144 



SCIENCE. 



[YOL. VI., No. 133. 



know the relative positions of the different deposits 

 with which one is dealing, and not to proceed, as Dr. 

 Meyer has done, from top to bottom, believing that 

 top was bottom, and bottom top." Professor Heil- 

 prin has confounded the limestone at the top of the 

 profile in Claiborne with the limestone at the base, 

 because he has studied the literature regarding it 

 superficially, and because he himself has never seen 

 it in nature. If he puts no faith in the observations 

 of Conrad, Lyell, or my own, he may go there and 

 observe for himself. 



7. I fail to see what the fact, that Professor Heilprln 

 has been six years curator of the tertiary shells in Phi- 

 ladelphia, has to do with any conclusion which I have 

 drawn, based upon my larger material. It may be that 

 he has studied these shells attentively; although I 

 have pointed out paleontological mistakes of a surpris- 

 ing nature in his publications on tertiary fossils, and 

 although I had published my regrets that he had not 

 utilized the Philadelphia type-specimens for the 

 benefit of science. The fact, that he once sent me 

 an undescribed tertiary form of the collection as a 

 duplicate in exchange (see ' Terebra trilirata Conr.,' 

 Proc. ac. nat. sc. Phil., 1884, 105, 106) makes me 

 doubt whether this study was as thorough as he inti- 

 mates. 



8. "Pseudo-science, of the kind to which we are 

 here treated, should be exj^osed." After having 

 worked for years in the old-tertiary formation in 

 Europe, I studied the literature of the corresponding 

 formation in America, following the different opin- 

 ions from their origin, and tracing out contradic- 

 tions. Then I went to the spots, observed for my- 

 self, and from all these studies I have been forced to 

 conclusions, which, indeed, throw a peculiar light on 

 some publications. Professor Heilprin's way has 

 been to study the literature, and then to write a book 

 on this formation: even to map it, without ever hav- 

 ing seen it. He calls my way 'pseudo-science!' 

 Without having pointed out one single mistake in my 

 papers, Professor Heilpriji uses the expressions, — 

 "geological and paleontological fancies . . . mon- 

 strous disregard or ignorance (or both) of the litera- 

 ture . . . misconception of the numerous species 

 . . . vagaries . . . amusing . . . pseudo- science," 

 and warns paleontologists not to accept my species. 



I have here fully answered Professor Heilprin's 

 objections, in order to show his method of argumen- 

 tation, and how useless and how disagreeable discus- 

 sion with him is. I will not, however, enter into any 

 further controversy with him upon this subject; at 

 all events, not until he has made some examination 

 of the region under consideration, in person, and 

 then confines himself strictly to the discussion of 

 observed facts. 



Otto Meyer. 



New Haven, Conn., Aug. 12. 



A NEW ENDOWMENT FOR RESEARCH. 



It is iisuall}^ the case that private endow- 

 ments for public purposes are made subject to 

 narrowing restrictions, and then it too often 

 ensues that with the lapse of time the ver}- 

 object of the gift is defeated b}' the restric- 

 tions : the letter kills the spirit. It must 

 therefore be a matter of congratulation when 



a great public donation is left as free as com- 

 patible with the general object for which it is 

 made. This is remarkably the case with a 

 noble and munificent endowment established 

 by Mrs. Elizabeth Thompson of Stamford, 

 Conn., an American lad}^ well known for her 

 public benefactions. Her long experience with 

 churches ancl various charitable enterprises 

 had led her to question whether the money 

 spent in them achieves the greatest possible 

 good. She finally reached the conviction that 

 knowledge is the real source, the impelling 

 power of human progress ; and it became her 

 desire, from motives of the highest philan- 

 throp}', to contribute to the promotion of 

 science. 



When the plan for the establishment of an 

 International scientific association was brought 

 forward at Montreal, and again at Philadelphia, 

 before the great national associations, Mrs. 

 Thompson considered that the proposed inter- 

 national society wotild be the fittest body to 

 assume the trust she wished to establish. Ac- 

 cordingly she placed in my hands the sum of 

 five thousand dollars as the nucleus of a fimd 

 to be controlled by the International scientific 

 association when organized. 



Not long since, Mrs. Thompson communi- 

 cated to me her desire to transfer the above- 

 mentioned sum to a board of trustees, and to 

 add to it at once twent}' thousand dollars more, 

 making a total permanent fund of twenty-five 

 thousand dollars. Mrs. Thompson has been as 

 liberal in the conditions she has established as 

 in the amount she has given. According to her 

 letter of conveyance, " The income of the fund 

 is to be devoted to the advancement and pros- 

 ecution of scientific research in its broadest 

 sense ; it being understood that to provide 

 for, and assist in, the maintenance of an in- 

 ternational scientific association, is a method 

 of application which seems to me very desir- 

 able." 



The trustees are left with verj^ great discre- 

 tionary powers, which are to be guided by 

 certain general directions. It is, above all, 

 expressly understood that the prime object is 

 to contribute from the income towards defrav- 



