188G.] NEW YORK ACADEMY OF SCIENCES. 137 



hinia and Ilymcenea — leguminous genera, not before identified 

 in the Cretaceous flora of N. America. 



The most interesting and unexpected discovery among the 

 angiosperms is that of numerous specimens of a hclianthoid com- 

 posite flower, three to four inches in diameter, in which the ray- 

 florets (?) were scarious and persistent like those of HeUochrysum. 



Taken altogether, this flora is of surprisingly high botanical 

 rank, quite as much so as that obtained from any Tertiary strata, 

 and perhaps as any local flora of an equal number of arborescent 

 species in the vegetation of the present time. 



February 1, 1886. 

 Regular Business Meeting. 

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

 Sixty-five persons present. 



The following persons were elected Resident Members: 

 Mr. Levi Holbrook, 

 William Gt. Anderson, M.D. 



William J. Hoffman, M.D., Curator of the Anthropological 

 Society of Washington, D. C, was elected Corresponding 

 Member. 



Mr. p. H. Dudley read a paper on 



THE inception AND PROGRESS OF RAILWAYS. 



(Illustrated with lantern views.) 



The inception of the vast railroad systems antedates the intro- 

 duction of steam, though the latter gave the impetus to their 

 present development. 



It was the imperative demand for better facilities for trans- 

 porting coals and ores from the mines, and stones from the 

 quarries, that led to the introduction of wooden i-ails to furnish 

 better ways for the passage of Avagons, carts, and finally minia- 

 ture cars. Short cast-iron rails replaced those of wood, thus 

 preparing the way to receive and develop the greatest tyj^e of 

 human progress — the locomotive and its accompaniments. 



Newcomen's seemingly crude steam engine of 1710 was a grand 

 conception, a great advance upon Savery's, which raised water 



