410 PROCEEDINGS OF THE AMERICAN ACADEMY 



the guilt of the accused, pressing into the case collateral topics, Avith 

 appeals to the popular fears and passions of the moment, so as to weave 

 a web of apparent reasoning out of nothing but surmises, unproved as- 

 sertions, and vague possibilities ; that though the duty of prosecuting 

 was laid upon him officially, there was added the stimulus of personal 

 resentment growing out of recent political collisions ; that as no proofs 

 were given, no proofs could have existed ; and that the entire line of 

 attack shows that Demosthenes was sacrificed to the terrors of the mo- 

 ment, and to appease the wrath of Alexander. 



Chief-Justice Parker discussed the question in the light of 

 the principles of modern law, and sustained the conclusion to 

 which the remarks of President Felton pointed. 



Professor Agassiz made the first of a series of communi- 

 cations, which maintain the position that varieties, properly 

 so called, have no existence, at least in the animal kingdom. 



Professor Peirce moved, and the motion was adopted, that 

 special meetings for scientific discussion should be held, at 

 the hall of the Academy, on the fourth Tuesday of March, 

 April, and May. 



Four liuudred and seveniy-iiiiitli meeting. 



March 27, I860.— Special Meeting. 



The President in the chair. 



Mr. J. A. Lowell, Professor Bowen, and Professor Agassiz 

 discussed adversely the hypothesis of the origin of species 

 through variation and natural selection. The latter reiter- 

 ated his denial of the existence of varieties, properly so 

 called, in the animal kingdom, in the wild state, insisting 

 that what were so called were either stages of growth or 

 phases of cyclical development, and that domesticated vari- 

 eties were of no account in the matter, having no counterpart 

 in nature. 



Mr. Lowell suggested that the supposed varieties in the 

 vegetable kingdom were the result of hybridation. He also 

 criticised the hypothesis in question on scientific and philo- 

 sophical grounds, and condemned its tendency. 



