Scientific Lectures. 77 



SCIENTIFIC LECTUEE~VI. 



OK THE GEOLOGICAL HISTORY OF THE XORTH 

 AMERICAN COKTmElS^T. 



Bt Professor James Hall. 



Prof. James Hall, State Geologist, on Wednesday evening, Decem- 

 ber 30th, delivered the sixth of the course of Scientific Lectures 

 before the American Institute at Steinwaj Hall. 



His subject was " The Geological History of the North American 

 Continent." 



Judge Daly, in introducing the lecturer, said that the last lecture 

 was one of the most interesting of the course, and to-niwht the 

 audience would have the pleasure of listening upon a kindred subject 

 to a gentleman whose reputation as a geologist was not limited to our 

 own State or to the United States. His reputation will be perpetuated 

 by a noble monument of more than twenty volumes upon the Natural 

 History of the State of New York, several of which have been 

 produced under his scientific supervision. It is generally admitted 

 among scientists, that the great work on The Natural History of 

 New York, which has been published by authority of the State, has 

 never been equalled by any similar undertaking in any part of the 

 old world. Prof. Hall said : 



Ladies and Gentlemen : I am unprepared to say a word in 

 response to the complimentary notice of your President ; but one 

 word I will say as an adopted citizen of New York, speaking to citi- 

 zens of the State of New York, that the natural history of the State 

 is a monument of which in after generations every man, woman and 

 child will have reason to be proud. It has been carried on for many 

 years, and amid many difficulties. For the humble part I have liad 

 in this work, I have had many pleasures, many griefs, and many sore 

 trials. But all these will be past, and those who come after us will 

 reap the benefit of a work that has developed much of natural 

 science, and which was in fact one of the earliest results of the study 



