144 QUARTERLY JOURNAL. 



Mr. Whelpley said — It was necessary to account for the trench-: 

 ing out cf the valleys in addition to the other matters alluded to.| 

 and explained the jreolosrical phenomena connected with the break-j 

 ino of the dam of Mill Rock, near New-Haven, the trap rocks, andi 

 other places in the vicinity ; and contended, very modestly, thai 

 the trenching out of the valleys, the deposition of ranges of boul-' 

 ders, the formation of the terraces of the river valleys, could alii 

 be accounted for on the supposition that the subsiding and raising! 

 of the earth's surface was gradual. 

 ^ Prof. Hitchcock moved to lay the subject on the table ; it ha(4 

 generally formed the dessert of our entertainment, and now it bic 

 fair to occupy the place of their dinner. (Laughter.) He hoped 

 however, to hear of it again ; he believed the understanding wan 

 that gentlemen should be allowed to mix their ice and water ii| 

 quantities to suit themselves. (Laughter.) 



The subject was then laid on the table. 



Invitations were then tendered and accepted for all present, in" 

 eluding the reporters, to go and take supper with Prof. Shepardi 

 and examine his beautiful collection of minerals. But the report' 

 ers had so much work to do that they could not avail themselvei 

 of the Professor's very appropriate courtesy. I 



Prof. Silliman then said that he would be on the bridge to-mor 

 row morning at 8 o'clock, ready to conduct any gentleman to tlu 

 top of the East Rock, so as to get a good view of the curious formi 

 ation of the surrounding country. 



An unfinished paper on the fossil fish of the United States wan 

 read by Mr. Redfield for his son, and the meeting adjourned. 



AFTERNOON SESSION. 



The General Committee were then appointed of the followinj 

 persons : 



Prof. Deweyj B. Silliman, Jr. 



Dr. Jackson, Dr. Binney, 



Prof. Silliman, Prof. Hitchcock, 



Dr. J. C. Booth, John L. Hayes, 



E. C. Herrick, Prof. Rogers, 



Mr. Redfield, Dr. Dan 



Mr. E. C. Herrick was appointed Treasurer. 



Prof. Hitchcock then made some remarks about the Geology 

 Western Asia. He had received one hundred specimens fron 

 Mount Olympus, some of wdiich — calcareous spar — were ver 

 curious ; he had three hundred specimens of a series of rock 

 between Trebizond and Ooroomia he would write about hereafter 

 He was curious to get a bottle of the water of the Caspian sea 

 and this spring he received a bottle of it through the British con 

 giul at Teheran, which must have come at least twelve hundrec 

 miles on horseback. The consul got several bottles of the wate: 



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