4766 Scientific Intelligence. 



they are in words, in colors, or in graphic forms, can be estab- 

 lished by agreement with propriety, and perhaps with advantage 

 to the science. 



There is no body of men so wise or so powerful that it can 

 establish the science of geology by authority, and it is pretentious 

 and unseemly to make the attempt ; and to authoritatively an- 

 nounce a fact or generalization in science and ask its acceptance 

 is an absurdity. Any number or body of geologists may prop- 

 erly agree to use a common system of representation, and may 

 properly recommend others to use the same. 



In view of these considerations, I urged upon the committee 

 questions of conventions, as I greatly desired that the American 

 committee should formulate American opinions upon these sub- 

 jects. 



The papers which appear in the report were not presented to 

 the committee in a finished form, while I was present, but most 

 of them merely in abstract, and the reporters finally published 

 what they severally desired. I believe that the one prepared by 

 Professor Williams on the Devonian formations of North America, 

 is in form and substance of such a nature as to elucidate some of 

 the principles which should guide in the preparation of geologic 

 conventions. The paper which I prepared was brief, but was, I 

 thought, pertinent to the subject in hand; but evidently it did 

 not meet with the approval of the committee, for other reporters 

 included the consideration of the Quaternary formations in their 

 papers, that is, the members of the committee were determined 

 that the Quaternary formations should be discussed in such a 

 manner as to exhibit a supposed best, classification, or at least 

 such a one as they would recommend, all of which required a 

 review of the general subject of the Quaternary formations of the 

 country, and the more or less final settlement of many problems 

 yet under discussion. Seeing that the report prepared by myself 

 was, like that of Professor Williams, upon a general theory of 

 precedure different from that held by most of the persons who 

 were present at the meetings of the committee, I withdrew it at 

 the time I resigned from the committee, and another member was 

 appointed who prepared a paper more in harmony with the 

 general views. 



With regard to the papers which were actually published, that 

 of Professor Williams is in harmony with my conclusions, and, I 

 believe, germane to the purpose for which the committee was 

 organized. The other papers are not germane to the proper 

 function of the committee as understood by myself. To many of 

 the opinions expressed I can agree, to many others I cannot, but 

 to none of the papers is it proper that I should sign my name, 

 because I am not the author of any one or part of one. 



It will be noticed on examining the papers that a number of 

 taxonomic schemes are presented. None of them are such as I 

 would use, were I engaged in making a survey on the ground ; 

 and, futhermore, none of them are used by members of the United 



