390 



SCIENCE. 



[Vol. II., No. 33. 



where it would seem to have proved a great 

 success, although coupled with conditions 

 which would hardl3- have been accepted b_y an 

 American artisan. I do not know what inter- 

 est our railwaj'-companies take in the personal 

 welfare of their employees ; but the examina- 

 tion of what is done by the Western railway 

 of France, as exhibited and explained to the 

 association, is suggestive of a iDhilanthropic as 

 well as of a business institution. Bedrooms, 

 baths, eating-rooms, medical attendance, sav- 

 ings bank, and life-insurance are among the 

 privileges provided by the company, of which 

 each and Q\ery employee maj' avail himself 

 according to circumstances. 



The prominence of engineering questions 

 was due to a cause which shows that human 

 nature is much the same through the civilized 

 world. Rouen is engaged in river improve- 

 ments, of which the object is to make it a 

 great seaport ; in fact, to make it to Paris 

 what Liverpool is to London. Great pains 

 were therefore taken to secure the attendance 

 of distinguished engineers from abroad as well 

 as from home ; and harbor improvements, 

 especiall}' those of Rouen, formed the most 

 prominent subjects of discussion in the section 

 of engineering. How far the French associa- 

 tion is read}' to go bej-ond its fellows in this 

 direction, is further shown by the fact that one 

 of the prominent papers in the engineering 

 section was devoted to the exposition of a 

 scheme for a metropolitan railway in Paris, 

 similar in its object to those of London and 

 New York, which could be built at a cost of 

 two hundred million francs. No one hinted 

 that the subject was not germane to the ob- 

 jects of the societj'. 



There is at least one custom of the meeting 

 worth}' of imitation bj' the American associa- 

 tion ; namely, evening lectures by members, on 

 subjects of general scientific interest. These 

 lectures are not gotten up at hap-hazard on the 

 spot, but are arranged by the secretaries, long 

 enough in advance of the meeting to admit 

 of careful preparation. Those of the Rouen 

 meeting were : The transit of Venus, by Mr. 

 Hatt, chief of one of the French expeditions ; 

 and on the Transmission of energy, by Profes- 

 sor Comberousse. The general character of 

 these lectures was the same so familiar to us 

 at home ; but it was noteworthj', that French 

 science was almost exclusively considered. 

 Occasional references to the works of other 

 nationalities were rather to show that the 

 speaker knew something about them, than to 

 give full information respecting them. 



In two points the French association makes 



a decidedly more favorable showing than our 

 own. One has alread}' been mentioned, — the 

 absence of the respectable gentleman who 

 writes interminable essays on scientific sulijects 

 of which he knows nothing except from cur- 

 rent literature. In the mathematical section, 

 tlic papers read were of decidedl}' greater im- 

 portance than those to which the American 

 association is accustomed. The other is the 

 financial condition of the society. In few re- 

 spects does American science show to greater 

 disadvantage, beside that of Europe, than in 

 its power of raising money to promote its ob- 

 jects. The income of the French association 

 for the current j-ear was reported at 85,000 

 francs. It has already an invested capital of 

 about 450,000 francs. It expended 39,000 

 francs in printing its proceedings, 20,000 in 

 administrative expenses, and 11,000 in grants 

 for researches of various kinds. 



Let us compare this sum total with the in- 

 come of the American association. 



Income of French association .... ^16,600 

 " American " .... 8,943 



Difference in favor of France .... S7,(i57 

 And we must remember that this is not a 

 case in which the excess is due to greater age ; 

 for the French societ}' is onl}' one-fourth the 

 age of the American. The comparison will 

 afford us food for profitable reflection. 



EVIDENCE FROM SOUTHERN NEW 

 ENGLAND AGAINST THE ICEBERG 

 THEORY OF THE DRIFT."^ 



In presenting to the association evidence 

 from southern New England with regard to the 

 insufficienc}' of the iceberg theory of the drift, 

 I shall have to say some things that have often 

 been said before, and bj' various investigators. 

 But I maj' claim for what is here brought 

 forward, that it is, in mj' own mind, the fortified 

 conclusion of long-continued investigation. 



The arguments on the subject are derived 

 from three sources, • — • 



I. The scratches and groovings over the 

 rocks. 



II. The transported bowlders and other 

 material. 



III. The facts as to the relative level of 

 the land and sea. 



I. The scratches or grooves over the rocks. 



Under this head there is, first, the old argu- 

 ment based on the universal distribution of 

 the scratches over the region of all New 

 Eno'land. These effects of abrasion are to be 



