GEOGRAPHY AND ANTIQUITIES. 36*7 



men eighteen months. " For three hundred miles a path was cut 

 through the forest, thirty feet wide, and cleared of all trees. At the 

 end of every mile is a cast-iron pillar, painted white, square, four feet 

 out of the ground, seven inches square at the bottom, and four at the 

 top, with raised letters on its sides, naming the commissioners who ran 

 the line, and the date." Montreal Courier. 



AMERICAN ASSOCIATION FOR THE PROMOTION OF SCIENCE. 



THE annual meeting, for 1849, of the American Association for the 

 Promotion of Science, commenced at Cambridge, Mass., on the 14th 

 of August, and continued until Tuesday, the 21st, being the longest 

 session yet held by this body. A large number of scientific gentlemen 

 were in attendance from all parts of the country. The division of the 

 Association into two sections 1st, of General Physics, and 2d, of 

 Natural History took place on the second day, and before the close 

 of the meeting, a further subdivision was made into four sections, of 

 Physics, Chemistry, Geology, and Zoology. " The great improve- 

 ment, both in quantity and quality of the matter offered, over that of 

 any previous year, was very observable to those who have followed 

 the sessions of this body from its origin, in the convention of geolo- 

 gists at Philadelphia, in 1840, to its present enlarged and comprehen- 

 sive form of usefulness. It was obvious that the Association had now 

 become truly national in character, and had taken deep hold of the 

 feelings of men of science and investigators in all departments of 

 knowledge. This manifestation is the best earnest of the future en- 

 ergy and prosperity of the institution, and gives encouraging hope for 

 further progress and greater usefulness." The officers of the Associa- 

 tion were Professor Joseph Henry, President, Professor E. N. Horsford, 

 Secretary, Dr. Ellwin, Treasurer. 



The whole number of papers read before the Association amount-, 

 ed to one hundred and sixteen, many of them of considerable length 

 and of great interest. The time was also partially occupied with dis- 

 cussions. 



The next annual meeting of the Association is to be held at New 

 Haven, Conn., according to an invitation from the officers of Yale 

 College. There is also to be a semiannual meeting held at Charles- 

 ton, South Carolina, in March. The President for 1850 is Dr. 

 Alexander Dallas Bache, the Secretary, Edward C. Herrick, Esq., and 

 Dr. Ellwin, Treasurer. The session will commence on Monday, 

 August 19th, 1850. 



SCIENTIFIC REPORTS. 



WE extract the following well-merited notice from the November 

 number of Silliman's Journal. 



" The proceedings of the American Association for the Promotion 

 of Science were published at length in the Boston Evening Traveller, 

 the reports of the discussions and papers being exceedingly accurate 

 and full. We may add a word in behalf of this daily paper, pub- 



