Geology and Mineralogy. 167 



The " Comite Fondateur," or founding committee, was ap- 

 pointed by the American Association for the Advancement of 

 Science in 3 876. It was composed as follows: James Hall, presi- 

 dent ; T. Sterry Hunt, secretary ; W. B. Rogers, J. W. Dawson, 

 J. S. Newberry, C. H. Hitchcock, R. Pumpelly, T. H. Huxley, 

 Otto Torrell, E. H. de Baumhauer. To the committee were 

 added in 1877 the names of J. P. Lesley and A. C. Ramsay. 



This committee performed its function of inaugurating the first 

 session of the Congress of Geologists at Paris in 1878, by which 

 it was given a place of honor as ex officio a part of the Bureau, 

 and was called " Comite Fondateur de jPhiladelphie." The Amer- 

 ican representatives now living are Messrs. Hall, Hunt, Dawson, 

 Newberry, Hitchcock, Pumpelly and Lesley. As a committee of 

 the American Association it reported in 1879. In this year also 

 the names of G. H. Cooke, J. D. Dana and Clarence King were 

 .added, and the European names on the list were dropped. 



In 1880, the committee was formally discharged, as stated in 

 the Proceedings of the Association for that year, vol. xxix, p. 748. 



In the Proceedings for 1881, no mention is made of any com- 

 mittee on the International Congress. 



In the volume of the Proceedings for 1882, the following entry 

 appears in the report of the general secretary, Proc. vol. xxxi, 

 p. 634 : 



" Dr. T. Sterry Hunt made a statement in reference to the Inter- 

 national Geological Committee, of which Professors Hall, Selwyn, 

 Lesley, and himself had been appointed representatives from 

 North America. Several months ago a report was prepared by 

 them. The work was not yet completed, and, on the recommen- 

 dation of the standing committee, he moved that the committee 

 be continued. The motion was seconded by Professor Hall and 

 the committee was continued." On page xviii of the same 

 volume, among the special committees of the Association under 

 the title " Committee on the International Congress of Geolo- 

 gists " are printed the names of the American members of the 

 committee appointed in 1876. 



The " International Committee " named above, in Mr. Hunt's 

 statement can refer only to the " International Committee on 

 Cartography" and on "Classification and Nomenclature," ap- 

 pointed by the Congress. The Association had no power either to 

 continue or discontinue them. Moreover, it was not the committee 

 appointed by the American Association in 1876 to organize the 

 Congress, for that committee had already performed its function, 

 reported, and been formally discharged. 



'The committee, thus irregularly established, has been continued 

 year by year by the Association. In 1884, G. H. Cook, E. D. 

 Cope, J. W. Powell, E. A. Smith and J. J. Stevenson were added. 

 In 1885 Persifor Frazer, N. H. Winchell and H. S. Williams were 

 added. In 1889, the committee itself elected C. D. Walcott, 

 Wm, B. Scott and Robert Bell to fill vacancies made by the 

 death of G. H. Cook and the resignation of J. W. Dawson and 



