250 ANNUAL OF SCIENTIFIC DISCOVERY. 



groat geological changes on the surface of the earth without duly 

 examining Ihe condition of things within their reach which by 

 their accumulating evidence might lead to dillerent results. The 

 paper then speeiiied the various geological, surface, and other 

 changes that were now going on in New England, and from ob- 

 servations within the range of human experience and record at- 

 tempted to show how materially a few thousand years might alter 

 the character of a country. From th(^se data the paper inferred 

 that there was no necessity for throwin<2: back the history of the 

 present geological era to a period much if any before the time 

 when man was in the infancy of his race, — not very long before 

 the historic period. Geology had suffered too much from loose 

 conclusions, and the present state of science demanded the most 

 riirid investigation of facts. In conclusion, it was prettv evident 

 that if the present epoch had claims to a very high antiquity, the 

 evidence had not yet been seen in New England, and especially 

 in the State of Maine, and that the present results might more 

 logically be traced back to a period from 5,000 to 10,000 years 

 ago than 50,000. 



This paper resulted in a somewhat animated discussion, in 

 which Prof. Agassiz and other gentlemen took part. 



BEST ROUTE TO THE NORTH POLE. 



At the meeting of the British Association, Captain II. N. Hamil- 

 ton's paper "On the Best Route to the North Pole " was read, in 

 his absence, by Mr. C. R. Markham, F.R.G.S., one of the sec- 

 retaries. The conclusions he arrived at were, first, that by sea 

 Smith's Sound ofters equal, if not superior, chances for a ship 

 reachin":- a hirrher latitude than has yet been attained to that 

 oITered by the route by Spitzbergen; secondly, that the prospects 

 of successful sledge travelling are by far superior in Smith's 

 Sjund to Spitzbergen ; tiiirdly, the great advantage it possesses 

 in the event of any disaster happening to the expedition. 



VEINS CONTAINING ORGANIC REMAINS. 



One of the papers read before the British Association was a 

 *• Report of the Committee for the purpose of investigating the 

 Veins containins: Oriranic Remains which occur in the Mountain 

 Limestone of the Meudips, and Elsewhere," by C. Moore, F.(t.S. 

 This gentleman has for a long time made the organic remains 

 frequently found in mineral veins his particular study. In his 

 report he referred to the various theories extant as to the origin 

 of veins. They could not have been formed by sublimation, or 

 the fossils would not i)e found in them. Mr. Moore was equally 

 airainst the doeirine of sejjregation. Referring to Mr. Wallace's 

 theory that many of the veins had been filled up by superficial 

 action since the glacial period, he pointed to the age of the fossils 

 as decidedly against it. Mr. Moore's idea was that open fissures 



