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earliest deposited layers come frequently to form the highest mountain-top ; also 

 Professor Hall's excellent geological chart, an aneroid barometer, Locke's levels, 

 clinometer compasses, geological hammers, small sacks for collecting soils, &c. 



5. Department of Languages. As so many scientific names are derived from 

 the Greek and Latin, it is very desirable that they should be studied at least 

 long enough to enable us to trace the etymology of terms, even if the student 

 cannot take a full classical course. I will here give a simple illustration: A 

 fossil from the carboniferous formation of St. Louis, .described by my brother 

 and Dr. J. G. Norwood, is called macropetalichthys rapheidolepis, which would 

 be hard to remember; but when we know it is from makros, long ; petalos, flat ; 

 ichthys, a fish ; raphe, a suture ; eidos, a form ; and lepis, a scale, it is soon as 

 easily remembered as long, flat fish with suture-formed scales. 



As regards modern languages, I am fully convinced, from many years' expe- 

 rience, that for most minds success in their study can be best secured, and 

 progress be most rapid, by adopting some modification of the Manesca, Dufief, 

 or Ollendorf system, originally, indeed, due to Pestalozzi, in which we com- 

 mence at once to frame short sentences, using a few words on Avhich we ring 

 all the changes, and only bring in portions of grammar by degrees, when both 

 teacher and .pupil see the necessity for it, and the latter gratefully receives its 

 aid, instead of being heartily tired out with a long string of rules, usually for- 

 gotten before their practical application is called for. Connected with this de- 

 partment should by all means be many charts and other adjuncts, such as Kie- 

 port's ancient maps, sold by Westermann, New York; Strass' Stream of Time, 

 published by Colton, New York ; besides tabular views of typical forms and 

 verbs, nouns, &c., rules for genders, and the like. 



6. Mathematical Department, including natural philosophy, meteorology, and 

 physical geography, For these the adjuncts would be numerous. Large 

 globes and maps, giving distribution of animals and plants, rain, &c., direction 

 of currents, &c., barometers, thermometers, hygrometers, rain-gauges ; diagrams, 

 such as those entered by Isaac Harrington and publ : shed by Baker, Crane & 

 Day, Pearl street, New York ; all solids by model, and geometrical figures by 

 paintings on the wall, the arithmometer, the camera obscura, abundant mathe- 

 matical instruments for architectural drawing, the protractor, a quadrant, sex- 

 tant with horizon, sirene, optical instruments, a room that can be darkened for 

 optical experiments, and a model such as could easily be contrived for making the 

 principles of descriptive geometry intelligible to those who have not much imagi- 

 nation. On the top of the building, as already stated, an observatory is to be 

 constructed. The means could be readily devised for suspending, from a crane- 

 like rod of iron on the roof, a pendulum, far enough off to make correct obser- 

 vations for the variation of the compass. An awning might be stretched over 

 part of the flat roof, at a height permitting many observations to be made, with- 

 out the dew falling, either on the observer when using the theodolite, or on the 

 artificial horizon when he is using it with the sextant. I will here further sug- 

 gest, that there might be a stout frame of wood, or iron, covered somewhat like 

 a balloon, but with stout material ; which frame, in its total, should represent 

 somewhat more than the northern hemisphere. It might show to those standing 

 inside the apparent position of the prime meridian, the ecliptic, the equator, 

 (coinciding with the height of the eye,) and all the most important constella- 

 tions or assemblages of stars. These could be represented on the inside of the 

 oiled-silk or canvas cover, which would have either to be susceptible of removal, 

 in case of a threatening storm, or be protected by some movable shelter over it. 

 The constellations, either painted, or the stars composing them indicated by 

 gold or silver paper glued on, might be made to represent the position of the 

 heavens at the time the observation is made, by having this hollow celestial 

 globe to pivot, at zenith and nadir, on a strong central axis. After examining 

 inside, the student would step out and observe the extension of lines continued 



