BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH OF ISAAC LEA, LL. D. XLIII 



stone and the other below the Coal Mcasnres in Pennsylvania Survey 

 Formation No. XI. The remarks were attentively listened to. Sir 

 Charles Lyell then stated his impression in regard to both. lie gave 

 Dr. Lea full credit for being the first and only one who had yet observed 

 an air-breathing" animal in so ancient a rock as thatin which the Sauropus 

 primceviis occurred. He further, stated that the Clepsysanriis pennsylvan- 

 «?;«« was the first discovery of bones intheXew Eed Sandstone,althongh 

 since Dr. Lea's discovery a jaw of a similar animal had been found, and 

 he said he was entirely disposed to accord tothelatter the credit of these 

 two discoveries. Sir Roderick asked if any other gentleman had any- 

 thing to communicate, to which Colonel Sabine answered that he had a 

 curiously-shaped bottle picked up on the north shore of Siberia, and 

 sent to him from St. Petersburg. He said that he thought that it had 

 come through Bering Straits from Japan. Dr. Lea, having paid some 

 attention to the voyages and currents of the Arctic Ocean, observed 

 that that was certainly the best solution of the subject ; that all the 

 voyagers from the early Danish settlements to the present time demon- 

 strated the course of the currents. After the discussion of other sub- 

 jects of minor interest, the members divided into groups, and Dr. Lea 

 had an interesting conversation with Sir Eoderick, Dr. Carpenter, and 

 Professor Forbes upon various matters of science. Sir Poderick ex- 

 pressed his regret in parting that he had not seen more of Dr. Lea, but 

 that he had been absent during most of the time. Dr. Carpenter spoke 

 of their mutual friends, Drs. Dunglison, Jackson, Wood, and Meigs. 

 He said on parting that he was very desirous of visiting the United 

 States, if anything offered by which he could increase his income ; 

 that a professorship in the College of Philadelphia would be very ac- 

 ceptable. Professor Sharpey, of Edinburgh, spoke of the excellence 

 of Wood & Bache's works. 



Calling at the Museum of Economic Geology, Dr. Lea found Sir 

 Henry De la Beche busily engaged. He expressed much j^leasure at 

 seeing him again. While conversing with him a very old gentleman 

 came in whom he introduced as Mr. Weaver. He was entirely deaf, 

 and Dr. Lea had to write his part of the dialogue. He was ninety-one 

 years old, was perfectly erect, and had a remarkably fine face. Dr. 

 Lea was very much pleased to see him, for he was of the old school of 

 science, and was a fellow-student with Humboldt. He was kind enough 

 to say that he had heard in the hall that Dr. Lea was in the private 

 room with Sir Henry, and he could not refrain from coming "to 

 shake hands with one who had done so much for American science." 

 He was in the early part of this century among the leading men of 

 science in England, and was deeply engaged in the great battle of 

 " Neptunist and Plutonist," which was waging at that time. He had 

 understood that Dr. Lea had given some rare Uniones to the museum, 

 and expressed a desire to see them. Dr. Lea went to the cases, and 

 explained to him some of the different species which had excited much 



