1885.] KEW YORK ACADEMY OF SCIENCES. 4:7 



The Report of the Council was adopted, which recommended 

 elections as follows : 



Mr. G. E. Bailey and Mr. Walter H. Lewis, Jr., were 

 elected Resident Members, and Mr. Charles Slossox ivas 

 elected a Corresponding Member. 



President Newberry exhibited calcite crystals enclosing- 

 copper, from Lake Superior. Also copper implements from 

 the region of Lake Superior, resembling those from Europe 

 Also a rock specimen from Honduras, containing fragments of 

 Cycas, probably of upper Triassic age. 



Mr. F. Cope Whitehouse made remarks and read letters 

 relating to question as to the origin of Fingal's Cave. 



Dr. a. a. Julien read a paper, on 

 meteorological and hypsometrical notes in the islands of the 



CURACOA group, WEST INDIES. 



March 9th, 1885. 



Stated Meeting. 

 The President, Dr. J. S. Newberry, in the chair. 

 Ninety-seven persons present. 

 President Newberry read a paper, entitled 



1HE ancient civilizations op AMERICA; THEIR ORIGIN AND ANTIQUIIY. 



(Abstract.) 



When the white man landed on these shores, three hundred 

 years ago, he found them covered with a dense forest, the home 

 of the Ijear, deer, elk and the equally wild Indian. As the 

 wave of civilization rolled westward, the forest was mowed 

 down before it, and step by step the native tribes were driven 

 deeper and deeper into their forest recesses. Behind the ad- 

 vance guard of the whites, the couDtry was soon dotted with 

 hamlets, which grew to towns and these in time to cities. The 

 intervals between them were covered ^dth grain fields and 

 orchards, of which the growth was so luxiu-iant that it seemed 



