject, and gives in both his papers very interesting and remarkable instances of such languages. He assumes that in a favorable climate a group of children may have become separated from grown-up persons, and thus developed a language of their own. He assumes that the process of forming dialects is entirely and fundamentally distinct from that of forming linguistic stocks. He concludes that children's languages of the type mentioned above are formed at one stroke, complete in all their grammatical elements. A few of the examples mentioned go far to show that this view is correct; but so far we miss the proof that these languages are really fundamentally distinct from that of the parents, as no philologist has ever studied one of them thoroughly. Hale explains the similarity of groups of linguistic stocks in regard to their structure by assuming a potential faculty in the child to develop on a certain line. Such a faculty, in as complex a phenomenon as speech is, seems to us very improbable, and we are more inclined to see in such structural similarities a genetic connection. Undoubtedly Hale has pointed out for the first time one of the most potent factors in the evolution of language, and the problem he propounds is so important that it ought to be taken up energetically. As in every community child-language dies before being far advanced, it is self-evident that Hale's theory holds good only in such countries where a complete isolation of a few individuals, and complete interruption of their intercourse with the tribe from which they separated, are possible. Such can only have been the case where vast tracts of land were uninhabited; and, as this is no longer the case, the non-occurrence of such phenomena in historic times cannot be considered proof against the theory. One phenomenon of great importance we will mention in this place, as it is greatly in favor of Hale's theory, but unfortunately we do not know whether the authority is a good one. The children of a tribe of hunters in South Africa are said to speak a language of their own, which they do not give up until they take part in the expeditions of their parents. If this really means that a language has developed, spoken by all the children of the tribe, it would be an important step on the line indicated by Hale. If this theory is correct, the difference between the development of dialects and linguistic stocks cannot be as fundamental as Hale assumes. Wherever occasion is given for a complete isolation of a few children, occasion also arises for an isolation of a few adults and many children, forming one household. In this case the language of the children may gain a dominating influence over that of the adults. The result of such an event would be a language similar in structure to the original language, while the vocabularies would be distinct in important features. It seems probable that children's speech may have had a great influence in the origin of dialects of certain linguistic stocks in which numerous words occur that have undoubtedly originated independently in the respective dialects. The probability of such an event has been recognized by Hale, who points out that his theory explains the fact that certain words are common to a great number of stocks, although they may differ in all other respects. He thinks that such words were remembered by the children, and retained in their new language. The character of the new language will also depend entirely upon the stage of development of the language of the respective children. We all know that the common baby-talk has to a certain extent the same, although simplified, structure as the mother-tongue, while its vocabulary includes many independent words. Undoubtedly there exist numerous intermediate stages between such baby-talk and a child-language of absolutely independent character if such exists. Therefore, if these languages really gave rise to new languages, we might expect to observe a gradual shading-off between dialects and stocks. It is very probable that by the process suggested by Hale numerous new elements may have developed in the language of isolated families. We are not inclined to accept his theory as explaining the origin of stocks entirely distinct in structure until it has been proved that a child's language of such character exists. Our reason for this opinion is, that a child's language cannot originate until the child has learned from its parents, and from other people with whom it comes in contact, that speech is a means of communication; that is, until it has apperceived the connection of certain sounds with certain other sensations. Therefore it seems probable that even an apparently independent child's language must be to a great extent influenced by the language it hears. Therefore it appears of the greatest importance that the child's language should be studied in all its aspects. Some of the in stances mentioned by Hale are of the greatest interest, and we reprint one here, as it shows clearly what the subject of this study ought to be. In his second paper on this subject, Hale quotes from a letter from Von der Gabelentz the following: "My brother Albert's eldest son George, before he had learned his mothertongue, called things by names of his own invention. In these names the constant elements were the consonants, while the vowels, according as they were deeper or higher, denoted the greatness or smallness. For instance, his term for ordinary chairs was lakail, apparently quite a self-made word. Now, he would call a great arm-chair lukull, and a little doll's chair likill. The root for round objects was m-m. He called a watch or a plate mem, but a large plate or a round table mum; the moon was likewise mem, but when he first saw the stars he said mim mim mim mim. His father, and at first every grown-up male person, was called papa, till he learned to distinguish between Papa and Grosspapa (o papa), and henceforth called all other gentlemen o-papa. Now, I am a head taller than was my father. So one day, when seeing my father and me together, baby called the former o-papa and me u-pupu. One day in winter he saw his father in a large fur cloak and with his hat on. This impression he uttered with the word pupu, meaning a very big papa. The boy soon gave up his idioglottic endeavors, learning German before his next-born sister had reached the age of beginning speech. So that language could have no further grammatical development." THE GREAT MEDICAL CONGRESS. The First Triennial Session in Washington, A Series of Brilliant Meetings. Some of the Papers read.-Distinguished Guests. THE meeting of the Congress of American Physicians and Surgeons, which took place in Washington last week, continuing three days, marked a new departure in national gatherings of American medical men. It was a convention of specialists, of men who have pursued their investigations, each in his own department, far beyond the point reached by the ordinary practising physician, even though his professional equipment be of the best. The papers that were read, therefore, presented the results of the most advanced scientific researches in the several departments, and the organization of the congress is such as to insure in the future the maintenance of this high scientific standard. All opportunity for scheming medical politicians to gain prominence or office is carefully guarded against, and the only chance that any physician has to gain distinction through membership of the congress is by presenting papers of such high order of excellence as to command the attention and secure the approval of the learned members of the medical profession to whom, as to the most competent critics, he submits his work. Perhaps the best idea of the scope and objects of the congress may be gathered from the address with which Dr. Pepper of Philadelphia, chairman of the executive committee, opened the first session. He said, — "On behalf of the executive committee, I have the honor to announce to you, the members of the various special associations composing the Congress of American Physicians and Surgeons, the manner in which we have discharged the responsible duty intrusted to us. The present meeting is the result of prolonged deliberations. The development of one special society after another showed the irresistible tendency of the recent progress of medical science. The deep interest which attaches to the meetings of these separate bodies suggested naturally the thought of a conjoint meeting, which would bring together the active workers in allied fields. This thought began to take definite shape as much as four years ago, before the attention of the medical profession became occupied with the preparations for the meeting of the International Medical Congress which occurred in this city last year. But all action was deferred, in order that there should not be even the semblance of interference with that important meeting. The delay has not been injurious. It has rendered more than ever conspicuous the actual need of an organization to secure the re-union, at stated intervals, of the more active teachers and writers and workers in the leading branches of medical science. Such re-unions must be at a locality to which it will be possible to draw such men from all quarters. "In order to produce the best scientific results, it is essential that the members in attendance shall be reasonably limited, and that as far as possible the same men shall attend successive meetings. A continuity of intellectual life and activity is thus secured, which increases greatly the benefits derived from these meetings. A large proportion of those interested in the development of such an organization are, as I am myself, warmly attached to the American Medical Association, and determined to exert their influence to maintain and promote the success of this great national organization. All are no less warmly interested in the prosperity of the various special societies to which they severally belong. Your executive committee found little difficulty, however, in deciding upon a plan which would avoid even the least interference with the American Medical Association, while at the same time it avoided any encroachment upon the independence and autonomy of the special societies. It is unnecessary to dwell upon the special points which have been embodied in the by-laws which will be immediately submitted to you. "Your committee ventures to hope that these provisions, which are strictly in accord with the terms of the resolutions under which they were appointed, will meet the unanimous approval of the congress. We have recommended that the sessions shall be triennial, thus leaving to each participating body two intervening independent meetings, at such time and place as may be chosen. We have jealously guarded against the admission of any parliamentary business into the work of the congress, the functions of which are designed to be absolutely and exclusively scientific. Thus, and thus only, can the sessions of this body be lifted up into and maintained in that high and cool air of learned discourse which best permits the diffusion of truth and the promotion of science. We have no less jealously guarded the independent sovereignty of each participating society. To all their full rights are preserved; to all equal privileges are accorded; upon all the burden of expense, which should always be but a light one, has been laid in equitable distribution. The successive meetings of the congress will be held in this beautiful city, which every year renders more accessible, more attractive, and more precious to every citizen of the Republic. Nor could we fail to make acknowledgment of the great material advantages we shall enjoy in these meetings here, through the liberal and enlightened policy which places freely at our disposal the admirable facilities of the medical department. "And, lastly, your executive committee would report that in the discharge of one of the most important of our duties we have reached the conclusion that the selection of the president of each congress shall be intrusted to the executive committee then in office. Thus will the choice of the most worthy and most representative men of the whole country be insured at the hands of a truly representative body, specially selected by their various societies for their ability and judgment. The powers you are asked to confide to future executive committees are large, but they will be reposed in safe hands. Each society participating will be stimulated to continuous and lofty effort. Membership in any of these bodies will come to be regarded as more and more an honor, and in time the scientific qualifications of candidates will be more and more strictly scrutinized. Can there be any doubt, that, if the spirit which has led to the formation of this congress be maintained and cherished, this new organization will exert a powerful and beneficent influence on the future medical science? It remains, then, only to add, that, in exerting the privilege of selecting a president for this first Congress of American Physicians and Surgeons, your executive committee feel they have been guided to the choice of a man whose admirable personal character, whose high attainments, and whose illustrious services in the cause of literature, of science, and of the entire medical profession, mark him as entitled to this great honor and distinction. It gives me, therefore, the utmost gratification to present to you our president, Dr. John Shaw Billings, and to announce that the Congress of American Physicians and Surgeons is now duly organized." Dr. Billings, on taking the gavel, in a few words expressed his appreciation of the honor which had been conferred upon him. His formal address was given on Thursday evening, and was published in last week's Science. The address of welcome by Dr. S. C. Busey of Washington, chairman of the committee of arrangements, was warm and cordial He spoke of Washington as a great scientific centre, as it is. It would probably have surprised the members of the congress if he had added, as he might have done, that there are in Washington more than nine hundred men who are engaged in scientific work. It may be remarked here that the work of the committee of arrangements from beginning to end - from the banquet on the evening before the congress met, to the magnificent reception with which it closed is worthy of the warmest commendation. At the first meeting of the congress, also, Dr. Pepper submitted the following rules of organization, which were adopted: "1. This organization shall be known as The Congress of American Physicians and Surgeons.' "2. It shall be composed of national associations for the promotion of medical and allied sciences. "3. It shall hold its sessions triennially in the city of Washington, D.C. "4. The officers of the congress shall be a president, vice-president, a secretary, a treasurer, and an executive committee. 5. The president shall be elected by the executive committee, of which he shall be ex officio a member. "6. The presidents of the participating societies shall be ex officio the vice-presidents of the congress. "7. The secretary and the treasurer shall be elected by the executive committee. They shall be ex-officio members of the executive committee. "8. The executive committee shall be composed of one member from each participating society, and said members shall be elected by the various societies at the next annual meetings subsequent to the congress. "It shall be charged with all duties pertaining to the organization of and preparation for the ensuing congress, including the election of all officers and of a committee of arrangements. 'It shall superintend the publication of the transactions of the congress. "9. The expenses of the congress shall be divided between the participating societies in proportion to their membership. "10. The admission of new associations to participation in the congress shall be by unanimous vote of the executive committee." Typhoid-Fever. The eleven medical and surgical societies from the membership of which the congress is composed held their annual meetings during the three days of the congress. A great number of papers were read, a few of which, only, it will be possible to mention here. At the Tuesday meeting of the Association of American Physicians, Dr. W. W. Johnston of Washington presented an important paper on 'The Geographical Distribution of Typhoid-Fever in the United States.' In brief,. he said: "Typhoid-fever is admitted to be a very generally distributed disease in the United States, but there is a great difference of opinion as to what constitutes typhoidfever, what symptoms are essential to its recognition. The difficulties lie in the fact that typhoid-fever is frequently a very mild disease, with few of the characteristic symptoms; and that sometimes the illness is so slight that its true nature is not recognized until some sudden accident, as hemorrhage from the bowels or perforation, reveals its true nature. The difficulty is increased still more by the simultaneous occurrence, in malarial districts, of forms of fever which have some of the symptoms of typhoid-fever and some of malarial-fever. The question is to determine to which category such obscure or doubtful cases belong. In the present paper the effort was made, by a study of the prevailing forms of continued fever in different portions of the country, to determine the relative value of their symptoms, and to arrive at more precise rules of diagnosis. Such a study reveals the fact that the principal forms of fever recognized are (1) true typical typhoid-fever; (2) true typical malarial (remittent or bilious) fever; (3) adynamic malarial-fever; (4) typho-malarial fever; (5) anomalous obscure forms appear as simple, continued fever, gastric-fever, autumnalfever, etc. An analysis of the symptoms given by physicians in different parts of the country shows that great difference of opinion prevails as to the symptoms of these fevers; but such an analysis and comparison show also that true typical typhoid-fever and true remittent-fever are clearly defined; that adynamic remittent-fever' is a term which is used to designate a class of fevers consisting partly of remittent-fevers, and partly of typhoid-fever of a typical character. In regard to typho-malarial fever, no fixed ideas exist as to what symptoms indicate it; and so great is the confusion, and so hopeless the task of giving this disease an appropriate place, it is clear that much would be gained by abandoning the terms altogether. As regards the obscure forms mentioned, there is the tendency to class many of them under the head of mild or typical typhoid-fever. But there is a great deal yet to be learned about these forms; and much progress can be made by a close study of the micro-organisms found in the blood of these cases, and by a closer study and unbiassed appreciation of their symptoms." Heat-Centres in Man. In the Tuesday meeting of the American Neurological Association, the paper that probably was of most popular interest was that read by Dr. Isaac Ott of Easton, Penn., on Heat-Centres in Man.' He showed by cases of disease that in the brain of man are points whose function it is to preside over the temperature of the body, and to keep its heat constant. These centres were partly located upon the surface and partly at the base of the brain. He also related cases on record of a temperature as high as 128° F., and as low as 94° F. He explained how these great changes of temperature could be produced through disease of the nervous system. Cases of children were detailed whose temperature was 110° F. for a short time and recovered. Fever was stated to be mainly a disease of the nervous system, causing increased chemical changes in the tissues of the body, and thus elevating the temperature. Searching for the Yellew-Fever Germ. At the meeting of the Climatological society on Wednesday, Dr. G. M. Sternberg, surgeon U.S.A., read a very important paper, in which he gave a report of the result of the search for the yellowfever germ which he has been prosecuting under the direction of the President. The title of his paper was Recent Investigations relating to the Etiology of Yellow-Fever.' The subject is one which, on account of the prevalence of this disease in the Southern States, is just now of absorbing interest, not only to the medical profession, but to the public generally. Dr. Sternberg said that there have been several different claimants to the honor of having discovered the yellow-fever germ, but none of these claims are well founded. He exhibited to the association cultivations of the germs of Dr. Domingos Freire of Brazil, of Dr. Carlos Finlay of Havana, and of Dr. Paul Gibier of France. The last-named physician was commissioned by the French Government to study yellow-fever, and had already been in Havana for several months, when, in May last, Dr. Sternberg arrived in that city in compliance with instructions from the President to continue the investigation commenced last year in Brazil and in Mexico. Through the courtesy of the Spanish army-surgeons at the military hospitals in Havana, Dr. Sternberg was able to obtain as many autopsies as he required, and made a careful search of the blood in the various organs of the body with reference to the presence of germs. He did not encounter in a single case the microbe which Dr. Domingos Freire has described, and with which he professes to practise protective inoculations. He has, however, encountered this micrococcus in cultures made from the surface of the body, and believes its presence in Dr. Freire's blood-cultures from the finger to have been quite accidental and without special significance. Having proved by his microscopical researches and culture experiments that there is no specific germ in the blood of yellow-fever patients, Dr. Sternberg turned his attention to the alimentary canal, thinking it not improbable that the specific germ of the disease might be located there, as it is the case in cholera. As was to have been expected, he encountered a variety of micro-organisms in this situation, some of which were apparently undescribed species, and therefore possible yellow-fever germs. Among these is the bacillus of Dr. Paul Gibier, which was found in three out of ten cases. According to Dr. Sternberg, Dr. Gibier has not as yet given any satisfactory proof that this is the veritable yellow-fever germ, and further researches are required in order to determine the important questions relating to the cause and prevention of this disease. Dr. Sternberg has himself discovered several new micro organisms, and it is possible that one or the other of these is the deadly microbe which he has so long been in search of; but he is not at present in a position to make a definite claim with reference to any one of them. Some of these germs were exhibited to the association; and Dr. Sternberg stated that since his return from Havana he had been continuously engaged in the study of these various microbes, and that the material which he had brought with him would fully occupy his time for some months to come. Consumption among the Indians. At the same meeting, Dr. W. Matthews of the Army Medical Museum read a paper entitled ' Further Contributions to the Study of Consumption among the Indians.' Before a meeting of this society, held in Philadelphia two years ago, Dr. Matthews presented a paper on this subject, in which he brought forward statistical evidence to show that consumption increases among Indians under the influence of civilization, i.e., under a compulsory endeavor to accustom themselves to the food and habits of an alien and more advanced race, and that climate has very little to do with this increase. The Indian race, which is native to the climate, suffers more from consumption than the white and colored races, which have only recently appeared on the western continent. As a rule, too (to which there are some exceptions), the tribes that live in the Eastern States, and have been longest under the influence of civilization, suffer most from consumption and allied diseases. In the present paper the author brings out much additional evidence to strengthen the conclusions of his first paper, and endeavors to discover the causes of this consumptive tendency among Indians. He believes that the disease with them is usually complicated with scrofula, in short that it is scrofulous phthisis, and that in studying it we must seek for the causes of scrofula. Chief among these is improper and badly cooked food. Other causes are bad dwellings and insufficient clothing. Still it is strange that the colored population, who are often as badly housed and fed as the Indians, are more healthy. This is partly accounted for by difference of disposition, the Ethiopians being the more light-hearted race. Much of the difference, too, arises from the fact that all Ethiopians, whether rich or poor, fair or dark, are placed by statisticians under the head of colored;' while people of Indian descent, who live among whites, and sever their tribal relations, are classed as whites, only the poorer and less prosperous remaining on the Indian census-rolls. Cerebral Localization. The most brilliant meeting of the congress proper was that of Wednesday evening, when one of the most interesting subjects in medical science, cerebral localization, was discussed by several of the most distinguished specialists of the world. Dr. Charles K. Mills of Philadelphia, the professor of diseases of the mind and nervous system in the Philadelphia Polyclinic and College for Graduates in Medicine, opened the discussion, the topic being Cerebral Localization in its Practical Relations.' He was followed by Dr. Roswell Park, professor of surgery in the Buffalo Medical College. Both of these gentlemen read papers, which were discussed by Dr. David Ferrier and Mr. Victor Horsley of London, England, Dr. W. W. Keen of Philadelphia, and Dr. Robert F. Weir of New York City. Diagrams were displayed on the wall, and by their aid the various speakers pointed out the brain-centres. Dr. Ferrier, one of the original discoverers of brain-centres, claimed that they were distinct areas, while Mr. Horsley was of the opinion that they overlapped. Dr. Mills's paper was an exhaustive one, describing the results of the latest modern discoveries. Dr. Park covered about the same ground, and his paper was regarded as a masterly exposition of the subject. Distinguished Guests. The congress was notable for the distinguished guests of several of the constituent societies who were present and participated. Among these guests, Dr. Frederick von Esmarch of Kiel, Germany, was probably the most distinguished. He was accompanied by his wife and son, the former being Princess Caroline Christian Augusta Emily Henrietta Elizabeth of Schleswig-Holstein-Souderburg-Augustenburg. She is aunt of the Empress of Germany. Dr. von Esmarch is director of the surgical clinic in Kiel. During the Franco-Prussian war he was a surgeon on the staff of the Em peror, and is recognized as one of the leading surgeons of the world. He is a voluminous writer, and nearly all of his works relate to the antiseptic treatment. He has endeavored to ameliorate the horrors of war by the introduction of improved sanitary measures in the treatment of the wounded, and also by suggestions in case of sudden accident. He first suggested the method of artificial bloodless operations, which was generally adopted. He has received honors abroad and at home, and wears decorations of the highest order. Among the other foreign guests were Dr. David Ferner of London, England, one of the leading medical writers of the day, joint editor of Guy's Forensic Medicine, professor in King's College, and physician in King's College Hospital; Dr. Victor Alexander Haden Norsley of University College and Brown Institute, England; Dr. W. M. Graily Hewitt of London, England, a distinguished author and professor; Dr. Lawson Tait of Birmingham, England, president of the Birmingham Philosophical Society, and author of 'Diseases of Women,' a recognized text-book for students and practitioners; Sir Spencer Wells of London, England, surgeon to the Queen's household, and an extensive writer on medical subjects; Sir Andrew Clark, also of London, president of the London Medical Society; Sir William MacCormac, author of Notes and Recollections of an Ambulance Surgeon,' which has been translated into several continental languages; Dr. William O. Priestly of London, a voluminous contributor to medical literature; Dr. William Ord of London, a physician and lecturer of high rank; Dr. Thomas Bryant of London, lecturer on surgery in Guy's Hospital; Dr. Reginald Harrison of Liverpool, England; and Dr. Arthur E. Durham of London, England. Several of these distinguished guests, by invitation, read papers or joined in the discussions. In every respect the congress was successful. It contributed to the advancement of the highest medical science, and has furnished a stimulus for future work. MAJOR POWELL'S REPORT. Operations of the National Survey. - Yellowstone Park. - Atlantic DIRECTOR POWELL of the United States Geological Survey has completed his report for the last fiscal year, and Sept. 6 transmitted it to the secretary of the interior. There will probably be several months' delay in the publication of it, owing to the lack of facilities in the Government Printing-Office; but the Washington correspondent of Science has been permitted to make the following full extracts and summary from the manuscript copy. This is the first publication of this report. In the topographic department an area of 52,062 square miles was surveyed during the year. In regard to the scale on which the topographic maps are made, the director says, “In the earlier work of the Geological Survey it was contemplated that a large part of the general topographic map should be projected upon a scale of four miles to the inch. . . . The last two years, however, have brought great improvements in the methods of work, in the instruments and appliances, and, above all, in the skill and efficiency gained by the topographers through experience and zealous emulation. The cost of the work per unit of area upon any given scale has greatly diminished, the quality and accuracy of the work has been much improved, and the rapidity with which a given grade of work may be accomplished has increased. At the same time the demand for maps of greater detail, and upon a larger scale than four miles to the inch, has been rapidly growing, not merely for scientific purposes, but far more for economic purposes. "The general utility of a map two miles to the inch is, for all purposes, many times greater than that of a map four miles to the inch; and a further increase of utility follows from increasing the scale to one mile to the inch. . . . It has therefore become practically imperative to enlarge the scales in some regions, while the original four-mile scale is still adhered to in the regions of high mountains and arid plains and plateaus. The increased cost which (other things being equal) necessarily attends the production of larger scale and more accurate and elaborate maps has in great measure been offset by more economic and more efficient service, resulting from constantly growing experience and skill in field and office work." 64 Yellowstone Park. Under the charge of Dr. Arnold Hague," says Director Powell, after treating of several other topics," the survey of the National Park has made much progress. A topographic map of the Mammoth Hot Springs basin has been made by Mr. Anton Karl of the topographic corps, and maps of the other geyser basins have been completed. Dr. Hague's geologic work has been prosecuted in the eastern portion of the park, in the comparatively little-known area around the northern part of the Wind River Range and the Absaroka Range, which constitute some of the grandest features of the region. His inquiries have thrown much light on the geologic history of the features of the park, and of the volcanic processes which produced such wonderful results. Many instructive studies have been made of the action of the geysers and the hot-springs, and of the mineral deposits to which they have given rise. "Dr. Hague's attention has been forcibly drawn to the importance of this reservation as a storage-area for the head waters of some of the largest upper tributaries of the Missouri, and also of the Snake River. Yellowstone Lake is the largest natural reservoir of the Rocky Mountain region, and may be made an important factor in the prosperity of future populations of the country adjoining the lower courses of the Yellowstone, who will be dependent upon its waters for irrigation. Dr. Hague has devoted much time to the investigation of this important subject, and has obtained information which cannot fail to be of great value in the future deliberations of Congress upon questions relating to its policy towards the public lands upon this broad watershed of the continent." Atlantic Coast Work. "The examination of swamps and marsh-lands," continues Major Powell, has been continued during the past year under the charge of Prof. N. S. Shaler. The large area of such lands along the Atlantic coast south of New York, and their situation upon the coast-line, make them especially important, and even a subject of solicitude in relation to the future development of the country. Deleterious to health in their natural condition, an obstacle in the way of approach to the sea, repellent to the settler, to agriculture, and to manufacturers, they yet hold out the hope of highly productive utilization through the judicious application of capital. Wherever they are susceptible of effective drainage, they are generally among the most valuable lands for agricultural purposes, and their unhealthful condition is ameliorated, or even wholly remedied. There are over 100,000 square miles of such land in the United States, a large proportion of which, by good engineering, can be rendered highly productive. Much of it abounds in peat or iron ores, and in South Carolina and Georgia it contains the products of phosphates, which are collected and treated in chemical works in steadily increasing quantities. The swamps and overflowed lands of the interior present analogous conditions. Professor Shaler has visited the Everglade region of southern Florida, along the coast, to ascertain the general facts with reference to the possibility of drainage, and with highly encouraging results. He has investigated such evidences as were accessible, bearing upon the origin of the topographic features of the southern part of the peninsula, and especially those which are indicative of elevation or subsidence of the land in recent geologic time. He has also made a preliminary study of the phosphate deposits of South Carolina, and the results have been put in form to be published as a bulletin of the Survey. "Progress has been made in mapping the swamp districts of Massachusetts, and Professor Shaler has completed the mapping of those occurring in the vicinity of Abington and Newburyport. A large amount of special geologic work, bearing upon particular questions now under investigation, has also been done under Professor Shaler." Archæan Geology. In many parts of the United States extensive exposures of very ancient strata occur, embracing in some cases formations which are older than the oldest fossiliferous rocks of assignable age. In other cases there are formations of the same ages as some of the fossiliferous beds, but in a condition which indicates that they have undergone great changes since their deposition. Not only have their component beds been tilted, bent, folded, dislocated, and distorted to extreme degrees, but their mineralogic contents and their textures have been more or less altered. One effect of this metamorphism has been the obliteration of any fossils they may have contained originally, upon which the geologist mainly relies in determining the ages and relations of strata. The confusion into which these masses have been thrown by the forces which have fractured and distorted them has increased the difficulty. "The present state of knowledge relating to the origin, relative ages, and former condition of these strata, to the nature of the processes which have wrought these profound changes in their constitution, and to their relation with each other, is very unsatisfactory, although no rocks have been more earnestly studied. While the knowledge which has been gained is vast in amount, and highly useful in its way, it has not been of such a character that it could be grouped and generalized into broad inductions, and it has thrown comparatively little light upon the most important questions. There are large areas in the United States where these rocks are exposed. The most extensive are in the New England States, the southern Appalachians, the vicinity of Lake Superior, and many parts of the great mountain region of the West, and especially the ranges upon and near the Pacific coast. It is deemed of importance to the interest of geologic science in general — both of systematic and economic geology to take up this subject and prosecute investigations of the older crystalline rocks with vigor. The two fields which are regarded as offering the best opportunities and prospects for these investigations are the New England States and the Lake Superior region. In the former field, Prof. R. Pumpelly has been diligently at work with several assistants. Convinced that the Green Mountains of Vermont and Massachusetts are more likely to yield desired results and to clear up the broader questions relating to the geology of New England, he has divided the country into zones across those mountains, and is prosecuting the investigation of their structure in great detail. He has already ascertained the components of the Green Mountain series of strata, has gained considerable knowledge of their lithology and relations, and has made much progress towards unravelling their complicated structure, and learning the processes by which their metamorphism has been effected." After a brief account of the investigation of corresponding horizons in the Lake Superior region, closing the notice with a deserved tribute to the late Prof. Roland D. Irving, who was in charge of this work, and who died in May last, Major Powell passes to a brief review of the work done during last year in the glacial division. 64 Glacial Geology. The study of the vestiges of glaciation," says the director, "has been conducted by Prof. T. C. Chamberlin. The New England States, New York, a large part of Pennsylvania, and in general the States north of the Ohio River and east and north of the Missouri, constitute a region whose superficial deposits and soils, whose lakes and minor topographic features, have been profoundly modified, and in great part made what they now are, by the action of glaciers. This region, as well as the basins of the Great Lakes and the Canadian Provinces indefinitely northward, was doubtless during a recent geologic period sheeted over with ice in a manner which finds a counterpart in the present condition of Greenland. This conclusion - and a similar one has been reached with respect to certain portions of Europe rests upon a vast mass of circumstantial evidence so clear and convincing, when fully understood, that it may be regarded as one of the most wonderful and pleasing examples of inductive reasoning, and one of the best established that the whole realm of modern science affords. Professor Chamberlin's work has been the investigation of the extent of this former field of ice and its boundaries, the nature of its action in shaping surface features, the chief incidents of its history, and the geologic and climatic changes which were associated with it, whether as causes or effects. |