GEOLOGY. 309 



stones are regarded as ancient, and trachytes and basalts as 

 modern rocks. 



INTERNATIONAL GEOLOGICAL CONGRESS. 



The American Association for the Advancement of Sci- 

 ence, at its meeting in Buffalo, August, 1876, appointed an 

 International Committee, charged with the organization of 

 an International Geological Congress, to be held in Paris dur- 

 ing the Exhibition of 1878. This committee, which consist- 

 ed of James Hall, W. B. Rogers, J. S. Newberry, J. W. Daw- 

 son, T. Sterry Hunt, R. Pumpelly, and C. H. Hitchcock, with 

 the addition of T. H. Huxley, Otto Torell, and E. H. von 

 Baumhauer, then present at Buffalo, chose James Hall for 

 its chairman and T. Sterry Hunt for its secretary. A circu- 

 lar in various languages was at once issued, urging the im- 

 portance of the proposed Congress, for the consideration of 

 which various points were suggested, and recommending 

 the brino-in<T-to2fether at the Exhibition of collections illus- 



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trating the geology of all countries. The assurances of co- 

 operation received by the secretary were such that, after a 

 few months, the Geological Society of France took up the 

 matter in connection with the International Committee, and, 

 naming a Local Committee, of which Hebert was president 

 and Jannetaz, secretary-general, issued, July, 1877, a circular 

 embodying the suggestions of the first committee. This was 

 followed by a second circular, dated February, 1878, fixing 

 the opening of the Congress for the 29th of August. The 

 Local Committee also prepared a catalogue of all the mate- 

 rials of geological interest in the Exhibition, as well as of 

 all the public and private collections of Paris, which were 

 thrown open to the members of the Congress. 



The Congress was opened on the day appointed in the 

 Palace of the Trocadero, the Minister of Public Instruction 

 for France presiding on the occasion, and six daily sessions 

 were held, with Hebert for president, assisted by numerous 

 vice-presidents selected from the various nationalities. The 

 whole number of members enrolled was 328, of which about 

 250 were present. American geology was represented by 

 James Hall, G. H. Cooke, J. P. Lesley, T. Sterry Hunt, W. P. 

 Blake, E. D. Cope, and T. C. Chamberlin, and by Sehvyn 

 from Canada. 



