58 



private grief, to express our sympathy with the family to ^vhieh 

 she belono-ed. 



O 



Reso/red, That we appreciate the generous readiness of Mr. 

 Rogers, in fulfilling thus early, the ultimate wish of his wife, 

 (whose decease is so widely lamented ; ) and that we shall 

 connect with so munificent a donation, thus doubly gratifying, 

 those sensations to wdiich it justly belongs. 



Mr. Charles H. Wheeler addressed the meeting on the 

 subject of Physical Geography, which occupied the usual time 

 devoted to a lecture. 



Mr. Wheeler stated, that this science has been ably discussed 

 in the works of Mrs. Somerville, and particularly, in those re- 

 lations of which he was to speak, by Prof. Guyot, in his " Earth 

 and Ma]iJ^ A seeming law, which may be termed the Law 

 of Life, pervades all matter, pervades the Universe ; and it is 

 an interesting inquiry to ascertain on what circumstances, the 

 particular phase of this law, so far as this globe is concerned, 

 depends. What shall we expect from a study of its outlines, 

 of its surface, its shores, bays, rivers, oceans ; in fine, of its 

 contour ? 



Mr. W. hastily noticed several observers of these features of 

 the globe in the following order. Lord Bacon, who was the 

 earliest in giving attention to its physical features ; Forster, 

 who improved on Bacon's hints ; Pallas, who had a favorite 

 theory of his own, relating to steppes and deserts ; Humboldt, 

 of a rare discrimination pertaining to the origin of the Atlantic 

 Ocean ; Steflfens, who noted the contour of entire continents ; 

 and Carl Bitter, who perceived the balancing of land and water 

 and the influence of coast indentation. 



Mr. W. alluded to the facts of the outline ; and likewise to 

 the minuter characteristics of the relief on the surface. He 

 showed that not merely the physique of the globe belonged to the 

 province of the Physical geographer, but that there was a much 

 higher consideration connected with his scheme. The earth was 



