JOURNAL AND PROCEEDINGS. 39 
giant powder used in quarrying, was exactly similar to ones secured 
by the writer in the upper blue building bed there some few days 
previously. Had this been a solitary instance of a particular grapto- 
lite existing for perhaps centuries? (for remember Dana, the great 
United States Geologist, whose writings are sometimes alluded to 
by Dr. Talmage and other traditionalists, with approval, considers 
each foot of limestone may represent the deposit of 1000 years). A 
notice of such an assertion as this you will not find recorded by 
men who hold the view of the six days’ creation recorded in the 
bible. ‘They prefer to select isolated passages from the earlier im- 
mature publications of Agassiz and other geologists in order to 
discredit modern scientific research, carefully ignoring the conclu- 
sions arrived at by such writers when they gained more experience. 
At a meeting of the American Association for the Advancement 
of Science, held at Denver on 30th August last, Professor W. J. 
McGee, Chesterfieldian ethnologist, read a paper on ‘‘ Anthopology,” 
in which he stated modern research had shattered the theory that 
mankind had sprung from a common parentage ; it must be apparent 
that the Negro, Malay and Caucasian could not have descended 
from the same pair. 
It may not be generally known that the celebrated palzeontolo- 
gist, Agassiz, arrived at the same conclusion as the great body 
known to us, ‘‘ The American Association for the Advancement of 
Science.” It is recorded that the entire assemblage, with two excep- 
tions, adopted the views of the Smithsonian Professor regarding the 
ancient tradition of ‘Adam and Eve,” dismissing it merely as an 
Eastern myth. Dr. Talmage’s preaching appears to have little in- 
fluence with the more intelligent of his own countrymen. He may, 
perhaps, be more highly appreciated by a few city aldermen, or 
emotional people of either sex. 
An opinion was expressed that as the Lattice-Sponges ( Hexact- 
inellids ), Euplectelle for example, are found living at a considerable 
depth in the modern seas, we may reasonably infer that the fossil 
representatives of this family existed here under similar conditions, 
and that our local chert indicated a deep sea bottom. The writer 
believes this conclusion to be quite erroneous, for the reasons sub- 
mitted for consideration. 
Particular attention for many years has been paid to this very 
