39 



own University of Yale, on account of some youthful esca- 

 pade, never enrolled him on her honor list. The University 

 of Laval, of which he was a member of the first Senatus 

 Academicus, conferred on him the degree of LL.D., and in 1881 

 the University of Cambridge, England, honored him with the 

 same degree, assigning him as his chambers, while its guest, 

 quarters in Trinity College, near the rooms occupied by 

 Newton. It was there under the inspiration, as he felt, of 

 the great philosopher's presence, that he wrote his splendid 

 essay, " On Celestial Chemistry from the Time of Newton." 

 Hunt was one of the founders of the Geological Congresses 

 which have been held at intervals of three or four years since 

 the first assembled in Paris in 1878. The idea was originally 

 broached at a meeting in Buffalo of the American Associa- 

 tion for the Advancement of Science in 1876, when it was 

 resolved that a committee of the Association be appointed to 

 consider the propriety of holding an international congress of 

 geologists at Paris during the International Exhibition of 

 1878, for the purpose of getting together, comparative collec- 

 tions, maps and sections for the settling of many obscure 

 points, relating to geological classifications and nomencla- 

 ture. The committee consisted of seven eminent American 

 geologists, of whom Hunt was one, and to the committee were 



<l Iluxlev, Terrill and Ilainhauser, who were present at 

 nif ting. Subsequently James Hall was elected 

 President, and Hunt, Secretary, and it was to his efforts 

 as Secretary that the successful organization of the Con- 

 gress was largely due, for, as was afterwards shown, this 

 was not the lirst attempt to induce the geologists of the 

 world to assemble lor discussion and conleivnee, Capellini 

 had in 1^7-1 unsueresslullv made similar proposals. At 



\ashvillemeetinginl877, Hunt J.P- the commit- 



tee's report, and lie, with Lesley, Hall, Cope, OhambertiD and 

 Selv. tended tin- 1-irst Congress at Paris. Hunt was 

 elected one of the >ok part in i he- 



opening session, was prominent as a debater throughout the 

 Congress, and \as appointed one of the International (Jom- 



-ological Nomenelat 



