
948 The American Naturalist. [October, 
the officers of the fifth congress, but we are pleased that he should 
have delegated in his place Prof. Hughes, who is so appreciated by all 
geologists. We regret also that Prof. Newberry is not in attendance 
to preside over our deliberations, as we had hoped. In the excellent 
work which he has recently published on the fossil fishes we were 
shown a sample of his vigor and his spirit, but unhappily his physical 
strength would not permit him to attend at our call, and preside over 
this congress. But to console us we have chosen another eminent 
geologist, Prof. Joseph LeConte. In the name of my brother geolo- 
gists I have tothank him for the talent and kindness with which he has 
directed our session. It is now thirteen years since we organized at 
Paris the first international congress of geologists. My friends 
M. Delaire and Barrois, who are here with us to-day, and who were 
secretaries of that first congress, can tell you that we were not then 
without inquietitude for its success. Thanks to the Lord and thanks 
to you, it has developed into a complete success. We ought not to 
forget that if it was at Paris that the first congress was organized, it 
was in America that the project was started. Hence sprang the 
generous and fecund idea to unite the different members of the great 
family of geologists. I am but the interpreter of the sentiments of my 
brother members of the international congress of geologists, whether 
present or absent, in addressing the most cordial thanks to the Ameri- 
can savants who were the inspiration of this congress. The congresses 
at Bologna, Berlin, and London had grand success, while this at Wash- 
ington is not less satisfying. In truth, we have not made any new 
regulations, and the anterior congresses made many. There are regu- 
lations for nearly everything en peu faut, pas n'en faut. We should | 
guard against personality, and ought always to respect the liberty of 
science. It is most important that we should elevate science in the 
greatest degree possible. Our domain is immense, since we make the 
history of all the earth. We should give to our spirits an amplitude 
equal to that of the vast domain which we are charged to explore. By 
the natural force of things each one of us is drawn to study special 
branches; in order to make original work, one must concentrate his 
power upon a single branch of science. Some of us are pleased to 
make our researches among the vertebrates,—strange and gigantic 
animals which peopled our continents in past times. Others attach 
themselves to the study of invertebrates,—creatures humbler, but which 
render great service to geology in the determination of the ages of the 
earth. Still others consider the flora, and make corresponding classifi- 
cations. Some prefer the primitive ¢errains which reveal to us the 





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