286 American Associatiom 



caused uplifting of these mountain chains. On the contrary, if 

 there had been no folding and plication, this range of moun- 

 tains, he thought, would have been twice as high as they now are. 



ORIGIN OF COAL. 



Mr. Whittlesey who presented a paper on this subject, is in 

 this matter a sort of geological heretic, Y\'ho maintains a view 

 lono- since exploded, and now not seriously entertained by 

 any geologist familiar with the decided proofs of vegetable 

 origin presented by all our beds of coal, even by tliose that have 

 by metamorphic processes been converted iiito anthracite. 

 Views of this character constantly make their appearance in 

 Scientific Associations, and arc usually listened to with patiences 

 though regarded, in the words of one of the speakers on this 

 paper, as " going backward in the progress of geological science." 



GRAPTOPORA. 



A new genus of polyzoa, allied to the curious silurian fossils 

 known as graptolitesj was characterised under this name by Mr. 

 Salter. There appears soirie reason, however, to believe that this 

 proposed new genus is identical with the Dictyonema of Prof. Hall. 



We were so unfortunate as not to hear the papers of Prof; 

 Emmons on the remarkable fossils recently found by him in North 

 Carolina, and by Prof. Hitchcock on the much controverted ques- 

 tion of the age of the Red Sandstone of Connecticut, nor have we 

 obtained any detailed report of them. 



GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF GREAT BRITAIN. 



On the last day of the Session, Prof. Ramsay gave a verbal 

 explanation of the mode of conducting this great survey. The 

 American geologists present were very much interested in the 

 subject; and spoke in terms of admiration of the thorough man- 

 ner in which the work is carried on. Profi Ramsay was requested 

 to prepare his remarks for publication. In the mean time, there- 

 fore we do not publish an abstract, hoping to have the paper in 

 extenso for our next number. 



GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF MISSOURI. 



Prof. Swallow followed Prof. Ramsay with an account of the 

 survey of this and the neighboring States. The principal feature 

 referred to was the enormous extent of the coal fields in the West^ 

 and the remarkable subdivision of parts of their margins into 

 isolated patches or basins. 



