35 



year, which he had filled for some years past. On motion 

 of Dr. Storer, it was 



Voted^ unanimously, That the thanks of the Society be pre- 

 sented to our late Secretary, for the fidelity and zeal with which 

 he has ever performed the duties of his office, and that his com- 

 munication be placed on file. 



On motion of Dr. N. B. Shurtleff, it was unanimously 



Resolved^ That the thanks of the Society be presented to Drs. 

 Harris and Gay, for their valuable services as Curators for many 

 years past. 



Mr. J. E. Teschemacher asked the attention of the Soci- 

 ety for a few minutes, to the following statement : 



It was well known, that he had been, for two or three years, 

 studying the vestiges of the fossil vegetation existing in the An- 

 thracite Coal ; he had, on several occasions, and particularly be- 

 fore this Society, expressed his opinion, that the vegetation of 

 which the Anthracite Coal was formed, differed essentially from 

 that forming the Bituminous Coal ; this latter containing resinous 

 woods, which were absent from the former. 



He understood that Dr. Carpenter was delivering a Course of 

 Lectures in London, on Paleontology, in which he touched on 

 the Anthracite deposites in Wales, (Eng.) and stated his view, 

 that the vegetation forming this deposit was non-resinous, differ- 

 ing from that forming the Bituminous Coal, which was resinous. 



Mr. T. observed, that although this had been his opinion for 

 several years, yet he thought it highly probable the idea was 

 new with Dr. Carpenter, and hoped it had arisen from his study 

 of the Welsh Anthracite ; it would then be a strong presumption 

 in favor of this view. Mr. T. thought that the fact of the alter- 

 nation of Anthracite and Bituminous Coal in Whales, mentioned 

 by Prof. Rogers at a previous meeting, was incompatible with 

 the theory of the metamorphism of Bituminous into Anthracite 

 Coal by igneous agency. 



